20°

"The Halo 3 Effect" and God of War III, How the Hype Can Kill the Game

GaggleGames writes: God of War III is the most eagerly anticipated Playstation 3 exclusive of the year, if not the most anticipated game of the year. Sony Santa Monica has promised to close out the trilogy with a bang with battles on the backs of Titans and battles with the Gods themselves. The problem with God of War III is that it is becoming too big for its own good. With all of the hype surrounding it from both the media and gamers alike God of War III is becoming an almost unreal game. Here is where I would like to introduce something I call, "The Halo 3 Effect".

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NateNater5216d ago (Edited 5216d ago )

Only Kratos can live up to all the hype. In the end there will only be chaos!

@ deadreckoning below. I did read the article. I just say things like that because its funny to see people get all upset over it. I actually should have put this comment in the open zone but I guess its too late now. You think I actually can judge a game before I play it? No one can. People are wayyy to serious about crap on this site.

deadreckoning6665216d ago (Edited 5216d ago )

Good Article actually. And drummer, comment on the article instead of spewing ur fanboy crap. How the hell do you know if Reach, GOW3, or ANY game for that matter lives up to the hype unless uve played it first?

"God of War III will be a good game no doubt, but it will be a much better game if we do not allow ourselves to be carried away in all of the hype."

Exactly.

mastiffchild5216d ago

Well, it depends on the gamer, really, doesn't it? If you don't ge caught up by the hype train you'll see the games for what they are regardless of whatever surrounds them. In actual fact the hype can't affect a game's quality at all and merely it's reception if too many people start expecting way too much and, surely to goodness, we've learned a little by now, no?

To be fair, also, most gamers are sensible enough to realise the chances are that both games(Reach and GOW3)will be excellent but neither will change your life in a major way. I'm a big fan of both series myself and still don't think either will be light years ahead of everything else coming this year no matter what anyone else says-and that way if, by some miracle, one or the other does prove a massive leap forwards it'll be a lovely surprise for me! I think it's more likely for a game like Heavy Rain to alter our perspectives more-but only if it's good as well as novel-but it's differences mean that should it pull it's goals off really well it stands to make a much larger impression by, practically, inventing a new genre for us all.

Obviously, it also runs a far greater risk of being an unplayable mistake but it remains harder for a game in a trad genre, let alone a game in a series, to really amaze us all. Whatever, if we could all learn that the hype only exists if we allow it to the gaming world would be a much better place with more pleaant shocks and fewer nasty disappointments.

darthv725216d ago (Edited 5216d ago )

There is no doubt GoW3 will be big. I really don't think it will be as big as the Halo 3 kind of big. Looking at the popularity of both franchises you can see the sales increase upon each halo release. It isnt the same with GoW series. Clearly the first sold best and with the better story and added elements to the 2nd should have made it a clear successor to the first. Or, at least match the first in sales/popularity. Not sure what happened there.

Halo is a phenomenon. A rarity if you will. Sales are no indication of quality but they are a good judge of popularity. GoW3 will undoubtedly surpass the quality of Halo 3 but it may never reach the limits set forth by the Master chief on his 3rd outing. I really believe only GT5 will overthrow the Chief in sales/popularity this gen.

Yes, they are two different games but I am going on the popularity of the series as a whole. Not the actual content of the games themselves.

edit: just to add...the only real thig people dont understand about "hype" is everyone has a different level they apply to things. If you apply the full amount to something and find it doesnt live up to that then you can really only blame yourself for getting that hyped in the first place. I have not been super hyped for any game this gen and like to reserve my level of hype to a more conservative level.

I can be excited at the announcement of a game but still reserve myself as the game gets closer to launch. Most have a problem with knowing where their comfort level is. If more people looked at these up coming games as simply games and let the excitement build as they play, they wont feel so let down and in fact could feel more impressed with what the game offers instead of what they were overly excited about it not offering.

Just my POV.

ukilnme5216d ago

People can say what they will about Halo 3 and its graphics but it sure is some "quality" fun. That is what matters most.

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bnaked5216d ago (Edited 5216d ago )

God of War 3 is inviolable..

Somnipotent5216d ago

unimpeachable? i'm not sure how a formal process of bringing charges to an elected official has anything to do a game.

bnaked5216d ago (Edited 5216d ago )

errr sorry i'm german and it seems that my dictionary is crap. i hope inviolable is the better word lol..

Somnipotent5216d ago (Edited 5216d ago )

the hype behind halo 3 was extemely high expectations, of which weren't ultimately realized, especially in terms of graphic fidelity. it sold well and is still played heavily on xbox live. regardless of how great a game is, you'll always, without fail, have people to find faults in it. thus, usher in the "doom and gloom" articles about how GOWIII will fail or will suck.

ukilnme5216d ago

"Most people said it sucked, but it really did not suck, what sucked was that we all brought the game to an unmatchable level of hype. We imagined the greatest game ever and were disappointed when Halo 3 was anything but."

