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lol shill up 16:56 you're jealous ?? You the one who gets to play what the world is waiting for. while i'm jealous i barely own a playstation.. despite loving both Greek norse and even hindu mythologies having read bhagavat geeta.. but this game is what i want & i don't think i got money to buy yet lol Jealous you. hehe. malaka.
It's a little bit of a sad indictment on the state of the industry nowadays when allowing reviews to come out a week before release is considered groundbreaking confidence/consumer advocacy and not just common sense xD
We have to praise Eric Williams for the game's direction, when God OF War 2018 released, everyone was deservedly praising Cory Barlog for the series reboot, but now, Eric Williams name is not even mention, and I think he deserves recognition for his work on God of War Ragnarok.
I don't if you wanna make his name as well known. Story wise the game was a severe downgrade from 2018. Better to blame multiple people for it than a single person, unless you want that.
@@MugdhaMahdiShamsI think what u mean is 2018 had a simpler premise, versus Ragnarok was an huge scaled game. Of course with huge scaling pacing gets hurt by by the script everything in Ragnarok was a marvel compared to 2018. It’s exactly as Skill Up said, it’s a saga
I think that point you make about reading up on Norse mythology is really interesting - obviously it seems wild in this day and age to say "this massive, big budget AAA video game needs you to do your homework to truly appreciate it," but there were points along the way in my own playthrough where I was thinking "these references are both subtle and yet crucial enough to the story that I really don't know how it would hit for people that didn't have some level of investment in the mythology." Speaks a lot to how much trust the developers put in players that they don't feel the need to overly explain all this stuff, which is admirable.
I hope reviewers that feel this way will post links on their socials to the best videos or sites we can check out to get caught up on the relevant mythological lore 👀
Immortals Fenyx Rising is an example of missing the mark on this. They overexplained everything to the point where a lot of these conversations seemed redundant for anyone who knew beginner levels of Greek mythology. There was no nuance, from what I remember. Yes it's such a different game but the power of story in a video game is how much you can place the player in the position of the main character. If I play a fantasy game I want to be in on the fantasy. A great way to do that is to trust the player is paying attention.
I don’t even remember how I learned a lot of the stuff I know about a lot of these mythos. I really did enjoy knowing and discussing with my friends during the first game (and every game that there is wrapped up in a specific mythology and the different takes.)
@@StripedJacket the Edda? I mean that's just the original text itself lol. Unless he mentioned another book that discusses the stories in the Edda and I just missed it.
This game is so good that I ended up playing it for 6 hours straight yesterday without even realizing it, I was so soaked up in the game and everything that I completely forgot about what time it was. It wasnt until my brother called me that I realized that it was nearly midnight. I looked at my phone and thought the clock was wrong. We need more games this good, why the hell have we not had great story driven games like this lately, what happened to creativity and making us engaged in the characters and world.
@@aeneas116116 I play both my series X and PS5 pretty much equally, I'm not biased, games pass saves me shit loads of money and my PS5 is there for the exclusives. nothing wrong with that.
Same. I got so immersed it turned to night and I didn't notice. By the way these type of games help my addiction so much. Being immersed in a game is not like being immersed in a movie. My whole mind and body is involved playing good games. I'm 10 years clean from a crack addiction. Bodybuilding and gaming r my 2 biggest tools to stay away from that devil drug crack
Skillup is the best reviewer around right now… Having played the game now, his ability to show us the big picture without touching on the spoilers is impressive. There’s a lot of core gameplay that hinges on storybeats he can’t mention and I appreciate how well he tiptoes around that. I would have played Ragnarok regardless of any review but there’s something validating about hearing someone you’ve consistently agreed with and who’s opinion you value corroborate what you’ve seen yourself. Skillup: thanks for doing this right.
@@giovannifederici673 In 5 years when I respond to something again, I’ll be sure to forget grammar and misspell everything so you’re happy… I also won’t give anyone props, cause it’s not cool to compliment anyone ever unless it’s your own phenomenal opinion… damn, I gotta stop being nice cause I’m a fucking Boy Scout if I do… I’m such a piece of shit, really need a time out in my tent. And jeez, sorry I use the three dots between thoughts. That shit is super against scouts honor.
@@giovannifederici673 ps, I checked out your other comments here… might be worth not commenting on content creators you hate. Do something useful like fucking off and enjoying things you like.
The only guy I trust to review games lately. Seeing an individual person surpass the quality of major game journalism companies restores my faith in TH-cam. Keep up the good work. Love from India ❤
He may be better than the shithead "journalists" but he's still very forgiving, I don't consider him very critical. That said, if he doesn't recommend a game then it's probably pretty damn bad.
This game was so much more than I was expecting, and what a set of performances from the cast. Such a sensitive and moving focus on father/son dynamics. Just really blown away
They did the minimum required for an acceptable experience. Ragnorak lasted half an hour after the 20 hours filler back and forth discussing on whether Ragnorak should happen. Worst of all, Kratos felt like a guest in his own game.
@@ap4702 Kratos was developed beyond his beginnings as player-conduit and went through meaningful change. Ragnarok was the driving force, but the story was about parenting, trust, and the blurred lines of good an evil. Sounds like you just wanted to play a previous game again, in which case I’m glad they didn’t cater for you
@@jonnowocky8179 your standards are pretty low if you think Ragnarok's story was executed well. I wish my standards were low too so I didn't wait nearly 5 years just to feel disappointed. Ragnarok had interesting ideas and concepts but I'm all about how well the overall story is done not each individual scene.
Long time viewer, first time commenting. After having seen several reviews, I revisit this video just so I can commend you of how eloquently well this review was written. No other review delivered the feeling of the game so well. You may not see this comment within thousands of other comments, but I just like to say I sincerely appreciate your videos
1. Doing a 30 min review without spoilers is impressive. 2. Making it compelling enough that I actually enjoyed that 30 min and am considering watching it again, is mind boggling
Man you and Austin are something else dude. What an incredibly well done review. Your videos are like a really good show at this point. I just click on random reviews of games I have no interest in just because of how entertaining and quality your work is. Thank you.
I got like 15 hours in the game so far and it has been such a wonderful experience.Haven't felt such happiness playing a game in a long time.Everything about the game is a masterpiece.
Same here, finished arround 45hours on "give me god of war", it has so many emotional moments and it's so well roundet in total. Compared to anything else i played 2022 it's absolutely worth even full Price. If this is not gonna get GoTY something is realy wrong....
I’m so in love with the structure of the recent GOW games. I’ll be heart broken if they needlessly change it for the next game. I really want a third entry that’s follows a similar approach.
The moment when the review of the game is as much a spectacle as the game itself. Got goosebumps from your writing dude. Love your content to bits. Thank you so much!
The fact you have’t cracked a million subs is criminal. Easily one of the best review channels on the platform. Thanks for the care and professionalism you bring to each review. A great review, as always.
The level of eloquence & common sense that go into these reviews, is simply amazing and truly appreciated! You keep what matters the most to the player in focus. Highlighting the main details but giving us a savory slice of the good stuff. You can tell by the passion in your words that you truly enjoyed this game. And you do it without mincing words or propping up praise. You simply let the experience speak for itself. That is why your content is top notch! As for the game itself, I'm not surprised it hit a home run. Santa Monica Studios is such a talented group. God of War 2018 was a fantastic journey and many times I felt in awe of the detail that went into the details that immerse you into the world. So I am beyond excited to dive deeper into a world I fell in love with some years back.
Awesome awesome review, free of spoilers. The writing is absolute top tier and well structured, and the whole video amazingly put together. Well done and thankyou, both to you Ralph and Austin for his amazing editing.
