Hands-On with God of War - Can we Suspend this Much Disbelief? | AusGamers

AusGamers has played the first few hours of God of War in a preview session for the game recently and goes in-depth on a number of structural gameplay systems Santa Monica Studios has employed this time around. Citing more RPG depth, new level-design featuring a lot of hidden areas to explore, as well as looking at how this God of War truly differs from previous entries. They also explore some design and character/combat inconsistencies with quotes from an interview they did with SMS's Aaron Kaufman.

[nucky64]

"suspend this much disbelief?" ........message to ausgamers - it's a GAME.

[billythepunk]

It's funny because in my interview with Aaron he realised that there are a number of things that don't actually add up, and confirmed he would be taking them back to SMS as genuine feedback. If you read the whole article, you'll see that the game is loved, it just has inconsistencies with the studio's own rules they set in place.

[thekhurg]

It's a videogame.

[Lamboomington]

It's a videogame so don't go into detailed criticism. Videogames are not art. Didn't you know ?

Suspension of disbelief is an insignificant detail that doesn't really matter, Billy. Didn't you know ?

[RabbitFly]

The problem I see with your argument is two-fold.

First off. It is made as a justification for criticising the game's change of venue. Which doesn't make any sense.

Because, while the typical power-progression of god of war can be seen as immersion breaking for the reasons you stated. The same can be said of both god of war 2 and 3. So I don't see how the setting is relevant.

Secondly. This is an issue in most games with some form of power-progression. So while the issue you put forth has merit, it seems like a double standard to put it forward in this fashion.

Most games need the cannon-fodder enemies to still pose a threat, even after you progress far enough to kill a god, and it is almost never justified within the games' presentation.

So while your general argument does make sense, the angle you are chosing to present it in, does come off as an attempt to rile up the fanboys.

Which is something, that rightfully, should be criticised.

[sampsonon]

can u f -ing let people know you have f-ing spoilers in the article next time.
and yes, you sound like someone that always complains about little things so i won't go by your experience in having played only 3/50 hr game.
you obviously went in looking for an excuse to slight the game because you said so in the article.

and Aaron most likely rolled his eyes after you walked away.
there's always one.

you reviewed Assassin's Creed Origins and said this : An entirely new space to explore that beautifully compliments Origins' Egypt

so it's ok for one game but not another?

[Eonjay]

I might have to suspend my disbelief just to entertain your article. And then someone else can write an article about how much I had to suspend to pretend you are for real.

[indysurfn]

No it is not realistic, I hear that all the time when people watch me play a turn based JRPG, ....It's a videogame.

Example someone shots a large lava rock at a girl in her pretty flowered lace dress with a teddy bear. And she does not even get dirty or burned and then she almost is dancing as she cast's her spell and she flys and her personal robot transforms into a giant hammer and smashes his head. It's a game big deal!

[nucky64]

I did read it and don't mean anything bad at all - but, when playing a game, I don't nitpick the kinds of things they're talking about - I want a FUN experience and really don't look for "real world" inconsistencies. for example, I don't ask why Nathan drake never takes a dump during any of the uncharted games - and at no time do I have to "suspend disbelief" to get by this and enjoy the game. LOL. in bloodborne, I never ask why I can beat a 40 foot tall monster but can't jump over a small fence....and I still enjoyed that game too. see what I mean?

[billythepunk]

Okay, so let's just break down the actual issue here, which is being largely misconstrued among all of you. Firstly, I'm not asking for realism. The "Nathan Drake taking a dump" comment is hilarious because, in his last outing you literally DO spend time in his house being 'normal', which shows the level of realism you think I'm reaching for, so your comment is already redundant based on the game you decided to example.

It's not about 'realism', it's about consistency. In my article, I CLEARLY state: "when you set up a basic commandment of player-adopted rules" it means that there's an expectation for those rules to be played out, in the form in which they're delivered. Games offer progression, which is effectively growth. So, while we know the rules early in, let's say, the first hour of gameplay, SMS throws ALL of those rules out of the window. EVERYTHING you've been doing up until that point -- including dying, thus destroying the fantasy of "did you ever think he's holding back his powers for the sake Atreus?" -- is redundant. It's fun. But now it's redundant because we weren't told, in the rules, that Kratos has a Super Saiyan mode. That he can heal himself on his own. That the dying you did earlier, that the challenging combat against low-level fodder you did earlier, that the "can't get past that basic stone wall, because it's stone" impediment you faced earlier, is now actually no longer the rule-set. It's all lies.

Yes, there might be a narrative reason behind this. He might have been "holding back" but when you have hard fail death as part of that narrative position, it also becomes redundant.

