Accipitridae

@11001100110zero And I haven’t even mentioned the suit

@8th_Observer it’s like sausage love, but less sexy

@Fiendish-Beaver I don’t like the cube either, and I’ve come to realise it’s because they named it Frank (yeah, I know it’s “Phranque”, but you hear “Frank”). This flags it as meme fodder. The character is a joke that feels like it exists for desperately cool people to say desperately cool things on social media, like “omg there’s a jelly cube in god of war and I’m here for it”, or “Frank lives in my head rent free” or “the god of war cube is a vibe”.

I think this is artistically dishonest. It’s a kind of pre-fan service. And I agree with those who say that it’s jarring in this world that they’ve created. I would actually be much more into it if they treated it seriously, gave it a better name, made it another material like molten metal, and (which they may still do) plausibly linked it to some actual mythology.

@Greifchen You too, huh? The hair, the claws, the gruff voice...

Gotta agree with him on the cube, sadly. But I've already said my piece about that in other articles, so I won't rehash it. The Disney vibes are real, too, but there's been a Marvel/Star Wars kind of thing going on in the previous two games, so I shouldn't be surprised.

@yohn777 I agree 100%. I wouldn't say it's dramatically different, only that I notice a trend toward the more fantastical over the course of GoW 2018 to Ragnarok to this.

It's not particularly shocking, and I only mention it because the more this kind of thing is emphasized (world building) the more we approach a midichlorians situation. I don't want a God of War version of porgs.

But I'm starting to warm up to the idea of having more fantasy in the mix. My initial reaction to the reveal was one of muted excitement. And now the key art has that classic 80s fantasy paperback cover vibe, which has me all kinds of nostalgic.

(Still not sold on the talking gelatinous cube, though.)

@ShogunRok Yeah, I was pretty underwhelmed. Not a huge fan of Marvel, but I love action games, so if it's fun I'll definitely play it.

@yohn777 No, I remember perfectly well. "Grounded" is probably the wrong word to use, but from the little that we've seen of GoW Laufey, the latest game seems to be leaning a lot harder into straight-up fantasy as opposed to the mythological framework with fantastical elements that the games have traditionally been.

That's one of the pitfalls of secondary-world fantasies: how to make the reader care when you don't have the cultural weight of real-world history and mythology. At some point it all starts to feel arbitrary, and the further these games drift away from their mythological foundation, the more they risk that.

(I say all this as a fan of both fantasy and God of War.)

@Toot1st I haven't played DA, nor do I have any history with the IP, but I can see what you mean.

@playstation1995 word up!

@KawakiisaFraud That’s my suspicion too: give those players who don’t like this direction something to look forward to. Personally, I can’t wait for both.

@Ultrasmiles There is a definite Marvel feel to things. Even the logo somehow gives one that sense (I’m not a Marvel guy so I couldn’t exactly say why).

I’m excited about the faster combat. Looking at the back of Kratos’ bobbing, bald head as he plodded along could get tiresome after the 40 hour mark. At least this head will have hair to look at. Nice change of pace.

@BaronLaw Christ, where do you shop and what time do they open?!

Paging @playstation1995! Where are you, son?

@Frmknst Yeah, I think they're leaning too far into the fantastical aesthetic. At some point it becomes parodic as they try to one-up the last title. I would like to see a more grounded approach like GoW2018. I suppose the trilogy remake will be just that.

@SuntannedDuck2 I agree; the cut scene was way too long. It's about 10 minutes from the point Fey is captured to the point where you start fighting. Sure, there are a few button prompts in the middle to escape the cage, but it did stagger the pace a little too much.

I have to say I was a little disappointed by this reveal. I dislike the kind of jokey colourful tone (a talking gelatinous cube named Frank? lol crazy rand0m, right? no thanks), and I think the series is starting to suffer from the same over the top design philosophy as the worst of Star Wars: every creature has to be wild and weird, with seemingly little thought given to how they fit into their environment. They feel created on the spot, rather than having evolved in response to an ecosystem. As a result, any function they serve in world building is undercut, and they only highlight the artificiality of such a place. Some of this crept into Ragnarok, too, and I didn't care for it there, either.

(And then, the following thought ocurred to me: if this is a place for gods to go when they die, it would make sense that all creatures there are unique and unfitted for their environment — assuming there is no wildlife endemic to such a place.)

That said, I absolutely loved the villain designs, and the gameplay looked right up my alley. If the exploration is rewarding and the combat is as fun as it looks, I have no doubt I will enjoy this every bit as much as the previous titles in the series. Bring it on!

EDIT: Just to add — I definitely don't want to piss on anyone's parade. To the biggest fans, I'm right beside you. I've loved this series since the very first game, and I can't wait to see more of what this latest game has to offer.

FATALITY!!!

(I know)

I’m not interested in this month’s games, which is a relief, to be honest, because I already have so much to play.

@Czar_Khastik Announce and shadow drop, surely.

