im currently 55hours into this game and so far it's an 8 for me. the "first" GoW on PS4 blew me away and was a pure 10. Ragnarok feels like it's more of the same, which isn't a bad thing, but it also doesn't have that wow-factor that the "first" game had. also, a bit too much padding for my liking. i wish it was more streamlined.
That's usually how most sequels are. The recent Mad Max movies are a great example of how something can be great while being just "more of the same" but still lose 80% of it's magic just by being a sequel.
A point in the game that will always be a breaking point in terms of “unnecessary padding that moves the story nowhere”: The search for the Norns. Kratos EXPLICITLY goes in search for the Norns because they know everything, and thus they can tell him how to get to Asgard. So you riiiide the sled to one part of the map. Fight some enemies, wrong direction. So you riiiiide the sled to another part of the map. Fight some enemies, wrong direction again. So you riiiiide the sled to another part of the map, where they make you fight enemies , fight some enemies, and fight some enemies all they while call you a bad person. Finally you make it to the Norns, to which they say “You’re a bad person, also go make a weapon to kill Heimdall” and Kratos just… accepts that answer and leaves. YOU WENT SEARCHING FOR THEM FOR A WAY TO ASGARD. YOU NEVER EVEN ASKED THEM.
If you look in the diary you can see they use magic and he was already forgetting the conversation just as he leaves. That scene shows how Kratos is unable to change and this could be his downfall,they went looking for one thing but the moment they said Atreus was in danger he completely changed his objective to killing another God. It takes too long but this scene is really important to the story.
I mean the idea is that they don’t want to be found but okay Also they don’t say make a weapon They said he’s going to find out about heimdalls intentions and do what he does best, he leaves cauee all he cares about is protecting Atreus whether it causes ragnarok or not.
Honestly, I loved them from a thematic standpoint. Even the Ironwood segment - which probably drags the most - is a lovely break from how grim and dour the rest of the game can be. I needed to see Atreus finally get to be a kid for once, however briefly that summer lasted.
fr I quit this game like 3 times since I was just dreading playing the Atreus sections. Yeah I get their story purpose but walking around/doing very basic platforming was so unengaging compared to being Kratos and his bow combat just feels so unsatisfying compared to the rest of the combat.
I still think about Mimir's line when he tells Kratos that Atreus will walk his own path, no matter what Kratos wants, and if "you don't want him walking away from you, smarten up and walk with him a while." As a father of a son barreling through his tweens at a breakneck pace, I think about that line more and more. It's a good one and has stuck with me.
Wow I just completed the %100 for this yesterday, I finally caught up to Mortym’s speed! Oh, but he also played or finished dozens of other games in the meantime…
Yup. Even if you say it was necessary to set up the story they really should have made the gameplay better, picking the fruits just feels so freaking slow and your playing as atreus it's like sant Monica forced you to play with one hand. It's just in general the problem with the climbing and "platforming" it's too simple and requires no engagement.
@@user-lz5vh9bb5w It's worth for the story alone. I B lined the main story on PS5 release week and my save had around 28hrs with one or two side-quests. The only parts of the game that can feel like a drag are the Atreus sections IMO, but if you enjoyed the story of 2018, it's kinda necessary to see it through IMO.
@@user-lz5vh9bb5wdon’t buy this game. It’s is quite literally the most bloated game I have ever played. I’m not even kidding when I say there is a mission where it essentially functions as a 90 minute cutscene. You ride on the back of some animal and atreaus (all his missions in this game are below par) and collect fruit, while talking with arguably the most annoying character ever (angriboda)
Just beat the main story a few days ago, and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. The rest of the game aside, the story hit me hard and it was absolutely beautiful
I love this game for primarily for the story. It felt like the reckoning between father and son I never really got with my dad. As fathers we love our kids to a depth that we maybe never thought possible. Through their presence, we’re made aware of our past mistakes and current short-comings. We worry that we’re not good enough to guide them through this difficult life and yet will likely never give up on that process. I, personally, have said or done a lot of things out of anger in an attempt to ‘help’ my children. But some blunt words from my teen son and some compassionate ones from my wife helped me realize my anger comes from anxiety over their future and I worry about their future because I love them. It’s still a work in progress but speaking from that love goes over much better than anger.
I enjoyed Ragnarok, but to me it had a lot of traversal issues that just made sections of the game feel artificially bloated. In boss fights and cutscenes you'd be flying and jumping miles through the air etc, but 10 minutes later you'd be figuring out how to switch a lever to reach a platform 2 meters in the air, or using a boat to go across a short river. Thats not to say I didnt enjoy the puzzles, I just think it was a bit inconsistent and long winded, and I just wished Kratos could jump over a few sections lol
You described Vaneheim and my mind went directly to Gongaga in FFVII Rebirth, I haven't played Ragnarok yet but I hope it'll grow on me eventually like Gongaga kinda did
Atreus' gameplay sections killed the game's pacing and honestly was a bit of a "turnoff" having to spend a chunk of the game as Atreus, this is what makes NG+ quite tedious for me Aside from that, the game never fell short of details and new experiences
Same, story wasn’t all I thought it would be, still amazing game just not the greatness I had in my head when someone says they’re doing RAGNAROK, that final battle was just happening in the background 😭
2018 was a 9 for me, a lot more than what I honestly expected, and that raised my expectations for Ragnarok when I got to it, but it ended up as a 6 for me.