@@MarkelScott100 Yes yes!! That’s why I didn’t mention what weapon it is, I happened to notice it! That doesn’t mean I get to go and ruin it for everyone else
Ralph, I'm not going to watch this until after I've played the game. But I AM going to run the vid on mute now so you get the retention and watch time. Thanks for all your graft mate - world class.
4 years ago it was your review of GOW 2018 that got me to sub to you. Now 4 years later here you are reviewing GOW Ragnarok. Another spectacular review shill up. So hype for this game!
You can always count on skillup to get the best and most in-depth reviews out there. Thanks so much for no spoilers. I can not wait for Ragnarok! Death can have me when it earns me
So I’ve finished the game now. Without spoilers: I liked it more than the previous game and that game is in my top 5 all time favourites. I’m blown away at how good this game was.
I mean, GoW was good. Emotional baggage is a big turnoff to me. Gamers these days give that a big importance sadly. I just want a really fun game which has a killing machine as a protagonist who just doesnt give a crap ,doesnt reflect on what he or she did, he or she just rips - provided you are skilled enough of course (no need for it to be a one button masher game). Also shooting fists from fists. I also want to see a strong female sidekick thats not a classic whining nagging annoyance. That has a set of boobs and buttcheeks that even the gods themselves have never seen. I want her to annihilate opposition without mercy. A goddess, not identifying as anything other than pure blunt force trauma personified in a godlike gorgeous womanly figure. If the opposition berates her she responds in force. When she cries, she does it because of the sheer epiphony she felt from pulverizing her enemies in to nothingness. Yes, I want this! I'll take Ragnarok as well though,looks like a big upgrade from GoW.
@@eval_is_evilI agree with you on 1 thing. God of War should be focused more on gameplay and destruction than overly long cutscenes. Ragnarok was a fantastic game but the cutscenes were unnecessarily long. It's a sort of game that you replay 2 or 3 times whereas Elden Ring is a game that you can play 5 or more times and still keep the progression going.
Skill Up is far and away the most articulate, informative and objective reviewer in the industry. he should have well over a million subscribers at this point.
What playstation and their studios have achieved in the last decade is so special. They have elevated storytelling in gaming to the point where now often my favourite stories are told through this medium. God I can't wait for next week. 🙌
@@waifuhunter9709 what is your favourite type of stories??? the vast majority of sonys best stories have come between the release of the last of us on 2013 and now, you've skipped out on a tonne of amazing games just as playstation reached its peak again after a rough time early to mid ps3 generation
@@brmawe completely elevated motion capture and the way an acting perfomance can be recorded for a game and managed to write compelling characters that feel real and that you can strongly connect to (creating some of the best storydriven games that are out there to prove themselves to the general world as an art form) along with gameplay that is enjoyable and pushes boundaries on a graphical and mechanics level. We have mainly santa monica and naughty dog to thank for all this tho lol
It might be because i'm an artist/writer myself, but every time i hear about a passion project like this succeeding in becoming a masterpiece of art and storytelling, well. It makes me a bit emotional. It's an inspiration of what can be achieved when you really put the work in. I will be playing God of War: Ragnarok day 1 and i only wish that other AAA game developers would focus on making genuine, quality accomplishments which they can feel proud of, rather than whatever model is most likely to make money.
You basically just run around and kill creatures just like in the original Doom but in 3rd person. That's the core gameplay. Super simple hack and slash lol. Where is the innovation in the gameplay department? What's so great about it? lol Gameplay hasn't progressed beyond killing moving objects on screen since the 80s lol
Can I just take a moment to appreciate you mate? Your descriptions and vocabulary do so much justice to the reviews you make. Thank you for all the effort you put into these.
I watched this the night before release and I’m glad that I did! You went over JUST enough detail without spoiling anything for me by the time I started. I really appreciate it! Thanks for the content and fantastic work you’ve done on this channel!
This is a perfect example and a masterclass of how modern games should be: Epic story, ultra engaging gameplay, stunning visuals and perfect performance, truly a game that cannot be more polished. This is a single player game and it appears to be one of the best games of the generation, no live service crap, no forced coop, no season pass, no multiplayer, just plain epic single player. Even with a modest budget I'm sure Santa Monica would have delivered a great experience but this is also a slap to the face to developers that waste big budgets in mediocre games, Santa Monica showed how to properly use it by having a great plan from the beginning and carefully executing with so much care.
Skillup is one of my most trust game reviewers. You have never been off the mark. Ive tried quite a few games over the years i otherwise wouldnt have because you said its worth my time. God of war 2018 being one of them and i LOVED it. I am SO excited to know i can play it soon and RELIEVED your giving it the, “defenitly worth your time” award.
I tend to listen to your videos rather than watching to avoid visual spoilers and you do so well at keeping things vague but still entertaining. Really love your channel dude.
Terrific review. You are, by far, the best video game reviewer out there. Your articulation of your thoughts on the game is masterful. And you do it all without spoilers in your words or the clips that are playing. Oh, and this game looks absolutely incredible and somehow matching the hype. I can’t wait for the 9th.
This channel should have millions of sub, he does some of the best reviews ever made. Fucking miles ahead of anything IGN ever made. He’s always wording things clearly and is totally honest.
I get chills regularly from the writing on this channel. The passion and experience truly come through and it is absolutely infectious and all emcompassing. Exceptional work.
Stepping into Asgard for the first time was absolutely breathtaking. I have never gasped at graphics before. At first I though it was an actual photograph. Absolutely amazing.
Thank you for recommending reading up on Norse Mythology before playing. Having more background of these characters definitely improved my overall experience with the game. And great review as always !!
It may be good advice in general. I still remember reading the books from the witcher in preparation for the witcher 2. And it greatly enhanced the whole experience.
I remember your first God if war review and all the bits pre and post with Corey Etc. You’re the premiere league of reviewers. I’m also not going to be playing Ragnarok for some time, so I’ll devour your review. Keep it up Ralph, long may you continue your sublime reviews. Edit: I’m just looking forward to the story, with mimirs narration. Let alone everything else.
I agree with the point about not remembering the skill trees 10 years from now but remembering the journey, but I think combat is part of that journey especially the main fights. I played bloodborne 6 years ago and still remember that first cleric beast fight.
I loved this game so much! It was epic and the story was just outstanding by every measure. There are games few and far between that can make me cry within the first five minutes. Those who have played know what I’m talking about 😁
@@giovannifederici673 lol... people these days want heroes to reflect about their feelings and suffer through drama. I find it sort of ruins the whole experience. I just want a protagonist that it's a merciless killing machine where enemies almost feel honoured being turned to piles of wallowing flesh. I still think Witcher 3 does it best. Geralt is such a badass. Ragnarok looks fun as heck though.
@@eval_is_evil They butchered Kratos and reduced him to being a cuck who obediently follows the insolent woman who tried to repeatedly kill him around like a lap dog throughout the entire game. Thor is a pathetic drunk with daddy issues, and Odin is a sniveling old man, pay careful attention how they portray men in this game. Old Kratos would’ve stabbed this bitch. Nu-Kratos feels like a side character in his own game. Play God of War 3 then play Ragnarock, it’s like night and day.
Thank you Skill Up! Been waiting for this game for a long time. Life continues to change since the last game came out, but to know that this game delivers makes me so excited!!
