Platinum_Vice Posted April 11, 2022 Author Share Posted April 11, 2022 5 hours ago, DrBloodmoney said: What an awesome collection of write ups! This is a great idea for this checklist - loved all three of these, and theme-ing them together is perfect in this format! 5 hours ago, DrBloodmoney said: This isn't just a great write up of Braid BTW - it's also got probably the best, most concise and well laid out explainer for the story in Braid I've seen, dude! 5 hours ago, Copanele said: Wow what an amazing write-up Thanks guys! ? This one really clicked emotionally like it was made for a Me in a parallel universe. The story and gameplay just came together and resonated even though my own shortcomings are flavoured a little differently than Tim's. I'm just vibing Jonathan Blow at the moment - the bloke is very inspired. 5 hours ago, Copanele said: There's one thing about this game that the trophy guide doesn't mention: every level has a super hidden wont-figure-out-unless-you-check-online star, which are a pain to get. Also, will tag it in the spoilers just for good measure Mmm, yes! I didn't find a single star by the end. I googled what the constellation was and then saw a tutorial for getting the stars and then watched the alternare ending afterwards... leans more into the atomic bomb motif a bit, right? Veeeeeerrrrrrrry interesting. Some of those stars were really crazy. 5 hours ago, DrBloodmoney said: I played that one is a total fever - start to finish in one sitting, and so this one was cool to revisit the game, as I think I forgot a lot of it! The whole thing was creepy as hell - like seeing factory farming from the point of view of the cow, I suppose - but that's just the initial impression Yes I too finished it in one sitting, it went by very quickly. That cow metaphor is right on!! ? 5 hours ago, DrBloodmoney said: though I'd argue that (at least, in my playthrough, the "depression" stage did manage some of that - might just be me, but I found that level way confusing to navigate, and so I quite often ended up realising that I was in the wrong place, or going the wrong way, because everything looks the same, and it's all in a big circle, so I thought it kind of managed to be a metaphor for stagnating, and just circling the drain in that part. Oh wow! I didn't see that, that's true!! A-ha! That's actually pretty spot on. It's a big risk to do that to a player... I guess the whole game was actually pretty risky in that regard. 5 hours ago, DrBloodmoney said: Rime and the Witness take place in the same universe: Confirmed! You blew my mind on that one mate!! ? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjkclarke Posted April 29, 2022 Share Posted April 29, 2022 (edited) Mr Vice sir, I'm sorry I'm late to the party again.......?? ......but, I just had to mention something about this...... On 08/04/2022 at 6:31 AM, Platinum_Vice said: 09 Puzzle Post II: An Indie Omnibus 100% [PS3] Braid, 9.5/10, Trailer. 100% [PS4] Inside, 8/10, Trailer. #44 [PS4] Rime, 6.5/10, Trailer. I really should have commented on this awesome beast of a reviewathon when you wrote it, but I feel like I fell through a dimensional portal the last couple of weeks, sorry about that! Stupid awesome games stealing my time with their awesomeness. Try not to look at that image too long, it's mesmerising, and I'm worried if I look at it too long I'll have have a seizure. Anyway I'm rambling like a silly tit again....... What I actually came to say was fantastic job with these. I've read all of the bits I'll allow myself to read more than once, believe me. You know I'm a bit particular about spoilers , so I massively appreciate the fact you go out of your way to signpost them. That being said - I am planning to play both Braid and Inside at some point , Inside, I was planning to play once I get the 100% on Limbo, so just to let you know, I hope you don't mind me bringing the reviews up again once I can read them fully, as I'm sure there'll be plenty to discuss. I have played Rime though, so I've read that one in full. You brought up some really interesting points with that, when you mention that not every single part of it actually fully nails the idea that it's going for. I sort of agree actually, Anger is a little bit too literal in Rime as well. The only one I don't quite agree with is depression, because that utilises sound design, to such a ridiculously clever degree, that I think Depression stage is actually pretty well realised. The soundtrack itself in that bit, isn't what makes it good, in fact I think it detracts from what it should be making you feel actually, instead, it's trying to poke you in the ribs with a sharp stick screaming CRY CRY, instead of "think about what's going on"! You can maybe argue I'm reaching here, but I always thought that constant stream of noise, with those horrible loud abrasive weather effects, the downpour of rain, the incessant howling of the wind that doesn't stop. It eventually becomes something you get gradually used to, but it's very jarring and a little unsettling in places when you're first introduced to it. I thought that was almost the perfect metaphor for the Depression motif, alongside some of the excellent darkly lit areas, but again I'm very much probably seeing what I want to see, but it reminds me of the fact that depression and grief are something you never truly escape from, it's always there, it's always in the background, it just gradually becomes easier to deal with. Quote Trophy Talk I’ll just leave this gorgeous platinum trophy tile here. It’s one of my favourite trophy tiles and it leaves me with a nice taste in my mouth at the end of a mediocre meal. It is a fantastic trophy tile! It's one of my favourites too...... So, NERD QUESTION INCOMING ??..... Do you have a favourite Trophy/ Platinum Trophy Tile? On 06/04/2022 at 4:23 AM, Platinum_Vice said: An archery fan? Wow. Aussies don't get to do much of that at the moment... it hasn't evolved from being a gimmicky afternoon for group bookings costing a lot of money, akin to go-karting, paintballing and axe-throwing in the land Down Under. Do you get much of an opportunity? I can't believe that you've not played The Witness or Hyper Light Drifter. I will nag you about this! I thought just necro this post as well, because I meant to reply at the time, I just figured you were being polite and wouldn't want to know about some of my boring off-forum activities haha! Reading what you wrote in Arc's thread yesterday made me rethink that a bit, so have some boring hobbytalk haha You probably do have Archery going on in Australia more than you think it is, probably near you too. I'm part of a local club , I'm sure there are some near you and you can pretty much shoot whenever you want to so long as there's two club members on the field and you've done a short training course, for health and safety purposes. They sure are expensive those group bookings and stuff you get for work outings, or just general days out with friends, but I guess every little helps. My Dad is actually the person in charge of buying, maintaining and purchasing all the equipment at our club, and some of that equipment is astronomically expensive. Can be as much £20 per arrow, and they come in sets of at least six usually. So that's why places usually charge loads of money. I should shoot more really, because I haven't shot properly since about June last year - I really need to as well, because I'm entering a Longbow tournament that isn't too far off, so I need to actually be able to have a bit of conditioning going into that, otherwise my arms are going to fall off! ? So erm yeah, there you go boring Archery story! You will have to nag me about playing those two games! Although I suspect not much nagging will actually be required Edited April 29, 2022 by rjkclarke 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum_Vice Posted April 29, 2022 Author Share Posted April 29, 2022 5 hours ago, rjkclarke said: I really should have commented on this awesome beast of a reviewathon when you wrote it, but I feel like I fell through a dimensional portal the last couple of weeks, sorry about that! 5 hours ago, rjkclarke said: That being said - I am planning to play both Braid and Inside at some point , Inside, I was planning to play once I get the 100% on Limbo, so just to let you know, I hope you don't mind me bringing the reviews up again once I can read them fully, as I'm sure there'll be plenty to discuss. 5 hours ago, rjkclarke said: I thought just necro this post as well, because I meant to reply at the time, I just figured you were being polite and wouldn't want to know about some of my boring off-forum activities haha! Reading what you wrote in Arc's thread yesterday made me rethink that a bit, so have some boring hobbytalk haha My dude, you and anyone else can forever do the following: - comment late - not comment - comment on non-gaming things - re-read an old review and necro it (truly: that sounds super rad. The idea of others doing what I did to checklists such as yours and binge-reading months or years later and then necro-ing things sounds great to me... come back to reviews of The Witness, Hyper Light Drifter, Braid, The Last of Us etc etc afterwards and we can discuss them then ?). I'm happy whenever anybody stops by. 5 hours ago, rjkclarke said: Try not to look at that image too long, it's mesmerising You wrote that too late. I was genuinely hypnotised for like 10 seconds. 5 hours ago, rjkclarke said: The only one I don't quite agree with is depression, because that utilises sound design, to such a ridiculously clever degree, that I think Depression stage is actually pretty well realised. The soundtrack itself in that bit, isn't what makes it good, in fact I think it detracts from what it should be making you feel actually, instead, it's trying to poke you in the ribs with a sharp stick screaming CRY CRY, instead of "think about what's going on"! You can maybe argue I'm reaching here, but I always thought that constant stream of noise, with those horrible loud abrasive weather effects, the downpour of rain, the incessant howling of the wind that doesn't stop. It eventually becomes something you get gradually used to, but it's very jarring and a little unsettling in places when you're first introduced to it. I thought that was almost the perfect metaphor for the Depression motif, alongside some of the excellent darkly lit areas, but again I'm very much probably seeing what I want to see, but it reminds me of the fact that depression and grief are something you never truly escape from, it's always there, it's always in the background, it just gradually becomes easier to deal with. Yeah you and DrBloodMoney are in tandem here and you've both convinced me that I was incorrect and missed the point of that one. It's probably one of the stronger levels in the game, really, for synchronising player input with the character's journey. You guys have convinced me of that for sure. 5 hours ago, rjkclarke said: Do you have a favourite Trophy/ Platinum Trophy Tile? That's SO HARD to narrow it down to one. I might have to get back to you. Do you have one? (/does anybody else have one?) I commented on a status update for @DrBloodmoney for a community event idea that he had and hopefully I didn't derail the post too much, but I did consider a rainbow for my trophy cabinet. Actully I'm still considering it. ? https://forum.psnprofiles.com/profile/52063-drbloodmoney/?status=234352&type=status I really like the trophy tiles from the Mass Effect trilogy, but other than that, I no one trophy tile comes to mind, but I must now dig deeper and find an answer. 5 hours ago, rjkclarke said: My Dad is actually the person in charge of buying, maintaining and purchasing all the equipment at our club, and some of that equipment is astronomically expensive. Can be as much £20 per arrow, and they come in sets of at least six usually. So that's why places usually charge loads of money. Oh my lord. 20 British pounds per arrow?! Are they made of gasoline? Jiminy Cricket. 5 hours ago, rjkclarke said: You probably do have Archery going on in Australia more than you think it is, probably near you too. 5 hours ago, rjkclarke said: I should shoot more really, because I haven't shot properly since about June last year - I really need to as well, because I'm entering a Longbow tournament that isn't too far off, so I need to actually be able to have a bit of conditioning going into that, otherwise my arms are going to fall off! ? See I've come across a few compound bows down here but I've never seen a longbow in the flesh. That's groovy. I hope you place well (or at least have some fun ?). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjkclarke Posted May 3, 2022 Share Posted May 3, 2022 On 29/04/2022 at 7:27 AM, Platinum_Vice said: My dude, you and anyone else can forever do the following: - comment late - not comment - comment on non-gaming things - re-read an old review and necro it (truly: that sounds super rad. The idea of others doing what I did to checklists such as yours and binge-reading months or years later and then necro-ing things sounds great to me... come back to reviews of The Witness, Hyper Light Drifter, Braid, The Last of Us etc etc afterwards and we can discuss them then ). I'm happy whenever anybody stops by. I will commit this to my memory banks then ?? I love the thought of people necro-ing old reviews and stuff too. I really enjoyed that recently when it happened in my thread with someone commenting something about The Infectious Madness of Doctor Dekker, which I reviewed almost a year ago at this point. Trust me I will be doing it with some of yours too! Looking forward to it, because I have no doubt The Last of Us reviews are awesome, I might even do it with the Uncharted ones too. On 29/04/2022 at 7:27 AM, Platinum_Vice said: Yeah you and DrBloodMoney are in tandem here and you've both convinced me that I was incorrect and missed the point of that one. It's probably one of the stronger levels in the game, really, for synchronising player input with the character's journey. You guys have convinced me of that for sure. Me and @DrBloodmoney being in agreement/tandem about something..... REALLY? That never happens...... ? I genuinely laughed out loud as I typed that, it's spooky how much his opinions and my own align so often sometimes, although I think we ended up coming to the same conclusion on that depression level, from a different angle, and for fairly different reasons. You fancy a tandem bike Doc? We can get a motorised one powered by our own (possibly, occasionally) pretentious opinions ?.... I don't know how we go about riding it considering we live in almost opposite ends of the UK, but we'll figure something out ? OR maybe one of these? On 29/04/2022 at 7:27 AM, Platinum_Vice said: That's SO HARD to narrow it down to one. I might have to get back to you. Do you have one? (/does anybody else have one?) I commented on a status update for @DrBloodmoney for a community event idea that he had and hopefully I didn't derail the post too much, but I did consider a rainbow for my trophy cabinet. Actully I'm still considering it. https://forum.psnprofiles.com/profile/52063-drbloodmoney/?status=234352&type=status I really like the trophy tiles from the Mass Effect trilogy, but other than that, I no one trophy tile comes to mind, but I must now dig deeper and find an answer. Yep I gave you an impossible task with that one! I shouldn't have asked you for just one... I sure as hell couldn't come up with just ONE! Great shout on the Mass Effect ones mate! Those are gorgeous aren't they. I certainly have some I really like, but like with what my favourite film would be depending on when you asked me, I'd probably give you a different answer depending on the day! I quite like when the tiles look like actual trophies, like this Yakuza one Some of the ones that are designed like trophies can look a bit naff though, like the ones from Shenmue I and II. But Sometimes they can look really nice! I remember that status update, I actually meant to comment on it at the time, as I thought that was a really cool idea, and I still do. Let me know if you ever do come up with an answer of what your favourite one is.... It's also a little hard to separate yourself from how you felt about that specific game I find. So that sort of contributes towards my opinion on it a little bit. On 29/04/2022 at 7:27 AM, Platinum_Vice said: Oh my lord. 20 British pounds per arrow?! Are they made of gasoline? Jiminy Cricket. Haha! Right! Those are like the real top end ones though, the ones you could shoot 100 yards with a bow with light poundage. If you shoot a longbow though like I do, you're only allowed wooden arrows, so that astronomical price is never a problem. You just have to make them yourself, or have a parent that is very good at it and can do it for you ? On 29/04/2022 at 7:27 AM, Platinum_Vice said: See I've come across a few compound bows down here but I've never seen a longbow in the flesh. That's groovy. I hope you place well (or at least have some fun ). Just so long as I don't make a complete arse out of myself I'll be happy.... I don't want to be like that really old fella from Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, at Helms Deep that can't hold his bow and the draw, looses too early killing an Uruk-Hai and starts a war 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum_Vice Posted May 4, 2022 Author Share Posted May 4, 2022 (edited) 18 hours ago, rjkclarke said: it's spooky how much his opinions and my own align so often sometimes, although I think we ended up coming to the same conclusion on that depression level, from a different angle, and for fairly different reasons. Sure but together you completely demolished my argument! I'm perfectly fine with that. ? 