With God of War, I come for Kratos and Kratos alone. His development across all the games is truly incredible to witness as a player. Having played every GoW title (minus the mobile game) this story was incredible. The only redeeming factor to the laborious sections with Atreus is to imagine the impact that is having on Kratos behind the scenes. The Ironwood section is a particular highlight in that Atreus is missing for a few days without Kratos knowing where he is. Just imagine the mind fuck that would be having on Kratos and it makes sections like that more impactful. If you haven't played the previous games and experienced Kratos's full story, I couldn't recommend them higher! The appreciation, sympathy and empathy you have for Kratos in this part of his story is unmatched as a result.
The Atreus segments could have been a lot better if the combat was more satisfying. Going from Kratos and all his weapons and abilities to Atreus’s pretty limited arsenal kinda sucked sometimes.
Especially how rushed the "ragnarok" was. For a game called Ragnarok you'd expect it to be the main focus instead of a 2h rushed section in a bloated game
My biggest complaint is the lack of enemy variety, there's a ton of enemy types (old and new) but for some reason you always end up fighting the damn frogmen things.
It was meant to be a TRILOGY it's why it's so long. They smashed the last 2 games together as the actor playing Arteus was growing up so fast and how long the games take to make.
I’m surprised some people found this game laborious. For me, it was truly refreshing and a source of joy, probably because I resonate deeply with its theme.
This game's larger secret areas did it for me. I loved exploring every nook and cranny so much. I think that's the direction they should take with the next one, if there will be any: A story better delivered with a lot of optional exploration and loot to find.
@@hi123452008 For sure. Piracy went down after Steam opened up to more devs, iTunes reduced music piracy, streaming platforms reduced movie piracy, etc. Every single game with Denovo....
I do appreciate what they did with the modern god of war games...but i still prefer the more combat from the ps2 and ps3 games....and i still felt so much more could be done with that.
I think most thing bar the graphics where better in the old games..every piece and part just felt more epic. Bosses where bigger and more dramatic ,the locations more impressive (better vistas, stuff going on in the background, like fighting across a series of burning sinking ships, in a city on fire, on a titan climbing Olympus etc ). the new Kratos would scream "I am the God of axe throwing puzzles!" instead of the classic "I am the god of war".. Solid games but they sure do lack the flair and do not live up to the OG. IMO. Thor was awesome though. character as he was should have had his own game instead lol. The neurotic dwarf was also great.
i think its combat now is a good mix of more strategy, pacing and combos compared to the smash fast you would have on the ps2 but i agree that more could be done with that because it was! devil may cry 5 and nioh 2 are examples of the modern balls to the walls , go crazy style of gameplay. I love the originals but i like this style of game more and i think that is better suited for a heavier, more serious story that they developed.
Thank you for the review! I bought GoW 2018 this autumn because I i was looking forward to Ragnarok. It was a 9/10 for me (basic enemies have too much health for immersion), but i decided to wait for your review before buying the sequel. Now I know no need to rush, I'll wait for a discount.
Story was never the reason I played God of war, but it was also never the reason I wanted to stop playing, until ragnarok. Its just so messy, moving at light speed in some serious sections and the subsequently dragging on in many others. And then the final section just. Happens. And goes out like a tired fart as quickly as it comes.
I finished my ps5 version just the other day. Not sure if the pc version is exactly the same, but i agree with most points. It's bloated, actual ragnarok is like 20 min. after 40+ hours of hyping, many plot points were just a filler, like Ironwood. Difficulties actually do increase enemy health, and more importantly, their stun meter. Couldn't stun any enemy on "give me gow", then decreased it and was surprised of how easy glory kills were now. I gotta say, i disliked higher difficulties, they ruin the atmosphere and setting. On normal, you're unstoppable destruction machine, which you are supposed to be, and any higher - you're a sore loser who dies when swamp toads tickle you twice. Regular mobs are way more dangerous than bosses, they always attack from your back or sides with no hesitation, attack warnings are kinda useless since they show the intention of an attack that can either follow instantly or after 5 secs. I also disliked how hard they tried to make Odin to look like a singular Evil™, very cringe. But overall, a fine game, despite it flaws.
GoW Ragnarok feels like 1.3 or 1.5 game. A bit too much for a single game, not enough for 2 games. The Ragnarok itself happened WAAAY too fast. Like I remember playing it late at the evening and thinking I would finish the game like by 2 or 3 pm and I was done in like 30 minutes or something. When the credits rolled I was like "Wait that's it?" Santa Monica should've make this game called "Fimbulwinter" and by the end of it the Rangarok should've happened and the third game would be entirely about it.
Good to know this works offline on Deck now - I remember at launch people where complaining it did not, and I was confused that it got verified with that.
Pacing is 100% the biggest issue of the game for me. Listening to some interviews from the game director and Cory Barlog (God of War 2018’s director) Ragnarok was actually meant originally to be 2 games. They made the choice to cram 2 games worth of story into one game. Overall I think the game did well, but yeah, definitely bloated in some points and rushed in others.
This game should have been called God of Puzzles. You can't walk literally 30 seconds in any direction before encountering a puzzle to open a chest. They're not hard puzzles, just endless.
