43M's Gaming Journal: God of War Ragnarok REVIEW!!!

[43M]

19 hours ago, iknowcool said:

RDR 1 (along with the first Uncharted games) changed the game for me.  I played it right around when it came out on my PS3.  Before that game, I played the usual stuff a kid/teenager was playing.  Madden, COD, WWE games, etc.  It, along with Uncharted, were the first single player games that hooked me on their story.  And it was the most gorgeous game I had ever played at the time.  The music, the story, the voice acting, all superb.  Hopefully one day they remaster it and you can revisit. 

Will be interesting to see how you feel about RDR 2.  If you didn't necessarily like the aiming and gun mechanics/gameplay in the 1st one... well, it doesn't get a whole lot better lol.  It is a slow experience.  But the game is the most detailed I have ever played.  You can tell they made the game with love.  Highly recommend not rushing through the story.  Just sit back and let things happen.

I dont know if it was necessarily the aiming mechanics or just issues with my controller.

For instance, in RDR1 when I was TRYING to aim, when Id try to tap the stick in the direction Id want to aim, it wouldnt move sometimes, but if I tried to push it a bit harder to get it to move, it would move too far, so it was really hard to precision aim for a specific body part sometimes, so I had to turn on auto aim.    It may have had something to do with my cheap, generic PS3 controller, because I dont really remember having the same issue years ago when I played it...but I dont fully remember, either.

I am happy to say that in RDR 2,  the aiming is very smooth and I can easily get it to aim exactly where I want without issue.

I am just starting chapter 2.     Love it so far, but just getting started and learning the new mechanics.

[43M]

 Review

 

I will eat my crow with a side of Alto Wine, please.

To give a little bit of a backstory for those who are not aware, I have a long standing love-hate relationship with this game.    Perhaps “love” and “hate” are a little too strong to describe my feelings towards it, but while I always recognized it was a good game overall and a big achievement in gaming in many ways, I just never saw what made Skyrim QUITE as popular as it got when it came out all the way back in 2011.   I played it at a friends house (he was absolutely obsessed with it) and I just never got captured into the game the way many others did.   The gameplay was extremely clunky and it some cases, downright bad when it first came out.   There didn’t seem to be much strategy, either, and while I don’t mind some hack and slash type stuff, its gameplay was slower paced and gave the illusion of being more methodical, but the sum of its parts just didn’t feel very well put together when it came to combat.    The story just seemed meh, and it was more about a bunch of different stories than just one.     The main character had no real backstory and thus, it was hard to have a connection to you character.      

Bottom line….I always recognized its capabilities and potential, but just thought the game lacked in too many key areas for ME to really ever get into.

Well, flash forward 10+ years later and I am 300 hours into this damn game, and still finding it hard to walk away from.   Granted, its not the same vanilla Skyrim I played back in 2011 and tried again in 2017.  This is an ultra modded version thanks to the geniuses at Nexus mods, who did enough with the mod pack I downloaded to really get me immersed in the game in a way I don’t feel would be possible otherwise.   They added enough tweaks to everything, especially the gameplay, that made it good enough for me to really appreciate everything the world of Tamriel had to offer.

First,  let me talk about the gameplay.    While it was never necessarily “bad” in general, it just lacked a lot and it always hurt my enjoyment of the overall game.   The mod collection I downloaded was about 20 GB, and while its not nearly as big or expansive as some other mod packs, and didn’t completely overhaul the gameplay the way some other mods do, it was enough to add enough strategy and excitement to gameplay I felt was missing before.     This mod required to block effectively and time your attacks enough or you would pay for it.   Granted, the gameplay, even with this mod, is nothing particularly special, but as I stated, it was enough for me to be able to really enjoy all the other aspects of the game.    

The story….well, more like a collection of short stories, could be very good at times.     Usually in most RPGs Ive played, the main story is usually by far the focal point and if youre lucky, it had numerous sidequests and even DLC stories that are pretty good, but usually not as long or as in focus as the main story.   In Skyrim, the main campaign just kind of blends in with everything else.   The other stories and quests, while not quite as long as the “main” quest, were usually done well and were just as interesting and in many cases, even more so.    The lore in this world is just amazing….so much so that I found myself just reading random books about certain things, trying to learn more about the world.

The overall attention to detail in this world is unlike anything Ive ever seen.  The way the world reacts to things you do and the events that unfold is just crazy.    People that were once friendly to you will hate your guts if you do the wrong thing or choose the wrong side.     Beyond that, little events around the world that just seem to happen randomly off screen were pretty great too.   For instance, I had a follower and friend who died offscreen, and a courier ran up to me and delivered the message and it said she left things for me in her will.   This is a character I hadn’t seen or played with in awhile when it happened.  That’s nuts!     When I first played this game, I never encountered some of the things that happen that really showed me how much love and effort went into this.