18 hours ago, rjkclarke said: You fancy a tandem bike Doc? ... OR maybe one of these? Veto; I've already bought you both a bike and a matching costume. 18 hours ago, rjkclarke said: Those are like the real top end ones though, the ones you could shoot 100 yards with a bow with light poundage. If you shoot a longbow though like I do, you're only allowed wooden arrows, so that astronomical price is never a problem. You just have to make them yourself, or have a parent that is very good at it and can do it for you That is still absolutely insane. Are they weapons-grade/hunting arrows that cost that much? Or hobby arrows? I'm assuming there is multiple types like that (like firearm ammo). I'm sure you'll do absolutely fine at the competition... and that old codger in Two Towers did nothing wrong, those Uruk-Hai didn't run from Isengard for a taste of Longbottom Leaf. I hardly think they were about to turn around and go home 18 hours ago, rjkclarke said: I certainly have some I really like, but like with what my favourite film would be depending on when you asked me, I'd probably give you a different answer depending on the day! I quite like when the tiles look like actual trophies 100%!! Ask me tomorrow and I'd say a different answer. Yes I like that Yakuza trophy too. I had a look through the trophies that I've earnt... I like these three (RDR1, Rime and Oxenfree respectively): ... buuuut then some of these Mass Effect tiles kept catching my eye! ...so how does a gamer choose? Edited May 4, 2022 by Platinum_Vice 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrBloodmoney Posted May 9, 2022 Share Posted May 9, 2022 On 04/05/2022 at 9:19 AM, Platinum_Vice said: Veto; I've already bought you both a bike and a matching costume. Haha - well, my missus already has multiple pairs of Ugg boots... which I maintain (much to her annoyance) are clearly the feet cut off a pantomime horse costume... so we're half way there already! ? 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troz Posted May 11, 2022 Share Posted May 11, 2022 Yo @Platinum_Vice, I updated your cover image for the thread. Platinum and no platinum: 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum_Vice Posted May 11, 2022 Author Share Posted May 11, 2022 7 hours ago, Troz said: Yo @Platinum_Vice, I updated your cover image for the thread. Platinum and no platinum: I LOVE IT!! Thanks @Troz ? I'll sub that in ASAP when I can get to a computer. Cheers! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Platinum_Vice Posted June 30, 2022 Author Popular Post Share Posted June 30, 2022 (edited) 10A Series: God of War #9 (PS3) God of War, 9/10 #10 (PS3) God of War II, 7.5/10 #20 (PS3) and #70 (PS4) God of War III, 8.5/10 #109 (PS3) God of War: Chains of Olympus, 5.5/10 #110 (PS3) God of War: Ghost of Sparta, 6.5/10 (PS3) God of War: Ascension, 6.5/10 #75 (PS4) God of War, 8.5/10 God of War is a series dating back to the twilight years of the PlayStation 2. The 2018 reboot received widespread critical acclaim for many reasons, one of which was that Kratos was allegedly given some depth for the first time in the series. Complete tosh! There was plenty of depth in the Grecian games. The 2018 reboot primarily succeeds due to the emotional resonance that stems from the series’ origins - not in spite of them. Let’s explore this and simultaneously praise all of the great aspects about this series. Pretty much all of this titan-sized series review is haemorrhaging spoilers. This series struggles from a particularly bad simultaneous combination of prequel-itis and outsourced-to-another-studi-osis. Also, the narratives in the Grecian games utilise non-linear storytelling as well. The story at the heart of the series therefore requires a little bit of re-structuring (and Kratos demands that his tragic backstory be heard in between your combos of , , ). So let’s begin with a chronological synopsis of who Kratos is, what he done did to deserve his demons, and the general backdrop of the Divine Realms upon which this series dares to dance. The Many Lives and Deaths of the Ghost of Sparta: Flashbacks from God of War: Ghost of Sparta: Kratos and his brother Deimos are sons of Zeus and a human woman named Callista. To avoid the wrath of Zeus’ wife Hera, Kratos and Deimos were raised by Callista in Sparta. In a time when Greeks were subject to infighting and invasions from neighbouring civilizations, Spartans glorified proficiency in battle, and throughout Kratos’ formative years he learnt that the most effective means to his ends were those with maximum violence. Zeus feared a prophecy that he would be killed by one of his sons – a “marked warrior.” Ares (the God of War) and Athena were therefore dispatched by Zeus to kill Deimos as he had a conspicuous red birthmark over his left eye. Kratos attempted to protect Deimos so Ares struck him in the face which left Kratos sporting a large scar over his right eye. Kratos also tattooed himself with red ink to match Deimos’ birthmark. Deimos (on the floor) is Greek for ‘dread’ (also, 'dei' is latin for 'god'), and Kratos (on the left with the spear) is Greek for ‘pale tantrum.’ Flashbacks from God of War [2005]: Kratos married a Spartan woman and then fathered a girl – Calliope – and his unnatural drive combined with a thirst for and skill in battle led to him rising the ranks of the Spartan Army until he commanded it. The Spartan Army fought an invading force of eastern barbarians. Kratos and the barbarian leader found each other on the battlefield and Kratos lost the exchange. In a dying breath he prayed to Ares and promised his soul to the God of War for the power to win this battle (and all subsequent battles at Ares' bidding). Ares granted this wish. The barbarian army was destroyed. Kratos entered into that pact of servitude to Ares and Ares bestowed the Blades of Chaos upon him. The Blades of Chaos – burning blades bound to Kratos’ forearms by the chains of his servitude to the God of War. Metal AF. Multiple bloody campaigns ensued in Ares’ name. In an unnamed village Kratos slaughtered anything and everything including his own wife and daughter. Ares had brought them to the village so that Kratos would indeed kill them and therefore would be free of human distractions during his service, and Kratos’ bloodlust was so blinding that he only recognised his family after it was already too late. Upon coming to the realisation of his actions, Kratos renounced his ties to Ares and promised that he would kill the God of War; he would have vengeance for his family. The ashes of his wife and daughter coat Kratos' body and his reputation precedes him across Greece - fear the one who killed his family in service to the God of War – the “Ghost of Sparta.” Ares: "I wanted to make you into a great warrior." Kratos: "You succeeded." God of War: Ascension: Ares dispatches the Furies (beings that punish those who break their oaths to the gods) to hunt down and kill Kratos for failing to obey Ares but he manages to overcome their illusory and combative attempts to reign him in. Kratos learns that Ares seeks to rule the gods and Mount Olympus. Ares cannot kill Zeus due to a ceasefire that Zeus enacted long ago that forbids the gods from killing each other at Mount Olympus. Ares has been grooming Kratos, a demigod, to kill Zeus for him. God of War: Chains of Olympus: Five years later, Kratos witnesses the fading of the sun as the god Helios is captured. Morphius, the God of Dreams, places the people of Greece into a trance, but Kratos manages to escape and sets out to rescue Helios. Kratos meets Persephone, wife to Hades (who just like every other goddess in Greece, is thoroughly displeased by her husbands' incessant whoring, drinking and work commitments), and she leads Kratos to the Elysian Fields. She convinces him to release his godly powers so that he can enter the Fields as a mortal and spend an eternity with his daughter Calliope. He does so before learning that Persephone and Morphius have deceived him and he is forced to permanently part with his daughter for the second time. His hatred for the deceptions of the gods continues to grow. God of War [2005]: Kratos’ reputation as a demonic uberwarrior and warlord who killed his own family in service of the God of War has spread so far and wide that everyone who sees him immediately recognises his pale appearance and they are automatically instilled with terror. Helpful hands are withdrawn and tails turn to flee. The people of Greece often prefer death than the chance of being tainted by the dishonour of Kratos' presence. Persona non grata, Kratos is welcome ‘anywhere but here,’ and still the gods continue to play him for a pawn. Athena comes to Kratos with a deal: find and open Pandora's Box to be granted the power to kill a god. If he kills Ares to atone for the sins of the past, Athena will also free Kratos from the torment of his nightmares. As Kratos locates Pandora’s Box in a labyrinth carried on the back of the titan Cronos in the Desert of Lost Souls, Ares becomes aware of this development and mega-yeets a pillar from over the horizon to impale and kill Kratos before he can actually open the box. [Death count: 1] A dead Kratos fights through Hades’ Underworld and emerges from it to return to the land of the living. He opens Pandora’s Box and finally kills Ares. Athena does not uphold her end of the bargain. Kratos continues to be haunted by his nightmares. He stands upon the edge of the Suicide Bluffs in despair – “The Gods of Olympus have abandoned me" – and he allows himself to fall into the void below. Athena prevents him from dying and instead raises him up to Mount Olympus where he is bestowed the role of the new God of War. Not only did she deceive him and fail to relieve him of his nightmares, but she refuses to allow him to die in his own attempts to end them. Instead, she has effectively burdened him with those nightmares for the eternity of his immortality. God of War: Ghost of Sparta: Kratos discovers that his mother and brother are alive and subject to torture at the hands of Thanatos, the God of Death. Kratos sets out to free them but learns that he must kill his mother to end her continued suffering. Thanatos kills Deimos. Kratos’ hatred for the gods continues to grow as his family undeservedly suffers from their malevolence. God of War II: Backed by Kratos (the hottest new God of War this summer) the Spartan Army steamrolls across Greece and leaves behind a trail of bloodshed and destruction. This alienates the rest of the Greek Pantheon (Zeus in particular). When the Spartan Army besieges the city of Rhodes, Kratos descends from Mount Olympus to take part in the battle personally. Again, Kratos has been manipulated by Zeus and Athena. Having descended from Mount Olympus (where the Gods cannot kill each other), Kratos is vulnerable and Zeus takes advantage of that to restore his status quo. At the hands of Zeus, Kratos dies for the second time. It is worth noting that Zeus used the Blade of Olympus - the same blade that he used to defeat the titans (including his own father, Cronos) - to do the deed. Kratos escapes Hades’ Underworld for the second time. He seeks out the Sisters of Fate and kills them so that he can gain the ability to change his own fate. He goes back in time to the moment that Zeus killed him. Kratos pulls the Blade of Olympus out of his own dead body and uses it to battle Zeus. METAL! Athena jumps in the way of Kratos’ blade and he accidentally kills her instead. In her dying breath she tells Kratos that Zeus...is his father. "THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!" Kratos goes back in time again and enlists the help of Gaia and the rest of the titans to storm Mount Olympus to defeat Zeus once and for all. God of War III: Kratos and the gods face off atop Mount Olympus. Kratos kills Poseidon and the ocean rises unchecked to drown all Greeks that aren’t serving the gods on Mount Olympus. Kratos dies for the third time as he falls all the way from Mount Olympus into the River Styx due a betrayal by Gaia. He kills Hades and gains the ability to swim back up and out of the River Styx into the land of the living. The death of Hades causes a plague to be released upon the last living souls of Greece. Kratos finds and kills Helios which blacks out the sun, before also killing Hermes, Hercules, Cronos, Hera and Hephaestus. The death of Helios The death of Hermes Didn't I beat this boss in 1998? Get a load of the SCALE in this game! By now, Kratos is so deep in his quest for revenge that he is completely lost. His treatment of others has degraded to a point where no soul, mortal or not, shall escape his dogged quest to tear down the system in revenge for being stood on, tortured, manipulated, used and repeatedly killed. Everyone that he has ever cared about has met gruesome ends at the wills of these malevolent gods. The offer of a free bow was taken up by Kratos. I guess the best way to show an interest is just to roast the generous man alive with a fire-breathing Cerberus? Kratos finds Pandora’s Box again in addition to Pandora herself. He sees his daughter Calliope within her and is conflicted by Pandora’s expressive desire to volunteer her life so that the box can be opened. When Kratos opens the box it appears to be empty... except that it is explained to him that it only contained hope. The final battle with Zeus is in multiple parts that are broken up by an internal battle within Kratos, who must destroy his own demons and accept a glimmer of optimistic hope before he can (and does) destroy Zeus. Kratos is approached by Athena who requests that he imbue her with the power of hope so that she can rule over humanity, but he denies her this wish and attempts to kill himself for the second time in the series so that he can release the gift of hope to the last remaining people of Greece. _______________________ Kratos journey is an odyssey. Kratos does not know what it means to be a good father, a good man or a good leader. His talents include a furious drive for revenge and a prowess for killing anything that moves. He does not seek power to rule over others or for other corrupt means, only to gain the means to exert his will over those who continuously cause him pain: the gods. Malicious, short-sighted, greedy and unjust gods are a relatable concept. It’s a bitter psychological projection that speaks to the human condition. It is not just the Greeks who felt this way. We’ve all worked our way into pyramids of power in our lives and have felt this same bitterness about those in charge. Everyone feels overworked, underpaid and underappreciated at work. How many genuinely compassionate employers have you had with a strong sense of integrity? Had I the heavens' embroidered cloths, Enwrought with golden and silver light, The blue and the dim and the dark cloths Of night and light and the half light, I would