The problems with Ragnarok are basically the new GoW games were originally concieved to be a trilogy and the devs decided instead to make it a duology and wrap everything up now instead of making a third game plus it's open world and I don't think there's ever been an open world game that did pacing in a story with stakes all that great, it's just something you have deal with and suspend your disbelief. One thing I feel deserves much praise for is these games took Kratos who wasn't in any way a good guy, tragic and sympathetic sure but he made the bed he lied in and made his redemption feel *earned*
i definitely feel the pacing issue. i think the Atreus parts are getting us comfortable as playing the boy, as i feel the next game will be an Atreus side game. who knows, i think it would be cool
Yeah I think the intent is for Atreus to take the mantle as the protagonist going forward and let Kratos have his nice happy ending. Hopefully that goes better for him than it did for Gohan in DBZ.
Yeah I think the intent is for Atreus to take the mantle as the protagonist going forward and let Kratos have his nice happy ending. Hopefully that goes better for him than it did for Gohan in DBZ.
Played and finished all GoW games. I am currently playing Ragnarök. About 17h in. Having a blast, though! I have played and finished the 2018 one twice, first on PS4 and then on Steam Deck. I found the 2018 story already guilty of padding... So we'll see how this one goes... I would not mind if games were about 15 - 20h long to finish. There's more to do and play in this 1 life I have...
Personally, I was very disappointed with both GOW titles on PC from their praise. I found them both oddly paced, having an excellent intro and hook but getting awful and boring once a boat shows up in both titles. I also felt like they were shoehorning a parenting story with manufactured drama that didn't feel earned with how long the conflict went given the pieces. Avoiding specifics for spoilers, I gave them both a 2/4.
One thing where this game excels compared to first one is gameplay to me. The fighting in this game is way better than first it has a almost like fighting game felling to it which hooked me up. Story wise it was a bit wasted opportunity but still good but not as great as first one (Atreus annoyed the crap out of me and absolutely hated his gameplay sections)
It was a beautiful game to finish the Norse saga imo. Combat was fluid and fun to me, my complaints were boring gameplay with Atreus and traversal. Other than that, I loved it. Felt sad saying goodbye to Kratos.
Ragnarok was just overrated for me. I think the game is a solid 8/10 game but the bosses were mostly boring and the story seems convoluted and rushed. Side bosses were more interesting mechanically to me. The story did very little to convey the stakes of the supposed world ending event of Ragnarok.
I've been avoiding these "cinematic realistic aaa story driven action games with over the shoulder camera with stealth elements and puzzles that exist to pad out runtime" for many years now. It almost feels like they aren't even different games, it's just the same game over and over
imo ragnarok has the better story. i guess people were expecting the action and spectacle from the first one but ragnarok has a lot more small moments that really got me.
Was it just me, or was the combat a major downgrade from the 2018 game?? I played Ragnarok right after i finished 2018, and it felt like everything was just worse.
The lack of new weapons is a disaster. 4 years between the 2 games and the only new weapon is a spear, we're not even allowed to have Thor's hammer which was teased in the first game and is also in the game's collector's box. 4 years for worse gameplay and only one new weapon, not even air combat or anything...
I feel that a game called ragnarok should have ragnarok happening and that should be the main plot. Not a last mission afterthought that lasts 20 minutes of a 30 hour game
the main problem i had with this game and with the first one is that it doesnt feel like i am playing a god. and the war at the end felt underwhelming.
I feel like there was both a pacing and a tonal issue. It kind of tried to juggle classic epic with tele-novela at points. I was trying to be open to this portrayal of Odin for example but it just felt like a lot of clashing tones. They were trying to make him like both versions of movie-dumbledore at the same time
Great review. I still haven't played it yet but I plan to sometime in the future. Sucks to hear about the PSN account and that there is bloat. If it is half as good as the 2018 GoW, then I'm in for a good time.
The mod/file to remove the psn requirement worked and has kept working for me even trough the patches. After the game had me create a psn account or quit I got the file instead 🙃
The writing and pacing are brutal, I really think if the game didn't have half of the production values to dress how bad the substance of it all is, it wouldn't have gotten the (so called) "acclaim" it got from critics, and apparently some gamers, alike.
I loved the first GOW from 2018 (2022 on PC) but this one was not nearly as good and honestly a chore to get through. The worst part was the lack of plot in so many chapters that was instead replaced by constant use of the age-old romantic comedy trope that was hated 30 years ago already: characters don't talk to each other because the plot says so. If they described what was happening for 5 seconds that would've been the entire plot, but instead of that 5 second explanation we get dozens of hours of "No time to explain, just trust me!...Why don't you trust me?"
That you can bypass it with a mod is kinda telling how little it actually has to do with the game. And also obliterates any claims of it being copy protection or anything.
Amazing game really enjoyed it. Probably even more then the first this one just really clicked for me, played on the highest difficulty and it felt rewarding to get stronger, making the exploratio.n loop actually have a point. I enjoyed the story it had good moments though overall the 1st game was stranger i think. Asgard had allot of fake depth which was cool at first but after the game its obvious atreus didnt spend enough time there. My biggest complaint is rhe fucking climbing my god i hate this kind of "platforming" it requires no skill which is a bad thing because that makes it boring. There is no room for player expression if you look at gameplay everyone will climb the same way. Even uncharted lets you jump without context but y i digress. This type of platforming needs to die. Imagine if moving around felt fun not like a chore.
Game disappointed me. Ragnarok itself was so phoned in. I honestly expected a HUGEEE war. Big battle. Big spectacle. It was sad. After I finished I honestly didn’t even care about the epilogue.
