God of War Ragnarok

[Jamie John]

9.5 hours? Strewth.

[Hitcher]

I'm an idiot. Picked this up from Currys only to realise I loaded my PSN account months ago specifically for this purchase so I'm selling the physical version in trading.

[Alan Stock]

12 hours ago, CrichStand said:

Playing on Hard and so far this seems to be way, way, waaaaaay easier than the previous game. Enemies go down like a sack of spuds and there are loads of health drops all over the shop too. Must be a couple of hrs in and it feels like I’m verging on being invincible. I remember even the first couple of enemies on the previous game being a challenge. 

 

To contrast I played on Hard for a few hours last night and found the bosses much harder than expected, but I can't remember how that is compared to Hard on the original. Maybe once I start getting gear the learning curve will kick in a bit.

 

First impressions are it hasn't wowed me yet, like folks say its like hopping into a DLC and the grand fights so far don't have the same impact because we've seen it before. But it's still good being back with father and boy and their little crew, character stuff is as good as ever.

[Minion]

I've only just started and maybe I'll get used to it but the dodge seems pretty poor especially against the tutorial boss which is what just took me about 5 attempts on hard.

[Number 28]

Quick question about an early battle;

Spoiler

did I die and get revived by Thor's hammer because I'm shit, or is it scripted and always happens?

Other thoughts;

Spoiler

the environments are so damn large and twisty, I feel like I've probably missed hundreds of items already and coming back to 100% is going to be tough.

Atreus' bow assist on the square button feels...nerfed? Less accurate? I used it for every single fight in the previous game, but I keep forgetting it's a thing in this.

So pommels/handles upgrade this time? So much upgrading. I'm hoping there are enough resources for everything. I've basically taken the glass cannon route so far, pumping everything into strength. Dauntless Shield n' all.

Again, like other games, it suffers a bit from characters saying "Hey look up there!" etc, when you're trying to solve a puzzle. Most of the time it comes after I've figured it out. Far too much backseating from Atreus (there's not an option buried somewhere is there?)

[Minion]

Oh I have a shield, that would have helped haha! Man my memory is pretty poor but I don't remember the game telling me to press l1 for shield.

[Alan Stock]

I've been on PS5 performance and no technical issues so far. Also I wanted to mention how they've made Kratos' environmental traversal a lot quicker, faster animations for getting up ledges and stuff, which makes everything feel a bit more fluid. Combat seems like its already deeper and more engaging than the first game and I'm only an hour or two in:

Spoiler

Just came back from the temple where Atreus shows you the wolf/Tyr legends. Also I thought Odin was brilliant, and I'm really happy to see Mimir back.

 

[imp]

5 minutes ago, Number 28 said:

Quick question about an early battle;

  Hide contents

Did I die and get revived by Thor's hammer because I'm shit, or is it scripted and always happen?

Other thoughts;

  Reveal hidden contents

the environments are so damn large and twisty, I feel like I've probably missed hundreds of items already and coming back to 100% is going to be tough.

Atreus' bow assist on the square button feels...nerfed? Less accurate? I used it for every single fight in the previous game, but I keep forgetting it's a thing in this.

So pommels/handles upgrade this time? So much upgrading. I'm hoping there are enough resources for everything. I've basically taken the glass cannon route so far, pumping everything into strength. Dauntless Shield n' all.

Again, like other games, it suffers a bit from characters saying "Hey look up there!" etc, when you're trying to solve a puzzle. Most of the time it comes after I've figured it out. Far too much backseating from Atreus.

 

That’s scripted. 
 

I found hard mode to be pretty unchallenging during the opening section of the game, not dying once, but in the first area I’ve travelled to it's definitely become much tougher. Lots of enemies attacking from all angles, with attacks far tougher to parry, and Kratos takes silly damage to boot. I think I’m settling into the rhythm of it now, but conversely I think combat feels slightly woolier than the first game, mainly down to the dodging not feeling as strong for getting you out of danger. I do like a lot of the new moves Kratos has though, particularly the charged R1 axe throw!

[Minion]

Nope, the dodge is total fucking shite. How is the Demons Souls/Dark Souls combat system still the aboslute best in class after 15 years?

[Hexx]

Puberty hit Atreus voice actor hard!

[Dig Dug]

Fun combat tip: the warning circles are not matched to attack timing so do not use them to time your dodges or parry attempts.

[Stanley]

Are the yellow circles unblockable? 

[PaB]

Yellow circles block or parry, red circles unblockable

[Pob]

4 minutes ago, PaB said:

Yellow circles block or parry, red circles unblockable

I think you're supposed to parry or dodge yellow, or else your guard will be broken.

[Stanley]

Just now, Pob said:

I think you're supposed to parry or dodge yellow, or else your guard will be broken.

That makes sense as I have parried the yellow ones, and the red ones I just get out the way. I like how you can interrupt their attacks using projectiles though as well. 

[Capwn]

Later you get blue ones, does feel a bit ‘Simon says’ at times. Did the original have a similar color coded defense system? Can’t recall now.