Speaking of the mods, I will just say that the modlist I got enhanced every area of the game.  It even added extra stories and missions.   I tried out a few different mod packs before I ended up settling on this.   A few of them were too much for my mid range PC to handle, so I ended up settling on a somewhat modest one.     There are some out there now, like Nolvus, that are 500GBs and required a 4090 to run smoothly.     As much as Id like to try it, its not worth a new $5000 PC.   Still, the mods did plenty and as I said, more than enough to make me enjoy the game more than I ever have.

One last thing I will touch on is the graphics, which, with mods and the vanilla updates, look incredible.   Some parts of the world are absolutely majestic in scope and view.   I would just stand and admire the landscape and architecture in some places.   For a game made 10+ years ago, even with mods, it was amazing to look at.    And that’s just on my mid range PC.   I can only imagine how crazy it looks if you have a high end card with other graphics enhancements my PC couldn’t handle.

As I said….the gameplay is still just very….okay-ish.    Its certainly not the strong point of the game, and I think most people would agree with that.    My mods didn’t completely change all the gameplay elements the way some do, but I had enough fun with it.    My main issue after awhile were the lack of animations in battle and how a lot of it just felt really repetitive.     Even with the mods, there weren’t many battles that really required much strategy.    It was mainly just “kill the enemies before they kill you”, which is fine, but got old at times.   I remember one battle where you had to drain power from some device to be able to hit the guy, and I wish there were more things in it like that, especially with bosses.

The difficulty was a bit inconsistent too.    I always keep it on normal to start off, and most of the time, that’s usually enough for me (I like challenge, but not frustrating amounts of it).   After I got a hang of things, I changed the difficulty to the next highest, which I guess would be hard.      There were times after that where the game was just way too frustrating, mainly because enemies became damage sponges and I was getting killed much easier.   I know you will say “that’s what its supposed to do”, and I agree, but I just wish it had been a bit more incremental.   However, that’s not a huge complaint as I realized I really needed to upgrade my equipment too….but then that made things too easy again after a certain point.      My main complaint is that it was hard to find a good balance of difficulty and fun.       The dragons and bosses in many cases  were either frustratingly difficult or way too easy.   There were times I was able to find that middle ground, but it didn’t usually last.

As I said, the MAIN story just took a backseat to the rest of the game.   In the Witcher 3, the main story was able to shine through even with all the amazing side stories in the game, but in Skyrim, the main story can be summed up with.  “Hey, this dragon can destroy the world and youe the chosen one.  Oh you beat him?  Okay cool…thanks.”   That’s it!   There doesn’t seem to be much beyond that.    Yes, Alduin and you beating him gets mentioned here and there, but it doesn’t feel like it matters much, despite being told how high the stakes were many times.     There are other enemies and stories more interesting that just make you completely forget the main plot.     Overall, I enjoyed everything, and even the main story was…okay, but I feel like it should’ve meant more the world of Tamriel, or hell, at least Skyrim.  

Bottom line:      Its nice that I finally got to experience and understand what really enthralled so many people years ago.    Even with the mods, the base game is still 80-90% of the experience, just enhanced enough by the brilliant modding community.    Its insane how much love and detail went into this game, and still goes into it to this day by the fans.     Although, it is sad seeing how far Bethesda has fallen since.    I would like to hope that the next Elder Scrolls game could live up to this, but I seriously doubt it given where Bethesda is as a company and where the gaming industry as a whole is.  

Gameplay:  6.5
Story:  8 (being generous, if you focus on ALL the stories and the sum of the experience, and the lore)
Graphics: 9 (with mods, obviously)
Value/Replayability:   10….could be 20 or even higher.
Personal Enjoyment:  9

Final Score:  8.5 (modded)

 

[43M]

Update:   I had to postpone Red Dead Redemption 2 because I had issues with my PC and had to delete everything and reinstall Windows, so I will probably get into it this summer.   I saw a game on sale I really wanted to play, so currently, I am playing....

[Neumatic]

I've been thinking about going back to Skyrim as well. Even downloaded it on my PC just haven't jumped the shark yet. It's one of those games I'm almost scared to start playing because I end up sinking so much time into it. I don't even know how many hundreds of hours ive played between all the remasters.

[43M]

On 4/19/2024 at 4:53 AM, Neumatic said:

I've been thinking about going back to Skyrim as well. Even downloaded it on my PC just haven't jumped the shark yet. It's one of those games I'm almost scared to start playing because I end up sinking so much time into it. I don't even know how many hundreds of hours ive played between all the remasters.

I plan on going back to it eventually, probably after I build my new PC sometime later this year or next.      Still alot I didnt do, mainly the main DLCs....so it gives me something to look forward to when I eventually go back to it.

[43M]

Im probably halfway through playing God of War Ragnarok.    I got Valhalla for free.     Im debating how much more exploring I want to do before I finish the main campaign.   I dont need to 100% it, but Im tempted to at least get all the Nornir and Legendary chests, and maybe kill all the Berserkers (if I even can).       

[43M]

   Review

 

I put this off longer than I ever expected to, but it absolutely delivered.