I have completed the story and i liked it a lot but sadly after almost exactly 60 hours in the game it began crashing on me regularly. It has done so that i have shelved it untill further updates in hopes they might fix the memory leak. By the way not a single crash before the 60 hours mark🤔
And for a lot of people who just plain can't because PSN doesn't exist in their country so Steam doesn't even offer it to them. (It's only offered in somewhere shy of 30 countries IIRC. Out of nearly 200.) I'm not convinced this is an economically sensible move for Sony.
Thank you for the review. I could not decide if I should step into this franchise and now I know that I won't. Maybe in the distant future for like 10 Euro.
Yup 2nd atreus part was way too long. The constant companion puzzle comments were also extremely annoying. And for me personally the combat didn't feel satisfying. I kept wishing my light attack was faster. Less button combos tactical feel more just timing based stuff. Cause you're playing freaking kratos. Idk probably just me.
Thanks for the video. Congrats on the dad feels. I'm probably wrong with this take, but "open world" just feels like a gimmick with titles like these. It's not really open, more of just backtracking with a different paint. I can't feel that I'm still on rails, and with the emphasis on spectacle... I guess it's just pokemon snap vibes. Onward to 400k. All glory to the algorithm.
I'd be willing to bet the only thinking behind the give me God of War difficulty setting is "we gotta do something for the 'GaMeRs' who need it to brag online or via achievements on their console profile." That's it. A thing for dumbass bragging rights. Same reason Fromsoft won't put in difficulty setting at all. It's hardcore.
Nobody gonna speak its terrible enemies lock on mechanism? My camera so easily and so fast change targets its so annoying, making it literally unusable when u fight multiple targets. I dont recall the first game has this annoyance. Does somebody has a fix for that?
Loved the first one. Didn’t care for Ragnarok. All the traversal puzzles just became so annoying and interrupted the flow of the game. It annoyed me so much I stopped playing it. Idk it just seemed like a more padded out , not as fun version of the first game.
I hope all is well, Mort? You sound a tad jaded currently. I may just be imagining it though, which I hope I am. If you need to take a break, don't hesitate to do so. 😃
It's not the studio. It's the parent company. I love Sony games. I hate Sony policies. Big difference. Perfect example is Helldivers. With the clap back the head of the studio gave to Sony when they required PSN. He wasn't for it. Never asked for it. Voiced this opinion loudly as well.
Oh, snap. We got that "TH-cam Jazz" twice in this one, boys. Living large.
im currently 55hours into this game and so far it's an 8 for me. the "first" GoW on PS4 blew me away and was a pure 10. Ragnarok feels like it's more of the same, which isn't a bad thing, but it also doesn't have that wow-factor that the "first" game had. also, a bit too much padding for my liking. i wish it was more streamlined.
That's usually how most sequels are. The recent Mad Max movies are a great example of how something can be great while being just "more of the same" but still lose 80% of it's magic just by being a sequel.
@@Ocean5ixfuriosa is by no means 80 percent wose than fury road!
A point in the game that will always be a breaking point in terms of “unnecessary padding that moves the story nowhere”: The search for the Norns.
Kratos EXPLICITLY goes in search for the Norns because they know everything, and thus they can tell him how to get to Asgard. So you riiiide the sled to one part of the map. Fight some enemies, wrong direction. So you riiiiide the sled to another part of the map. Fight some enemies, wrong direction again. So you riiiiide the sled to another part of the map, where they make you fight enemies , fight some enemies, and fight some enemies all they while call you a bad person. Finally you make it to the Norns, to which they say “You’re a bad person, also go make a weapon to kill Heimdall” and Kratos just… accepts that answer and leaves.
YOU WENT SEARCHING FOR THEM FOR A WAY TO ASGARD. YOU NEVER EVEN ASKED THEM.
If you look in the diary you can see they use magic and he was already forgetting the conversation just as he leaves. That scene shows how Kratos is unable to change and this could be his downfall,they went looking for one thing but the moment they said Atreus was in danger he completely changed his objective to killing another God. It takes too long but this scene is really important to the story.
I mean the idea is that they don’t want to be found but okay
Also they don’t say make a weapon
They said he’s going to find out about heimdalls intentions and do what he does best, he leaves cauee all he cares about is protecting Atreus whether it causes ragnarok or not.
Atreus missions bring this game’s pacing down SO MUCH. No idea what the devs were thinking making those segments take so much of our time.
Honestly, I loved them from a thematic standpoint. Even the Ironwood segment - which probably drags the most - is a lovely break from how grim and dour the rest of the game can be. I needed to see Atreus finally get to be a kid for once, however briefly that summer lasted.
I thought it was great as a service to the story and change of pace but I agree that it should be 100% skippable on subsequent playthroughs.
fr I quit this game like 3 times since I was just dreading playing the Atreus sections. Yeah I get their story purpose but walking around/doing very basic platforming was so unengaging compared to being Kratos and his bow combat just feels so unsatisfying compared to the rest of the combat.
I still think about Mimir's line when he tells Kratos that Atreus will walk his own path, no matter what Kratos wants, and if "you don't want him walking away from you, smarten up and walk with him a while." As a father of a son barreling through his tweens at a breakneck pace, I think about that line more and more. It's a good one and has stuck with me.