SPOILERS: God of War 4 was about Kratos learning how to be a good father. God of War Ragnarok was about Kratos learning how to be a good man. At first, I wasn’t as connected to God of War 4 as everyone else was whenever it was released. I played it to completion and even beat the Valkyrie Queen and many of the side activities. I had fun and liked the story but for some reason it didn’t connect with me yet like it did for everyone else at it’s release. Now having completed Ragnarok and am working on 100% it, I finally understand. I look back now at God of War 4 with nothing but admiration and playing this title has made me wanna go back and re-experience it with my new found perspective on this duology. These 2 titles but Ragnarok in particular are absolute masterpieces. Previous to this game, I was a very casual GOW fan. I played the OG trilogy and 4 but none of them stood as all time favorites in my head. I loved them all for different reasons though. However, Ragnarok did something incredibly special. The God of War trilogy was about a man pushed to his breaking point and beyond being used as a tool, a pawn, and whenever he out lived his usefulness the gods threw him in the trash. That very man sought revenge and got it. Didn’t matter what collateral damage was in his way. As long as those who wronged him were punished by his hands. Once it was all said and done, he destroyed everything around him. He became a utter monster. God of War 4 began this journey of towards trying to move beyond his past. Live the normal life he never got to lead back in Greece and just find peace. It started his path of redemption and Ragnarok completed it for Kratos. The theme of both of these games are “Being Better” and with God of War 4, I loved what they did with the plot and the characters there but they only felt like it was halfway there to me, not the whole picture. Kratos became a good father to Atreus but he still felt like he was missing the push to be a good man. He’d help with freeing the Valkyries and a handul of other things but it was always either out of reluctance or because Atreus would steer the ship. He hadn’t yet completed his own personal journey towards redemption. In Ragnarok however, Kratos is by the end of the game, a much better man. Hell, even a hero to the norse world. And he acts as such too. Not just for Atreus. For himself. And for those around him. For Freya, Mimir, etc. He’s doing what he does to help others because HE wants to. And the moment whenever he saw Faye’s final mural and cried, I also started sobbing. The character development they’ve put Kratos through, someone who was downright monstrous and destroyed the entire greek pantheon just for revenge, innocents be damned, to a man who saved as many people as he could throughout Ragnarok, helped his son find himself, made several friends and companions and helped them on their own personal journeys, saved the realms, and after his mission with Ragnarok was accomplished, he continues to pursue making the norse world a better place and repairing the damage that Odin left in his wake. Kratos from beginning to end went from a sympathetic but cold hearted man driven by his pursuit of revenge to a genuine hero. And when Kratos realized that’s what Faye wanted and/or saw him as, it showed him and us that he always had it in him to BE a hero. Sorry if I’m reiterating a lot of things, I just needed to get this off my chest as I just completed this game hours ago. Ragnarok single handedly made God of War one of my favorite gaming franchises and not only did this game live up to my every expectation, it surpassed all of them. In gameplay, level design, and ESPECIALLY narrative. My only disappointment with this title is that I can no longer play it for the first time ever again. What a game. What a journey. Kratos was already awesome. But his journey with Atreus has solidified him in my eyes as one of the best protagonists in gaming. Next to characters like Arthur Morgan.
Yep. Recently finished it and a couple trophies away from the platinum. The character growth of Kratos has been so refreshing. MC from Halo desperately needs something similar.
I love how Mimir is more of his own thing now. He writes, Kratos holds him more in front of him to show Mimir things. Also it feels weird that Kratos now feels smaller. With his Boy now actually gaining some height, and with another companion who is literally making Kratos look like a child.
@@jdennis867 NO. NO its not...Anyone who can actually afford a PS5 by now has been more than able to actually get one. its not 2020 anymore and they've been widely available for sometime....Sounds like a personal problem if YOU feel that the only way to purchase one is if you can walk into a store and pick a box up off a shelf...Most of late 2021 through now they've been quite easy to get.
@@lutherheggs451 I have one and got one on release date but trying to buy one via online or in store pickup Is still pretty hard. Only via invitation can one get a ps5.
Long form reviews and video essays from you has surpassed modern games journalism. One of the only people on YT whose opinion I trust when it comes to video game reviews.
Raganrok is a great game, however, I do believe it is fair to say it's "worse" than the first one. That doesn't mean this is a bad game, because it is not, it's a truly great game. For me the UI and the slowdowns in the gameplay was jarringly bad, to the point that me and some friends who were hyped af agreed in our criticisms after we 100% the game and we all noticed an intangible something that made it feel just weird enough that we knew what we were referring to without properly explaining it. I felt "empty?" at the end, it was a GREAT ending, but idk, just like I was missing something, went to fully finish everything else, and I wasn't the only one as a friend was mad there is no ng+ because she also felt there was still an itch to be scratched. You'll definitely like this game a lot, but I'm sure you'll love the first slightly more.
I've always loved finishing moves and after watching this, I can see they enjoyed developing the creative ways of finishing off the creatures in a variety of ways that won't get boring!
They got rid of all the gorey finishes from the earlier games, instead it;s just UFC style finishers, kratos used to be brutal, but I guess that’s what you get when your team is comprised of a bunch of diversity hires
This game really left an impression, such beautiful environment and the story was so masterfully told. Now waiting for them to add in New Game Plus to jump back in with the millions of hacksilver I stored up 😅
There is absolutely no better person I have ever seen who delivers a message quite like you my friend. I have been excited for this one and you didn't fail to amaze.
I enjoyed the game, but I feel it has serious problems. All of them I basically ignored because I was having fun, except for one... Ragnorok itself is incredibly underwhelming. Like they try to make the the background epic, but the level itself was short, basic, and uncreative, and so were the final main boss fights. Baldur was a more creative and epic final boss battle, and that game was a much smaller scale father-son journey! This game is called RAGNAROK... I finished 'Ragnarok' in 40 minutes on hard mode.
I can't get past the artificial difficulty Modifiers and how specifically one certain character is written very horribly. Combat was fun in gow 2018, now you have to juggle off screen unblockable/unparriable attacks from enemies that slide halfway across the map to attack you. Not to mention the horrible reliance on ranged enemies. It also doesn't help that many boss fights get those same annoying enemies thrown in for no reason. I also hate how much the game holds your hand in puzzles. Other than that, I'm sticking through for the story. The 1v1 fights are where the new system shine. Should've kept some things with the combat the same.
Honestly this fair, I played on no mercy and all those problems bothered me alot but I still enjoyed the game it's just sad that those issues ruin some of the enjoyment
Thanks Ralph, your reviews are always so good detailed and on point. So glad God of War continues with its consistent passion in making an actual game for the players.
I've been playing gow since the beginning of the series. In my opinion it's a great game that was hindered by inconsistent story telling and extremely slow pacing at times. Not being able to walk more than 10 seconds without running into a group of enemies got old pretty fast and really made the last few hours drag on. I literally turned down the difficulty so I could pick up the pace and actually enjoy the story.
I adore your reviews but I do find it funny when we disagree. I loved God of War '18, but I'm 15 hours into Ragnarök and am finding it dragging, drawn out, and irritating. The writing has been predictable, the characters won't shut up during puzzles or leave you alone to explore. I don't think it's a bad game at all, and I haven't finished the story yet (my main impetus to play it) but I feel like it's inferior to its predecessor.
God of War 2018 had me addicted playing until the early hours of the morning until I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore. Was so great, hoping Ragnarok will do the same
This review was so genuine and heartfelt, that it excited me and your ending gave me chills. I bought both the 2018 game I missed and pre-ordered this one for my PS5 on the strength of your review alone. Thank you for all of the great work you continue to do in the industry for us fans.