I wonder how many of the 10 Million+ that bought Halo 3 said it sucked. I absolutely love it and I rarely played multiplayer. After beating KZ2 I went back to playing Halo 3 and there was nothing on PS3 that could pull me away from it until I started playing Uncharted a few months ago and moved on to Uncharted 2. I must say that I have not played Halo 3 since playing Uncharted 2. Regardless of the hype, maybe God of War III will be the game to pull me away from Uncharted 2.

Schick5213d ago

The problem with hype and games is that to a lot of gamers tend to get the idea in their head that the game will be over the top. I mean they believe that it will have the best graphics they've seen or the game play will be completely without flaws. And you know what the same can and probably will happen with GOW3. But we all have to understand that if a developer doesn't hype up their game and if fans don't hype up the game before it comes out there is something wrong and the game probably won't be all that great. And when it comes to sequels most of the hype is from a gamer's point of view is the hope that it will be better than the original and sometimes like it has been said, leads to disappointment way too often.

70°

The Best Video Game Opening Levels In Gaming History

The Opening Levels that hooked gamers from the outset.

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240°

Ranking Every God of War Game From Worst to Best

Cultured Vultures: Let’s delve into Kratos’ long and rampageous history and find out which games are worth the hype and which are better left buried under the weight of Kratos’s might.

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culturedvultures.com
JL2930168d ago

Both requels over 2 and 3? Clowns. Those are two of the most boring games I've ever played.

Snookies12168d ago

GoW 3 was amazing, but I personally hated just one thing. (This is on me alone, because I was dumb, lol.) I hated that you couldn't skip cutscenes on repeat playthroughs. I had to go back through the game a third time because I missed one trophy accidentally on my way to the platinum... The cutscenes were great the first go round, even the second... But the third was pretty agonizing.

Haven't played Ragnarok, but I still think GoW 4 is a wonderful game in its own right. Not sure how I would stack them up against each other honestly.

Monstieur168d ago (Edited 168d ago )

I don't consider the reboot part of the original series. The original series were high-skill games with combos and rewards for mixing things up.

solideagle168d ago

lol square, square and triangle is the only combo you needed. I have played all of them on the hardest difficulties...

Golfcoachh168d ago

Maybe I’m just old school but I just couldn’t get into the last two. Maybe it’s the slower action and more story telling but the original trilogy was by far my favorite.

Crows90168d ago

It's not that youre old school. They're different genres

JL2930167d ago (Edited 167d ago )

Me either, at all. It's just yap yap yap. They try to be a RPG's instead of being action games like they used to be.

Fluke_Skywalker168d ago

I'd put the two psp games over 3 in terms of story any day. But not over 2.

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TheEnigma313168d ago (Edited 168d ago )

My favorite was part 2 and I think Ragnarok is better that 2018.

Shane Kim168d ago

The newer games are better imo.

ravens52168d ago

There is no worst. Except for Ascension, only cause I didn't play it lol. They are all masterpieces. 1,2,3, 2018 and Ragnarok. 1 of, if not the greatest video game franchise...besides MetalGear.

Snookies12168d ago

Oh wow, I actually forgot that Ascension even existed... I never played it either.

Crows90168d ago

I like ascension. It was different and some interesting combat additions.

darthv72168d ago

If you didnt play it, how could you call it the worst? Its not as bad as the media portrayed it. Honestly the worst are those flash games. they arent even considered true GoW games but in name only. At least Ascension is a real GoW game.

ravens52168d ago

Not saying it's a terrible game. Just mean it's at the bottom of my list. I played a little bit of it. Jus to me, compared to the other main games, it's last.

Fluke_Skywalker168d ago

Ascension is the only GOW game I never finished. Hated it.

Inverno168d ago

Can't agree, older games do so much more than the last two. More weapons, magic abilities, enemies are more varied, level design is also more aesthetically pleasing, and agree with those who say that they shouldn't have removed jumping. Was a time I'd agree, but those old games are so so much better, that they really should've looked into bringing into the reboot/sequels.

Crows90168d ago (Edited 168d ago )

If a game is good then a game is good. Doesn't matter what came before or what comes after.

Inverno168d ago

Of course it matters. If not for what what came before there wouldn't be an after. And if something is great before then you strive to make it just as good if not better, after. I personally don't think there's a fair way to judge the new with the old because the newer games are still essentially a reboot, and went a way different direction. But I still believe the old games did it better. I'm probably bias though since I've been going back to old games and have been finding that they lack all the annoying aspects that devs have shoehorned into new games to fluff out game time.

Crows90167d ago

@Inverno

Im not talking about the passage of time here. Im talking about individual pieces of software. If a game is good then it is good. Thats not a controversial statement. You can compare good with good...sure. But you still end up with good. Now if there is a bad game in the mix and you compare you do end up with some differentials between them...makes sense to compare and see where it went wrong.

But theyre different genres and styles which were individually executed very well.