spread the cloths under your feet. But I, being poor, have only my dreams; I have spread my dreams under your feet; Tread softly because you tread on my dreams. - W.B. Yeats, 1899, many years after the Greeks of old and many years before us today, but equally as applicable to both. The Greeks were very insightful storytellers. Santa Monica take artistic license with some of the myths but the most foundational themes are consistent. The tragedies that Kratos and the gods bring about for themselves are accurate to the Greek mythos. Characters in the Greek mythos often exhibit a degree of hubris that undermines their own actions. Heracles, Achilles, Ajax, Oedipus, Narcissus, Icarus... the list of mortals undone by hubris goes on and on. And the gods were just as bad! The Greeks viewed the gods as fallible and, I argue, with extreme bitterness. The Greek gods are short-sighted, greedy, malevolent, manipulative, arrogant, excessively lustful, angry and vengeful. If they manage to escape hubris or other tragic ends brought about by their own exhibitions of those traits, they fall victim to the political manoeuvres of other more manipulative or cunning gods on their quest for greater power. The God of War games understand these key qualities of Greek mythology. After all, the tales in that civilisation were not made to scientifically explain how the world came to be – the Greeks were world leaders in understanding how things work and pioneered what we know today as scientific breakthroughs – but the tales were canvasses with which to pass on ancient archetypical mistakes that we all make in our lives and how to avoid them. They are tales that instruct people how to behave socially, not tales to instruct people how the world came to be. Like any religious text: it’s not meant to be taken literally. This could be applied to a deeper meaning for the original game. Long before the dreams of sequels for 2005’s God of War, I argue that the first game’s narrative beats were meant to be symbolic. The death of Kratos’ wife and daughter represents Kratos’ servitude to his own anger and/or servitude to his work instead of his family – as opposed to him literally killing them. Kratos’ journey into Hades and back is a symbol of death and rebirth like the Greek phoenix. In a parallel universe where there are no sequels to that first game, that would be how critics would view Kratos’ 2005 journey. Like all successful protagonists, Kratos embodies the desire to break free of the Sisyphean tasks of the day-to-day struggles of the everyman. The drive and success in doing so is the true ‘power fantasy.’ One of the biggest critiques of Grecian Kratos is his one-dimensional anger, but when you’ve been to hell and back as many times as he has, I’d forgive you, too. He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you. - Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil, 1886 _________________________ God of War [2018]: An unknown amount of time later, Kratos travels to a Scandinavian land and partners with Faye, a Jötunn. They have a boy together and Kratos gives him a Greek name: Atreus. Faye gives him a Nordic name: Loki. Kratos spends little time at home. Faye dies when Atreus is about 10 years old. Her final wish is to have Kratos and Atreus take her ashes to the tallest peak in the realms. Kratos and Atreus oblige and the journey forces them to bond for the first time. They meet Baldur, brother to Thor, who mistakes Kratos for a Jötunn who has fallen outside of the protection of Faye. Baldur picks a fight with Kratos and he serves as the main antagonist for the game. Kratos and Atreus reach the tip of the peak in their own realm (Midgard) and meet Mimir there, ‘the smartest man alive,’ who requests to accompany Kratos and Atreus (as a severed head) to what he informs them is the true highest peak in the realm of Jotunheim. During their journey, Atreus develops a condition similar but opposite to plot-amour. It is called plot-sickness. He has become sick due to living under the misbelief that he is a mortal. Kratos becomes aware of the reason for the sickness but has kept Atreus in the dark about his family history because Kratos’ knows that a god is a horrible, evil being that corrupts and destroys everything that is good and worth cherishing. Baldur’s mother - the goddess Freya and witch-of-the-woods that has taken to Atreus and knows how to cure his sickness - instructs Kratos to retrieve the heart of the gatekeeper of Helheim. His frost-based Nordic weapon will be useless in Helheim though, so he has to retrieve the Blades of Chaos, his Greek fire-based weapons that he used to kill his first wife and daughter. He journeys back to his home where he had buried the Blades in shame and fear. The weather and air around him are thick with a blood-red mist that are a manifestation of Atreus' sickness and of the evil that Kratos must embrace once again – the evil within himself that he weaponised in a servitude to war. He exhumes the Chaos that he buried years ago and re-binds himself with the chains of that evil and is forced to confront the actions of his past to save his son in the present. There was a shot in the beginning of the game where Atreus turned to see the hulking angry mass of his father covered in shadow in the doorway of the family home. That shot is echoed with a similar shot as Kratos is entering into a compromise within himself because the ghost of Athena – living rent-free in Kratos’ mind – stands in the doorway as a symbol of Kratos’ self-doubt and taunts him. He journeys into Helheim [by the way... 3x visits to Hades’ Underworld, 1x visit to Thanatos’ Domain of Death, 1x visit to Helheim... this guy has made like a Bat Out of Hell more times than Meat Loaf], kills the gatekeeper, tears himself away from a vision of an angry Zeus, and returns to Midgard where Freya helps to heal Atreus. To prevent Atreus from falling ill again, Kratos is forced to tell him that he is in fact a god, and like any other 10 year old in Atreus’ position, he has no idea how to take this and becomes a spoilt brat with reckless abandon. Kratos, Atreus and Mimir discover an alternate route to Jotunheim but are ambushed by Baldur and Freya. Baldur tries to kill Freya and Kratos is forced to kill Baldur to protect her. Kratos and Atreus successfully reach the highest peak in Jotunheim where they discover that Atreus’ Nordic name is Loki and that his mother Faye was a Jötunn. They spread her ashes and reflect upon their recent bonding. __________________________ Baldur was clearly picked from the Nordic mythological tapestry by Santa Monica Studios to be the primary antagonist because he is a dark mirror to Kratos. He has an arsehole for a father and he suffers from an eternal curse, and on a more facile level, he’s a violent tattoo-covered brute who possesses uncanny strength. The beginning of God of War II features the following quote when Zeus kills Kratos: “You will never be the ruler of Olympus. The cycle ends here.” Kratos quotes this at the end of the final boss fight with Baldur: “The cycle ends here. We must be better than this.” This quote perfectly summarises Kratos’ journey in God of War [2018], as Kratos is referring to more than just a cycle of violence involving Baldur, but also the cycles of violence that Gods of two separate cultures continue to exact upon others. Kratos understands that Baldur is a reflection of who he has been for most of his life. Kratos possesses a deep desire to end the cycle of violence that his family line is cursed with. He cannot allow Atreus to kill his father like how Kratos killed Zeus, like Zeus killed Cronos and like Cronos killed Uranus. Kratos does not fear for his own life, but he fears that if Atreus follows that path of destruction, then everyone that Atreus will love will come to the same ruinous ends as Kratos’ loved ones, and Atreus will be doomed to a miserable, angry and lonely existence. And yet, he cannot shelter Atreus from the horrors of the world. We see that represented by Freya’s attempt to protect Baldur with her magic shielding him from the dangers of the world. Baldur considers this to be a curse – and it is. In Greece, Kratos transforms into a god and destroyed innumerable lives. In the Scandinavian realms he seeks to transform again and find his humanity so that his son won’t perish for his mistakes. Almost every lesson Kratos teaches Atreus involves trying to corral him away from emotions and actions that resulted in Kratos' own undoing. Recently I yelled out in frustration in front of my kids. My dogs were barking at something beyond the back fence and my emotions got the better of me. “SHUT UP!!” I roared, and felt immediate guilt with my treatment of the dogs, and then immediate deeper guilt at the knowledge that my little sponges were right there with me... “SHUT UP,” said my son. You know, Loki’s primary role in Norse mythology is to function as the catalyst for change within a static and balanced status quo. ‘God of mischief’ is only half right; Loki is the mandatory chaos that results in there being a story worth telling in the first place. He is a shapeshifter in the literal sense but also in the metaphorical sense as his nature transforms into whatever antagonistic force that a situation requires for Loki to bring about change. Loki may only be a boy in this retelling of God of War, but his core function remains: he is the catalyst for Kratos to change who he is. Loki shapeshifts into a miniature Kratos to hold up a dark mirror to him, just like how our own children threaten to take on what we despise so much about our own selves. It is the fear of every parent that we will fail our children, and yet, it is inevitable in some senses. Kratos' shortcomings will likely directly affect the transformation of Atreus into a Loki more in line (more evil) with what we know him to be. This game has been rightfully praised for the exploration of a fundamental parenting paradox: do I shelter my children from harm to protect them, or do I expose them to harm to fortify them against it? As a criticism, I do believe that there seems to be a game or two missing between God of War III and God of War [2018] to account for what is a massive change in Kratos' character in between them. From the outset of [2018] he is teaching Atreus to be patient and wise but he was a completely irrational force at the end of God of War III. It is implied that Faye was fundamental in Kratos' change in character but that journey in itself is one that I would have been interested in too. Edited July 1, 2022 by Platinum_Vice 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Platinum_Vice Posted June 30, 2022 Author Popular Post Share Posted June 30, 2022 (edited) 10B Series: God of War (continued)... "Square, Square, Triangle" The Grecian games’ combat was innately semi-stylish but it didn’t promote the use of the most stylish attacks. The combo metre was almost pointless. It increased the amount of experience orbs that you receive for kills but this didn’t translate into enough of a motivating factor for me to focus on pushing up the counter. Also, in those pre-Arkham Asylum days, enemies rushed and attacked Kratos without any rhythm so getting soft stun-locked happened far too often. When you put all of that into a blender, you end up with a combat system that doesn’t want you to study it to become a better or more intelligent or more stylish player; the combat in the Grecian games requires you to be as offensive as possible to lower the enemies’ health points enough to begin the Quick Time Event finishers. The QTEs are heavily encouraged because you are invincible to attacks, the animations are highlighted with a zoomed camera effect and there is a large orb/health/magic reward upon successful QTE executions. Ghost of Sparta Ascension Holistically, the Grecian combat is still very strong compared to most 3rd person action games, but it’s not perfect. I do thoroughly enjoy it, though. God of War My biggest gripe with those games is that not all weapons were created equal. In almost all of those six games, only the Nemean Cestus (the gauntlets acquired from Hercules in God of War III) and the Arms of Sparta (the alternative weapon in Ghost of Sparta) hold a candle to the Blades of Chaos. The Claws of Hades from God of War III look sweet as hell but they don’t stack up on a power ranking. Ghost of Sparta's 'Arms of Sparta' By 2018, Kratos not only had to contend with his own history of rehashed combat iterations, but also the likes of the successful Batman games and WB Games' copy-pasting it into other IPs that featured camera angles that pulled back during brawling combat. Like it or not, a new over-the-shoulder camera angle was essential to revamp the combat system for this series. You are Kratos. The Leviathan Axe is a perfect compliment to this change because it starts as an up-close-and-personal weapon alongside bare-knuckled fisting (*ahem*). This is because the first few hours with the axe revolves around combat with enemies that are still sensitive to having an axe thrown at them. They go down easy in the early game and you can still trip them up when recalling the axe. After those first few hours the illusion wears off. Enemy health points scale upwards on a stat-based system. Where once your axe was sharp and dangerous, it soon becomes as effective as a flaccid dildo against enemies that outlevel you. I think that something as simple as dumping a truckload of blood into the game would work wonders from this over-the-shoulder perspective. Seeing the axe actually cleaving enemies into pieces (as it would when someone as big as Kratos turns on the maximum effort) with blood spurting out could then have a paled comparison by only yielding little splashes of blood from a small cut (complete with alternative thudding sounds and a shorter-length controller vibration) against tougher enemies. Instead it reached a point for me where I stopped feeling powerful. Another issue that I have is that powers have cooldown timers (combat felt to me to be waiting/dodging/blocking until the timers were satisfied) because to me they were the highlight of combat and their damage was the most significant. And another issue is that the lethality of enemies when they fall behind you drastically drops off. I think this was a conscious decision to prevent player complaints about the over-the-shoulder camera change. Coupled with a red-coloured sensor around Kratos’ midriff that alerts you to an attacking enemy behind you, it became an easy ‘hack’ to just turn Kratos’ back on the most dangerous enemies because they’d attack less often. God of War's indicator of impending damage coming from the rear. A massive positive addition to the game is the stance system which opens up additional abilities for your two weapons and I like that the shield, fisticuffs and Atreus’ bow skills all received a fleshed-out upgrade tree and had sufficient balancing to make them all viable in some situations but not ideal for others. It’s worth noting that by the time you unlock the Blades of Chaos you will have already completed the skill trees for the axe and shield. The inability to use the axe in Helheim was essential to prevent what we all did in the Greek games and use the default weapon purely because you already know the controls and have been upgrading it for the whole game. This forces you to become acquainted with the alternative weapon system. Both the Greek and Norse combat styles are – just like the narrative choices – representative of their contemporary gaming cultures. I really find it hard to compare them to each other to determine an objectively better system. I think that: - The Leviathan Axe is the best weapon in the series (and the throwing/recalling inspiration from Mjolnir in pop culture is key to that), - The Norse combat suffers from being the first of its kind for this series; it has those teething problems. - The appeal of the Norse game’s combat seems to have worn off a bit for me, but I attribute this more to a pacing issue and over-reliance on combat to pad out game time in between what I thought was the real meat of the game (Kratos and Atreus’ developing relationship on their quest). - The 5 Greek sequels failed to address its own teething problems and failed to iterate. It also had balancing issues with the choices of weapons, but it