{"id":64414,"date":"2018-04-30T07:07:50","date_gmt":"2018-04-30T07:07:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/?p=64414"},"modified":"2018-04-30T07:07:50","modified_gmt":"2018-04-30T07:07:50","slug":"god-of-war-isnt-perfect-but-its-an-unequivocal-masterpiece","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/technology\/god-of-war-isnt-perfect-but-its-an-unequivocal-masterpiece.html","title":{"rendered":"God of War” isn’t perfect, but it\u2019s an unequivocal masterpiece"},"content":{"rendered":"

God of War” isn’t perfect, but it\u2019s an unequivocal masterpiece<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Few games are as deserving of the descriptor \u201cepic\u201d as much as those in the \u201cGod of War\u201d series. It plays like a Japanese-developed hack-and-slash but is presented with the grandeur of a Western blockbuster, and that formula is precisely why each game in the series has done well both critically and financially. But like every successful franchise, there comes a time where the formula needs tweaking and the past needs to be redressed. Kratos, the series\u2019 protagonist, has killed just about every single Greek God and Titan (!), but he was never too much of a character as much as he was an unadulterated vessel of rage. The soft-reboot of the series, the (uninspiringly named) \u201cGod of War\u201d continues the Ghost of Sparta\u2019s tale as he tackles his biggest hurdle yet: Transitioning from Kratos, God of War, to Kratos, Dad of Boy.<\/span><\/p>\n

Creative director Cory Barlog has put in considerable work in making the new \u201cGod of War\u201d as foreign to series newcomers and veterans. This is good. In the undisclosed amount of time between \u201cGod of War III\u201d and its 2018 sequel, Kratos somehow made his way from Greece to Scandinavia, grew his beard out and settled down. The \u201chow\u201d he got here, as well as the \u201cwhy,\u201d are questions for another time. Along with many, many other ambiguities throughout the lore the game acknowledges, this mystery is one of new joys the series offers.<\/span><\/p>\n

The opening frames of \u201cGod of War\u201d introduce us to so much of the series\u2019 newly established identity, one that Kratos himself is fiercely fighting to distance his past, and his son, from. Boy, Kratos\u2019 son whom he refers to once a blue moon by his birth name, Atreus, is an exciting new character this game introduces. In many ways, Atreus makes the game what it is and will compel players to see their journey\u2019s end. Their quest is a simple one: Scatter the ashes of Kratos\u2019 betrothed, Atreus\u2019 mother, on the highest peak in the Nine Realms. Along the way, the two encounter a few friends and a lot of enemies, though it\u2019s the relationship between father and son that make those encounters meaningful.<\/span><\/p>\n

There really is too much to say about \u201cGod of War\u2019\u201ds story that can not be done justice in any sort of review. Play the game, experience it firsthand. Just when you think the game cannot get any more exciting, developments occur and emotions swell to the brink of explosion. At one point, \u201cGod of War\u201d flips the castle and you realize that everything you\u2019ve done is merely a portion of the monumental task ahead.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s been said once but I\u2019ll say it again to reiterate: \u201cGod of War\u201d is a beautiful story that brings out the human in Kratos. Christopher Judge\u2019s voice as Old Man Kratos is a commanding bass that would make the devil curl up in a ball, and the young and always promising Sunny Suljic continues to show immense talent as the blissfully naive Atreus. Spending time with them in conversation is rewarding and unlocks layers to their relationship. Very early into the game, Kratos tells Atreus not to be sorry, but to be better. It\u2019s a line that boldly speaks to Sony Studios Santa Monica\u2019s legacy and the places a series as defiantly brutal as \u201cGod of War\u201d can go. They never needed to be sorry for their games \u2014 they\u2019re excellent titles \u2014 but they could always improve, and the new \u201cGod of War\u201d encapsulates that improvement in nearly every fathomable way. It\u2019s not perfect, but it\u2019s a masterpiece of a video game from a technical, writing and gameplay perspective that will hopefully (but unfortunately won\u2019t) send a ripple through the gaming industry beckoning for character-driven single player games.<\/span><\/p>\n

The history of great games is built on taking pre-established ideas and innovating upon them. If we\u2019re judging \u201cGod of War\u201d solely on the basis of originality, it\u2019d fail harder than an ESRB supercut of the PG moments in the series. There\u2019s so much that has already been said, but Santa Monica Studios clearly drew a lot from Naughty Dog\u2019s \u201cThe Last of Us,\u201d something Barlog has openly discussed. But rather than splitting hairs about the way they\u2019re informed by \u201cThe Last of Us,\u201d the simplest of differences between them reveal how singular each title is. And for what it\u2019s worth, the didactic father-son story has been told too many times to count; the particular dynamic \u201cGod of War\u201d explores hits many of the same beats as others, but its epic tale of Gods and the grueling process of coming to terms with your past make it exceptional.<\/span><\/p>\n