@Bertsimpson Absolutely. Surely this is indies’ greatest strength: that they have the control and the means to try something a little different. Obviously there are risks involved with that, and many indie studios don’t have the financial heft to absorb the kinds of losses a Take2 or Rockstar would (fewer staff means a thinner crash pad), but it’s their raison d’être, right?

@Bertsimpson I find myself in the same position re: trophies. I sometimes go against my natural way of playing and enjoying a game to seek them out.

@-wc- just saw your comment after making mine. The idea is just nonsensical to me, and it’s not the first time I’ve seen it. It’s like criticising a Forza game because “not everyone is into cars”.

I will never understand “won’t appeal to all” being a negative. What game or piece of media does that not apply to? And how often is the opposite true, where a game is trying to please everyone and ends up something of a shallow, board room-engineered mess? It should be critiqued on what it’s trying to do and how well it does it, not mass appeal. Of course, there’s an argument to be made for the relative merits of a niche product or genre, but I think that’s a separate issue from the specific qualities of a particular example of that genre.

This is cool. I never really got into the Witcher, but I like everything I see (I lose steam REAL fast with open world games). I imagine it will dovetail in some way with Witcher 4.

@Bahamut_GR Yeah, I use it a lot too. I’m confident the sale will show up by tomorrow.

@Sweetz Well, I dunno, I use the Deku Deals site, and it has a fresh round of sales up as of today, but these games aren’t among them. Perhaps you’re right and I just need to wait a little longer.

(Looking again, I see that it has new titles on sale, overlapping older ones that haven’t cycled out yet. I guess the Days of Play sale will go live once the old sales finishes.)

No sale for Ghost of Yotei or RE Requiem in Australia. The former is still $125 (!).

@wildcat_kickz Excellent comment

Well, I am shaken, but not stirred.

@Weebleman The statement can’t be presented as fact unless explicitly stated so because it carries subjective connotations. It is understood to be opinion, and arguing otherwise is arguing in bad faith. You know when somebody says “X is trash”, they are giving an opinion and cannot be stating a fact. To suggest otherwise is disingenuous.

@Weebleman No they didn’t, you missed it. The statement was an obvious value judgement, which is subjective by nature. Opinion is implied, and need not be stated.

@KyushuTrail strongly agree

Sekiro and Bloodborne are definitely my favourites. I started on Demon Souls, but by the time I got to Sekiro, it was refreshing not to have to worry about builds or what weapon to upgrade. I really appreciate the streamlined approach.

It's interesting to see these high-end collaborations with video games and other pop culture media. You see it with Star Wars, Pokemon, etc. I think companies have realised that of all those kids who grew up loving these IP, some have more than a little disposable income.

I think there was once a perception that only the middle/lower classes were attracted to pop culture, and the upper class had the finer arts. While those distinctions might once have been true, they don't hold much water these days.

Still, I'm not buying the perfume, and I don't see KC having the kind of fanatical devotion of the larger IP needed to entice fans to buy this kind of product.

@playstation1995 nods word up, indeed

Damn, there goes Keighley’s “one more thing”.

@playstation1995 Keen to see what's happening with God of War? I know I am! Maybe even an update on Darksiders 4 (probably too soon), new From won't happen (because Duskbloods), more on Onimusha, Mortal Shell II, release date for Lords of the Fallen II (bonus armour for pre-order?)...

I want to comment on this article, but how do I know what to think until @CzarKhastik posts?

@CielloArc My thoughts exactly. I won’t be seeing the family at all that month, probably not until Christmas. The kids will take it hard, but there’s nothing that can be done 😞. (I have no family.)

@GamingGod I don't mind the whole "wide linear" thing, or something kind of semi-open like God of War, but I don't have time for fully open these days. I don't see the point in it; it always results in weaker content, much poorer pacing, etc.

Wasn't there a report/rumour that Wolverine would have just that - hub areas with more linear areas branching off?

@Th3solution Yeah, I agree with everything here

@get2sammyb I'm surprised too; I thought there was a lot more love for what Insomniac have been doing. The Spider-Man games seem near universally lauded, and yet here we are with a much greater diversity of opinion (myself among the naysayers) that would suggest otherwise.

I share @MrPeanutbutterz views on Marvel (and superheroes in general), but I am a fan of linear action games, which Wolverine appears to be, so I am genuinely curious to see how it turns out.

@HerlockSholmes I’m the Sherlock to your Herlock, Sholmes: exactly the opposite. I didn’t like the Spider-Man games, so I’m keen to see how Insomniac move on from that style of game play.

@HaveTheSauce I think it will be quite different. The traversal and combat will have its own flavour, I imagine, and haven’t they said it won’t be open world?

I am interested in seeing more of this. I don’t play open world games and don’t care for Spider-Man, but a linear action adventure with Wolverine could be something I get into.

Jesus, you have to be a multimillionaire in Vietnam to be able to afford a console. I’ll never complain about Australian prices again!

I’m already stressed.

Loved the first game. Adored it, even.

@AnginaPectoris Because of her passion for volleyball, right?

“I’m sorry, you said your name was…?”
“Eggmuffin Sonder.”