Who here is excited about the new God of War?

nothing i've seen from the game looks interesting. Plus it still has Kratos so that makes it an easy skip for me.

I'm happy that the developers sound really jazzed about this game, but I didn't play very much of the past series and don't even know what I'd want out of this new one.

I'm getting it, but I'm getting the same feeling I did with the Tomb Raider reboot. That they're just changing to be more in line with what's popular at the moment. TR turned out to be super awesome and surprising, so I hope God of War has more to offer than the simple combat and exploration we've seen so far.

I'm coming off playing Ascension, which people griped about at the time. Turns out when you take a long break from playing a series, coming back to a polished version of it years later can make you remember why you liked it in the first place. Ascension is fun as hell, with set pieces that are more impressive than plenty of stuff from this generation. The story isn't anything impressive but everything else is rock solid.

Anyway, I'm cautiously optimistic but haven't been blown away by any of the footage.

I'm interested to see how it turns out, not sure if i'll play it or not at least anytime soon.

I'm... tentatively interested in it? If it comes out and reviews are pretty solid, sure, I'm up for paying full price for it. Especially if the story's pretty good. I already think the dialog and voice acting I've seen in trailers and previews and whatnot seems solid, so that's a good sign.

Eh, as someone who wasn't jazzed about Last of Us, changing God of War to be more like Last of Us is having the opposite effect of what they probably intended.

The gameplay looks alright, but it's missing that manic, fast-paced intensity that the previous games had. Combat seems a lot slower and has traded off speed and combos for For Honor-esque chunkiness.

If that's what people want out of the franchise, fine, but the changes really don't speak to me. Will I feel differently with a controller in my hands? Maybe, but I can't say I'm in a rush to find out.

Looks like what would happen if modern era Naughty Dog got given the next Shadow of Mordor game to work on.

So FUCK NO

@nicksmi56: I think the biggest difference aside from camera view is that you may not be facing off against a bajillion dudes at once and slashing at a wide swath of enemies. That doesn't necessarily mean it's slower though. I've heard it still feels like God of War despite the differences. Also, it's your opinion and I'm not here to argue it with the question, though I am curious what it is about The Last of Us you didn't like. It's not an uncommon opinion that people have in which people didn't love how it played. I loved it though. That said, God of War doesn't necessarily take combat cues from The Last of Us if that was the issue.

Never liked old God of War, new one just looks like that kind of half-assed "serious story" game that Naughty Dog makes, which even from a different developer I'm not interested in.

@gunslingerpanda: Hmm, I'd be way more into Naughty Dog's take on a Shadow of Mordor. I love Monolith, but goodness, the Mordor games are a bore to me (okay, the first one was, I didn't play War).

That new gameplay video has me more sold on it. My immediate concern was it would be to focused on "cinematic" story telling. Not really what I play God of War for.

yes. it looks fresh and different. an actual evolution of a series that has been dead for a while. it's like the anti gears of war 4

I've been playing all the old ones for the first time over the last few weeks, I've finished 1, 2, chains of olympus, and I'm working on 3 right now, I can't say that I think any of them are great, but I am enjoying them and still looking forward to the new game.

@frostyryan: Actually, I don't mind that Gears of War didn't change much. I felt all they really needed was the ability to switch over shoulders, which I feel all third person shooters should have now. Also, maybe change the cover to automatic cover, even though some still consider the Gears of War cover system the best. Maybe they could go all out with a duck for sneaking too. That said, I didn't really like Gears 4, but not because of what they didn't change, but because of what they did change. I didn't like the characters that much; they were just kind of dull and the dialogue didn't help with its predictableness and failing humor. The story went in an uninteresting direction and I didn't like the setting. The soundtrack was also repetitive and boring sounding. Returning characters was the best part. That said, I liked it just enough to want to play the next one whenever that comes out. I agree though that it's nice that they're changing God of War from the normalcy the series has been used to with the past entries, and they're changing it into something that's very modern and for me, sought after. I can understand people that say that it just looks like it's ripping off other well-received titles though. The game actually looks a lot like Hellblade to me due to sword combat with that camera view as well as the Norse aspect.

@werupenstein: I personally think they all play much better when played on hard (though it doesn't help three), that's how I actually loved God of War 2. I was initially disappointed in it on my first playthrough when it came out. Do you also have Ghost of Sparta? That's a good one.

@ntm: I think my issue with gears of war 4 was that it exists at all. I simply don't think we needed more of that franchise. It ended perfectly in my opinion and there wasn't much room to improve the formula further. with god of war, they're making a strong case for bringing it back from the dead.