I have to say kudos to Sony for always delivering in terms of performance. You can bet that every Sony first party game will run perfectly on release and that's a great thing. It makes me want to buy their games day 1 because I know it won't change my experience for the worse. PS I know days gone didn't run perfectly on release, but that's like the only thing I can think of in the 15 years I've been playing
This is why i love skill up's reviews, I only opened IGN video to see the score and it started with a fight between thor and kratos, checked the score while you scrub with the mouse didn't even bothered watching a single second of it. Their shadows of rose review even shows ending scenes from the dlc
Wow, what a review. Thank you for this. You've got an incredible way of conveying your thoughts and putting them words - far and above any other current game critic in published media. Absolutely outstanding.
Having played 2018 right before Ragnarok, there’s a lot to disagree and agree with this review. Ragnarok is not the masterpiece 2018 was and felt like a collection of highs and lows. I’m surprised pacing wasn’t mentioned which at times killed the experience. That being said it’s a good game and I enjoyed (most of) my time with it.
Great review, as always. I just finished the story last night and i audibly agreed with almost every declaration you made in this review. This game was masterful. The story was unexpected and charming and poignant and powerful and it’s like you mentioned, I’m jealous of everyone that gets to play it for the first time now!
Great review. I played this on the ps4 and it was the only game for me that really captured my attention. I'll wait for it on PC. GOW I think fits very very well for us adults/dads who want to wade into a fairly linear experience as oppose to engaging in a lot of time wasting or excessive decision making which for our purposes is a greater tax on energies than we want from a game(though they can be great done well for those who have the time!) GOW 2018 stayed with me just long enough to not overstay its welcome and left me wanting the next title and sounds like this is giving me exactly what I want.
The crevice thing is probably a loading solution for the the PS4 version. I really truly feel that those segments would not exist if this game was PS5 only.
Skill Up basically ruined all other reviewers for me. I still appreciate many of them, a ton are phenomenal, but Ralph's formula just works for me on a fundamental level. I can feel a genuine love for video games and respect for everything that comes with games, not just the game itself, but everything else that surrounds it, that amplifies it, that adds to the the art known as Video Games. I feel like so many reviewers out there just go for surface level critiques, first impressions without more thought about how deep that impression can evolve, less open-mindedness about critical factors that contributes to what makes a game great or not, etc. Video games have transcended the label of ''games for children'' ages ago. It's a medium unlike others where you can literally live out stories and take control of the events yourself. So many games nowadays are built around the idea of quick dopamine rushes with completely passable story-telling or love and care for the world around it. I'm not saying every game needs to be a grandiose achievement of story-telling blended with gameplay, but I would be lying if I said that I wasn't getting tired of repetitive dopamine rushes created for the sole purpose of getting you hooked and spending money. God of War, The Witcher 3, FF14, Doom, etc. All games that I will sing the praises of forever, no matter what happens in the future. That's why I will always, ALWAYS make a point of letting reviewers know how much I appreciate them. Especially the ones who genuinely cherish and showcases the best of the industry in this fantastic hobby of ours. Ralph, I appreciate you tremendously (and Austin too, don't forget to toss a coin to your editors or else they'll rebel!). Keep doing what you do. Also, completely unrelated to the subject at hand, but because I've come to realize how much you appreciate good art so I highly recommend you go and watch the TV Show The Expanse if you haven't yet. There's nothing like it out there, it's Sci-Fi drama with an UNMATCHED realism to dialogue and world-building. You mentioned in this review your appreciation and love for intelligent writing, subtle and nuanced themes and dialogues, etc. The Expanse is all that, and so, SO much more. It taps into something inherently primal in us because it's the story of OUR species some hundred years in the future, not filled with magic, but pure logical technological advancements that we, in real life, could realistically achieve. It makes that emotional connection infinitely easier because there are no suspension of disbelief anywhere. I've lost count of the amount of times I had completely forgotten that I was watching a show and not standing right there with the characters. I won't say more because every single thing about this show is phenomenal and spoiling it would make me hate myself. Have a great day! Thanks again for the reviews!
![Horizon Forbidden West is absolutely superb (Review) [No Spoilers]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/xdFGdR28Gp8/mqdefault.jpg)
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Jormungunder 😛 thanks frnd
One question don’t you go to all 9 realms? I thought sony santa monica said you go to them all
Is there something else u can recommend to brush up on this mythology and characters that is more bite sized?
Thank you
lol shill up 16:56 you're jealous ?? You the one who gets to play what the world is waiting for. while i'm jealous i barely own a playstation.. despite loving both Greek norse and even hindu mythologies having read bhagavat geeta.. but this game is what i want & i don't think i got money to buy yet lol Jealous you. hehe. malaka.
Wait... You can release the review 6 days early?! That's how you know the developer is 100% confident in the project
wow thats actually true you know
It's a little bit of a sad indictment on the state of the industry nowadays when allowing reviews to come out a week before release is considered groundbreaking confidence/consumer advocacy and not just common sense xD
@@rioplats I mean Spoilers are also a consideration for publishers.
No it’s sony first party title that’s why. Marketing
It’s pretty standard practice for game reviews to come out about a week or so before the actual release date.
We have to praise Eric Williams for the game's direction, when God OF War 2018 released, everyone was deservedly praising Cory Barlog for the series reboot, but now, Eric Williams name is not even mention, and I think he deserves recognition for his work on God of War Ragnarok.
I don't if you wanna make his name as well known. Story wise the game was a severe downgrade from 2018. Better to blame multiple people for it than a single person, unless you want that.
@@MugdhaMahdiShamsI think what u mean is 2018 had a simpler premise, versus Ragnarok was an huge scaled game. Of course with huge scaling pacing gets hurt by by the script everything in Ragnarok was a marvel compared to 2018. It’s exactly as Skill Up said, it’s a saga
@@architdewan6717 A saga of 2 games lmao. There was too much crammed into one game.
I think that point you make about reading up on Norse mythology is really interesting - obviously it seems wild in this day and age to say "this massive, big budget AAA video game needs you to do your homework to truly appreciate it," but there were points along the way in my own playthrough where I was thinking "these references are both subtle and yet crucial enough to the story that I really don't know how it would hit for people that didn't have some level of investment in the mythology." Speaks a lot to how much trust the developers put in players that they don't feel the need to overly explain all this stuff, which is admirable.
I hope reviewers that feel this way will post links on their socials to the best videos or sites we can check out to get caught up on the relevant mythological lore 👀
@@johncra8982 he did give a book reference.
Immortals Fenyx Rising is an example of missing the mark on this. They overexplained everything to the point where a lot of these conversations seemed redundant for anyone who knew beginner levels of Greek mythology. There was no nuance, from what I remember. Yes it's such a different game but the power of story in a video game is how much you can place the player in the position of the main character. If I play a fantasy game I want to be in on the fantasy. A great way to do that is to trust the player is paying attention.
I don’t even remember how I learned a lot of the stuff I know about a lot of these mythos. I really did enjoy knowing and discussing with my friends during the first game (and every game that there is wrapped up in a specific mythology and the different takes.)
@@StripedJacket the Edda? I mean that's just the original text itself lol. Unless he mentioned another book that discusses the stories in the Edda and I just missed it.
This game is so good that I ended up playing it for 6 hours straight yesterday without even realizing it, I was so soaked up in the game and everything that I completely forgot about what time it was. It wasnt until my brother called me that I realized that it was nearly midnight. I looked at my phone and thought the clock was wrong. We need more games this good, why the hell have we not had great story driven games like this lately, what happened to creativity and making us engaged in the characters and world.
cost efficacy
Due to your exact argument is why I switched from Xbox back to PlayStation. Gamepass is great but for me it is more about quality versus quantity
@@aeneas116116 I play both my series X and PS5 pretty much equally, I'm not biased, games pass saves me shit loads of money and my PS5 is there for the exclusives. nothing wrong with that.
