43M's Gaming Journal: A Few New Review and Red Dead 2!!!!

[Cheesehawk]

5 hours ago, 43M said:

Dont know if I suck at this game or if its just pretty damn hard on normal difficulty....but Im getting my *** kicked. 😆

Take full advantage of Atreus arrow attacks as well. I found it extremely beneficial to invest in his skill tree early.

[JBURGE]

On 8/18/2020 at 10:26 AM, 43M said:

Dont know if I suck at this game or if its just pretty damn hard on normal difficulty....but Im getting my *** kicked. 😆

Stoked to see you're playing this. Probably my favourite single player game on PS4, though Horizon comes close after finally playing that this year. 

[43M]

  Review

 

As someone who has played the God of War series since it started back on the PS2, I was a little worried when I heard this game was going to be different from past iterations.    The older games were like summer blockbuster popcorn flicks that were a lot of fun and were really easy to get into;      I remember seeing the trailer for this game when it first game out and reading a bunch of things about it, and while I certainly never expected it to be a bad game, I was a little worried that they may take away what made the previous God of War games so fun.      The game got so many amazing scores that it was hard not to go into this with high expectations, but  I tried to at least prepare myself for something different.

After playing the hell out of it for the last month....the game is nothing short of a masterpiece, and exceeds past God of War games in every way.

The gameplay was different, and early on, I honestly wasnt sure if it was for the better.   It was fun, for sure, but Kratos felt a little nerfed early on.   i was used to a Kratos that mercilessly tore through enemies and felt like a bad ***.   Early on, I felt vulnerable.      Kratos with an axe and shield?   Wasnt used to that, and it took some getting used to.   Even though the game is easy to pick up and play, the more time you spend learning the the ins and outs of the battle system and figuring out the best strategy for certain enemies, the better the game became.    Strategy is new to the God of War games, as the previous games were just hack and slash for the most part.   There was SOME strategy for certain battles, but you really needed to think for this game.   I played on normal difficulty, and if you didnt take the right approach and didnt use all the tools at your disposal, it felt like you were playing at a higher difficulty level.    Early on, I kept dying because I tried to play it like previous games in the series....and you cant do that.        Even after learning the ins and outs, the game presented alot of challenges, and you really had to pay attention to what enemies you were facing, what gear you had, your power ups.....everything just required you to be on your toes, and thats part of what made the game so FREAKING addicting.       

After you get the Blades of Chaos, the gameplay REALLY took off, and offered some familiarity to long time fans of the series.     It was so fun having to use both for different enemies and the different runic attacks were just a blast to use.    The controls were incredibly responsive regardless of whether you were fighting or trying to make your way through the myraid of traps the game had.    The different realms offered a lot of variation in gameplay, and the different materials you could collect from each realm made you want to search them and play through them and deep as you could.

One of the main things that worried me about the gameplay before I played was having a kid sidekick.    I just felt like it would cramp Kratos style or just have annoying Ai, but this is POSSIBLY the best CPU controlled (kinda) sidekick in any game I ever played.     Atreus had alot of cool attacks, especially as he got stronger, and the control you did have over him felt great, and helped out tremendously in battle, especially as you learned how to use him.    Having him there added so much to the gameplay that I did not expect.

From a story perspective, I was hooked the entire way through.    How is it that dialogue in some of these videogames are so much better than dialogue you find in Hollywood?     This story was incredible....voice acting was perfect for everyone, and there just wasnt a dull moment in the main story.     Watching Kratos' and Atreus relationship progress throughout the game was really touching.      Kratos was essentially a monster the first 3 games, and in this game, it was weird seeing a softer side of him, but it was done perfectly.      Atreus added so much depth to the games story and Kratos character.    The other characters in the game were awesome too...both allies and enemies.    

I really dont have much bad to say about the game.      Some parts did get a little frustrating, but usually not in a bad way.    There were numerous times I got annoyed because I would die right before I was about to win, only to have to go through the entire battle over again.  But I was dying legit....not due to flaws in the game.     Some of the animations and kills did get really repetitive.     The R3 kill animations got old since they were always the same for certain enemies.   Wish they wouldve had a few more kill variations, but its not a huge deal.     There were a few times I couldnt figure out what to do next, but I always figured it out eventually.

On a final note, before I started the game, I read on "HowLongToBeat" that the game+extras (which is usually what I do) was about 30-50 hours, but I think I easily got about 70 or 80 hours out of this, and there is still alot of stuff I could go back through and do.     I might go back and do a few things, like fight the Valkyries, but even if I stopped now, I got ALOT of time out of this game.

Bottom line:   Games like this and Horizon are why Sony will keep getting my money before Microsoft.     Im not a fanboy, but Sony just has numerous masterpiece exclusives and this is yet another.     Definitely in contention for the best game Ive played thus far, and when you considered that is against games like Horizon and Witcher 3....that is extremely high praise.    Cant wait to see where the franchise goes from here!   

Gameplay:  9.5
Story:  10
Graphics: 10
Value/Replayability:   9
Personal Enjoyment: 9.5

Final Score:    9.5

Edited June 24, 2022 by 43M

[ET80]

12 hours ago, 43M said:

From a story perspective, I was hooked the entire way through.    How is it that dialogue in some of these videogames are so much better than dialogue you find in Hollywood?     This story was incredible....voice acting was perfect for everyone, and there just wasnt a dull moment in the main story.     Watching Kratos' and Atreus relationship progress throughout the game was really touching.      Kratos was essentially a monster the first 3 games, and in this game, it was weird seeing a softer side of him, but it was done perfectly.      Atreus added so much depth to the games story and Kratos character.    The other characters in the game were awesome too...both allies and enemies.    