Also I agree so much about the Hellblade comparison. The combat in the new GOW basically looks like hellblade's combat if it was a fully fledged action game with lots of mechanics. I remember playing Hellblade and thinking "holy crap, I can totally get behind over the shoulder melee action."

@ntm: Nah, not combat-wise. When I said it was like Last of Us, I mean the story/game flow. Original God of War had a story, and I thought it was pretty good and totally fit in with the old Greek myths, but as far as the game went it was secondary. There'd be some cool cutscenes in between gameplay sections as a breather, the narrator would sound off every once in a while, and there'd be prompts to look at or read stuff if you wanted, but the game itself was focused on the combat and puzzles. Yeah, it'd pull the camera back to show its gorgeous set design, but it never felt restrictive. It was as fast-paced and exposition-heavy as you wanted it to be with few exceptions. This one looks like more of a slow burn "walking around with my son while we comment and share our feelings until the next action set-piece/scripted event that interrupts talking or gameplay" game. Kratos and Atreus = Joel and Ellie, which isn't exactly what I'm looking for in God of War.

As for Last of Us, I was super hyped for it, bought it on Day 1 along with Bioshock Infinite and jumped into it right after beating that one, only to find myself bored and irritated instead of excited and emotionally invested.

Despite all the yelling about how it was so much more than a typical zombie story, it was pretty much exactly a typical zombie story. I didn't fall in love with Ellie, both because the "child who curses a lot but is actually innocent and cute underneath it" trope didn't really do much for me and because she was my worst nightmare in-game. I can't even count all the times I tried to stealth my way away from an enemy only for Ellie to position herself directly in front of my escape route and refuse to budge. Why the developers didn't think to have the player be able to phase through her the way enemies do I'll never know. By the time I stopped playing, I was actively wishing she'd go away. It didn't help that I just finished Infinite, with Elizabeth being way more helpful, way more interesting, and knowing to stay the heck out of my way when I was trying to get stuff done.

After I disengaged with the story and Ellie, the little things just started wearing on me. Being forced into shooter sections that clash with the rest of the game. Clickers CLEARLY NOT BEING BLIND while also being one-shotters. Joel being woefully underprepared for being caught in most situations. I think I got halfway through before I just got too bored/annoyed and stopped.

Sorry for the essay.

@bigboss1911: I havent seen the gameplay video you mentioned (they've put out a lot of videos but i'd rather not be burnt out on the game before i've even played it) but I wasnt a fan of the "cinematic" movie game vibe the game gives off and i'm glad there seems to be more to it. To me making the game more like The Last of Us or Hellblade or just about any Sony exclusive these days doesnt seem bold it just seems like it's following a trend. But I will play it in hopes that theres some classic God of War stupidity in there.

Yep, all in. Cinematic movie games are what I'm about, and the gameplay looks genuinely unique and interesting from what little I've seen in the previews. Plus I think there's a lot of room to do a more story-focused Kratos game and still be absurd as hell, and I'm there for that potential.

It's pretty rare a Sony first/second party game lets me down other than Quantic Dream stuff so I buy just about anything they put their stamp on in good faith.

@nicksmi56: It's okay, I read it, ha ha. I'm actually on the opposite end with The Last of Us. I loved the Uncharted games, but when The Last of Us was being shown off with all the trailers and what have you, I was just thinking 'I'm sure it'll be fine. Naughty Dog makes good games', but I wasn't that interested in it and wasn't hyped especially considering it did look like yet another zombie game. I was never that into zombies unless they did something interesting with it. I played the game a little later than the release date, but to my surprise when I finally got to it, in every respect the game became one of my favorite games of all time. It even outdid every Uncharted game which I didn't expect. I've beaten it around seven times or so, which isn't a whole lot, but the game is a decent length.

The reason The Last of Us isn't just a typical zombie game is that it deals with people and the world rather than the unique (albeit still, most likely zombie) cordyceps concept. It wasn't all about killing the undead. I loved the dilapidated world and the emotion that, that and the story brings which I felt was effective. I really liked Ellie even though she could swear a bunch. The combat both when shooting and hand-to-hand felt seamless from one to the other if need be and extremely brutal all making for a very immersive experience. And the conflicting feelings that make the player feel about Joel was interesting as well. The Walking Dead is similar now I think, but still The Last of Us is one of the best stories that deal with post-apocalyptic zombies.