Same. I got so immersed it turned to night and I didn't notice.
By the way these type of games help my addiction so much. Being immersed in a game is not like being immersed in a movie. My whole mind and body is involved playing good games. I'm 10 years clean from a crack addiction. Bodybuilding and gaming r my 2 biggest tools to stay away from that devil drug crack
Money and greed happened. 😢
Skillup is the best reviewer around right now… Having played the game now, his ability to show us the big picture without touching on the spoilers is impressive. There’s a lot of core gameplay that hinges on storybeats he can’t mention and I appreciate how well he tiptoes around that. I would have played Ragnarok regardless of any review but there’s something validating about hearing someone you’ve consistently agreed with and who’s opinion you value corroborate what you’ve seen yourself. Skillup: thanks for doing this right.
You sound like a boyscout
hail, brother
@@giovannifederici673 yeah dude, I am… just got my “reply to someone on youtube badge”
@@giovannifederici673 In 5 years when I respond to something again, I’ll be sure to forget grammar and misspell everything so you’re happy… I also won’t give anyone props, cause it’s not cool to compliment anyone ever unless it’s your own phenomenal opinion… damn, I gotta stop being nice cause I’m a fucking Boy Scout if I do… I’m such a piece of shit, really need a time out in my tent.
And jeez, sorry I use the three dots between thoughts. That shit is super against scouts honor.
@@giovannifederici673 ps, I checked out your other comments here… might be worth not commenting on content creators you hate. Do something useful like fucking off and enjoying things you like.
Your writing is stronger than any other gaming youtuber I've come across. I really appreciate it.
He seems too smart for games journalism but we're lucky to have him
Fr, first thing you notice is how well educated he is. The writing structure of these videos could be taught in my English 103 class
Look up easy allies they are amazing
Then you should come across Mandalore, SSeth and especially Whitelight.
Jacob Geller is one of my favorites
God tier writing + editing, good on you both Skillup and Austin.
God "Tyr"
@@ShadowsofRlyeh Go to Helheim
My names Austin, thanks 🥰
The only guy I trust to review games lately. Seeing an individual person surpass the quality of major game journalism companies restores my faith in TH-cam. Keep up the good work. Love from India ❤
I still don't trust him after Cyberpunk 2077.
@@FEWGEE1 yeah
Really?
Did people forget his Cyberpunk review? Lol
He may be better than the shithead "journalists" but he's still very forgiving, I don't consider him very critical.
That said, if he doesn't recommend a game then it's probably pretty damn bad.
This game was so much more than I was expecting, and what a set of performances from the cast. Such a sensitive and moving focus on father/son dynamics. Just really blown away
They did the minimum required for an acceptable experience. Ragnorak lasted half an hour after the 20 hours filler back and forth discussing on whether Ragnorak should happen. Worst of all, Kratos felt like a guest in his own game.
@@ap4702 Kratos was developed beyond his beginnings as player-conduit and went through meaningful change. Ragnarok was the driving force, but the story was about parenting, trust, and the blurred lines of good an evil. Sounds like you just wanted to play a previous game again, in which case I’m glad they didn’t cater for you
@@jonnowocky8179 your standards are pretty low if you think Ragnarok's story was executed well. I wish my standards were low too so I didn't wait nearly 5 years just to feel disappointed. Ragnarok had interesting ideas and concepts but I'm all about how well the overall story is done not each individual scene.
@@ap4702Great job missing the whole point of the story!👍
@@Epictookwhy do you think it wasn’t executed well?
Long time viewer, first time commenting.
After having seen several reviews, I revisit this video just so I can commend you of how eloquently well this review was written. No other review delivered the feeling of the game so well.
You may not see this comment within thousands of other comments, but I just like to say I sincerely appreciate your videos
1. Doing a 30 min review without spoilers is impressive.
2. Making it compelling enough that I actually enjoyed that 30 min and am considering watching it again, is mind boggling
You are a beaming lighthouse to the gaming community at large and by far my favorite gaming journalist. We're all lucky to have you all these years.
Man you and Austin are something else dude. What an incredibly well done review. Your videos are like a really good show at this point. I just click on random reviews of games I have no interest in just because of how entertaining and quality your work is. Thank you.
Who is austin?
@@handlenameistaken his editor
I got like 15 hours in the game so far and it has been such a wonderful experience.Haven't felt such happiness playing a game in a long time.Everything about the game is a masterpiece.
Same here, finished arround 45hours on "give me god of war", it has so many emotional moments and it's so well roundet in total.
Compared to anything else i played 2022 it's absolutely worth even full Price.
If this is not gonna get GoTY something is realy wrong....
I’m so in love with the structure of the recent GOW games. I’ll be heart broken if they needlessly change it for the next game. I really want a third entry that’s follows a similar approach.
The moment when the review of the game is as much a spectacle as the game itself. Got goosebumps from your writing dude. Love your content to bits. Thank you so much!
Never been so hyped for a game like this in YEARS. The only triple A game I KNOW will deliver what we have all been waiting for.
I'm hyped to find someone who correctly uses the word hyped as opposed to saying "I am so hype for ....".
Playstation turd. Elden Ring and RDR2 are god. There just like old gen games from 2006-14 nothing compares. GG.
The fact you have’t cracked a million subs is criminal. Easily one of the best review channels on the platform. Thanks for the care and professionalism you bring to each review. A great review, as always.
The level of eloquence & common sense that go into these reviews, is simply amazing and truly appreciated! You keep what matters the most to the player in focus. Highlighting the main details but giving us a savory slice of the good stuff. You can tell by the passion in your words that you truly enjoyed this game. And you do it without mincing words or propping up praise. You simply let the experience speak for itself. That is why your content is top notch! As for the game itself, I'm not surprised it hit a home run. Santa Monica Studios is such a talented group. God of War 2018 was a fantastic journey and many times I felt in awe of the detail that went into the details that immerse you into the world. So I am beyond excited to dive deeper into a world I fell in love with some years back.
Awesome awesome review, free of spoilers. The writing is absolute top tier and well structured, and the whole video amazingly put together. Well done and thankyou, both to you Ralph and Austin for his amazing editing.
Actually… 11:06 there’s clearly a spoiler there… he shows the buttons, that mention a third weapon and say what that weapon is…
@@noobiojrr5853 im glad i didn't notice that
@@MarkelScott100 Yes yes!! That’s why I didn’t mention what weapon it is, I happened to notice it! That doesn’t mean I get to go and ruin it for everyone else
Ralph, I'm not going to watch this until after I've played the game. But I AM going to run the vid on mute now so you get the retention and watch time. Thanks for all your graft mate - world class.
4 years ago it was your review of GOW 2018 that got me to sub to you. Now 4 years later here you are reviewing GOW Ragnarok. Another spectacular review shill up. So hype for this game!
You can always count on skillup to get the best and most in-depth reviews out there. Thanks so much for no spoilers. I can not wait for Ragnarok! Death can have me when it earns me
So I’ve finished the game now. Without spoilers: I liked it more than the previous game and that game is in my top 5 all time favourites. I’m blown away at how good this game was.
I mean, GoW was good. Emotional baggage is a big turnoff to me. Gamers these days give that a big importance sadly. I just want a really fun game which has a killing machine as a protagonist who just doesnt give a crap ,doesnt reflect on what he or she did, he or she just rips - provided you are skilled enough of course (no need for it to be a one button masher game). Also shooting fists from fists.