was more... satisfying... for me as a player. _____________________ God of War [2005]: The first time that I even became aware of this series was when I was hanging out with a friend. We went to a games shop, he bought some stuff, and we went back to his house. He booted up God of War Remastered on his PS3 and started playing it. I was mesmerized. The opening level is strong. You start playing on a ship that has run aground in the middle of a storm. The head of a massive hydra repeatedly bursts through the walls of the ship to try to eat you and you even manage to defeat it (or so you think). You continue to fight human-sized enemies as you run, climb and swim your way through the destroyed ship. You meet the captain (who has a recurring minor role throughout the first two games) who is wearing a key for his quarters, and inside his quarters is booty. But! The hydra returns! You had defeated one head but now three heads want to eat you. You watch as it swallows the ship captain. Defeating the hydra for good requires you to blind the heads by cutting their eyes and then impaling them on the broken mast of the mainsail. This is the first boss battle for the series and it’s awesome. Upon finally defeating the hydra you have to enter its mouth and run down its gullet to find the ship captain. He is alive and trying to find purchase on the slimy throat instead of falling into the hydra's stomach acids. Rather than helping him up, you rip the key off of his neck and throw him back down the hydra’s throat... I knew I needed to get this game myself. One of the best things about the Greek games is the fixed camera and how it relates to large scale settings. Fixed cameras were an inspired choice made at the commencement of the series’ development. My suspicion is that they were chosen to have the least amount of impact on the PlayStation 2’s dying hardware at the end of that console’s cycle. A byproduct of that decision is that the camera’s fixed placement provides focus for the level designers to create only what they want the player to experience. The world around Kratos receives significantly greater attention to detail. Large scale settings are given greater depth and breadth when you run along a bridge for 20 seconds and become smaller and smaller in the distance. It’s such a simple design choice on paper but it the translation to the first-time player can be jaw-dropping. If I had the choice, I’d have more AAA titles utilise fixed cameras. Level design is not something that I usually thought about in anything except platformers. That all changed when I played the first God of War. One of my favourite parts of the game is the temple that guards Pandora’s Box. It is chained atop the titan Cronos who is cursed by Zeus (his son) to wander the Desert of Lost Souls (to me this evokes the tale of Atlas as well as that of Sisyphus). Kratos finds Cronos in the desert, climbs him and enters the temple. The design of the temple is based around a circular room in the centre. The room has one door and a gear lever. You interact with the gear level to move the central room so that the door re-aligns with other arterial paths. In each arterial path you unlock further means to progress before working back to that central room to work the lever gear and take a new path. You’re in that temple for over an hour and you’re playing under the illusion that you’re in this massive labyrinth on the back of a moving titan and that it has been fully modelled together (and not what actually is: fragmented linear paths that load and de-load quietly in the background of the game). It is an odd thing to have your disbelief suspended in that way. I fully believed that there was a large pool of water in this massive chamber and relished the thought of scaling the exterior of this mountain on the back of a moving titan. The developers were clearly proud of Pandora’s Temple (it takes up about 50% of the game); the fictional architect within the lore who built the labyrinth for Zeus is brought up repeatedly. You find the architect’s sons who are buried on top of the paths of progression and you have to remove their heads and use them as keys. Their tombstones read that the architect regrets that he neglected his family in creating the labyrinth in service to the Gods. Sounds familiar to our pale friend, no? Puzzles, exploration and combat blend together with perfect pacing in this Temple and it is a shining example of level design WAY beyond its time. Never before and never again until I played a FromSoftware game (Bloodborne) did I ever take repeated moments to appreciate the illusion of an interconnected level design. You are repeatedly circling back to earlier areas with new abilities or perspectives that open up additional pathways. FromSoft games would call these ‘shortcuts.’ The first Ratchet & Clank game does this a bit as well where the level designs on the individual planets are circular in shape so that getting to your objective lands you back at your ship and ready to leave, but you still have overt loading screens in between planets. I’ve also never played a Metroidvania, so God of War was truly an eye-opener for spectacular level design and it does not receive anywhere near enough credit for it for how good it really is. Another example: early in the game you come across a gravedigger on the outskirts of Athens (which is under siege by Ares himself). The gravedigger tells you that he is there to help you except that it’s not the right time... yet. It seems strange but ultimately it’s a distraction from your goal and it’s just off to the side so you don’t really pay it any mind. Much later in the game Kratos is killed and you have to fight your way through the depths of Hades’ Underworld. The general level design in the Underworld propels you forwards and slightly upwards as you fight through hordes of the dead. Right at the moment that you reach what appears to be a dead end - when you can’t possibly fight off any more enemies - a rope falls down from above. You climb up and up and up this rope in-game until you push through the grave that the man had been digging the whole time. This brings you right back to the outskirts of Athens at the perfect place to begin combat with Ares in the final Act. Absolutely incredible. This also feeds back into the player’s sense that you are infinitesimally small in the eyes of the Gods. This gravedigger is an agent of Zeus just like Oracles that you’ve met have been agents of Athena and how you are an unwilling agent for Ares. The gods are playing 3D chess in this series and you are a very small and angry pawn. History repeats itself for Kratos and the Ship Captain in Hades' Underworld. ? The final boss fight is in three phases. In the middle phase you are flung into Kratos' inner psyche. Your wife and daughter hold each other in fear and you battle a hoard of other Kratos who are trying to kill them. Your wife and daughter have a shared health bar. You use the button (the button you use to begin QTEs for finishers on enemies) to hug them and transfer your health to them. This is great synchronicity of gameplay and story, and the juxtaposition of the uses of the button is very clever. Picking up the Sword of the Gods was, again, ingenious. I walked on that sword earlier in the game because it is a giant bridge! The first game is about 6-8 hours long and everything that I have described or shown you is almost completely back-to-back throughout the campaign – it’s a constant stream of great ideas, setpieces, arenas and concepts separated by the stylish and rewarding combat. This game is truly something special. It is a tour de force. Rewatching a full playthrough to pull screenshots for this review reminded me just how many different gameplay mechanics are packed into this beast. Previously I hadn’t picked up on the degree to which the first game is inspired by Raiders of the Lost Ark, so that kind of forces me to compare it to Nathan Drake’s outings. The PS3 Uncharted games have nothing on the variety, adventure, world-building, world and level design, art direction, passion and talent that is on show in the first God of War. If you only ever raid one tomb in gaming, this is the one. I remembered this game being ‘really good,’ but it’s so much better than that. God of War II: Meanwhile, I cannot see why God of War II is given so much praise as a leap forward for the series over the first game. It is hailed as a follow up that exceeds the prior instalment in every way, like it's God of War on steroids, but I can’t help but see it as a poor cousin that never escapes the large shadow of that first game. I disagree with the masses: very little about this game is on par with the first in regards to the things that matter the most, namely: - Story concepts and delivery. - Character depth. - Realistic and meaningful dialogue. - Art design also took a step back. In God of War II, we visited the following locations: a generic Greek city, a blue cave, a green bog and the Temple of the Fates (another area with generic Greek architecture). The least impressive areas from the first game exceed the most eye-popping locales in the second game. - Combat features a couple of quality of life improvements but nothing to push the series’ combat forwards in a meaningful way. - Level design. The opening levels of both games are both very strong in regards to actual level design and spectacle. I think that Rhodes and its battle with the Colossus is great but it doesn’t exceed the sinking ships and the battle with the Hydra. The Steeds of Time and the path to the Sisters of Fate are again very good compared to non-God of War peers but the Temple of Pandora on the back of Cronos was exceptional. Battling the Colossus of Rhodes The Steeds of Time. Why do I like it so much that the fixed cameras in these games make Kratos so small? Where this second game does improve is the puzzling and platforming as well as clearly ratcheting up the fidelity and cinematography of the cutscenes. It also has twice the amount of boss fights as the original. The Greek mythological tapestry is rich with multiple heroes and tragic figures questing for their own revenge, atonement and Macguffins simultaneously. It was a really clever idea for Kratos to come across others on their own odysseys in God of War II. You defeat the following characters who are trying to beat you to the Sisters of Fate: - The Barbarian King that had defeated Kratos before he sold his soul to Ares and who obviously seeks to return to the land of the living with his barbarian army. He is a particularly great encounter because of the callback to the first game (he even summons the dead ship captain to help him). - Euryale, a sister of Medusa who died at the hands of Kratos. She seeks to bring Medusa back to life. - Perseus who seeks to revive his lost lover. He can turn invisible so you have to watch for his footprints in ankle-high water. - Icarus who is generally depressed by his lot in life, and - “The Last Spartan,” who Kratos fought alongside in Rhodes and eventually mortally wounds before he discovers his identity. He was seeking the Sisters of Fate to undo the destruction that Zeus imparted upon Sparta in his malice towards Kratos. The Perseus and Last Spartan boss fights shine due to breaking the mould (even though both fights can be cheesed). One of my favourite puzzles for the series is in this game. A translator doesn’t want to tell you how to reach the Sisters of Fate. He jumps to his death when you see him so you have to freeze time with an item to grab him before he jumps. This puzzle is immediately prior to the translator puzzle, and again - highlight! The scale of the first game returns to a (marginally) lesser degree but it is still spectacular. Foreground: the defeated kraken. Midground: a phoenix. Background: a large phoenix-shaped structure that houses the Sisters of Fate. The skybox appears to me to be reminiscent of a phoenix, what do you think? Atlas, the titan charged with holding up the world. The Pegasus flying combat sections did not age well. They had style but no substance at all. There is no ability to see what you’re doing due to the camera angle, riding into the sun, a lack of depth perception and constant screen shaking. The main issue that I have with God of War II is that it has the special distinction of being the game that reduced all of the depth that Kratos had in the debut down to the one-note character that people remember of him. He yells and snarls for the entirety of this game and the downward trend continues in God of War III. It’s quite off-putting. I really think this game was a step backwards where it mattered. God of War III: How many games out there have more FLAIR and spectacle than this bad boy? The visual spectacle of this game is unparalleled in the Grecian games. That’s a given. That is the benefit of putting a career artist at the helm of a game’s development. The cinematography is special here. The opening hour is like a summer blockbuster. The boss fight with Poseidon is my favourite fight in the whole series. The next setting is Hades Underworld which is redesigned to more appropriately represent an underworld that is physically below the land of the living. The bodies of recently-dead mortals fall from the land of the living into the River Styx like rain. Soon after this is the boss fight with Hades, which, again, is visually spectacular. I very much enjoyed the colour palette of all things. The arena was intentionally claustrophobic to heighten the tension brought about by Hades’ affinity for area of effect attacks. I was so taken by the cinematography, spectacle, art direction and visual flair that I actually bought a book of this game’s concept art. Here’s some more examples of what this game gets right: "Hermes Run" From The Art of God of War III: "The cut [of the dress] was also meant to suggest the tails of some very decorative fish as well as something a little unashamedly labial." Concept art for the final fight with Zeus Massive-scale boss fights return and are even grander. Best of all, puzzles in this game reach a series’ high in regards to size and complexity. Hera’s water garden puzzle (a tribute to M. C. Escher) is probably the best. If you like this puzzle, try the game Echochrome! The final fight with Zeus features a battle in Gaia’s chest beside her heart. Zeus was raised there during his childhood while avoiding his father (Cronos was eating all of his children). Chalk drawings are visible on the walls like cave paintings. Killing Zeus begins a sequence where you hit to bash his skull in as the screen fills up with blood. You stop when you are ready to stop. Meanwhile, the dialogue and any depth to Kratos’ character continues to diminish. I don’t mind the violent acts so much because I’m the one who is complicit in them (I share that moral burden with Kratos because we committed the crimes together), but every time Kratos opens his mouth I start to cringe. God of War III’s soundtrack is the best in the series. The “epic Greek chorus” is only outdone in this big ad, whereas God of War II shoehorned in the same piece of distracting music as often as possible (do you remember “pour kettle, POT OF TEA, pour kettle, POT OF TEA! Gooooood iiiis Willllisss, WILLIS! WILLIS!! Pour kettle, pot of tea, doonah" ? Because I’ve heard it so much that I am about to enter into a pact with Athena to see if she’ll end my torment. WILLIS! WILLIS!! Pour kettle, pot of tea, doonah! Chains of Olympus & Ghost of Sparta: Both of the PSP games were must-plays for their pre-Vita handheld but they are battling to stay relevant on the big screen. Chains of Olympus in particular is the weakest game in the series. At best it is ‘more of the same, but smaller and jankier.’ Its worst feature is a story that didn’t need to be told and which suffers from unresolved central plot threads. The game has two positives. The smallest of them is probably one of the cheekiest trophies that I’ve unlocked. The first two God of War games featured a weak gameplay element where you occasionally had to cross wooden beams with a minigame about keeping your balance. Chains of Olympus places one of these about ten minutes into the game. Upon crossing it successfully, you unlock a collectible trophy: “All Beam Walks Completed.” It gave me a good midnight chuckle. The best thing about this game is at the end. When you find your daughter Calliope in the Elysian Fields she holds onto your leg and refuses to let go. You know that you have to leave her (forever) because failing to do so will result in the destruction of the world (which includes her). You have to mash the button in the same manner that you mash it to kill enemies in QTEs to pry and push her away from you while she holds on desperately to your leg. This is obviously quite meaningful and it’s a fantastic touch. Again, that subversion of the use of the was noted. Ghost of Sparta is a lot stronger than Chains of Olympus in the story, combat, art design and level design departments. There are some interesting inclusions and interpretations of Greek Myths here. Kratos sinks Atlantis, is an indirect factor in the downfall of King Midas (the man with the power (or curse) of turning things to gold), and we actually visit Sparta and walk amongst her citizens for the first time. The sinking of Atlantis The death of King Midas This is Sparta! God of War: Ascension: Ascension is the black sheep in the God of War family because: - It released after an epic conclusion to the series. - The gameplay failed to add anything worthwhile. It didn’t evolve to avoid franchise fatigue. - The story was pointless. It wasn’t a tale that needed to be told. It can be boiled down to this: Kratos is hunted by The Furies for breaking his oath to Ares. The Furies try to capture him for imprisonment and succeed by casting illusions over his mind. He breaks free and meets a man who is the personification of his oath to Ares. He kills the man (despite having a friendly relationship with him) which means he has truly broken the oath ‘for realsies.’ That’s it. - It included a substandard and forgotten multiplayer mode. The opening sequence - a prison break and a boss fight with Hecatonchires - is the best part of the game. Platforming on the statue of Apollo and the boss fight with Alecto are also strong sequences, and another favourite part of mine is activating the three giant snakes at the Tower of Delphi. Psssh, it took Goku a whole year to make it to the end of Snake Way. I did it in 30 minutes. Likely due to criticism of how unrelatable Kratos was in the prior game, he is more reasonable in Ascension to the point that a cutscene specifically acknowledges Kratos pushing a mortal out of the way of an enemy's spear. Thankfully, missing from Ascension for the first time is the sex minigame. I don’t think there was a point in the series where that wasn’t severely cringe-inducing. It is amazing how ugly Kratos is in Ascension. He is just horrific to look at. He looks like Sweet Tooth from the Twisted Metal franchise. However, Ascension’s biggest sin is just a lack of passion. The developer’s fatigue is so contagious that it was printed onto the disc when it went gold. The series ran out of steam and the lack of excitement from critics and players alike is directly responsible for the lengthy gap between this outing and the reboot. In one word, Ascension is ‘uninspired.’ Edited July 1, 2022 by Platinum_Vice 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Platinum_Vice Posted June 30, 2022 Author Popular Post Share Posted June 30, 2022 (edited) 10C Series: God of War (continued)... Boy! Your mother smells delicious. God of War [2018]: So a lot has changed. For starters: is that okay? Yes. It absolutely is. Contrary to my slow-moving and lumbering personality, I like it when games change and iterate at a fast rate. Some aspects of this series became very stale and this was such an inspired reboot. Santa Monica Studios clearly had a lot of passion for this new entry so that was more than enough for me to give them the benefit of the doubt and go in with an open mind. How do the changes stack up? Some of my favourite things in the series have been removed: - Fixed camera. I was in love with this in the Grecian games. I am able to get over it with the incredible use of long-takes; the game very rarely hard-cuts away to new angles and instead combat, conversations, puzzles and exploration blend seamlessly with in-game cutscenes. In fact, does it hard-cut even once? The series went from boasting best-in-the-business fixed camera use to boasting best-in-the-business third person camera use, so I accept this as a fair trade! - Large-scale setpiece puzzle rooms are gone. They’re replaced with simpler puzzles that really just require you to throw the axe to freeze gears in place. That is a cool concept but it’s not used in interesting or intelligent ways. It’s a single step forward after multiple steps back. Puzzles: throw axe to freeze gear. Good job. ? Some new changes are definitely for the better: - Kratos’ re-design: This is the best-looking Kratos. I think it was DrBloodMoney who said it best: when you want someone to take you more seriously, grow a beard. Unlike Ascension, this game’s increased graphical fidelity didn’t just result in an increase in pixel count, but it sparked a full re-design based on the character’s fundamentals (think of the success of Crash Bandicoot 4 instead of the trappings of the N. Sane Trilogy). - New voice actor: Christopher Judge KILLS it in this game. A perfect re-cast! He brings such a humanity and fresh physicality (and restraint!) to the character. I’m really happy about this. - The axe: A new weapon accompanying the re-design looks great and feels fantastic as I have described in the Combat section above. Having the ability to recall it back a la Thor’s capacity to do the same with Mjolnir was an inspired choice that feels fun, ensures the combat flows smoothly, opens up move opportunities (like tripping up Draugrs when recalling the axe), and serves as a means to connect the player to the Norse mythology. - Better dialogue: one of the first really positive changes to really hit me over the head was replacing the shouting, snarly and fairly two-dimensional Grecian dialogue with realistic conversation rich in subtext and with emotional resonance. It's like night and day. For example: in the opening sequence, Kratos' chops down Faye’s chosen tree while Atreus watches and they burn it for her funeral pyre. In the words of lead developer Cody Barlog, the chopping down of that tree is a metaphor for Santa Monica Studios’ rebooting of this series. It has its own symbolism to Kratos and Atreus as well, and what Kratos doesn’t know at first is that the felling of that tree erodes the last of Faye's protective magic upon the family home which shielded it from the view of the Norse Gods. Atrues says, “the forest feels different.” Kratos replies, “everything IS different.” This simple dialogue has at least three meanings straight away in the first few minutes, let alone what else it indicates for their characters and relationship to those who are playing for the first time. This does seem like such a lacklustre example on paper as I read it plain, but it’s a lot more resonant as a player/spectator. For something to be so meaningful at the beginning of the game was an indicator for greatness. - And Kratos’ character development: which I’ve gone into in the first post in this series review (and might add some more insight down below). Some changes are just different: - The combat has changed a lot as I described above. - Atreus: A whole new character who is essentially always with you. Naughty Dog’s success with Ellie in The Last of Us proved that a glorified escort mission (a universally-disliked meme in gaming up until that point) proved that it can work throughout an entire game if: the player’s relationship with the escortee develops with the playable character, and if the escortee can’t be killed, and if the escortee occasionally provides clutch assistance to keep the player alive. Santa Monica were clearly taking notes because Atreus is a welcome addition to my God of War experience. - Replacing Greek mythology with Norse mythology: Greek mythology is incredibly rich and contains significant truths to the human condition as I described above, but the Grecian games introduced us to most of the key players and we killed all of them off, so it’s a welcome change to be exploring something new. Unlike what the Marvel Cinematic Universe would have us believe, the Norse Gods were just as drunk, combative and whoremongering as the Greek pantheon, so there’s plenty of room for antagonism as the mythological tapestry is explored. Kratos: There was once a scorpion who wished to travel to the other side of a river. The scorpion asked a frog for help. He told the frog that if he gave him a ride across the river on his back, he would be rewarded. The frog protested, fearing the scorpion would sting him. The scorpion assured the frog that he would not sting him or they would both drown in the river. The frog agreed, but halfway across the river the scorpion stung him. The frog was mortally wounded and they both sunk to the bottom of the river and perished. Atreus: That’s sad. Why would the scorpion do that? Kratos: He was a scorpion. It is his nature to do harm. Atreus: Oh… that’s just what Mom used to say about the gods. Kratos: Your mother always spoke the truth. Enough stories. And at least one change is a lot worse: - The massive postgame grind. The mainline quest is really strong, the side content is a lot less strong, and the endgame grind soured the experience significantly for me. Truly, Sigrun was a great addition, and having a semi-open world to explore is not a terrible idea at all, but the grind was atrocious and the most significant factor for what is likely to seem like a controversial score from me for this game. Why in the name of Gaia’s fat arse is there a multi-hour grindfest at the end of this game? All of the Valkyrie bosses were near identical. I get that the Queen utilised all of their combined moves but this really fell flat. I thoroughly disliked the grind in Niflheim as it featured none of my favourite aspects of the game and everything that I didn’t like about it was magnified. Hunting the collectibles and completing tasks for lonely spirits had a significantly reduced emotional impact on me as a player and I found that my fatigue with the issues I have with the combat began to draw on me. Game Highlights (positives and negatives) - aka I want to talk about some other stuff briefly and this review is soooo long already so here comes the lightning round: The series’ staple of starting each game with an awesome boss fight continues. Baldur picking a fight and punching Kratos across the jaw half an hour after we put Faye on a funeral pyre had me on the edge of my seat... even though it kind of descended into a Dragon Ball Z punch-fest. The Greek and Norse God of War games as well as Dragon Ball Z’s Android & Cell sagas all explore issues between sons and their fathers. There’s more daddy issues here than your local strip club. In DBZ, Goku has spent extremely little time with his son Gohan between his training, time away from Earth and time spent in the realm of the dead. He wants the best for his son and pushes him to his limits out of love. Gohan’s desire to be depended on by the many father figures in his life is a key factor in his ascension. Vegeta has repressed all compassion due to his warrior culture and faux-patriarchal relationship with the warlord Frieza, so when he meets his adult son Trunks, his instinctual reaction is to push him away. It takes a lot of effort from Trunks and Bulma to push through his exterior for him to one day sacrifice himself to save Trunks and atone for his sins. Future Trunks grew up without a father and with Gohan as a mentor, so his journey involves coming to an understanding as to why his father never came back from the corner store with that pack of smokes. Finally, Doctor Gero’s hardcore relationship with the Androids and Cell is a warning to Goku and Vegeta about the dangers of fatherhood without compassion. Some of my favourite moments in God of War stem from great ideas and great acting. The introduction of the world serpent and his subsequent moving out of Kratos and Atreus’ path resulted in lowered water levels so that they could access the World Tree, and then again it moves once more to allow you to start accessing nearby islands to begin side questing content at your leisure. Super cool! I loved the moment where Kratos seeks the Light of Alfheim and enters a dimension where he can hear Atreus’ prayers to Faye where he wishes that Kratos died instead of her, and that Kratos doesn’t teach him anything. Atreus pulls Kratos out of the Light of Alfheim and yells in frustration about how long he was gone. There’s dozens of dead bodies around them and we discover that Atreus has incredulously held off waves of enemies while waiting for you. The player and Kratos are in sync in wonder at what has just happened. Magni and Modi are played by Troy Baker and Nolan North and their performances were so substandard that it's like they want to be a meme. They are both capable of a lot more but this was not one for the portfolio. Why does Modi have an Australian accent? Troy Baker and Nolan North are in another game... yay, I guess...? On that note, Mimir’s Scottish accent is very distracting. He is as unashamedly Scottish in this Scandinavian realm as Sean Connery is in... every movie he’s ever been in. I'm a Russian with a Scottish accent. I'm Irish... with a Scottish accent... I’m a Spaniard pimp on an Arabian horse with a Scottish accent, because there can be only one! Mimir's stories in the boat are great: “It begins in an ocean of blood-...” Kratos: “finally. A story worth hearing.” ... but Kratos’ stories in the boat are legendary. His retelling of some of Aesop's fables are blunt and to the point, such as the hare and the tortoise who “make a wager on who could run faster. The tortoise wins.” Atreus stunned silence afterwards with a “... that’s not a story” comment sold what is one of many fantastic exchanges between the two. It comes full circle at the end of the game when Atreus wants to know why Kratos gave him that name instead of Faye’s choice of ‘Loki,’ and Kratos recalls his Spartan friend Atreus' joy and sacrifice, and his son says “you actually told a good story!” A good story it really is. I looked up another that I recalled poorly so that I could quote it: Kratos: There was a horse. The horse sought vengeance upon his enemy - a stag. But he could not kill the stag alone. The horse met a man; a hunter, and made a deal. He took the man’s bit and bridle, and allowed him to ride in a saddle on his back. Together they killed the stag and the horse tasted victory. But the hunter would not release the horse and made a slave of him. Atreus: So getting revenge cost him his freedom. Hope it was worth it. Kratos: It was not. I love Brok and Sindri! They’re hilarious! I love that Kratos curbstomps healthstones to use them. I loved this moment right here: And there’s the realm between realms: ...which, as we all can tell, is just a loading screen, right? But then there’s that bit at the end where Kratos and Atreus are locked out of Jotunheim because Kratos had broken the portal during a fight with Baldur, so Mimir has to think reaaaallly hard about a different way to get to Jotunheim. They go to Tyr's Temple and figure out that Tyr had a secret back door through the realm between realms, so you end up getting to the final destination by going through the loading screen! There’s a lot to love in this game. When I first saw this bird I thought it was the real Gatekeeper of Helheim that Kratos was instructed to kill to save Atreus... Nope. Then I thought: ‘wait! That’s the Valkyrie Queen!!’ ...wrong again. Needless to say I was disappointed that I didn’t fight this thing. Then I thought: ‘oh my god! There was a bird like this in God of War II!’ ...But that’s not it either. Apparently it’s Hræsvelgr, guardian of Helheim whose four wings are attributed to the cold winds in this realm of the dead. When Kratos sees Zeus’ head giving him the evil-Mufasa speech later in the level, I thought that this was just meaningless framing to take advantage of there being something cool in this level's background. Now that I know that this bird is a four-winged eagle in the land of the dead, I can see a direct relationship to Zeus who could transform eagles in the Grecian games. Please Santa Monica: let me fight this thing as a symbol of Kratos’ continued regrets/coming to terms with killing his father. This is a goldmine of emotional material! Other theories for where the series will go from here: - Faye's ashes will re-awaken the giants... maybe. - Baldur came to Faye's home to see HER, not Kratos. He mistook Kratos for a giant (“I thought you’d be taller... your kind think you’re so much smarter than us” - he’s not talking about the Greeks, he’s talking about the Jotunn!). Did Baldur and Fey have a relationship? Atreus and Baldur do have similar hair, and Atreus' anger/strength and god-status would still be applicable if he was Baldur’s son... ? - Kratos may die if he ever truly finds atonement and Atreus/ may have to take on the torch as the next God of War. - Are Kratos and Tyr, the Norse God of War (aka God of Peace) the same person? The world serpent is supposed to be one of Loki’s offspring, so maybe there will be some time travel in this series? - Egyptian Gods are a certainty for this series at some point. Hopefully there’s enough time passed after the Norse games to allow the series room to breathe and reboot again. Time travel would be essential for this to take place as they predated the Norse gods. - Two of the Sisters of Fate are still alive - they’re trapped in the mirrors where Kratos left them in the Temple of the Fates in God of War II. I could see the end of the Norse period re-visiting the 'digging up of the Blades of Chaos' scene on a larger scale by having Kratos return all the way to Greece to find the Sisters to gain the ability to go back in time. He’d have to face Zeus again if he went back in time... ________________________ Clearly God of War [2018] has a lot going for it. There’s some great ideas and the fresh combat is enjoyable. Spectacle, clever level design, awe-inspiring boss battles and playing with scale by making this behemoth of a man look miniscule on the chessboards of the gods are all staples of this incredible series. The newer reliance on deeper and relatable characters is definitely welcome and well-received, but the resonance of Kratos' actions is due to the pedigree of this outstanding series which is ultimately a long chain of awesome moments. God of War I, II and III were all Game of the Year nominee pedigree, if not outright winners in the eyes of many. Gaming journalists. They strike again! The older God of War games were better than they have been remembered. [2018] hits harder because of this history, not in spite of it. The newest entry is not “The Game of the Generation” in my eyes, but it definitely is a welcome evolution and modern reboot in a franchise that continues to pay dividends. God of War [2018] outsold the rest of the series combined, which means that there are likely to be more people playing this game who haven’t played anything else in the series than there are returning fans. That is criminal. I thoroughly recommend that fans of God of War [2018] at least play the original trilogy. ___________________ If you read through that whole thing: thank you. I put a lot of time and effort into this one. This series has some real highs. ... Maybe one day I could even be convinced to review this other gem (anyone else played it to death?) Now THAT is a 10/10! ❤️ Edited July 1, 2022 by Platinum_Vice 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YaManSmevz Posted June 30, 2022 Share Posted June 30, 2022 I'm so glad that I played the original games, I got to read so much more this time around! And make no mistake my friend, you have outdone yourself. Reading about these games was such memory candy, and reminds me that I was annoyed that only 3 can be played on PS4! I'm so mad! I COULD BLINDLY SLAUGHTER MY FAMI- "Babe, shut up." ....sorry, honey. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Kopite Posted July 5, 2022 Share Posted July 5, 2022 On 6/30/2022 at 7:52 PM, Platinum_Vice said: If you read through that whole thing: thank you. I put a lot of time and effort into this one. This series has some real highs. Well as someone who has never played a God of War game (I know, I'll leave after this post lol) I can say that now I've experienced it in some way and it was really interesting! I also like the fact you have theorised about what's to come in the series. Clearly Ragnarok is going to be bought day one by you lol 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Platinum_Vice Posted July 11, 2022 Author Popular Post Share Posted July 11, 2022 (edited) 11 Hyper Light Drifter #112 (PS4) 9.5/10 Trailer Hyper Light Drifter is a work of art. There’s no doubt about that. It blends gorgeous pixel art, an incredible and melancholic soundtrack, tense combat and a touching story to great effect. No single genre perfectly defines this journey; eliciting a visual style more beautiful than any Zelda that you've ever seen, crisp combat akin to a Souls-lite and backtracking and labyrinthine level design evoking the Metroidvania genre, Hyper Light Drifter’s style is one you should experience for yourself. At the end of every sentence here you should suddenly decide to stop reading about it and actually play it. This review can wait until you come back. You are the Drifter, a warrior monk in a post-apocalyptic future. Prior to the Drifter’s time, the continent was ravaged by an event that caused mass destruction. Massive titans were constructed by one of the surviving species to preemptively attack the other intelligent life on the continent. The Drifter’s life takes place after even those titans have expired. All intelligent life teeters on the verge of extinction. You seek the Immortal Cell... … in the hope that you will exorcise Judgement (an imposing being that guards the Immortal Cell within its lair), and restore peace and hope to the world. Throughout your journey you are hindered by a corruption that grips you from within. The sickness that plagues you is represented by black tendrils that are aesthetically similar to Judgement itself. The tendrils claw at the Drifter’s heart and hang over you like a constant threat of impending doom. Could the Drifter’s quest to help the last remaining survivors by finding the Immortal Cell directly link to a personal quest to find a cure for his own illness? What follows is a journey to each of the four corners of the continent in search of the means to unlock the doors to Judgement’s lair. Combat: The Drifter is armed with a sword of light and an ability to briefly blink through space (known as ‘dashing’ in Hyper Light Drifter). You unlock new moves and grenades along your journey and you can find six guns throughout the world as rewards for exploration. Two shops in the centre of town. The combat itself is smooth, tense and it rewards intelligent and skilful play. It is the primary source of challenge and I think that it’s perfectly balanced in the Normal difficulty mode. With your very limited amount of health, you’ll have to quickly learn the attack patterns that are individual to each one of the many enemy types that threaten to part your head from your shoulders. Those many enemy types are divided into each of the four locations of the game (North, South, East and West of the peaceful Town Centre) where their designs and attack styles successfully supplement the theming of the already-strong environmental designs. Multiple different playstyles are viable in each combat scenario providing a freedom for player choice and tactical experimentation. The World: In case it’s not already obvious: the artstyle is drop-dead-gorgeous. This game is like playing through an exhibition of pixel art. The soundtrack is beautifully melancholic. Disasterpiece, the artist credited with Hyper Light Drifter’s incredible OST, has constructed a haunting mood to accentuate the Drifter’s sombre journey in this world that has fallen from glory. It has a dreamlike quality. It swells upon your discovery of vistas of slain titans or during tense encounters but otherwise returns to a calm ambience which benefits the game's pacing. There are no spoken words in this game. Even text is dramatically reduced to only a total of a handful of tool tips. When the Drifter speaks to allies or newly-made acquaintances, that NPC’s 'story' is comprised of three or four images depicting the sad tragedy that tore their world apart. Far from being obtuse, I posit that the worldbuilding in Hyper Light Drifter is an example of masterfully pushing the degree to which a story can be open to interpretation to mean something to each individual player without allowing them to become lost in ambiguity. The atmosphere itself is engrossing. The strong visual design, textless worldbuilding/lorecrafting and the melancholic soundtrack ensure with certainty that you will take on the Drifter's persona: deep in profound introspection, burdened by impending doom, and shouldering heavy responsibility as if carrying the weight of the world. Exploring the continent and venturing off the beaten track will always result in some manner of reward. It might be something that can be used as currency, it might be a health pack, it might be a weapon, or it might be a morsel of lore presented to you for your subjective interpretation. Whatever it is, it always feels rewarding to branch out into unexplored territory. Secret rooms were hidden throughout this game with great fervour by the developers. Sometimes, secret rooms are a false front for another more-secret room. In this maze-like world where death is a recurring motif, “dead ends” might be represented with subtle symbolism such as the collapsed skeletons of deceased travellers. Conversely, animal life such as birds, squirrels and dogs often flee from you in the direction of mainline paths. I found this quite subtle... it took me a few playthroughs before I cottoned-on to this pattern. Sometimes you may come across a form of collectible that appears to be a stone tablet containing untranslated text. That text has to be translated outside of the game if you want to read it. Doing so provides the only clues to the lore of this world which I will include into this next spoiler-filled section. (you might still enjoy the screenshots though ?). The Lore and Central Themes – My Interpretation: The translated text from the stone tablet collectibles reads: Harnessing a great wellspring, a perfect immortal cell was crafted to be imbued within all sentient life. A noble goal, though such a power terrified others, and brought ruin as its purpose was transmogrified. The abhorrent cell still festers deep in the chambers of this world. What does that mean? Many years before the birth of the Drifter, the four intelligent species crafted the Immortal Cell in their search for eternal life; the search for power over death. This impossible task inevitably backfired which caused the near-apocalyptic event. In the ensuing conflict between the species, the titans were created with the power from the Immortal Cell. The titans marched from the South to the North, East and West to annihilate their respective peoples and they nearly succeeded. To us as players, the titans themselves are a symbolic representation of impending doom. The societies resolved their conflict against the titans utilising their own unique methods which represent how we deal with a looming threat of death in real life: 1. The Northern birdpeople "took flight." They fled higher into the frozen mountaintops than the titan could follow and it froze while attempting to pursue them. The strategy of the birdpeople was to outrun death and they were successful for a time. The Drifter journeys high into the mountains of the Northern Zone Their religion, which involved a reliance on expanding their population and a belief in an afterlife, is an overwhelmingly common solace that humans rely on in the real world. The birdpeople were undone when they divided due to a cultist schism and they destroyed themselves. In the Drifter's time, almost all remaining birdpeople are cultists that follow their leader, a shaman-esque figure that you battle while acolytes cheer from the sidelines. 2. The raccoonpeople of the West invented a crystal substance to preserve the state of a body in an attempt to halt death. This is a representation of the modern world's use of procedures such as induced comas, unnecessarily-long palliative care, and the quests for genetic engineering, cryosleep and digitilisation of the human mind. The raccoonpeople sought to preserve the current state of being to delay death. The Crystal Forest of the West The raccoonpeople weaponised the crystals and they defeated their titan head-on. It can be seen frozen in place with a crystal through the forehead. The crystals themselves now lay throughout the forest having backfired or, maybe, stockpiled and harvested, while many warriors are visibly encased in their crystalline tombs. South (left) vs West (right) The raccoonpeople preserved ancient values by retaining a fighting force of samurai in a world where cannons and guns had long been invented, evoking the Japanese cultural transition in the 20th century during World War II and cultural clashes with the Western world. Ultimately the society of the samurai raccoonpeople has collapsed by the time of the Drifter's life due to a failure to change and adapt. Ruinous buildings have long since crumbled without maintenance. The Boss of the Western zone, a crowned samurai, is well-weathered by age. Half of his body is covered in crystal as he has attempted to slow the ageing process. Upon running out of HP he unsuccessfully attempts to crystallise his whole body to avoid death. 3. The pacifist otters in the East ignored the titan that attacked their water temple. They were saved by the massive lake surrounding their homes on the water. The titan was not overcome by the otters, who were as non-combative towards the titan as the peaceful lake on which they lived, but the lake itself engulfed the titan and it drowned. Irrespective of any aggressor, there is always something bigger and badder out there that will humble it. Even the monolithic titans - the symbol of the end of times for the creatures on the continent - could not escape death. In the Drifter’s time, the pacifistic otters are being invaded by vicious toads. The Toad Emperor, the largest living creature in the game, is sick with an algae infection (just like the drowned titan), because again, everything is prey to something else in the circle of life. 4. The lizardpeople of the Southern region sought to combat death. A warrior culture, their technological innovations in underground machinery gave them a superiority against the other intelligent species. To avoid death, they became it. Deep underground in the bowels of the continent, the lizardpeople invented the titans. Background: the halted development of a titan, Foreground: a beating metallic heart. They invented an army of cloned warriors that followed the titans across the world into the other zones (those warriors – “dirks" – are the only enemy type found in every zone). They even created the Drifters (potentially dirks v2.0), and we know that Drifters are the ultimate destruction machines because we have cut down every enemy and every boss we’ve come across throughout our quest. The Drifter's illness may have even been planned from the start. After all, the pink drifter – your friend – was preparing to face Judgement as well. Could the Drifters actually be creatures of an intelligent design with built-in flaws that drive them to seek out a cure for what ails them? What better motivation to seek out that cure - the Immortal Cell - than trying to save their own life? This Southern zone is the last one that can be accessed. It is the hardest, featuring four bosses instead of one, and being almost entirely underground instead of upon the deserted topsoil that has long been subject to ruin. ...The Drifter is sick. The Drifter has a life-threatening illness and his search for the Immortal Cell 'to avoid death' is a simplification. He is seeking for a means to accept that he is going to die. Judgement, the game's antagonist, represents that doom. The Drifter has tried to face it with courage but it is too strong a foe. At the outset of the game, the Drifter is, true to his namesake, drifting through the land without any idea as to how he can deal with his impending death. He collapses under the weight of Judgement. He is rescued by the pink drifter who brings him into his home in the continent's central town. The pink drifter is also sick; the pink drifter is also seeking a means to overcome Judgement. As his own impending doom is unique to him, Judgement manifests with a different form to the pink drifter. Everywhere around the Drifter is death. In every cardinal direction he sees people failing to cope with the knowledge that death is coming for them. Every time that the Drifter leaves town, he sees Anubis, a dog with a halo that is in his dreams, and Anubis always leads the player to the pink drifter. Anubis was an Egyptian God who assisted Egyptian Pharaohs find their way in the afterlife. The pink drifter is an understanding companion that sympathises with your plight. He is always one step ahead of you. You always arrive in an area to find that the pink drifter is performing a slick finishing move on a group of enemies while you are still learning how to defeat the enemies of that region. He points out where the boss of the zone is, and then he's off on his way again. His companionship is an essential boon that pushes you forwards as together you search for a means to overcome your individual Judgements. Unfortunately, he does not find a means to face his Judgement before he perishes. He is not just your companion, guardian, friend... he is also your ticking clock. You travel to each zone and establish that fleeing from death, delaying it, ignoring it and combating it will not suffice. You descend into the depths of your own psyche to face Judgement. When you slay the beast it becomes clear that you have simultaneously destroyed the Immortal Cell - the hope of a means to avoid death indefinitely - because one cannot truly accept impending death while also hoping to avoid it. You are overwhelmed by your sickness. The Drifter, guided by Anubis, sits down a nearby location which has a similar appearance to where we found him at the beginning of the game, and dies as the world crumbles around him. ______________________ Hyper Light Drifter was developed by Heart Machine. The lead director was Alx Preston. Alx has congenital heart disease. He lives with the constant threat of impending doom as well. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that this was a central expressive factor in the creation of this work of art. There are four chambers in the human heart... Hyper Light Drifter has four zones to explore... The collectibles come in groups of four (four gearbits to a gearbyte)... One last cool thing about this heart motif: the boss battle with Judgement features an underlying bass-y ambience that was created by recording the heartbeat of the Sound Designer. He recorded it by inserting a microphone into a stethoscope and putting it against the pulse of one of his wrists. Pretty rad, right? END OF SPOILERS For lovers of introspective, solemn and profound video games with smooth combat and passionate artistic endeavours, Hyper Light Drifter should be shooting to the top of your ‘Must Play' list. This is a melancholic masterpiece. Trophy talk: Unfortunately I have to mention this ‘hero to zero’ moment. The trophies in Hyper Light Drifter are awful. There’s one for beating the game without dying. There’s a grindy one for dying one thousand times. There’s multiple trophies for hunting down every last collectible despite the lack of a perfect guide and despite featuring a map that is a bit hard to read. The worst thing about Hyper Light Drifter is undoubtedly the Dash Eternal trophy. There is an arena in the town centre where you can practice your blinking/dashing skill with infinite stamina. You have to chain 800 dashes back-to-back. This requires impeccable rhythm and extreme concentration over an unreasonably long period of time. Maintaining rhythm for that long is a hard enough task, but having to move the Drifter around in an oval shape as he surges and bursts forwards in two metre dashes with a DualShock is very imprecise. This trophy hung over my head for years as I went through small periods of disciplined practice before giving up for many months at a time. This is a post that I made in the 2022 Ultra Rare Cleanup Community Event that I think summarises my journey with the Dash Eternal pretty well: When I finally unlocked the speedrun trophy today, I immediately took those feelings of positivity and confidence and reinvested them into the one task that is my “white whale" in gaming: Hyper Light Drifter's ‘The Dash Eternal.’ I’ve been trying to get this trophy for years now - putting in scheduled efforts on and off, constantly trying to reach this new height of achievement. And while many of you have reached this goal (and for all of you, reached it with significantly less stress and effort as I've read), I have found this task to be bullshit-hard... harder than anything else I have done in gaming and requiring more discipline, attempts and patience as well. I have felt like I am the Drifter; humbly entering the Dash Room time after time as I turn the TV down to the same muted silence as the Drifter himself, and always leaving quieter and more humbled than I entered. Like some ancient Eastern ideological task, I plugged away at this seemingly menial and pointless foundational skill of tapping the X button in perfect rhythm 800 times while surging again and again in circles until one day, today, where I actually mastered this most-basic of tasks, and emerged victorious, impressing no one more than myself, and ascending only to find that new, more difficult tasks will now lay ahead of me. This is how I felt achieving 800 dashes as I stood up from the couch and walked towards the TV, still tapping away to see how far I could really go... ... and this is how I feel now: _____________________________ However, try not to let the trophies put you off. Maybe you are due to play a game that doesn't need to be completed... hell, maybe that was the point after all. I am realising that fact right now as I type this out... maybe, just like the Drifter cannot conquer death, maybe we aren't supposed to conquer the Dash Eternal? ...Or maybe I just needed to get good. ? As always, thanks for reading! Edited July 13, 2022 by Platinum_Vice 13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post DrBloodmoney Posted July 11, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted July 11, 2022 Dude - I feel so weird and guilty about commenting (or lack thereof) on these write-ups - I read them all - usually multiple times, but I find myself ending up not dropping comments about them. I did it with The Last of Us, and with the amazing God of War one - it's primarily because of the format - and only a compliment, believe me! These write ups are so absurdly well done - and so full of images and funny stuff, as well as genuinely interesting and insightful analysis - that it feels like they need WAY more effort in the comments I leave that I would usually be capable of... ... so I leave them for a bit, until I have time... ...and before I know it you have another one drop and I missed the damned window again! ? ? Just wanted to make sure it was clear - these are genuinely awesome - and the fact that I'm not dropping whopping great big comments on them is simply that there's so much to them, and they're so comprehensive that anything I'd have to say feels redundant. (I'm really glad I got the bulk of my God of War write ups out the way before you dropped the Encyclopedia Kratosia - I'm now going to have to wait like a year before I can do the two vita games on my own checklist, as anything I write now would inevitably plagiarise you) ? Seriously man - outstanding work - you are even making me seriously consider Hyper Light Drifter... which (full disclosure) I had sort of written off, since I really didn't connect with Solar Ash... but now, it may be back on the menu! 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post DrunkenEngineer Posted July 11, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted July 11, 2022 What a fantastic write up for Hyper Light Drifter. I've beat it on PC and bought it digitally for PS4 for the S-rank, and have been very intimidated by the trophy list for ALL the reasons you've mentioned. On PC I earned a whopping 4 achievements out of the stack for just playing it naturally. That is the definition of a shit list, in my opinion. 1 hour ago, DrBloodmoney said: Seriously man - outstanding work - you are even making me seriously consider Hyper Light Drifter... which (full disclosure) I had sort of written off, since I really didn't connect with Solar Ash... but now, it may be back on the menu! Hyper Light Drifter is absolutely the stronger game. I enjoyed Solar Ash, but the shift to voice narration and other streamlining efforts just made it feel so watered down compared to the previous title. HLD has the better game, Solar Ash the better trophy list (by far!). 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KindaSabbath Posted July 11, 2022 Share Posted July 11, 2022 3 hours ago, Platinum_Vice said: For lovers of introspective, solemn and profound video games with smooth combat and passionate artistic endeavours, Hyper Light Drifter should be shooting to the top of your ‘Must Play' list. This is a melancholic masterpiece. … Someone said my name? ? Epic review mate! Maybe even too good! You’ve now made me feel bad about pushing this one back until most likely next year. Jokes aside, the structure and level of detail you put into your writing is fucking sublime. I love how you include the games art so seamlessly - it all just pops off the screen and flows so well with the information you’re presenting! I look forward to this game quite a bit. I’ve just got a few projects that I’ll be working on before I can kick back and enjoy this beautiful little gem! keep up the great work Vice! ? p.s I did avoid the spoilers section, appreciate you making it very clear what to read and what not to! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Joe Dubz Posted July 11, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted July 11, 2022 Dude, this is just an absolutely TOP NOTCH review right here... Your effortless way with words and the way you describe these worlds is IMPECCABLE!! And yes, agreed with others at how delightfully seamless you slide the game's screenshots in there ? I played maybe like halfway through this game, then it just kinda fell by the wayside... Partly because of Dash Eternal, partly because of the collectible debacle you hit the nail on the head with describing... But man, hearing your take and seeing all these exquisite screenshots makes me wanna jump back in! Also, I must say that your description of the world and how it all went down was perfect... I don't think I remember gathering all that myself when I played through it initially! Well written my friend, bravo to you ??? 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Platinum_Vice Posted July 13, 2022 Author Popular Post Share Posted July 13, 2022 Hi fellas, I just wanted to say how grateful these recent comments have made me. I don't expect many comments because while I read your own works as they come out, I don't comment until I can talk about a few things at once (and that seems to be the common approach among the checklist familia)... So waking up yesterday to those four comments filled me up with such a warmth that it's hard to describe. It really validated my time and effort in this thread, so thank you. Made me feel really appreciated. ❤️❤️ 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgznf Posted July 14, 2022 Share Posted July 14, 2022 What a fantastic and beautifully written review for HLD. Plus congratulations on #112. It's so easy to lose yourself when reading your write-ups and forget what site we are on. The presentation is phenomenal alongside the amount of detail you include. Looking forward to the next write-up! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum_Vice Posted August 3, 2022 Author Share Posted August 3, 2022 Couch Co-Op Critique I LEGO Games #19 (PS3) LEGO: The Lord of the Rings, 6.5/10 #28 (PS4) LEGO: Harry Potter Collection: Years 1-4, 5.5/10 #29 (PS4) LEGO: Harry Potter Collection: Years 5-7, 5.5/10 Over the course of each year, there are only about 30 to 40 opportunities for Mrs Vice and I to play a game together. Our choices in couch co-op games are limited. The boom of online capability from the beginning of the PlayStation 3 era nearly killed couch co-op. There are a few opportunities left for couples’ gaming this side of 2010, though, and Mrs Vice and I have tried many of them. The bar for what Mrs Vice considers to be satisfying has been set pretty low (probably due to being married to yours truly for many years ?), and she therefore has a soft spot for LEGO games. My conclusions of these games are a lot poorer than how Mrs Vice remembers them. I’ll review these LEGO games based on three separate factors. Firstly, as couch co-op games: Now, why start here? Well, if you’re playing alone, the top right-hand corner of the screen repeatedly blinks “assign controller” with an eager anticipation rivalling peeping Snape's pantaloons while he creeps outside of Lily Potter's bedroom window. In other words, the game desperately wants you to be playing with a partner. When you're that desperate for people to play your game in a specific way, you can bet that's where I'll start a critique. "Assign controller" blinks at you from the top right hand corner of the screen until you find yourself a co-op buddy. LEGO games contain about six linear levels per licensed movie. The LEGO games that Mrs Vice and I have enjoyed contained multiple movies per game. At first, each level features a set number of characters for you to play; you might choose between Harry and Hagrid on your initial visit to Diagon Alley, whereas in the final gauntlet of The Philosopher’s Stone (after fending off Fluffy) you’d not be able to play as Hagrid but instead would have access to Harry, Ron and Hermione. Each character has a set range of abilities (physical attributes, spells, etc) that you can use. Every level can obviously be completed with the allocated characters, but there are also collectibles blocked by puzzles that require other characters’ abilities in a secondary playthrough. For example, you might need to revisit Diagon Alley and play as Ron so that he can use his ability (pushing Scabbers into drainpipes) to find a collectible that Harry and Hagrid can’t access themselves. In between those linear levels you’ll have the opportunity to ‘free roam’ the overworld (i.e. Hogwarts or Middle Earth) where a plethora of ability-specific puzzles are scattered about for you to complete once you’ve unlocked the right characters. There are two key objectives in LEGO games: (a) play through the linear levels to experience the plots imported from the licensed movies, and (b) collect everything. Those two objectives are always at odds with each other because you cannot collect everything during your first playthrough of the linear levels. My wife and I sought diametrically-opposed objectives. She wanted to explore everything before moving on due to her a natural instinct to investigate every corner and puzzle. I wanted to rush through a first playthrough to get to the postgame where we could then play as any character (and therefore use abilities to solve all puzzles and access all hidden areas) as the world required. This was based on my instinctual desire to not waste my time on something that I couldn’t complete to perfection – especially considering the lack of any missables in these games. I wanted to just go to the next ‘ooh, shiny!’ thing for the first playthrough whereas my wife wanted to stop and smell the roses. We both thought that the other person was clearly playing it wrong. A note to game designers: if your players want to skip through your levels as fast as possible (for any reason), you’ve done something wrong. If your co-op players are constantly at odds with each other in how they want to play your game, you’ve done something wrong. It speaks to how facile and lacking in depth those character-specific puzzles are that the devs couldn’t just ensure that the linear levels only contained puzzles for the basic characters during the first playthrough; if every puzzle in Diagon Alley could be solved by just Harry and Hagrid then that level would be less fun to play because the puzzles are extremely rudimentary. These fundamental problems in the games’ designs are not able to be fixed without drastically affecting other core features. It may have been because of the aforementioned design choices that the following feature was born: The LEGO games’ co-op camera. It’s great. It’s called “dynamic split-screen.” When you and your partner’s characters are next to each other it will appear as if there is only the one camera angle for the two of you to share. When you walk away in different directions along the x axis (left and right), the screen will automatically split into two halves to account for you each exploring areas far away from each other. If one of you walks towards the screen and the other walks into the distance (i.e. opposite directions on the z axis), the screen split will rotate so that your halves of the screens are split by a diagonal line. Imagine that you both say to each other, “hey, look at this,” and then you each see that the screen is split on an 8-2 o’clock diagonal and know exactly what direction to walk to find each other, so you both walk towards each other, pass each other, and then continue to the other player’s original position to see what had caught their attention. The split screen would at first dissipate upon meeting in the middle of the room and then it would appear identical to before as an 8-2 o’clock diagonal, except that your characters would then be on the other sides of the split screen. The split is at an 11-5 o'clock angle to account for the player's positions relative to each other. Harry is on the right of the screen even though he is being controlled by Player 1 (his health is visible in the top left corner of the image). Ron has returned to Harry. Due to their positions relative to each other the split is fading from its 10-4 o'clock position. The players are now close enough to each other - no split is necessary. Gone are the days where Player 1’s half of the screen is fixed to the left (in cases of vertical splits) or the top (in cases of horizontal splits). Now the screen adapts dynamically to your individual spatial choices. It’s seamless and it’s logical. This dynamic split screen has become a staple in couch co-op games; some others have since implemented this feature to various degrees of success. The game that Mrs Vice and I are currently playing (very slowly) is Divinity: Original Sin II, and the same camera system is present in that game yet the associated bugs rear their ugly heads repeatedly over the course of each session in that title. Somehow it is drastically less-efficient than these LEGO games. Divinity: Original Sin II It’s just a shame that this clever development was required to cover up what I believe is that foundational poor choice in the development: a fostering of conflicting goals for co-operative players. These games are at their best when you’re playing in the postgame with access to all characters. Exploring Middle Earth and the Hogwarts grounds with complete freedom as you plug away at collectible completion is the real meat of these games for me. Yes, collectible hunting is actually the best part of this game (how... oh, how could this be?!) I’d say to Mrs Vice, “let’s go run around Hobbiton” (and enjoy Howard Shore’s incredible score), or “let’s go find hidden rooms in the castle” or Hogsmeade or the Shrieking Shack... As couch co-op experiences, these games are best-suited for younger players. The difficulty of the puzzles and combat are set very low. Puzzles are remarkably simple specifically so that the youngest players (those who are learning to use a controller for the first time) could figure most of them out, or at worst, their co-operative partner would be able to pick up the intellectual slack. About 60-70% of the gameplay consists of those aforementioned puzzles. The rest of the gameplay is mostly combat... except that ‘combat’ might not be the most appropriate word. Mashing to swing a sword isn’t really combat, is it? At the very least, combat should be tense (or have some penalty for failure). If you die while swinging your sword in LEGO Lord of the Rings, nothing happens. Your character explodes into smaller pieces and then you respawn. You and your co-op partner can die together and the same thing will happen. There’s no reverting to checkpoints. At most, you lose a few studs (currency) but it’s such an insignificant amount that it’s negligible... we’re talking decimals of one percent of the level’s maximum stud count. It’s beyond forgiving. This is truly an experience that a new gamer or non-gamer can enjoy, and one that advanced players will find so easy that ‘staying motivated to continue’ is revealed as the hidden challenge for these games. I don't intend to 1-up my elite skills by saying this. I literally mean that these games are that attuned to newer players. Secondly, as licensed products: The culmination of all of the above features so far indicate that these games should really be targeted to kids between 5 and 12, however, LEGO games are also licensed games. Harry Potter is intellectual property created for 11-21 year olds. The Lord of the Rings is for 15-70 year olds. There is a clear divide between the intended age that the gameplay that these titles cater to versus the intended age of the movies and books that they’re based on. Granted, The Lord of the Rings is an adult story adopted by children, and Harry Potter is a teenagers’ story adopted by adults, and so they could both be enjoyed by families with different age ranges, but the simplistic nature of the gameplay is so basic that there is a clear mismatch in here somewhere. Why not develop gameplay more befitting competent gamers? Maybe incorporate some sort of difficulty option? Instead, to ensure that these games are perfectly approachable by first-time gamers and the licensed products that they are based on, they are therefore significantly watered down in regards to their adult themes. This extends beyond just themes and dialogue; it pervades and eliminates any form of tension at all. Regardless, these games have sold well and were well received. I argue that the success of these titles is primarily due to the overwhelming success of their respective movies. How many LEGO games have you played? Your favourite LEGO game is the one based on your favourite movie, right? My endorsement of the Lord of the Rings title over the Harry Potter games is mostly due to my reverence of Peter Jackson’s masterful trilogy. Conversely, the Harry Potter movies suffer from conflicting tonal shifts between films, inferior theming, soundtracks and production qualities and an inability to convert the spellbinding 500+ page novels to the 2.5 hour-long visual medium. LEGO Lord of the Rings succeeds on the merits of the films. Jackson’s artistic clarity virtually wrote the plot for this game; the linear plot-based levels are pulled from the films’ universally-applicable storytelling structure. Minor additions were added to flesh out necessary scenes but they were few and far in between. I recall an example in Osgiliath where Sam, Frodo and Smeagol are split up in the foreground and background while the war rages in the distance; the devs created a full level from a smaller-scaled movie scene but it did not feel like an outlier when stacked against the other levels. Osgiliath Despite the simplistic nature of the combat, this game captures the movies' sense of scope: The earthy browns and greens are consistent throughout the title (as are chilling dark blues during night scenes) like they are with all three movies. Exploring Rivendell was the first time that I thought that the PS3 generation’s overuse of piss-coloured filters was beneficial to the overall aesthetic. A nice touch: the One Ring reflects Mordor at all times in this game. At the conclusion of the story players can play as Sam and Frodo while backtracking along their journeyed path between Mount Doom and Hobbiton. This reflective alternative to flying with the eagles allows for collectible clean-up in an explorative free roam. I enjoyed that long walk home. LEGO Harry Potter suffers from the haphazard way that the films interpret their source material. From The Order of the Phoenix onwards many levels are fabricated by the developers as they try to pad out material for you to play when there’s insufficient movie scenes to replicate in a form fit for interesting gameplay. Many levels are made from smaller-scaled movie scenes. 1-to-1 translations are barely applicable. This wouldn’t be an issue if the levels created by the game developers were worthwhile additions to the story or universe. Sadly, they are not. Exploring the courtyard outside of Sirius Black’s house and then the fireplace corridor of the Ministry of Magic with Arthur Weasley didn’t strike me as being interesting level settings from the outset, and unfortunately I found them equally as disinteresting upon completion too. If you can’t choose between whether to buy LEGO Lord of the Rings or LEGO Harry Potter Collection, consider that you’re getting two full games for the price of one with Harry Potter. If you enjoy the first four years then you have another equally-long experience ready for you to enjoy. Ultimately all LEGO games are extremely similar with very little iterative improvement (let alone innovative improvement). These games succeed as licensed products in that they do allow players to blatantly act out their favourite films but the mismatched age ranges of the gameplay versus the films’ themes is hard to swallow. Thirdly, as a LEGO experience: What is the best way to play with LEGO? If you said, “following instructions to build something cool,” or “constructing whatever I want using whatever pieces I want,” then I’d say that you are correct! These games do not allow for any of that to take place. I think I’m just playing the wrong games. I think what I’m really looking for here is LEGO: Builder’s Journey. ...or physical LEGO. Building LEGO is a fundamentally kinetic task. Not only are these games lacking of construction/building or designing elements for players to enjoy, the actual kinetic experience that is here is below average. In Harry Potter, for example, you often levitate brick pieces to slot them into four-LEGO-piece items (such as a small set of stairs for you to climb to reach a high-up collectible). You are expected to move those bricks in 3-dimensional space while only being given controls for two dimensions. The y and z axes (height and depth) are controlled simultaneously and the game itself is tasked to interpret the players' intentions. It does a very poor job of this. It’s the only time where you build anything in these games and it’s horrible. Flying on a broomstick suffers the same fate with shoddy 3D movement based on poor interpretation of player inputs. Flying the broomstick is probably the only action-based activity that players can do in this universe that doesn’t involve ‘combat’ but, once again, I find the games lacking. Building stuff is what I want to do with LEGO, but there's just such limited opportunity. Even Vernon wants to be building stuff! In addition to a lack of constructing and engineering, there are no designing elements either. You don’t even get to mix and match pieces to create your own characters... Instead, there’s occasional gags that reference the meta-nature of the characters being made of LEGO pieces (such as Dumbledore giving Amos Diggory instructions to rebuild Cedric at the end of The Goblet of Fire). ______________________________ These games are nothing short of an advertisement for physical LEGO bricks. The gameplay falls short in almost every capacity. The best part of these gaming experiences is playing through the recreated movie experiences, but the movies aren’t enhanced by the gameplay, and the gameplay isn’t enhanced by the recreation of the worlds and characters with LEGO bricks. I don’t recommend any sort LEGO-based alternative to The Lord of the Rings. Just read the book and watch Peter Jackson’s trilogy. They’re both significant achievements for their respective mediums. Or play a PS2 Lord of the Rings game! For an alternative LEGO Harry Potter experience I’d recommend that you build your own version of Hogwarts at home... Until next time: thanks for stopping by, and I’m always interested to hear your own thoughts! ? 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrBloodmoney Posted August 3, 2022 Share Posted August 3, 2022 Awesome read as always man - and even funnier than usual - your meme game is on point! ? Something that really jumped out was this observation: 16 minutes ago, Platinum_Vice said: LEGO Lord of the Rings succeeds on the merits of the films. Jackson’s artistic clarity virtually wrote the plot for this game; the linear plot-based levels are pulled from the films’ universally-applicable storytelling structure. Minor additions were added to flesh out necessary scenes but they were few and far in between. That's a really good point - and I bet the reason is that the way the movies were made were pretty much how a game is made... in that the story was kinda separate from the "action" - Jacksons missus and their writing partner would write most of the script, and just put down "And then there's 20 minutes for a battle" and that's when PJ got to just play and do big fun fighty-stuff. which is pretty much how the games work, when you break it right down! ? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YaManSmevz Posted August 3, 2022 Share Posted August 3, 2022 (edited) I'm always a happy man a new issue of Platinum Vice hits the stands - even more so when I can read it entirely without worry of spoilers! I admire the work that you put into these man, and they're always an awesome read. So is this where the dynamic split screen was born?? First time I saw it was in The Warriors (that's how interactive that movie was, incredible for 1979) and it initially felt awkward, but I quickly realized what a great idea this was. 2 hours ago, Platinum_Vice said: "I don't wanna know what you've been doing with that head for all these years, but maybe try this instead." I'll uh, let you get back to your rum? Edited August 3, 2022 by YaManSmevz 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Platinum_Vice Posted September 2, 2022 Author Popular Post Share Posted September 2, 2022 (edited) Money has been a little tight lately. Getting a PS5 still looks like a 2023 goal. To that end, it is a significant boon that games on PS4 generally look gorgeous despite being "last gen." This is what I've been playing lately... the visuals are stunning: Dishonored 2 Slain: Back from Hell Grip: Combat Racing N++ Divinity: Original Sin II The Secret of Monkey Island: (I'm cheating here... this is on the PS3. I still like the re-imagined artstyle, though!) Absolutely gorgeous. Edited September 2, 2022 by Platinum_Vice Edit: is the PS5 really "current gen" if - even if I had the cash - I can't just walk into a store and pick one off the shelves? 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Kopite Posted October 4, 2022 Share Posted October 4, 2022 On 12/10/2021 at 4:10 PM, Platinum_Vice said: 04 Series: Uncharted Firstly, I gave you rep before even looking at it properly as the amount of effort I could see deserved it. Secondly, geez this is late but thanks Smevz for that! haha Thirdly, ooooo those are some hot takes! Let's see if you can convince me. Fourthly (Does any one ever get to 'fourthly'? lol) You valiantly tried to convince me that 4 is better than 2 and you came extremely close. 4 is a wonderful collection of everything that is great about Uncharted as a series with little cool extra's like Crash Bandicoot, other references and the close of Nate's story arc. 2 for me, back when it first came out and still to this day just had those moments and punchiness about it. The train off the cliff, the helicopter and crumbling building etc. Certainly nostalgia can play a part and I was younger (obviously) when U2 came out, but for me it just had something else about it and definitely should be in the top 5 first party games ever released for the PS3. At least top 10 for the whole console. (BTW, I have a signed steelbook of the 4th game with many of the voice actors, so trust me when I say that U4 is bloody awesome!) 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now