On God of War and Narrative Transparency

Let me jump ahead of any comments and say this: when asked by my brother what I think of God of War (2018), my response was “Yeah, s’pretty good.”  Admittedly my concentration was split at the time since I was in the middle of an enemy skirmish, but it seems like a pretty apt descriptor.  I’m still not going to call it GOTY 2018 yet, or slap a 10/10 on the box; that said, it’s a good game that’s a worthy addition to any gamer’s collection.

There.  Now that I’ve made that clear, I’m at a much lower risk of ruffling tail feathers with my next statement: boy, the devs did not even try to hide their intentions with this game.  There’s pulling back the veil, and then there’s using a veil made of saran wrap.

But that might not be a bad thing.  Well, except when it is.

…

…Except when it isn’t.

RE: God of War (2018)

If you want to know what I think of the latest God of War (and I’m not sure why you would), then let me say this to start: I’m not a God of War fan.  I touched the first game once, and never did again.  I skipped the second.  Watched chunks of the third -- and probably 75% of the first, at a bare minimum.  Skipped all the handheld games.  Forgot Kratos showed up in fighting games as a guest character.  Never used Kratos in PlayStation All-Stars: Battle Royale (jeez, remember that game?)  Touched Ascension once, and never did again.  

Generally swore off the series after that.

So if nothing else?  Congratulations to God of War (2018) for being the first and only game in the franchise so far to make me want to go back to it again.  For real this time.

The Battle for Everyone’s Sons (I Mean Souls)

*looks at God of War 4*

*looks at Yakuza 6*

*narrows eyes*

Video games?  We need to talk.

Let’s “discuss” God of War: Ascension.

Hey, have you ever heard of that game Mystic Heroes?

It’s an old GameCube (and PS2) title by the guys who did the Dynasty Warriors series.  And it shows; aesthetic differences aside, the goal -- as always -- is to make your way across the map, beating down as many undead soldiers, monsters, and generals as you can.  To the game’s credit, its greatest strength is the addition of magic that helps break up the monotony of mashing the attack button.  Press the Y button, and fire off, say, some lightning bolts.  Hold it down, and you can target enemies with lock-on magic.  Hit X, and you’ll be able to spice up your physical attack with magic -- and a chance to cause a status effect that’s dependent on the attack’s element (wind confuses, lightning slows, fire burns, ice freezes).  Couple that with some RPG mechanics and plenty of magic types to seek out and equip, and you’ve got yourself a handy-dandy little game.

Is it perfect?  No, of course not.  And it’s definitely started showing its age.  And that voice acting is something else, to the point where I wouldn’t even call it voice acting.  But I still like it; part of it’s in a sort of sympathetic “aw, bless your heart” capacity, as you’d expect.  But part of it is because I’m genuinely having fun with the game.  I’m planning on playing through it some more as soon as I’m able (and maybe doing a little post on it somewhere down the line).

It doesn’t bode well for God of War: Ascension when I realized I'd rather play a decade-old game instead.