I also want to see a strong female sidekick thats not a classic whining nagging annoyance. That has a set of boobs and buttcheeks that even the gods themselves have never seen. I want her to annihilate opposition without mercy. A goddess, not identifying as anything other than pure blunt force trauma personified in a godlike gorgeous womanly figure. If the opposition berates her she responds in force.
When she cries, she does it because of the sheer epiphony she felt from pulverizing her enemies in to nothingness.
Yes, I want this!
I'll take Ragnarok as well though,looks like a big upgrade from GoW.
@@eval_is_evilI agree with you on 1 thing. God of War should be focused more on gameplay and destruction than overly long cutscenes. Ragnarok was a fantastic game but the cutscenes were unnecessarily long. It's a sort of game that you replay 2 or 3 times whereas Elden Ring is a game that you can play 5 or more times and still keep the progression going.
Looking back to when I played the first game back in 2005, I never would have expected the series to mature and evolve like this.
Skill Up is far and away the most articulate, informative and objective reviewer in the industry. he should have well over a million subscribers at this point.
He's ok but he has a tendency for shilling hence why his nick name is Shill up. Overall he's a cool guy and a good reviewer.
@@dripfoe_3307 when did he shill
@@gtmo55mack20 cyberpunk 2077
the dickeating is crazy
@@youtubeistrash2 BASED
What playstation and their studios have achieved in the last decade is so special. They have elevated storytelling in gaming to the point where now often my favourite stories are told through this medium. God I can't wait for next week. 🙌
@@waifuhunter9709 what is your favourite type of stories??? the vast majority of sonys best stories have come between the release of the last of us on 2013 and now, you've skipped out on a tonne of amazing games just as playstation reached its peak again after a rough time early to mid ps3 generation
@@waifuhunter9709 damn u sound salty af, bruh you're legit gunna cry aren't u?
Question what EXACTLY have they done to elevated storytelling? Just asking.
@@brmawe completely elevated motion capture and the way an acting perfomance can be recorded for a game and managed to write compelling characters that feel real and that you can strongly connect to (creating some of the best storydriven games that are out there to prove themselves to the general world as an art form) along with gameplay that is enjoyable and pushes boundaries on a graphical and mechanics level. We have mainly santa monica and naughty dog to thank for all this tho lol
@@waifuhunter9709 any details xbot?
It might be because i'm an artist/writer myself, but every time i hear about a passion project like this succeeding in becoming a masterpiece of art and storytelling, well. It makes me a bit emotional. It's an inspiration of what can be achieved when you really put the work in.
I will be playing God of War: Ragnarok day 1 and i only wish that other AAA game developers would focus on making genuine, quality accomplishments which they can feel proud of, rather than whatever model is most likely to make money.
You basically just run around and kill creatures just like in the original Doom but in 3rd person. That's the core gameplay. Super simple hack and slash lol. Where is the innovation in the gameplay department? What's so great about it? lol Gameplay hasn't progressed beyond killing moving objects on screen since the 80s lol
you should try Elden Ring
@@defiscanner1927 *ponits at Outer Wilds* your point is invalid.
@@defiscanner1927
That’s some dumb logic.
There is more to the game then the hack and slash part.
@@Indigo_1001 That's the core gameplay you du mb m0r0n lol
Can I just take a moment to appreciate you mate?
Your descriptions and vocabulary do so much justice to the reviews you make.
Thank you for all the effort you put into these.
I watched this the night before release and I’m glad that I did! You went over JUST enough detail without spoiling anything for me by the time I started. I really appreciate it! Thanks for the content and fantastic work you’ve done on this channel!
This is a perfect example and a masterclass of how modern games should be: Epic story, ultra engaging gameplay, stunning visuals and perfect performance, truly a game that cannot be more polished. This is a single player game and it appears to be one of the best games of the generation, no live service crap, no forced coop, no season pass, no multiplayer, just plain epic single player. Even with a modest budget I'm sure Santa Monica would have delivered a great experience but this is also a slap to the face to developers that waste big budgets in mediocre games, Santa Monica showed how to properly use it by having a great plan from the beginning and carefully executing with so much care.
Skillup is one of my most trust game reviewers. You have never been off the mark. Ive tried quite a few games over the years i otherwise wouldnt have because you said its worth my time. God of war 2018 being one of them and i LOVED it. I am SO excited to know i can play it soon and RELIEVED your giving it the, “defenitly worth your time” award.
Glad to hear you loved it, and also glad to hear your honest take on the combat. Sounds like you summed it up better than anyone else will.
I tend to listen to your videos rather than watching to avoid visual spoilers and you do so well at keeping things vague but still entertaining. Really love your channel dude.
Totally agree
I have so much respect for you for managing to make a good, informative yet spoiler free review
Terrific review. You are, by far, the best video game reviewer out there. Your articulation of your thoughts on the game is masterful. And you do it all without spoilers in your words or the clips that are playing. Oh, and this game looks absolutely incredible and somehow matching the hype. I can’t wait for the 9th.
LOL, they smash TLOU2 the best game of the last generation.
Did skill up mention any flaws with the game?
@@MrBamcito There’s no TLOU2… wtf you talking about?
This was an excellent review. I love your explanations, takes, and presentation of your opinions. I look forward to this game and to your next review!
what kind of cucklord comment is this, $5 to give it a background color?
This channel should have millions of sub, he does some of the best reviews ever made. Fucking miles ahead of anything IGN ever made.
He’s always wording things clearly and is totally honest.
@@Jifran you mean by not critiquing the actual contents of the videogame and instead just giving you a 1/2 used car salesman style advertisement? Lmao
I get chills regularly from the writing on this channel. The passion and experience truly come through and it is absolutely infectious and all emcompassing. Exceptional work.
Stepping into Asgard for the first time was absolutely breathtaking. I have never gasped at graphics before. At first I though it was an actual photograph. Absolutely amazing.
Thank you for recommending reading up on Norse Mythology before playing. Having more background of these characters definitely improved my overall experience with the game.
And great review as always !!
It may be good advice in general. I still remember reading the books from the witcher in preparation for the witcher 2. And it greatly enhanced the whole experience.
Dude, your reviews are the best. Thanks for your hard work!
The only reviewer whose video essays consistently give me goosebumps. Astonishing writing, amazing delivery and editing.
I found this channel through the first god of war review. I was so lucky. Fantastic game and fantastic channel.
As much as I like Eldin Ring. I have a feeling this will be my goty.
The motion capture and facial expressions on Kratos especially seems to have improved a lot !
I remember your first God if war review and all the bits pre and post with Corey Etc.
You’re the premiere league of reviewers.
I’m also not going to be playing Ragnarok for some time, so I’ll devour your review.
Keep it up Ralph, long may you continue your sublime reviews.
Edit: I’m just looking forward to the story, with mimirs narration. Let alone everything else.
I agree with the point about not remembering the skill trees 10 years from now but remembering the journey, but I think combat is part of that journey especially the main fights. I played bloodborne 6 years ago and still remember that first cleric beast fight.
Great review man. You're the only one i can trust with giving an honest review and not getting stuff spoiled. Keep up the great work.
The effort you have gone through to make sure there is no spoilers in this review is really appreciated! You are a great person! 👍
I loved this game so much! It was epic and the story was just outstanding by every measure. There are games few and far between that can make me cry within the first five minutes. Those who have played know what I’m talking about 😁
Stop consuming so much soy
@@giovannifederici673 lol... people these days want heroes to reflect about their feelings and suffer through drama. I find it sort of ruins the whole experience. I just want a protagonist that it's a merciless killing machine where enemies almost feel honoured being turned to piles of wallowing flesh.
I still think Witcher 3 does it best. Geralt is such a badass.