I was sucked into the world of The Last of Us, and absolutely love the playing of it aspect rather than just the cutscenes, which I feel a handful of people feel is the highlight, like it's a good movie but not a good game. Also, the clickers were blind. There are some criticisms that I've seen that aren't quite true, like being able to flash your light at a clicker behind cover and them detecting you, which may have happened, but I've never had that occur. They can hear well though, so you have to move slowly when ducking. The only thing that I can agree with in terms of taking one out of the experience is when Ellie is hiding with you and she walks right in front of an enemy and they don't become alarmed, which is fine to me though since that would be annoying. Honestly, my biggest gripe with the game is just that you can't restart on any chapter carrying over all of your items and upgrades.

This thread is the reason I like polls over trying to gauge opinions over comments. The two can often be completely different from each other.

Anyways, I liked the old god of war games up to 3, but the franchise seriously needed a change up. The new one looks great so far and I'm hoping it doesn't disappoint.

I'm tentatively excited for it. From what I have seen, I'm getting a deliberate combat vibe a la Dark Souls. So long as they handle combat well with all the grandiosity I have come to expect from the series with engaging progression and half a decent story then I'll definitely play it at some point.

I’m not excited, but I’ve always enjoyed norse mythology and old-man-led games, so I’ll probably snag a copy at some point later this year.

@noobsmog: I bought a copy of three, but didn’t get very far. It was too much of the same. Depth was never that series’ strong suit, though I really enjoyed 1 and 2.

Good on them for finally (seemingly) mixing it up.

110%. Looks amazing and cant wait til 4/20!

I would call myself at around 60% on the hype meter. I'm probably going to play it, but interested in seeing how the word of mouth turns out for it.

It sure looks really nice, but I'm pondering whether or not I should play GoW 3 first.

I'm very eager to experience the new combat. God of War while simple has one of the most solid combat systems ever so if they have done that again but in a different way I am excited to experience it.

Story wise I'm glad they have changed Kratos but at the same time I would have liked to see them do something completely new.

I'll definitely pick it up at some point.

I don't really like the new direction they're going for. It seems like they've gone from ripping of Devil may Cry to ripping off modern cinematic stuff like the Last of Us, Senua's Sacrifice or Tomb Raider, and I don't like those sort of games very much. That sort of aping of movies with light mechanics and minimal RPG elements just has very little appeal to me. Additionally, their take on norse mythology looks pretty dull so far, just zombies and generic demons and forests. It's such a boring take on what's a very fun collection of stories and myths. I think I saw a giant in there with sort of rhino-like skin and tusks, a design I think I've only seen in about 5 games already and that has nothing to do with anything set in fantasy Scandinavia to begin with. I'm not the biggest fan in the first place so I'm not exactly heartbroken, but I'd much rather have them make a new character action-type game in the vein of Bayo, Revengeance or those first GoWs than what they've shown here.

I'm almost certain it's gonna get positive reviews for the more "mature" cinematic story approach, the dad thing and the polish. Probably even for the combat. But it doesn't seem like what I'm looking for out of games in general and especially not God of War in specific.

If anything's gonna make me decide otherwise, it's learning about different enemies, bosses or combat elements that make it seem more fun. Not "We did the whole game in one take! No cuts!"

Because the last Shadow of Mordor game that Monolith made was SO good...

I'm looking forward to it, and will probably buy shortly after release unless the reviews are dismal. I fell off hard after GoW 2, mostly because Kratos got a little too Hot Topic angry for me and the combat was a more vanilla DMC (which I was also really into at the time). But enough time has passed, and I really like what I've seen of the new game so far.

I pre-ordered it so now I can get me some shield skins woooo! But seriously it looks fun. Not as fun as the past games but still looks like a good time. I just hope it doesn't disappoint like Horizon did. I blame overhyping on that though.

I honestly have a hard time taking the game seriously in any way whatsoever. It just looks... boring? Like they ripped out all the interesting gameplay (finally, get rid of that annoying gameplay stuff!) and pulled the camera in because that's "serious" and what "serious" games with "serious" stories do. I'm 100% convinced it's going to be a critical hit - everything about the "man who gets older and has a kid now" aspect of the story seems practically made for critics.

Not that I'm suggesting a game made for 40 year old dads is a bad thing at all - I just don't see what else this game has going for it, to be honest.

I wasn’t sure at first but the trailers and gameplay vids completely sold me on this new direction. Really excited for this new God of War, which is not something I thought I would ever say in the near future.

