God of War: Ascension Review
Game Emblems
The Good
The Bad
Ascension may be "more of the same" but thats not a bad thing when it comes to God of War.
The multiplayer's a bust, but God of War: Ascension's campaign is a gloriously bloody adventure filled with exhilarating combat.
The Good
- Tight, satisfying combat
- Impressive sense of scale used to great effect
- Revels in its own juvenile bloodiness
- Stunning visuals.
The Bad
- Chilled out Kratos isn't anywhere near as exciting as angry Kratos
- Multiplayer lacks originality and compelling modes.
It's hard to imagine a time in Kratos' life when he wasn't whipped up into a mad, revenge-fuelled frenzy. After all, if his last five outings have taught us anything, it's that whether you're a demon, or a monster, or even a god, Kratos isn't afraid to quench his bloodlust by severing your head. So it comes as something of a surprise to see a calmer, more thoughtful side to his character in God of War: Ascension. This isn't a story about revenge, or uncontrollable rage, but the tale of a tortured mind in search of the truth.
Sadly, that makes things a little less exciting. Sure, like in all God of War games, the action is bloody, over the top, and entertaining. And the sense of scale as you clamber over vast statues that stand as tall as mountains, or joust with the tentacles that topple entire cities is impressive too. But without that constant fury permeating every punch, kick, and bloody hack-and-slash dismemberment, God of War: Ascension doesn't deliver that same gut punch of instant gratification as its predecessors.
There's an element of series fatigue at play too, mostly because there's little mechanically in Ascension that wasn't taken to its logical conclusion in God of War III. The mythical beasts, the huge sense of scale, and the grotesquely violent combat are all here, but Ascension is not a fresh take on those things. Instead, it's mostly down to the story (set 10 years before the original God Of War) to provide a change of pace, charting as it does Kratos' descent from a regular, albeit uber-strong human being into an unhinged ball of rage.
It's a story that tries so very hard to have you relate to the mellowed-out Kratos. And sure, there are a few touching moments when Kratos reminisces about his deceased wife and child, but for the most part Ascension's emotional impact is limited to cut scenes of him looking moody, or getting a bit angry with one of the three evil furies he's chasing. It's hardly enough for you to empathise with his character, particularly since those scenes are surrounded by many hours of Kratos viciously tearing the heads off demons while he happily splashes around in their blood without a care in the world.
But it's those hours, gruesome beheadings and all, that prove to be the most entertaining. Combat is God of War's forte, and it's as exhilarating as ever in Ascension. Slaying goat men by snapping their spines in two, disemboweling a centaur, or tearing through the skull of a harpy are dark pleasures that few games can replicate with such ferocity. If you're a fan of the series, they're all things you've seen before, of course, and they're even performed using the same button-mashing quick time events.
That's not to say there haven't been a few changes, though. An enjoyable new minigame replaces many of the quicktime events, letting you take down larger foes without following a specific set of commands. Instead, you're free to stab away at enemies, only stopping to dodge attacks that are handily highlighted by a brief moment of slow-motion swinging. Dodge enough attacks and stab enough times and your foe is torn in half. Or its brains are squished. Or its jaw is turned inside out. God of War certainly isn't for the squeamish.
Kratos' blades of chaos make a return in open combat, letting you conjure up all manner of impressive looking combos with just a few simple button taps. After just a few battles you can hack, sweep, and hurl enemies into the air with a fluidity that's mighty impressive, and mighty rewarding too. As enemies get stronger, combat becomes more challenging, with a greater emphasis placed on the timing of blocks and dodges in order to avoid enemy attacks.
There's also elemental damage to worry about, with Kratos able to switch between fire, demon, ice, and electricity powers for his blades at will. Each of them doles out a different status effect, with electricity's ability to shock enemies for a brief period of time and suspend them in mid-air a particularly useful one. There's also the usual array of devastating spells to unlock, each of them linked to an elemental power.
It's all very slick and precise, and as you tear out the heart of a fallen medusa after a wonderfully skilful combo, it's hard not to be impressed. The simpler secondary weapon system does wonders here too. Now you can pick up various weapons, such swords, spears, and giant mallets, from fallen victims, which can be used for a brief amount of time to mix up Kratos' fighting style. Having a constantly cycled secondary weapon keeps the combat fresh and interesting, and the different effects of each weapon--the giant mallet knocking enemies to their knees, for instance--open up new ways to attack and string together combos.