Ragnarok looks fun as heck though.
@@eval_is_evil They butchered Kratos and reduced him to being a cuck who obediently follows the insolent woman who tried to repeatedly kill him around like a lap dog throughout the entire game. Thor is a pathetic drunk with daddy issues, and Odin is a sniveling old man, pay careful attention how they portray men in this game. Old Kratos would’ve stabbed this bitch. Nu-Kratos feels like a side character in his own game. Play God of War 3 then play Ragnarock, it’s like night and day.
These reviews always stir up some emotions and are like an appetizer before whatever grand, anticipated game comes out.
An absolutely superb review, as always, Ralph! Beautifully written and produced, just like the game itself.
Thank you Skill Up! Been waiting for this game for a long time. Life continues to change since the last game came out, but to know that this game delivers makes me so excited!!
SPOILERS:
God of War 4 was about Kratos learning how to be a good father.
God of War Ragnarok was about Kratos learning how to be a good man.
At first, I wasn’t as connected to God of War 4 as everyone else was whenever it was released. I played it to completion and even beat the Valkyrie Queen and many of the side activities. I had fun and liked the story but for some reason it didn’t connect with me yet like it did for everyone else at it’s release.
Now having completed Ragnarok and am working on 100% it, I finally understand. I look back now at God of War 4 with nothing but admiration and playing this title has made me wanna go back and re-experience it with my new found perspective on this duology.
These 2 titles but Ragnarok in particular are absolute masterpieces. Previous to this game, I was a very casual GOW fan. I played the OG trilogy and 4 but none of them stood as all time favorites in my head. I loved them all for different reasons though. However, Ragnarok did something incredibly special. The God of War trilogy was about a man pushed to his breaking point and beyond being used as a tool, a pawn, and whenever he out lived his usefulness the gods threw him in the trash. That very man sought revenge and got it. Didn’t matter what collateral damage was in his way. As long as those who wronged him were punished by his hands. Once it was all said and done, he destroyed everything around him. He became a utter monster. God of War 4 began this journey of towards trying to move beyond his past. Live the normal life he never got to lead back in Greece and just find peace. It started his path of redemption and Ragnarok completed it for Kratos.
The theme of both of these games are “Being Better” and with God of War 4, I loved what they did with the plot and the characters there but they only felt like it was halfway there to me, not the whole picture. Kratos became a good father to Atreus but he still felt like he was missing the push to be a good man. He’d help with freeing the Valkyries and a handul of other things but it was always either out of reluctance or because Atreus would steer the ship. He hadn’t yet completed his own personal journey towards redemption.
In Ragnarok however, Kratos is by the end of the game, a much better man. Hell, even a hero to the norse world. And he acts as such too. Not just for Atreus. For himself. And for those around him. For Freya, Mimir, etc. He’s doing what he does to help others because HE wants to. And the moment whenever he saw Faye’s final mural and cried, I also started sobbing.
The character development they’ve put Kratos through, someone who was downright monstrous and destroyed the entire greek pantheon just for revenge, innocents be damned, to a man who saved as many people as he could throughout Ragnarok, helped his son find himself, made several friends and companions and helped them on their own personal journeys, saved the realms, and after his mission with Ragnarok was accomplished, he continues to pursue making the norse world a better place and repairing the damage that Odin left in his wake.
Kratos from beginning to end went from a sympathetic but cold hearted man driven by his pursuit of revenge to a genuine hero. And when Kratos realized that’s what Faye wanted and/or saw him as, it showed him and us that he always had it in him to BE a hero.
Sorry if I’m reiterating a lot of things, I just needed to get this off my chest as I just completed this game hours ago.
Ragnarok single handedly made God of War one of my favorite gaming franchises and not only did this game live up to my every expectation, it surpassed all of them. In gameplay, level design, and ESPECIALLY narrative. My only disappointment with this title is that I can no longer play it for the first time ever again.
What a game. What a journey. Kratos was already awesome. But his journey with Atreus has solidified him in my eyes as one of the best protagonists in gaming. Next to characters like Arthur Morgan.
Yep. Recently finished it and a couple trophies away from the platinum. The character growth of Kratos has been so refreshing. MC from Halo desperately needs something similar.
I love how Mimir is more of his own thing now. He writes, Kratos holds him more in front of him to show Mimir things.
Also it feels weird that Kratos now feels smaller. With his Boy now actually gaining some height, and with another companion who is literally making Kratos look like a child.
Original Kratos was around 2.15-2.30 m
This one is just 1.94 m
Thank you @Skill Up for such an amazing review and writing.
If I was more financially stable I would buy a PS5 just for this game. Can’t wait to see it when it comes out fully. Great review
Hard to find a ps5 even if u have money for it.
Do you have a ps4
@@jdennis867 NO. NO its not...Anyone who can actually afford a PS5 by now has been more than able to actually get one. its not 2020 anymore and they've been widely available for sometime....Sounds like a personal problem if YOU feel that the only way to purchase one is if you can walk into a store and pick a box up off a shelf...Most of late 2021 through now they've been quite easy to get.
@@lutherheggs451 I have one and got one on release date but trying to buy one via online or in store pickup Is still pretty hard. Only via invitation can one get a ps5.
Man to broke to get the game itself tho a ps4 version
I can't stress enough how excited I am for this game
Same here! It's getting harder and harder to focus at work lol
@@Ltdcloud same
@@Ltdcloud same 😭
Long form reviews and video essays from you has surpassed modern games journalism. One of the only people on YT whose opinion I trust when it comes to video game reviews.
The puzzles are dreadful and never ending. As soon as the story/game picks up steam the smack you in the face
Such a great review Skill Up - your writing and the way you deliver it is unmatched :-)
Question: How long does it take for you to write such an in depth and poetic review?
its neither of those, but its hype
It's just a dude gushing for 34 minutes lol
they way you review games with proper knowledge of it, is amazing, cant wait to play this
Raganrok is a great game, however, I do believe it is fair to say it's "worse" than the first one. That doesn't mean this is a bad game, because it is not, it's a truly great game. For me the UI and the slowdowns in the gameplay was jarringly bad, to the point that me and some friends who were hyped af agreed in our criticisms after we 100% the game and we all noticed an intangible something that made it feel just weird enough that we knew what we were referring to without properly explaining it. I felt "empty?" at the end, it was a GREAT ending, but idk, just like I was missing something, went to fully finish everything else, and I wasn't the only one as a friend was mad there is no ng+ because she also felt there was still an itch to be scratched. You'll definitely like this game a lot, but I'm sure you'll love the first slightly more.
Amazing review as always. This is one of the best games I've ever played in my life. Well done Santa Monica Studio, well done.
I've always loved finishing moves and after watching this, I can see they enjoyed developing the creative ways of finishing off the creatures in a variety of ways that won't get boring!
They got rid of all the gorey finishes from the earlier games, instead it;s just UFC style finishers, kratos used to be brutal, but I guess that’s what you get when your team is comprised of a bunch of diversity hires
Dumbest take of the century reward goes to giovanni!
So refreshing to see passionate devs produce amazing and actually finished games. Very rare thing these days
This game really left an impression, such beautiful environment and the story was so masterfully told. Now waiting for them to add in New Game Plus to jump back in with the millions of hacksilver I stored up 😅
There is absolutely no better person I have ever seen who delivers a message quite like you my friend. I have been excited for this one and you didn't fail to amaze.
What I am surprised is how well this runs on a base PS4. It both looks and runs better than GoW 2018, somehow.