I think GoW II is the one that drops the narrative ball and made Kratos a parady more than any other game, in fact pretty much every game since has tried to justify why Kratos snaps so hard in II.

Anyway, I like the series, like the idea of a God of War with more emotional depth, but have qualms with the change in gameplay. Don't mind changing it up, but a Last of Us style experience is the last thing I want from the series. Hopefully those comparisons are superficial and at its core it still feels like GoW.

have you watched recent gameplay ? It's got nothing with Last of Us.

@kopcik: Well I'll admit I haven't watched a lot, partly to avoid spoilers, and partly because what I have seen didn't look terribly exciting.

This might be the kind of game I'll pay attention to reviews for.

I am very excited about the new God of War, I was a big fan of the first three games. I think these changes though were needed and that axe is giving me all sorts of Thor power fantasy feelings. I'm also really liking what I've seen of Atreus and the story as well.

@thewildcard: have to agree that this new GoW as cool as it looks is a significant departure from the cadence of the original games which carries with it all the pros and cons of severe tonal shift. It’s like the difference between Gears of War and Vanquish or Forza Horizon and Burnout. God of War was always a very fast paced, frenetic game and I appreciated that tempo. I feel like game in general have been slowing down and getting away from those arcady roots of past generations.

Honestly I feel like this might be a terrible idea, but that's just a personal opinion obviously. To me the writing on the wall here is just screaming "critical darling, but the fanbase gives collective meh."

I know I'm totally going into "predicting the future" mode on this one, but I get the sense that this game is going to come out, a lot of reviews are going to praise it as "serious, touching storytelling" and a year from now we're going to look back on that as corny as hell.

Definitely interested. I wouldn't mind a new GoW in the fast-paced hack 'n slash vein either, but the new direction looks really good too. I just hope that the story holds up and that his kid won't shot-out quips and one-liners during every other fight.

Count me in. It looks really, really nice and the departure from the character action template might freshen things up.

I kinda wonder if the people still making comparisons to the last of us have seen the recent gameplay previews. The only comparison is the fact that it seems to be telling an emotional story.

Have you guys actually seen the recent gameplay previews that have come out? The action looks crunchy, fast paced, and fucking crazy

@frostyryan: Obviously there isn't a lot of gameplay similarities between a cover-based shooter with stealth and a melee combat game, besides the over the shoulder-camera that brawlers have stayed away from besides like... Senua's Sacrifice, those mobile games I forget the names of and God Hand? The relevant bits there are the tone, the filmic approach, the shaggy angry dad and his child(or child surrogate) on a scenic journey angle.

Their recent gameplay videos make it look more interesting than when they first show it, but while I think "crunchy" is appropriate, I don't think "fast paced" and "fucking crazy" are. I am open to the idea that there's more there that they haven't shown - best case scenario for me is that while the whole design philosophy of the game isn't my thing, maybe this is the second good over the shoulder-brawler after God Hand. I'm totally willing to eat my metaphorical hat and admit I was wrong if it turns out it's super fun. I'm especially fond of throwing the axe at some of the enemies and then hitting the other people with your fists, that looks like a sweet Dragon's Crown amazon move. But it looks pretty mundane compared to other games in the genre, and that combined with the rest of their design(the whole "It just looks like they nicked everything from every other recent western blockbuster game, and also I don't like those elements very much in the first place" thing) just doesn't generate a lot of enthusiasm from me yet.

@totsboy: I think it's important for the character arc of Kratos, but if you're like me and some others, you may not enjoy playing as him.

I'm more excited to see the story than anything else. I think the actual gameplay will be good too, but having played the other GoW games, the story looks lightyears ahead of anything else that's been in the franchise. I told myself I'd wait until it goes on sale around the end of the year, but I might just end up watching a playthrough on Youtube or Twitch or something.

I've been waiting for this game since Ascension.

I think I'm going to wait for a sale for this. I don't have that much of a connection with Kratos to really care what has happened to him since 3 or how they're going to justify him as a father figure or whatever it is they're going for. It all feels very Logan-y where they try to sell you this "we're seriously serious now" version of a franchise. The combat looks... dated? I think if this had come out like 9-5 years ago when the third person over the shoulder wave was at it's max with Dead Space and Gears of War, it would have been really impressive. It all looks gorgeous and I bet boss fights are going to be very cinematic and visceral, but the speed of bashing through regular guys to me just looks as boring as the story.

This game looks more like Darksiders than God of War.

It's a definite maybe. Depends on reviews.

I'm most curious whether Kratos dies, the kid dies, or in a surprise twist, neither does.