Could not agree more. This story was both epic as well as touching - completely unexpected from the Ghost of Sparta, but so refreshing. 

Too many great moments in this game to recall. 

[BobbyPhil1781]

Yeah, go after those valks. They're so much fun!! I couldn't beat the final one though. Way too hard.... Just unfair but then I watch YT videos of people beating her without even getting hit. *******s.

[43M]

1 hour ago, BobbyPhil1781 said:

Yeah, go after those valks. They're so much fun!! I couldn't beat the final one though. Way too hard.... Just unfair but then I watch YT videos of people beating her without even getting hit. *******s.

I beat one last night.

Im not someone who will put up with obnoxious difficulty in completing an extra or sidequest, so I would walk away too.  Im gonna try, though.

[BobbyPhil1781]

10 minutes ago, 43M said:

I beat one last night.

Im not someone who will put up with obnoxious difficulty in completing an extra or sidequest, so I would walk away too.  Im gonna try, though.

Awesome. The battles are a big challenge but each has their own quirk which you can figure out and exploit. They will certainly take some time though! The final one is the only thing I think I didn't do in that game. Definitely an incredible game all around! Glad you liked it.

[Scalamania]

19 hours ago, 43M said:

Final Score:    9.5

Score is too low. 

[JBURGE]

20 hours ago, Scalamania said:

Score is too low. 

Little surprised that the 70-80 hours out of it is an 8.5 for value/replayability....

But yeah, this is an absolute masterpiece. Glad you enjoyed it @43M

I stopped playing after I beat it and did some farming in the pink mist place,I forget what it's called. I wanted to go back, but once a few weeks passed, forget it. You get immersed and so good at the combat, and I forgot it all in a few weeks lol. Didn't do the Valks either, was going to do them after farming the really good armor.

Probably won't play it again, but it was one of the best game I've ever played for sure. 

[43M]

7 minutes ago, JBURGE said:

Little surprised that the 70-80 hours out of it is an 8.5 for value/replayability....

But yeah, this is an absolute masterpiece. Glad you enjoyed it @43M

I stopped playing after I beat it and did some farming in the pink mist place,I forget what it's called. I wanted to go back, but once a few weeks passed, forget it. You get immersed and so good at the combat, and I forgot it all in a few weeks lol. Didn't do the Valks either, was going to do them after farming the really good armor.

Probably won't play it again, but it was one of the best game I've ever played for sure. 

The only reason I took it down a bit is because there is no DLC to extend the game and its still not as packed as Witcher 3. I got Witcher 3 and its 2 DLCs for the same price    I would have no issue giving God of War a 9 for value, though....but I cant give it the same as Witcher 3.

I want to eventually play God of War again, though.

[JBURGE]

38 minutes ago, 43M said:

The only reason I took it down a bit is because there is no DLC to extend the game and its still not as packed as Witcher 3. I got Witcher 3 and its 2 DLCs for the same price    I would have no issue giving God of War a 9 for value, though....but I cant give it the same as Witcher 3.

I want to eventually play God of War again, though.

It's one of those cases where the Witcher gave above and beyond any other game... so do you give it a 10 and base everything else off that? Or do you still accept 70 hours on a single player game as a 10/10 value. I would fall under the latter, but I respect both opinions as long as it's consistent.

I am playing the Witcher 3 now (finally after trying for years) and am about to finish the main storyline, and will get into the DLC after. I'm not sure how far in I am time wise, maybe 30 hours? 40? No clue as Sony doesn't track it and not sure the game does. 

[43M]

35 minutes ago, JBURGE said:

It's one of those cases where the Witcher gave above and beyond any other game... so do you give it a 10 and base everything else off that? Or do you still accept 70 hours on a single player game as a 10/10 value. I would fall under the latter, but I respect both opinions as long as it's consistent.

I am playing the Witcher 3 now (finally after trying for years) and am about to finish the main storyline, and will get into the DLC after. I'm not sure how far in I am time wise, maybe 30 hours? 40? No clue as Sony doesn't track it and not sure the game does. 

Fair point, and I agree.    

Im surprised there is no story DLC though.   Although from what I read, the game designer has a FIVE game story arc, so maybe the studio is saving everything for those.   Doubt we ever see that many games, though.

Witcher 3 does track the time.  Its on one of the menus.   I forget exactly where though.

It took me over 130 hours for Witchers main quest plus side missions.   You must just be flying thru the main story.

[43M]

CHANGED MY REPLAY AND FINAL SCORE.

[JBURGE]

2 hours ago, 43M said:

Fair point, and I agree.    

Im surprised there is no story DLC though.   Although from what I read, the game designer has a FIVE game story arc, so maybe the studio is saving everything for those.   Doubt we ever see that many games, though.

Witcher 3 does track the time.  Its on one of the menus.   I forget exactly where though.

It took me over 130 hours for Witchers main quest plus side missions.   You must just be flying thru the main story.

It might be longer... I will check

[Scalamania]

On 9/13/2020 at 11:23 PM, 43M said:

Final Score:    9.7

still too low.