I enjoyed the game, but I feel it has serious problems. All of them I basically ignored because I was having fun, except for one... Ragnorok itself is incredibly underwhelming. Like they try to make the the background epic, but the level itself was short, basic, and uncreative, and so were the final main boss fights. Baldur was a more creative and epic final boss battle, and that game was a much smaller scale father-son journey! This game is called RAGNAROK... I finished 'Ragnarok' in 40 minutes on hard mode.
I can't get past the artificial difficulty Modifiers and how specifically one certain character is written very horribly.
Combat was fun in gow 2018, now you have to juggle off screen unblockable/unparriable attacks from enemies that slide halfway across the map to attack you. Not to mention the horrible reliance on ranged enemies. It also doesn't help that many boss fights get those same annoying enemies thrown in for no reason. I also hate how much the game holds your hand in puzzles.
Other than that, I'm sticking through for the story. The 1v1 fights are where the new system shine. Should've kept some things with the combat the same.
Honestly this fair, I played on no mercy and all those problems bothered me alot but I still enjoyed the game it's just sad that those issues ruin some of the enjoyment
Thanks Ralph, your reviews are always so good detailed and on point. So glad God of War continues with its consistent passion in making an actual game for the players.
The West Wing is my favorite show of all time too!!! You're not alone. There's dozens of us.
Damn Skill, that opening paragraph about how the two games compare, deserves a Nobel prize. I was tearing up.
I've been playing gow since the beginning of the series. In my opinion it's a great game that was hindered by inconsistent story telling and extremely slow pacing at times. Not being able to walk more than 10 seconds without running into a group of enemies got old pretty fast and really made the last few hours drag on. I literally turned down the difficulty so I could pick up the pace and actually enjoy the story.
"You don't need to study this combat to be good at it"
Me: Looking at Shill up playing balanced mode.
Review so engaging and well written that i didn't even mind watching the whole advert at the end!
Amazing work Skill Up!
I adore your reviews but I do find it funny when we disagree.
I loved God of War '18, but I'm 15 hours into Ragnarök and am finding it dragging, drawn out, and irritating. The writing has been predictable, the characters won't shut up during puzzles or leave you alone to explore.
I don't think it's a bad game at all, and I haven't finished the story yet (my main impetus to play it) but I feel like it's inferior to its predecessor.
God of War 2018 had me addicted playing until the early hours of the morning until I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore. Was so great, hoping Ragnarok will do the same
This review was so genuine and heartfelt, that it excited me and your ending gave me chills. I bought both the 2018 game I missed and pre-ordered this one for my PS5 on the strength of your review alone. Thank you for all of the great work you continue to do in the industry for us fans.
Easily the best game reviewer on youtube! It was as if you were telling me a story and I was hooked all the way through! 👍
I have to say kudos to Sony for always delivering in terms of performance. You can bet that every Sony first party game will run perfectly on release and that's a great thing. It makes me want to buy their games day 1 because I know it won't change my experience for the worse.
PS I know days gone didn't run perfectly on release, but that's like the only thing I can think of in the 15 years I've been playing
Even then, the biggest performance bugs in Days Gone were smoothed out relatively quickly. Game was perfect on PS5 and the PC port ran great
@@superwhizz114 I had issues with the port on 144HZ, had to cap my fps at 60
Thanks for keeping almost all of the surprise.
This is why i love skill up's reviews, I only opened IGN video to see the score and it started with a fight between thor and kratos, checked the score while you scrub with the mouse didn't even bothered watching a single second of it. Their shadows of rose review even shows ending scenes from the dlc
Wow, what a review. Thank you for this. You've got an incredible way of conveying your thoughts and putting them words - far and above any other current game critic in published media. Absolutely outstanding.
Having played 2018 right before Ragnarok, there’s a lot to disagree and agree with this review. Ragnarok is not the masterpiece 2018 was and felt like a collection of highs and lows. I’m surprised pacing wasn’t mentioned which at times killed the experience. That being said it’s a good game and I enjoyed (most of) my time with it.
Great review, as always. I just finished the story last night and i audibly agreed with almost every declaration you made in this review. This game was masterful. The story was unexpected and charming and poignant and powerful and it’s like you mentioned, I’m jealous of everyone that gets to play it for the first time now!
Great review. I played this on the ps4 and it was the only game for me that really captured my attention. I'll wait for it on PC. GOW I think fits very very well for us adults/dads who want to wade into a fairly linear experience as oppose to engaging in a lot of time wasting or excessive decision making which for our purposes is a greater tax on energies than we want from a game(though they can be great done well for those who have the time!) GOW 2018 stayed with me just long enough to not overstay its welcome and left me wanting the next title and sounds like this is giving me exactly what I want.
This is a really well written and produced review. 👌🏽I like that you didn’t spoil what’s really the deal with this game.
Watched it once before playing, got hype
Watched it after playing and agreed with every god damn thing you said. What an incredible game
Man, the way you word things & do such extensive analysis in these videos reviews takes true talent. I'm so glad I'm subscribed to you!
Thank you for how you do reviews especially this game. I have been dodging spoilers of story or fights with every fiber of my being.
Thank you so much for working so hard to protect our Ragnarok experience and keep it as spoiler-free as possible, Pappy Shillup. We appreciate it.
The crevice thing is probably a loading solution for the the PS4 version. I really truly feel that those segments would not exist if this game was PS5 only.
Biggest sigh of relief ever
Skill Up basically ruined all other reviewers for me. I still appreciate many of them, a ton are phenomenal, but Ralph's formula just works for me on a fundamental level. I can feel a genuine love for video games and respect for everything that comes with games, not just the game itself, but everything else that surrounds it, that amplifies it, that adds to the the art known as Video Games. I feel like so many reviewers out there just go for surface level critiques, first impressions without more thought about how deep that impression can evolve, less open-mindedness about critical factors that contributes to what makes a game great or not, etc. Video games have transcended the label of ''games for children'' ages ago. It's a medium unlike others where you can literally live out stories and take control of the events yourself. So many games nowadays are built around the idea of quick dopamine rushes with completely passable story-telling or love and care for the world around it. I'm not saying every game needs to be a grandiose achievement of story-telling blended with gameplay, but I would be lying if I said that I wasn't getting tired of repetitive dopamine rushes created for the sole purpose of getting you hooked and spending money. God of War, The Witcher 3, FF14, Doom, etc. All games that I will sing the praises of forever, no matter what happens in the future. That's why I will always, ALWAYS make a point of letting reviewers know how much I appreciate them. Especially the ones who genuinely cherish and showcases the best of the industry in this fantastic hobby of ours.
Ralph, I appreciate you tremendously (and Austin too, don't forget to toss a coin to your editors or else they'll rebel!). Keep doing what you do. Also, completely unrelated to the subject at hand, but because I've come to realize how much you appreciate good art so I highly recommend you go and watch the TV Show The Expanse if you haven't yet. There's nothing like it out there, it's Sci-Fi drama with an UNMATCHED realism to dialogue and world-building. You mentioned in this review your appreciation and love for intelligent writing, subtle and nuanced themes and dialogues, etc. The Expanse is all that, and so, SO much more. It taps into something inherently primal in us because it's the story of OUR species some hundred years in the future, not filled with magic, but pure logical technological advancements that we, in real life, could realistically achieve. It makes that emotional connection infinitely easier because there are no suspension of disbelief anywhere. I've lost count of the amount of times I had completely forgotten that I was watching a show and not standing right there with the characters. I won't say more because every single thing about this show is phenomenal and spoiling it would make me hate myself.
Have a great day! Thanks again for the reviews!
Never was this excited for a review for a long time
How can this review be so well spoken? Your writing is amazing.