By
Mark Walton, Senior Staff Writer - Reviews
Writer, riff maker, purveyor of fine foods. Mark currently spends his days trying to overcome his small (large) obsession with high-top trainers and mobile games. He's known to respond well to Long Island Iced Tea, falafels, and karaoke, but not necessarily in that order.
1376 comments
1 Like WTF is wrong with Gamespot lately!! The reviewers don't like third person action games!! they stuck on rpg games!! then go play dragon age!! F***ing haters!!
1 Like Sony is doing to the GOW franchise the same that Square has been doing to the FF's since FFX.
1 Like Gamespots incoherent point system is obvious ,and thats my opinion and thank you for letting me post mine, BUT
What i see at least in many cases is that gamespot gives scores to games with some sort of planning = meaning How to review the next installment of a game.
God of War 3 IN MY OPINION was a game tha deserved at least a 9,5.
Then they review it 9 because the had to be somewhere at 8 for the next installment!!!
REMEMBER (and i insist on Grand theft auto and other COD games)
Grand theft auto V is at least a 9,5 game BECAUSE Grand theft auto IV was given a 10!!!!!
Thank God Kevin VanOrd gave a 10 for Metal Gear 4!!!!
BUT BY FAR THE MOST UNFAIR - OUT OF PLACE - BIASED REVIEW IS
Chris Watters FOR PORTAL 2
3 Like Mark walton is a jerk.......he dont even knw how to make a review.......da only person from gamespot who knws whts hez doing is kevin venord.............and mark i hav played the game and its classic GOW.............i hav all the fun i wanted from this game..........go and eat shit u jerk and santa monica hater ......... :P :P
7 Like To all the God of War fans that are afraid to buy the game, don't be. The game doesn't put its predecessors to shame, it only raises the bar! This is what you where expecting! I've just finished it, enjoyed all of it. It's a God of War, you can't be wrong here. If you're a fan of this series, you'll feel the same goosebumps the other GOW offered you. You have the brutality, you have the awesome storytelling, the stunning graphics, the fluid action, you have the larger than the universe epic moments, you have that perfect mayhem of chaos and over the top action, you have everything that ever made God of War so great.
Gamespot is a good gaming site but its staff is filled with fanboys in the worse sense of the word and when they have a grudge against a game, either because of its console or personal taste, they can't stop being biased and write shameful reviews like this one here.
Of course there isn't that element of surprise that you had with the previous installments, but that's obvious, this is what happened right before Kratos set out is plan to kill Ares and take down Olympus, of course this game wouldn't be as "big" as GOW 1, 2 and 3 where, I mean, common, how can you top chasing and killing the olympian gods in such a fashion?
This review is worse than bad and it's completely incoherent. Has for the difficulty, this is peanuts compared to God of War 2 and never gets as hard as the Zeus fight in GOW3. Can't wait to beat it again countless times because it's just plain fun and it just gave me urges to play its predecessors again, over and over until I reach this most recent masterpiece of one of the greatest gaming series of all time.
2 Like In one sentence in what might define this game, this is the story of the deep breath before the plunge into the insane ride that is from God of War 1 to 3. And even as being the deep breath, this is one hell of a ride through the rollercoaster that God of War is, as we all know and love. Go for it! : )
2 Like @Assemblent They gave it an 8 (which means GREAT if you would ever so kindly read the score system). I wouldn't even consider it great though. A great game is a game that will be remembered years from now like the first and second God of War games. While this game may meet the standards of those games that came before it, it just doesn't have the same freshness as before. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, since God of War is still good. I'd give it a 7.5 because it is a GOOD game but I don't think it really pushes any boundaries. But I'm sure you feel differently towards it and I respect that, so do go ahead and enjoy this and any other installment in this great franchise that comes out to your heart's content.
1 Like @Assemblent @josh7845 The thing is, great games exceed expectations. That is why I don't think this game is worthy of being called great, after all, it only meets our expectations. I have no doubt that I will enjoy this title and I appreciate the not-calling-me-a-fanboy. I think you should remember though that it's unlikely a person would skip this game or any game that has an 80 or above average rating on metacritic, especially if they are already established fans of the franchise. Although it is kind of baffling how people are asking whether the game is good or not in the comments when they can read the bloody reviews instead.
