Hello there dear reader and welcome to another personal insight on SubRev this time talking about the recent Sony exclusive juggernaut from Santa Monica Studios. So lets have my summary on the GGS:
Graphics
God of War since 2018 has always looked exceptional even titles before have in their particular generations pushed the respective console hardware's to or their limits but in this summary looking from the 2018 title which is more akin to the recent Ragnarok release I find my to be expected visual laurels reserved and here's why: firstly the visuals are largely on par with the 2018 title and I would even say this latest release is more of the 2018 title with additional locations and lush environments (more realms) within it which makes it to some people more detailed but to me its just the same visual DNA. This does not imply or at all insinuate that the game is in any way visually terrible but merely to highlight how Ragnarok does not exploit the PlayStation 5 features and power to their extremes.
There is a few things they did touch a tad bit better, such as an example when you are in the boat you can now see under water detail, also I noticed with the Angrboda character capture there was an accurate capture to neck muscle movement something a lot of games fail on with only a select few like TLOU part 2 and Shadow of the Tomb Raider executing it well. You can see she's looking sideways unlike the what I would call the barby-doll sideways look which just rotates the head from the neck which is something most games do but in this case its an accurate capture of how a real human looks when they look sideways.
Pardon me but I have a keen eye for realism.
The maps are not bad at all but I did not really like them as they are somewhat more or less the same and at times looks kind of a downgrade. In short you are not getting a deal breaker from 2018 though you will have higher framerates which is welcome and a 4k 40hz mode for your hdmi 2.1 setup and also a 120hz mode all entirely dependent on the screen you may be using.
Gameplay
I wont waste your time here but its identical to 2018 but looks and feels fantastic at the same time. Its actually one of the significant aspects of the game that makes it shine and the interesting part is you not only limited to kratos move set but you have other protagonists who will be your sidekicks in various situations. Its definitely one of the best gameplay experiences this year no doubt. Certain moves in the previous title are now more of base moves you just have to acquire via xp points and there is an degree of ease in leveling up your character compared to 2018 which is largely contributed and accelerated by more environments and enemies to level yourself up from.
Story
Definitely the best video game story for me this year. It is the compelling reason to buy the game and it has an addictive nature to it because as you play you keep wanting to know what will happen next i.e. ultra intriguing . Side quests remain relevant to the mother story and that combined with brilliant motion capture keeps you captivated. It stays consistent in the thrill of the lore and does not aim to be a marvel based Norse saga but emits its own story DNA which I found distinct. I was a firm critic of this games Thor version but I found myself loving to see him often and yes my opinion totally changed. The game also exuberates this norse celtic culture in fantasy which is a great perspective.
The game is entirely a masterpiece and further galvanizes Sony PlayStation as the leading brand in the gaming space. All things considered its one epic tale to surely not miss and before I close I have 2 games which are my favorite GOTY contenders which are this game and Horizon Forbidden West and if I am to compare the two this would be my conclusion:
Graphics: I will give GOW Ragnarok a 7/10 mainly because it did not live up to my next gen expectations not because of anything else. Horizon Forbidden west I would give it a 9/10 as it largely met my next gen expectations plus it being an open world as opposed to Ragnarok which is more semi open world the one taken away from Forbidden West being the clipping that occurs during traversal and in some instances during gameplay movement.
Gameplay: GOW Ragnarok a 10/10 and Forbidden West a 9/10 primarily due to lack of diverse melee moves that the former has
Story: GOW Raganarok 10/10 largely a sublime cohesive story Forbidden west 9/10 because the main villains were not executed well in the end.
It is a neck and neck for me but I still prefer Forbidden West nonetheless overall as it screamed next gen and was a glorious open world and incredible story to remember. With all this mentioned this is just my more of a hypothetical comparison which is not accurate as the two games are different themes one being Norse mythology fantasy the other being sci-fi.
While I am yet to rap up this incredible games story be sure to join me if you want as I am still streaming the game on twitch. Cheers!
Pros
great gameplay
more graphics performance mode options
great story
Cons
Graphics remains largely identical to the 2018 predecessor
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