And no. The new games are not a reboot. Theyre a new direction but simply a continuation.
Tomb raider was a reboot.

Inverno167d ago

The new games are definitely a reboot, and a continuation, it can be both which it is. And a good game might be good, but my point is that if there are things done better before it then there's plenty of room for critiquing and trying to make whatever comes after better rather than just good.

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170°

God of War 3 Remastered Has Sold 4 Million Copies To Date

God of War 3 Remaster has sold 4 million copies since its inception, making the franchise PlayStation's most profitable gamer merch brand.

purple101330d ago

Haha I still remember my brother playing the opening scene on ps3!!!

Yeh he had to put the controller down his heart was beating too fast trying to get past first 10 minutes. He said "it's too much". Best thing I've ever seen in gaming. Haha

robtion329d ago

A great game from an era before things went politically correct and gaming turned serious/'mature'.

It certainly wasn't concerned about upsetting or offending anyone and was more fun because of it.

The boss battles and set pieces still top most games released today.

SullysCigar330d ago

This game was absurdly good for it's time. The very definition of 'epic'.

robtion329d ago

Yes. The graphics were just ridiculous compared to most other games on the market at the time.

masterfox329d ago

I wished Ascension had the same treatment.

Heavenly King329d ago

Ascension SP had some things better than GOW3, and also some things worst than GOW3. But in general it was a really good game, for me it also deserves a REMASTER. The problem per se with the game is that most people were satisfied on how GOWIII ended, so Kratos got his revenge, so in order to rise the interest in the game how have to make it MORE EPIC is that the game did not had the epicness of fighting huge bosses (I guess due to technical difficulties,the game had actually a lot more colors (because the world is not dying like in GOWIII) so it is graphically more demanding that is my guess), but it compensated with having in general a more complex combat system, and an amazing soundtrack. but in general the game needed to be more epic than GOWIII somehow, and that did not happened, after GOWIII people had expectations through the roof. They should have waited and release it for PS4 so the vision of the game is not compromised.

My list of good and bad compared to GOWIII

GOOD: THE COMBAT
The combat was more elaborated, which allows you to be more immersed in the fights. Also every enemy was more resistant, even those that you could usually kill in 2-3 attacks in previous games. THE LAST BOSS is so damn epic!!!, but there is only one moment like this in the whole game.

GOOD: LESS QTEs
I love the fact that "cicle" in the new enemies (killing animations) are not QTEs, in Ascension they are mini-games on their own, depending on the enemy, making it more engaging. You had to dodge and hit when the window was open in order to eventually do the killing blow.

GOOD: The Soundtrack
it has the orginal trilogy musics, but with a new perspective since the game had a new composer. The ST was amazing also the new music written specifically for this game were badass

GOOD: The puzzles actually require you to think.

BAD: There are bad camera angles during the game, like zooming way too out of vista, and then swarming you with "light units" that like I said before had better AI and did not die of 2 attacks. those parts a few, but are a mess.

BAD: EMPTY ARENAS
Other thing that really annoyed me is that when you fight a sub-boss/heavy unit in a big arena; that ARENA WAS EMPTY, it was just you and against the medusa, or against the manticore. They should have zoom in into the action to avoid noticing the void scenario. I guess emptiness was because of the game having a lot more colors (because the world is not dying like in GOWIII) so it is graphically more demanding. My guess is that it was not possible technically, since in most of those cases you had huge vistas or intricate scenarios that needed to be rendered. The fact that the cerberus is smaller in this game disappointed me.

BAD: Only one BADASS EPIC moment, the others moments of the game were great but, they needed to set the bar even higher than GOWIII and they failed miserably.

BAD: The graphics did not improved much. I was GOWIII with more colors, and that's it.

So 4 good things against 4 bad ones. The problem is those 2 last BAD aspects are actually why the game was received so poorly. Everyone expects the next game to have a really BIG improvement in all aspects in contrast to the previous one, and that was not the case in ascension. And also GOW is the definition of EPIC, and that was not there neither. The jump on every aspect from GOWI to GOWII was huge being on the same console, and the jump from GOWII to GOWIII was humongous (obviously because a more powerful console). While the jump from GOWIII to Ascension is too little, and people expected more.

On it's own is a good game; but is not sufficient when GOWIII was released before it.

CrimsonWing69329d ago

I know this is unpopular opinion, but I prefer these over the new ones. I’m not saying the new ones are bad or anything, but they sort of get boring to me, whereas the older games were like non-stop roller coaster rides.

ChiefofLoliPolice329d ago

I love the new ones but I understand what you mean. The older ones had more action and was more arcady like.

MIDGETonSTILTS17329d ago

Ragnarok was not BIG at all… GoW1 had larger set pieces, and it was on ps2.

GoW 2018 had big moments in its own way…. Ragnarok abandoned these aspects though

robtion329d ago

I agree. It was just less serious and more fun.

victorMaje329d ago

One of my all time favourites.

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