[Pob]

39 minutes ago, Capwn said:

Later you get blue ones, does feel a bit ‘Simon says’ at times. Did the original have a similar color coded defense system? Can’t recall now.

Yes. No blue though, I don't think.

[Thor]

Atreus is good in this. 

Spoiler

Playing as him is a nice change, and it's clear he suffers from anxiety - imagining and vocalising future conversation is classic anxiety. So far that's done well here, but I'm still early on with him. 

 

[Stanley]

4 hours ago, Capwn said:

Later you get blue ones, does feel a bit ‘Simon says’ at times. Did the original have a similar color coded defense system? Can’t recall now.

What are they, elemental attacks? 

[Hexx]

Does it scan your saves/achievements? I’ve definitely had references to optional side quests from first game and curious if everyone gets them.

[JoeK]

I tell you what - as someone who's taken the decision to watch a run-through of the game in the absence of being able to play it - the story in both of these games is really absorbing. Helped in no small part by the acting of course, but the characters are all pretty fucking great. 

 

I'd happily watch something similar to this on TV. It's great stuff.

[Kevvy Metal]

After installing then turning off my ps5 to play it later…on booting it up I get an HDR calibration screen and all my PS5 screen settings are all reset?!? 
 

Was there some covert system update?! 

[dreamylittledream]

1 hour ago, JoeK said:

I tell you what - as someone who's taken the decision to watch a run-through of the game in the absence of being able to play it - the story in both of these games is really absorbing. Helped in no small part by the acting of course, but the characters are all pretty fucking great. 

 

I'd happily watch something similar to this on TV. It's great stuff.

I suspect it’s nailed in to be the next HBO series tie in assuming TLOU does okay

[Bingox]

I would prefer if Atreus were a little less 'helpful'. Just because I spend a few moments admiring the scenery doesn't mean I'm stuck on the puzzles!

[JoeK]

7 minutes ago, Bingox said:

I would prefer if Atreus were a little less 'helpful'. Just because I spend a few moments admiring the scenery doesn't mean I'm stuck on the puzzles!

 

This does seem to be a bit of a thing with these big budget Sony games. I'm happy that they're in there for folks who need them, but it'd be nice to have the option to switch them off as and when.

 

Horizon Forbidden West was bloody terrible for that sort of thing.

[Alan Stock]

Definitely agree with this. I've literally had him tell me what to do 3 seconds after I have started the puzzle! So far, just like the last game you do have to use your noggin a wee bit. But not with Atreus telling you exactly what to do all the time! It's like they're so worried people will get stuck, or maybe its accessibility gone too far. If you're worried about those things at least have it as a gameplay option we can turn on and off, they'd only have to flag the hint lines in code and have a toggle on or off for them, easy. Maybe if enough people moan about it they can shoehorn it into a coming patch.

[shirubagan]

Probably been covered but 200 fucking GB minimum install?! What the fuck. 

[CrichStand]

1 hour ago, Bingox said:

I would prefer if Atreus were a little less 'helpful'. Just because I spend a few moments admiring the scenery doesn't mean I'm stuck on the puzzles!

I’d just come on to post about this. It’s really, reeeeeaaaally shit and drives me up the wall in games. I know people had a problem with Horizon FW, but I’ve found it to be fine. This on the other hand is absolutely taking the piss.
 

Got to a bit and the boy immediately gives me a hint i don’t want, before I’ve even done anything at all. Then Mimir immediately chips in with another hint. Take a step forward and the boy pipes up again pretty much telling me what to do. Then before I’ve done what I knew I needed to do anyway, the game fucking flashes text up on the screen telling me exactly what to do. All of this before I’ve even had a chance to do anything!
 

Get to next “puzzle”........boy pipes up again with a hint. “Shut the fuck up”. Take a step forward. Boy pipes up with another hint. “Seriously”? He starts piping up again. Before I have time to check if there’s any way of switching the prick off in the menus, he starts chatting away with another hint. 
 

Surprised the game box doesn’t come with a guide on how to open it and take the disc out or how to turn ya TV and PS5 on. How thick do they think people actually are? 
 

Even worse, there are about a million different accessibility options, control options, camera options, display settings......but you can’t turn the hints off that spoil the game! 😂
 

Edit - Fuck’s sake they’re still banging on telling me how to do every puzzle.
 

“Maybe, you should try blah  blah blah”?

“Look up there Dad something you need to find, that I’m showing you so saving you the bother of having to play the game”!

“if only you had an axe that you can throw, then you could try throwing your axe at that thing that is clearly hittable when throwing your axe.......maybe you should check if you have an axe. Oh, you do”?

“Hey Dad, from now on, why don’t I just tell you what to do constantly, rendering all the puzzles in the game completely pointless”? “Great idea Son”! 
 

Just done one puzzle and they were still giving me tips on how to complete it after I’d finished it! 🤣

[Capwn]

I find that odd because it was an option in Horizon FW

[Thor]

5 minutes ago, Capwn said:

I find that odd because it was an option in Horizon FW

They had to patch that in.