Wow I just completed the %100 for this yesterday, I finally caught up to Mortym’s speed! Oh, but he also played or finished dozens of other games in the meantime…
This came out 2 years ago
@@nspades the 1st yes, but this is the 2nd Game, Steam release was the 19 September 2024
@@nspades basic reading comprehension would have prevented this comment
@@nspades No it didn't, it came out 2024-09-19. Console releases do not matter.
@@berlinerjungeyeah but GoW: Ragnarok released in November, 2022 on PS5.
i agree with your "bloated" comment. chapters like that one in ironwood were just way to long and boring
Yup. Even if you say it was necessary to set up the story they really should have made the gameplay better, picking the fruits just feels so freaking slow and your playing as atreus it's like sant Monica forced you to play with one hand. It's just in general the problem with the climbing and "platforming" it's too simple and requires no engagement.
Hell I thought GoW 2018 was bloated, if this is even more bloated then it's a definitive no from me.
@@user-lz5vh9bb5w It's worth for the story alone. I B lined the main story on PS5 release week and my save had around 28hrs with one or two side-quests. The only parts of the game that can feel like a drag are the Atreus sections IMO, but if you enjoyed the story of 2018, it's kinda necessary to see it through IMO.
Gotta get that "60 hour long epic" in those reviews somehow. /s
@@user-lz5vh9bb5wdon’t buy this game. It’s is quite literally the most bloated game I have ever played.
I’m not even kidding when I say there is a mission where it essentially functions as a 90 minute cutscene.
You ride on the back of some animal and atreaus (all his missions in this game are below par) and collect fruit, while talking with arguably the most annoying character ever (angriboda)
Just beat the main story a few days ago, and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. The rest of the game aside, the story hit me hard and it was absolutely beautiful
I love this game for primarily for the story. It felt like the reckoning between father and son I never really got with my dad. As fathers we love our kids to a depth that we maybe never thought possible. Through their presence, we’re made aware of our past mistakes and current short-comings. We worry that we’re not good enough to guide them through this difficult life and yet will likely never give up on that process. I, personally, have said or done a lot of things out of anger in an attempt to ‘help’ my children. But some blunt words from my teen son and some compassionate ones from my wife helped me realize my anger comes from anxiety over their future and I worry about their future because I love them. It’s still a work in progress but speaking from that love goes over much better than anger.
I enjoyed Ragnarok, but to me it had a lot of traversal issues that just made sections of the game feel artificially bloated.
In boss fights and cutscenes you'd be flying and jumping miles through the air etc, but 10 minutes later you'd be figuring out how to switch a lever to reach a platform 2 meters in the air, or using a boat to go across a short river.
Thats not to say I didnt enjoy the puzzles, I just think it was a bit inconsistent and long winded, and I just wished Kratos could jump over a few sections lol
Literally absolutely loved it
You described Vaneheim and my mind went directly to Gongaga in FFVII Rebirth, I haven't played Ragnarok yet but I hope it'll grow on me eventually like Gongaga kinda did
I really liked Gongaga 😂 dunno why some people hated it. Cosmo Canyon tho, that place was really boring to explore
"Me? Gongaga?"
GoW 2018 was a 10 for me but something about Ragnarok didn't sit right... Not a bad game by any means but the 'vibes' were off
Same thing happen to me
Atreus' gameplay sections killed the game's pacing and honestly was a bit of a "turnoff" having to spend a chunk of the game as Atreus, this is what makes NG+ quite tedious for me
Aside from that, the game never fell short of details and new experiences
Same, story wasn’t all I thought it would be, still amazing game just not the greatness I had in my head when someone says they’re doing RAGNAROK, that final battle was just happening in the background 😭
2018 was a 9 for me, a lot more than what I honestly expected, and that raised my expectations for Ragnarok when I got to it, but it ended up as a 6 for me.
Same.
With God of War, I come for Kratos and Kratos alone. His development across all the games is truly incredible to witness as a player. Having played every GoW title (minus the mobile game) this story was incredible. The only redeeming factor to the laborious sections with Atreus is to imagine the impact that is having on Kratos behind the scenes. The Ironwood section is a particular highlight in that Atreus is missing for a few days without Kratos knowing where he is. Just imagine the mind fuck that would be having on Kratos and it makes sections like that more impactful.
If you haven't played the previous games and experienced Kratos's full story, I couldn't recommend them higher! The appreciation, sympathy and empathy you have for Kratos in this part of his story is unmatched as a result.
Every environment is a "corridor" even the outdoor areas. It feels like DS2 for some reason in that regard.
The Atreus segments could have been a lot better if the combat was more satisfying. Going from Kratos and all his weapons and abilities to Atreus’s pretty limited arsenal kinda sucked sometimes.
man it is so impressive how consistent you are with the amount of content you pump out, idk how you do it!
Personally, I think GOWR is a good game but a lackluster sequel, I can explain why if anyone cares
Im here
Lets hear it
Feel the same what's your story then?
Yup let’s hear it because I agree
Especially how rushed the "ragnarok" was. For a game called Ragnarok you'd expect it to be the main focus instead of a 2h rushed section in a bloated game
My biggest complaint is the lack of enemy variety, there's a ton of enemy types (old and new) but for some reason you always end up fighting the damn frogmen things.
It was meant to be a TRILOGY it's why it's so long. They smashed the last 2 games together as the actor playing Arteus was growing up so fast and how long the games take to make.
I’m surprised some people found this game laborious. For me, it was truly refreshing and a source of joy, probably because I resonate deeply with its theme.
I loved it from beginning to end.