Shifting combat from past \u201cGod of War\u201d games has been a seamless evolution that retains the intensity, but Old Man Kratos\u2019 speed is not what it once was. One of the biggest differences the game introduces is the lack of a jump button; occasionally you\u2019ll be prompted to leap over an edge or climb to a wall, but otherwise your mobility is purely on one plane. Replacing the iconic Blades of Chaos from previous installments is the Leviathan Axe, a frost-elemental weapon that rivals the blades on impact. Attacks are swift and brutal, and though the game doesn\u2019t run on 60 FPS and Kratos is slower this time around, combat is absolutely riveting. Playing \u201cGod of War\u201d on its hardest difficulty is a Herculean task that requires precise attacks, feline reflexes and expert timing to parry foes using Kratos\u2019 collapsible shield.<\/span><\/p>\n

This is all not to mention the inclusion of Atreus in combat who, despite the notion of AI-controlled partner being an anchor to the flow of gameplay, he is anything but. The square button is by default designated for son control: A tap will cause him to shoot an arrow at whoever\u2019s nearest or, if you\u2019re aiming at a particular enemy, whoever you tell him to. Vitally useful to gameplay, Atreus is the player character just as much as Kratos is, communicating the player\u2019s point of view and empathy. \u201cGod of War\u201d is seamlessly responsive to player input and will devastatingly punish you when you make the wrong decision. Playing without the assistance of Atreus is a fool\u2019s goal, since he can help Kratos juggle enemies and inflict other forms of damage necessary to dynamicize combat. It irks me to make the comparison, but think of a faster \u201cDark Souls,\u201d but just short of \u201cBloodborne\u2019\u201ds razor-sharp speed. Eventually, you\u2019ll unlock more tools to assist you in combat that add on to the already satisfying \u201cumph\u201d of the Leviathan. In particular, one weapon makes for some of the most gnarly means of crowd control since the BFG in \u201cDoom\u201d or Cloud\u2019s Omnislash in \u201cFinal Fantasy VII.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGod of War\u201d is pretty. It is very, very, exceedingly pretty and it\u2019s hard to believe that what you\u2019re playing at times is not one continuous cutscene. Here\u2019s a challenge: Take a screenshot, and ask someone unfamiliar with the game to determine if what they\u2019re seeing is a cutscene or actual gameplay. It\u2019s that gorgeous. Naturally, there\u2019s some hiccups, as especially in the first quarter of the game there is more attention paid to beautiful presentation.<\/span><\/p>\n

There are some aspects of the visual department that clearly were less favored than others, like certain environments having poorer textures and lighting. But even then, the graphical fidelity in these scenes are nothing short of breathtaking and leagues ahead of most the competition (operative word being \u201cmost\u201d because \u201cHorizon Zero Dawn\u201d exists). Volumetric lighting, particle effects and physical rendering of objects like Kratos and Atreus\u2019 equipment (that beard though!) lend the photorealistic authenticity that every single gamer will find something to ogle at. Featuring a single-camera perspective that never once cuts, the gimmick holds up phenomenally to provide the game the jaw-dropping feel its content requires. It would be nice, though, if there was an option to make the game run at 60 FPS at the expense of graphical fidelity, as with Team Ninja\u2019s \u201cNioh,\u201d since the action in \u201cGod of War\u201d can be so breakneck.<\/span><\/p>\n

Because of how cinematic the game is, it\u2019s understandable that it would need to be accompanied by a sound design that communicates every awe-inspiring visual and deep, viscous attack to your ears. Famed composer Bear McCreary helmed the game\u2019s larger-than-life score which amps up everything from desperate battles and colossal boss fights to the serene ambience of the Norse wilderness. You won\u2019t catch the acclaimed theme song from the original series, but in its stead are equally swelling orchestrations. Of course, what would a \u201cGod of War\u201d game be without the sound of flesh razing and bone breaking? It\u2019s got that, and it delivers it in spades.<\/span><\/p>\n

And it\u2019s in the collision of sound and visuals that a story so simple in mind but epic in execution takes form. Video games are more than the sum of their technical parts, but it\u2019s impossible not to take a step back from the towering achievement of Santa Monica Studios.<\/span><\/p>\n

Verdict: Though early in the year, \u201cGod of War\u201d is top contender for game of the year. It\u2019s the perfect package: Intuitive combat with a rich amount of light RPG-like detail; an emotional story that spells a bold new direction for the series; and a technical marvel that testifies to the power of the PS4. Buy this game and do not hesitate.<\/span><\/p>\n

Source:-https:\/\/highlandernews.org\/32898\/god-war-isnt-perfect-unequivocal-masterpiece\/<\/span><\/p>\n

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