@josh7845 @Assemblent I respect your opinion because I really do know what you mean. I speak mostly as a fan, not as a casual God of War gamer. But not pushing boundaries or not being as epic as its predecessors was perfectly expectable as it isn't considered the fourth installment for the franchise and that was expected from a game that's a direct prequel to the trilogy.
It's just that some fans might be put off by the reviews, this one for example, because it's a bit unfair while trying make this game go head to head with the previous 3. I mean, you aren't hunting gods or climbing mount olympus, I know... As for the story and lore, it's as beautiful as was before but without the epic sense of scale from the previous ones, but still, it's brilliantly as put as it was.
One thing I'm for sure, if you're a fan (and I don't even mean a fanboy) of the previous games, you'll absolutely love this one because it has it all, even though not being innovative, but here, that isn't necessarily a bad thing when it comes to enjoy this game to its fullness and as you did the other God of War games.
3 Like Gamespot high as F**K
Telling me that GOW is worse than MGS Rising and slightly better than DmC.
it cant be true
Completed the game twice, once on Hard, ready to do Titan now. I have to say this game was disappointing at first, met a few glitches, one crash, saw some ugly looking tables in some cut scenes lol. I felt this game wasn't needed at all but playing on a higher difficulty made it more epic, it changed my opinion and made me appreciate the game alot more, it made me want to play the entire series again :) Though I find God of War 3 the best out of all the series.
I haven't played multiplayer much but it is fantastic and addictive. I find Mark's opinion on true multiplayer however playing with God of War mechanics and gameplay style make's up for the lack of new modes in my opinion.
And that secret easter egg tease they put on that painting :P "When the Earth stops a new journey begins"A new game or a new God Of War? I'm surprised Gamespot created a article about it since they do quite a lot on speculation.
1 Like Hey guys this will be my first god of war game .. is it ok to play this one now an catch up on the others later (because I really wanna play this game lol) or DO I MOST DEFINAETLY NEED TO PLAY THE OTHERS FIRST?.. I PLAN TO JUST WANT THIS ONE ASAP
THANKS
@weedman336 Probably responding after you have already purchased this, but it is a prequel, so story wise you COULD play this one 1st, but then in my opinion, god of war 1 and 2 would be disapointing as the graphics and gameplay only get better as the series continues.
1 Like @weedman336 hey man, it's a prequel so you won't miss anything in terms of story. Might be harder in terms of gameplay to go back to the beginning as they have evolved the gameplay somewhat over the years, but yeah you can play this first and enjoy the original trilogy (and the PSP games) afterwards...
@weedman336 I'd pick up the older ones first, but that's just me. I think you can get all three in once collection now. I never played the PSP ones. But GoW 1 and 2 are epic.
3 Like Just completed this on hard and jesus! was it! Trial of Archimedes is one of the toughest unforgiving parts in a game i've ever played . Awesome game tho! looks incredible plays great. Best overall gow game for me
@nobbsie86 ...I'm thinking of quiting and starting again on normal, the combat is to infuriating, I can't do any combo's with enemies, its nothing but evade and attack because the blocking just doesn't work, enemies have unblockable attacks and even attack when hit and there's to many enemies to deal with, stupid it is and its sucking all the enjoyment out of the game
@Supabul @nobbsie86 Sounds like every hack and slash ever made, Revengeance comes to mind and Ninja Gaiden and Lollipop Chainsaw and everything else.
God of War 3 was more epic, but with the exception of the Trial of Archimedes, Ascension is a big overall improvement. It flows better. The puzzles aren't annoying. Once you've solved the puzzle, you'll be able to breeze through it the second time through. A couple of the puzzles in GoW3 were imaginative but poorly designed. Ascension feels more fluid whereas GoW3 felt like you were being transported from one level to the next. My advice to those who have a life, until the patch comes out, play the game on easy and make sure to collect everything to max out your health and magic and max out your blades of chaos. You're gonna need it for the Trial of Archimedes but if you're maxed out on everything you'll be able to get through it without dying once.
@FighterforJC
Well I did it on normal first time through without having to change difficulty. The challenge is the elevater but after you revise each section and make sure you get to the second faze with magic and some life, taking down those blue women and bird's hitting L2 and triangle and using all magic attack's it isn't too hard.