This game's larger secret areas did it for me. I loved exploring every nook and cranny so much.
I think that's the direction they should take with the next one, if there will be any: A story better delivered with a lot of optional exploration and loot to find.
Nice review about Boy Game 2: The Apocalypse!
I couldn't keep playing after I reached Ironwood. I just got so bored and felt like i was the one being played at that point.
3:00 Ah, so it's morally acceptable to pirate this game. Got it
When pirates get a better experience than paying customers, the company messed up big time.
Legally? Nope. Morally and ethically? Definitely Yes
@@hi123452008 For sure. Piracy went down after Steam opened up to more devs, iTunes reduced music piracy, streaming platforms reduced movie piracy, etc. Every single game with Denovo....
It's never morally acceptable to pirate anything.
A mean at this point it encouraged.
I do appreciate what they did with the modern god of war games...but i still prefer the more combat from the ps2 and ps3 games....and i still felt so much more could be done with that.
I think most thing bar the graphics where better in the old games..every piece and part just felt more epic. Bosses where bigger and more dramatic ,the locations more impressive (better vistas, stuff going on in the background, like fighting across a series of burning sinking ships, in a city on fire, on a titan climbing Olympus etc ).
the new Kratos would scream "I am the God of axe throwing puzzles!" instead of the classic "I am the god of war"..
Solid games but they sure do lack the flair and do not live up to the OG. IMO.
Thor was awesome though. character as he was should have had his own game instead lol.
The neurotic dwarf was also great.
i think its combat now is a good mix of more strategy, pacing and combos compared to the smash fast you would have on the ps2 but i agree that more could be done with that because it was! devil may cry 5 and nioh 2 are examples of the modern balls to the walls , go crazy style of gameplay. I love the originals but i like this style of game more and i think that is better suited for a heavier, more serious story that they developed.
Thank you for the review! I bought GoW 2018 this autumn because I i was looking forward to Ragnarok. It was a 9/10 for me (basic enemies have too much health for immersion), but i decided to wait for your review before buying the sequel. Now I know no need to rush, I'll wait for a discount.
Story was never the reason I played God of war, but it was also never the reason I wanted to stop playing, until ragnarok.
Its just so messy, moving at light speed in some serious sections and the subsequently dragging on in many others. And then the final section just. Happens. And goes out like a tired fart as quickly as it comes.
I finished my ps5 version just the other day. Not sure if the pc version is exactly the same, but i agree with most points. It's bloated, actual ragnarok is like 20 min. after 40+ hours of hyping, many plot points were just a filler, like Ironwood. Difficulties actually do increase enemy health, and more importantly, their stun meter. Couldn't stun any enemy on "give me gow", then decreased it and was surprised of how easy glory kills were now. I gotta say, i disliked higher difficulties, they ruin the atmosphere and setting. On normal, you're unstoppable destruction machine, which you are supposed to be, and any higher - you're a sore loser who dies when swamp toads tickle you twice. Regular mobs are way more dangerous than bosses, they always attack from your back or sides with no hesitation, attack warnings are kinda useless since they show the intention of an attack that can either follow instantly or after 5 secs.
I also disliked how hard they tried to make Odin to look like a singular Evil™, very cringe.
But overall, a fine game, despite it flaws.
Ngl the thing I miss the most from the combat system is being able to get those glory kills with a charged heavy. That was so satisfying
Thanks for avoiding redundant phrases like "also... as well"!
GoW Ragnarok feels like 1.3 or 1.5 game. A bit too much for a single game, not enough for 2 games. The Ragnarok itself happened WAAAY too fast. Like I remember playing it late at the evening and thinking I would finish the game like by 2 or 3 pm and I was done in like 30 minutes or something. When the credits rolled I was like "Wait that's it?"
Santa Monica should've make this game called "Fimbulwinter" and by the end of it the Rangarok should've happened and the third game would be entirely about it.
you were surprised by the credits after you beat... ODIN???
Good to know this works offline on Deck now - I remember at launch people where complaining it did not, and I was confused that it got verified with that.
Pacing is 100% the biggest issue of the game for me. Listening to some interviews from the game director and Cory Barlog (God of War 2018’s director) Ragnarok was actually meant originally to be 2 games. They made the choice to cram 2 games worth of story into one game. Overall I think the game did well, but yeah, definitely bloated in some points and rushed in others.
This game should have been called God of Puzzles. You can't walk literally 30 seconds in any direction before encountering a puzzle to open a chest. They're not hard puzzles, just endless.
The problems with Ragnarok are basically the new GoW games were originally concieved to be a trilogy and the devs decided instead to make it a duology and wrap everything up now instead of making a third game plus it's open world and I don't think there's ever been an open world game that did pacing in a story with stakes all that great, it's just something you have deal with and suspend your disbelief.
One thing I feel deserves much praise for is these games took Kratos who wasn't in any way a good guy, tragic and sympathetic sure but he made the bed he lied in and made his redemption feel *earned*
i definitely feel the pacing issue. i think the Atreus parts are getting us comfortable as playing the boy, as i feel the next game will be an Atreus side game. who knows, i think it would be cool
Yeah I think the intent is for Atreus to take the mantle as the protagonist going forward and let Kratos have his nice happy ending. Hopefully that goes better for him than it did for Gohan in DBZ.
Yeah I think the intent is for Atreus to take the mantle as the protagonist going forward and let Kratos have his nice happy ending. Hopefully that goes better for him than it did for Gohan in DBZ.