Its no surprise this game was good, but I questioned what the issues were when I was seeing alot more criticisms of this game than the first one, and even some pretty scathing reviews from some people who were acting like it was some type of huge departure or let down from the first one.   I even saw a few negative critiques on here, although nothing major.    Still, I wanted to play it and form my own opinion.

I am not going to linger too much on gameplay because its not notably different than the first game.    Everything did feel more fluid, but that may just be because I am playing at a higher framerate than the first God of War on PS4.     The strategy seems to have bumped up a notch in regards to how you use your weapons against various enemies, which was welcomed.    In the first game, I wasnt really concerned with how I built my characters outside of strength and defense, but this time around, I did some research to understand how each stat worked an affected Kratos.     I initially spent alot on the "Luck" stat, not 100% understanding what it was.   It was helpful, especially in the early game, as it helped trigger certain boosts at certain points in battle, especially when my health was low.   However, as I learned more about the Runic and Cooldown stat, I started to put more into that, and it really took my game to a new level.    Certain things I wasnt taking advantage of were really making a huge difference in my battles, especially the tougher ones.

Speaking of difficulty, I love the challenge this game provides.   As a mostly casual game, I usually just start off on normal, and I will increase it if I feel things are too easy, but I am also not looking for anything frustratingly difficult.      Normal was perfect for me.   I did die....ALOT, but I never felt it was for cheap reasons.    Every battle, even fights against some extremely tough berserkers felt achievable.    I did get annoyed at time with damage spongey enemies, but alot of times, it was poor strategy on my part and not taking advantage of everything at my disposable that made some parts more difficult.   Overall though....the battles were exhilarating and a lot of fun.   I can't tell you how many times I beat enemies with a sliver of health left and just let out a huge gasp.

The story was where I noticed certain criticisms, however, I loved it.   Was the overall story as interesting as the first one?   No, but Kratos character development and the interaction between characters really made up for any issues with certain plot elements.    Kratos was very different in the first one as he seemed to regain his humanity and accept his role as a caring father to Atreus.   In Ragnarok, he took massive leaps forward and actually became sympathetic and caring, not just towards his son, but other characters as well.    The other characters helped make the game, as well.    I loved the commentary Mimir provided.   That could have gotten old very quickly, but it never did IMO.    Obviously Atreus was great, and seeing him grow from a young boy, into a teenager and now on the brink of becoming a man, it was very touching, especially his interactions towards the end of the game with Kratos.     All the characters were just so well done, and a certain character dying and the music that played made me get pretty emotional.   The writing team did so fantastic with the dialogue in this game.   Makes me wonder how Hollywood writers keep finding work when some of these videogame characters outclass them in every imaginable way.

The graphics....not much to say other than exquisite.   The colors, the art, the landscape, the characters, the details....just incredible.    One of the best looking games Ive ever played.

Not much negative to say about the game.   Again, the story wasnt quite as good.   The parts where you played as Atreus were fun, but not AS fun, and sometimes lingered on longer than they should have IMO....but thats a small gripe.       Not much really developed as far as the whole Loki thing went.     I thought that would have developed into a bit more than it ultimately did....but I also think there may be a spinoff game with just Atreus in between Ragnorok and the next GoW installment.     The weapons were more limited this time around, too.    The way you could develop the weapons was fun, but I was hoping for a bit more variety.

Valhalla Note:   The DLC "Valhalla" was actually alot of fun, even though it wasnt quite as good as the base game.   I got the DLC for free, so absolutely no regrets, as it helped develop Kratos even further, and the trial and error of the it all was fun, even if a bit annoying....but probably only because it worked much different than the base game.

Bottom Line:    Any criticisms I have of this game are extremely minor nitpicks.   I loved this game almost as much as the first one.   I think the only reason I didnt enjoy it QUITE as much was only because the gameplay was mostly the same and the novelty of how great it is wore off on me a bit.   Still, I still had a lot of fun and cannot wait for future God of War content.

Gameplay:  9.5
Story:  9
Graphics: 9.5
Value/Replayability:   8
Personal Enjoyment:  10

 

Final Score:   9.4

 

[43M]

Not sure what I am playing next, exactly.  So much too choose from given my backlog.

I obviously want to get back to Red Dead 2, but I may wait until the end of the Summer or Fall to play that, for various reasons.

I did start Hitman: World of Assassination, but I think I will just chip away at that over time.   Its not going to be a game I focus heavily on.

I will probably make my decision this weekend....leaning towards Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth soon, but debating whether to play the first one again before I do.   

[MKnight82]

47 minutes ago, 43M said:

Not sure what I am playing next, exactly.  So much too choose from given my backlog.

I obviously want to get back to Red Dead 2, but I may wait until the end of the Summer or Fall to play that, for various reasons.

I did start Hitman: World of Assassination, but I think I will just chip away at that over time.   Its not going to be a game I focus heavily on.

I will probably make my decision this weekend....leaning towards Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth soon, but debating whether to play the first one again before I do.   

Resident Evil 4 remake