@LukeWesty I had a problem with a slight change in combat system since the beginning, but got a hang of it when it went further, but honestly on that elevator level, I'm doubting...that slight change in combat system sux big time...they didn't make it more challenging, they made it annoying....I'm glad i didn't buy this game just for the love i have 4 the previous GOWs.
@LukeWesty Ive never finished GOW3 on titan (hard mode) because the damn Hades Cerberus dog fight after the labirynth is just too damn hard..and now I hit a wall in GOW:A too at the trials of archimedes..... lol I always game on Hard in every games I play but it seems like GOW knowswhat a real hard difficulty is...Ill never finish any of those games
@PouyaDH
Most games I start on hard mode but because I knew GOW can be unforgiving I didn't and glad I didn't. Can imagine people going hard mode straight away because these days hard on games is normal and a lot I bet realised they made a big misstake goin. lol
@LukeWesty @PouyaDH lol, you'd probably need all the luck u can get,
GOD that level is stupid!!! there's not even an option to lower the difficulty if ure stuck, and no green souls from the last enemy u kill to generate health a bit B4 the next wave kick in (this feature exists in previous GOWs)
Going to attempt hard mode but in all honesty at time's on the elevator I did scratch my head and think how the hell will I be able to do this on hard. lol
just beat the game on normal. 8 hours total game time. it was haaaaaaaaard. i will disagree with Mark on boss battles being easy. it's only in the first stage against hecatonchires that it's easy, the rest of the game is quite challenging. also coming form a guy who played all the other god of war games, DONT LISTEN TO THE REVIEWS, THIS GAME AWESOME!!!!
I finally beat the game. On EASY. Health and magic maxed out, it was a breeze. Thankfully, playing on easy was still satisfying. Anyways, can someone tell me how I use the artifacts I collected? I started a new game plus but I don't see any option to use any of the artifacts I've found.
I played god of war 1 , 2 , 3 and now i finished this game . Kratos here have emotions which is good . he is not a mindless crazy killer which i didnt like in the rest of the series . In my humble opinion this game is better than god of war 3 but not better than 1 and 2 . The story is good but not that good as 1 and 2 . Boss fights are epic specially the last boss although its not as good as fighting with zeus in god of war2 . The combat is very impressive you have 4 powers from gods each one have unique magic . In the end its a nice and fun game .
I just finished gow ascension and collected all orbs , all artifacts . OMG - THAT FUKIN ELEVATOR SECTION, OH MY FREAKIN GOD.......but is still wasnt as hard as gow 1 though ; I mean after completing gow 1 , you actually feel like the "god of war". This game's story isn't as strong as the rest.I finished in 10 hours on normal; but if I wasnt so meticulous on finding all the shit in the game , I prolly wuda finished in 8 1/2 hrs. The boss kills arnt as great as gow 3. In this game I expected to see kratos with his family, and the origin of him making the blood oath with Ares- leading to him killing his family. If all of that was in the game culminating to him breaking the "oath with Ares" by killing the furies , it wuda been a better and complete narrative. Instead the feeling I had when I finished the game was "what.....thats it?"
Gaytos is back, with more one dimensional, uninteresting, unoriginal, predictable gayness. As a proud owner of both the ps3 and 360, I will not be buying this typical piece of garbage.
The game is a disappointment, I played all GOW series and I have to say this title did not live up to its reputation as the previous GOW. No problem with audio and video.
1. Combos are always interrupted by enemies as they are immune to your attacks. Think I have encounter all glitches in this game.
2. Start the game without connecting to the internet only to find out there was no in game audio. Connected to internet, 1st day patch appears (I thought that is EA?s specialty).
3. Camera glitch at Passage to Delphi
4. Fight the furies at Apollo?s gauntlet, the second fury, second part of the fight another glitch, she stuck in air and keep laugh in an infinite loop.
5. And random crashes along the way.
Storyline is pretty boring, overall if you have never play GOW it should be a good experience, but for those who have played the previous GOW, don?t get hyped cause it will be a disappointment.
GOW3 is the best game!!!
@Megatoas Did you get a fucked up disc or something? I haven't had any glitches or crashes.
4 Like http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8nsjNUcigU
This is a more perfect review of this game, and make more sense than scores ever does.
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God of War: Ascension
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- Publisher(s): SCEA
- Developer(s): SCE Santa Monica
- Genre: Action
- Release:
- ESRB: M
God of War: Ascension Navigation