"Vanaheim sucks!" Damn, never heard Mort being this rough
Played and finished all GoW games. I am currently playing Ragnarök. About 17h in. Having a blast, though! I have played and finished the 2018 one twice, first on PS4 and then on Steam Deck. I found the 2018 story already guilty of padding... So we'll see how this one goes... I would not mind if games were about 15 - 20h long to finish. There's more to do and play in this 1 life I have...
Personally, I was very disappointed with both GOW titles on PC from their praise. I found them both oddly paced, having an excellent intro and hook but getting awful and boring once a boat shows up in both titles. I also felt like they were shoehorning a parenting story with manufactured drama that didn't feel earned with how long the conflict went given the pieces. Avoiding specifics for spoilers, I gave them both a 2/4.
Just finished the game 100% (all achievements etc) and it is a 9 for me. Atreus missions were lackluster
One thing where this game excels compared to first one is gameplay to me. The fighting in this game is way better than first it has a almost like fighting game felling to it which hooked me up. Story wise it was a bit wasted opportunity but still good but not as great as first one (Atreus annoyed the crap out of me and absolutely hated his gameplay sections)
The MacGuffin really didn't help the story, especially towards the end
It was a beautiful game to finish the Norse saga imo. Combat was fluid and fun to me, my complaints were boring gameplay with Atreus and traversal. Other than that, I loved it. Felt sad saying goodbye to Kratos.
Ragnarok was just overrated for me. I think the game is a solid 8/10 game but the bosses were mostly boring and the story seems convoluted and rushed. Side bosses were more interesting mechanically to me. The story did very little to convey the stakes of the supposed world ending event of Ragnarok.
The third person action adventure with climbing mechanics has become one of my least favorite genres
but you like long narrow cracks that the character has to slowly inch through right?
I've been avoiding these "cinematic realistic aaa story driven action games with over the shoulder camera with stealth elements and puzzles that exist to pad out runtime" for many years now. It almost feels like they aren't even different games, it's just the same game over and over
@@justtmwThey're part of the "games for people who don't play video games" genre.
I just don't understand why they had to pad put the game so much considering that the game is already very long for a single player game.
Shields are fine, IMO. At least, it does more than what a shield usually does.
imo ragnarok has the better story. i guess people were expecting the action and spectacle from the first one but ragnarok has a lot more small moments that really got me.
Was it just me, or was the combat a major downgrade from the 2018 game?? I played Ragnarok right after i finished 2018, and it felt like everything was just worse.
The lack of new weapons is a disaster.
4 years between the 2 games and the only new weapon is a spear, we're not even allowed to have Thor's hammer which was teased in the first game and is also in the game's collector's box.
4 years for worse gameplay and only one new weapon, not even air combat or anything...
I feel that a game called ragnarok should have ragnarok happening and that should be the main plot. Not a last mission afterthought that lasts 20 minutes of a 30 hour game
the main problem i had with this game and with the first one is that it doesnt feel like i am playing a god.
and the war at the end felt underwhelming.
I feel like there was both a pacing and a tonal issue. It kind of tried to juggle classic epic with tele-novela at points. I was trying to be open to this portrayal of Odin for example but it just felt like a lot of clashing tones. They were trying to make him like both versions of movie-dumbledore at the same time
ahhh i cant watch yet as i want to go into it blind. will come back when i have finished it.
Great review. I still haven't played it yet but I plan to sometime in the future. Sucks to hear about the PSN account and that there is bloat. If it is half as good as the 2018 GoW, then I'm in for a good time.
7.5/10
The mod/file to remove the psn requirement worked and has kept working for me even trough the patches. After the game had me create a psn account or quit I got the file instead 🙃
The writing and pacing are brutal, I really think if the game didn't have half of the production values to dress how bad the substance of it all is, it wouldn't have gotten the (so called) "acclaim" it got from critics, and apparently some gamers, alike.
I loved the first GOW from 2018 (2022 on PC) but this one was not nearly as good and honestly a chore to get through.
The worst part was the lack of plot in so many chapters that was instead replaced by constant use of the age-old romantic comedy trope that was hated 30 years ago already: characters don't talk to each other because the plot says so. If they described what was happening for 5 seconds that would've been the entire plot, but instead of that 5 second explanation we get dozens of hours of "No time to explain, just trust me!...Why don't you trust me?"
God of war 3 is peak god if war
For real. Ragnarok and its predecessor are GOW games in name only.
There are mods to bypass PSN and some other annoying things in Ragnarok.
If you need a mod to _not_ have your data harvested...
🏴☠ is a service problem.
That you can bypass it with a mod is kinda telling how little it actually has to do with the game. And also obliterates any claims of it being copy protection or anything.
Amazing game really enjoyed it. Probably even more then the first this one just really clicked for me, played on the highest difficulty and it felt rewarding to get stronger, making the exploratio.n loop actually have a point.
I enjoyed the story it had good moments though overall the 1st game was stranger i think. Asgard had allot of fake depth which was cool at first but after the game its obvious atreus didnt spend enough time there.
My biggest complaint is rhe fucking climbing my god i hate this kind of "platforming" it requires no skill which is a bad thing because that makes it boring. There is no room for player expression if you look at gameplay everyone will climb the same way. Even uncharted lets you jump without context but y i digress. This type of platforming needs to die. Imagine if moving around felt fun not like a chore.
Game disappointed me. Ragnarok itself was so phoned in. I honestly expected a HUGEEE war. Big battle. Big spectacle. It was sad.
After I finished I honestly didn’t even care about the epilogue.
I have completed the story and i liked it a lot but sadly after almost exactly 60 hours in the game it began crashing on me regularly.
It has done so that i have shelved it untill further updates in hopes they might fix the memory leak.
By the way not a single crash before the 60 hours mark🤔
This game felt like a chore, 6/10
Mort is a PC gaming god
Can u do a video about top 10 crpgs at the moment. And some list of upcoming crpgs. Preferably console
Just search crpg on the channel page
Thanks for the great breakdown.
Gonna skip this one, cause mandatory psn account for a singleplayer game is a big no no for me.
People like 2018 more because it was more grounded and straightforward. The sequel is epic not as grounded. Still a 9 or 9.5 game
Really starting to get bored of these overly cinematic games
PSN required for a single player game? Immediate "don't buy" for me.
And for a lot of people who just plain can't because PSN doesn't exist in their country so Steam doesn't even offer it to them. (It's only offered in somewhere shy of 30 countries IIRC. Out of nearly 200.)
I'm not convinced this is an economically sensible move for Sony.
Thank you for the review. I could not decide if I should step into this franchise and now I know that I won't. Maybe in the distant future for like 10 Euro.
A solid 8/10, I think they were a bit too safe with this game, it feels exactly the same as the first one.Not bad but nothing spectacular.
Ragnarok TH-cam Jazz 🎶
only on this channel could you see a guy 100% a game in less than a month and apologize to his viewers for "taking his time"
Yup 2nd atreus part was way too long. The constant companion puzzle comments were also extremely annoying. And for me personally the combat didn't feel satisfying. I kept wishing my light attack was faster. Less button combos tactical feel more just timing based stuff. Cause you're playing freaking kratos. Idk probably just me.
Thanks for the video. Congrats on the dad feels. I'm probably wrong with this take, but "open world" just feels like a gimmick with titles like these. It's not really open, more of just backtracking with a different paint. I can't feel that I'm still on rails, and with the emphasis on spectacle... I guess it's just pokemon snap vibes. Onward to 400k. All glory to the algorithm.
I'd be willing to bet the only thinking behind the give me God of War difficulty setting is "we gotta do something for the 'GaMeRs' who need it to brag online or via achievements on their console profile."
That's it. A thing for dumbass bragging rights. Same reason Fromsoft won't put in difficulty setting at all. It's hardcore.
how the hell can you play with lock on at all times? damn
Nobody gonna speak its terrible enemies lock on mechanism? My camera so easily and so fast change targets its so annoying, making it literally unusable when u fight multiple targets. I dont recall the first game has this annoyance. Does somebody has a fix for that?
10/10 but I still gave my GOTY to Elden Ring
This definitely should have been 2 games or one shorter game
The game just didnt jive with me at all. Really dont think its paced well and i agree with the bloated and padding complaints.
Usually wait for a sale on these PlayStation games Idm waiting longer. If I wanted day one I woulda bought a PS
Beautiful game.
Loved the first one. Didn’t care for Ragnarok. All the traversal puzzles just became so annoying and interrupted the flow of the game. It annoyed me so much I stopped playing it. Idk it just seemed like a more padded out , not as fun version of the first game.
Hello ,can you do silent hill 2 remake next
Not really my genre
Its kinda crazy that you don't play action games with controllers man, its just 60 budor for a decent controller 😭
They could be free, I still wouldn't use them
@@MortismalGaming honest question, why?
10/10 I 100% this mf soooo good
Couldnt bring myself to play this game after liking and not liking the first one. Its just really not fun to me on this style of play
Gronk!
much like the horizon zero dawn sequel
was really excited to play but ultimately bored me and couldn't finish it
thumbs down
Can you add a portion where you rate the game from the scale of 1-10?
That would be stupid and meaningless learn to think for yourself
Playing this on MnK is blasphemous!
Incorrect, it is the one true path.
Personally I don’t think this game is very good. Especially compared to the first one
I agree the writing isn’t as good like why do they use modern swear words lol
@@natelavallee4034what modern swear words?
The writing isn’t as tight but it’s better than the first game in every other way
@@natelavallee4034people like you talking about ‘the writing’ but you can barely comprehend the themes it deals with, don’t lie.
I hope all is well, Mort? You sound a tad jaded currently. I may just be imagining it though, which I hope I am.
If you need to take a break, don't hesitate to do so. 😃
You might have missed it but he mentioned he was recovering from a cold in a recent video.
@@KrishnaBheemul Yes, I'm aware of that but it was before this too. Mort just sounds like he's not enjoying good games as much as he used to.
I'm alright, but I appreciate the concern
Horizon: Forbidden West is better
"Sony exclusives" are now "Sony leeches your data and spams you". AAA studios are really tiring with their scummy practices.
It's not the studio. It's the parent company. I love Sony games. I hate Sony policies. Big difference. Perfect example is Helldivers. With the clap back the head of the studio gave to Sony when they required PSN. He wasn't for it. Never asked for it. Voiced this opinion loudly as well.
@@LastChanceWasTaken I know. I didn't mention the devs (Santa Monica) because they don't count as far as how the game is handled
I think GoW Ragnarok has one of the best character writing in gaming. Every character has their arc and contributes to the core theme very well.