So, I have an issue with balance and consistency in the canon and lore. You ALL love this game because of its character and his plight, yeah? Then instead of attacking someone critical of those things being compromised for the sake of an 'epic' moment, hold the game to the standard the game itself sets out early to establish. And, maybe read the whole article, because I still CLEARLY enjoy the game.

Would I happily let it slide that Darth Vader - out of nowhere in the next Star Wars movie - ALWAYS had the power of resurrection, we just didn't know?

[rainslacker]

It's funny. When I play a game, I tend to just suspend disbelief. Same tends to be true for most movies or TV shows I watch. Sometimes things don't add up....often referred to as plot holes...and they can be distracting. If it's too distracting, then it's usually not that good. If it's a minor thing, it's usually easy enough to overlook, or it doesn't stand out so much that it's distracting. Typically, when I play a game, or watch a show, I'm not analyzing for every inconsistency.

[Lamboomington]

and ?

That's why you have to suspend disbelief, because it's not real.

You don't have to get triggered by anything that sounds remotely negative.

No logic in this comments section. Just blindly defend against anything that sounds negative, even if it means using incredibly dumb arguments.

[dillydadally]

I'm going to guess you didn't read the actual article.

He literally says in the article, "This is a videogame -- it’s made-up, it’s entertainment, it’s just people being creative. I get that. But..."

And then he goes on to explain why it's still a problem. And he has a point. Go read the actual article. Don't be one of those people that comments after just reading a title or the first few lines.

[cbuc1125]

Ever stop to think that he might be holding back to train the boy?

[fenome]

Exactly. From what I gather he's been trying to tame his rage while battling inner demons (think David Banner and The Hulk), he's also not ready to reveal the truth to his son about who/what they really are. That doesn't make him any less of a God killer if push comes to shove, plus it just wouldn't be much fun if regular combat didn't pose as some kind of challenge.

I'll find out in a month, can't wait to get my own hands on this one! Flinging that axe around looks sick!

[monkeyDzoro]

You are tripping man. Loool. It's like asking: how can Kratos struggle agains mere Ogres if he can beat the shit out of Zeus with his bare hands ? I'm sry, but that's plain ridiculous.

[Lamboomington]

Why is it ridiculous ? It's a very basic question. Unless you have suitable explanations for those questions, you end up having inconsistencies. That doesn't mean they ruin the game, or even stand out enough to be an issue. It depends on case to case.

[littlezizu]

Bcox at end of GOW 3 he gives up all his power to save world. So Anyone who played previous game know he lost all his power doing it.

[WelkinCole]

You obviously have not played part 3 yet you talk about inconsistencies. Wow

[rainslacker]

Every game in the series you pretty much started at zero, and built up over the whole game.

This time it's a problem that requires you have to suspend disbelief so much that it breaks the immersion?

It's a game. If you went in playing in God Mode, then it wouldn't be that much fun.

When I play GT Sport, I don't question why my car isn't completely obliterated, and my avatar dies when I ram into a wall head on at 150mph. I just accept that it's because it wouldn't be much fun to have that be realistic.

[Dark_Knightmare2]

It's ridiculous because almost every game in video game history is the same. There's plenty of games where your character is doing awesome things in a cutscene that you the player could never ever do because it isn't allowed yet no one cares because that's just what we are accustomed to. I read the whole article and I just feel he's being extremely nitpicky and that he used it as clickbait because this game as exposure and hype even though there's been tons of other games that suffered the same problem.

[chris235]

personally, i find the idea piss poor to twist a franchise instead of creating new characters just so that every second purchase will be brand based instead of convinced by quality. sigh. reboots remakes rehashes. is no one anymore willing or able to take risks?

[Rude-ro]

Tons of risk this gen.
A lot more of a risk with the direction of god of war as well.
They could have played it safe... but they didn’t. How it will turn out is yet to be seen.
I get that it may be hard to see... you seem to favor Microsoft and I am quite sure that you probably do not see the risks this gen.

[SilverDemon]

Risk? Like taking a beloved IP and change it drastically to put new life in it?
Completely Changing the game play so much it basically moved to another genre
Removing one of gaming most Iconic weapons?
Changing the who methodology of thr game into a new one?
If you want to see games with no risks go play halo5, cod, gears4 and more

Everything about this new game is a risk. Only a blind person won't see it

[Eonjay]

Yes, all maliciously evil things to stick it to gamers for the glory of Satan. Obviously.

[SilverDemon]

Eonjay

What?

[SilverDemon]

Reborn
And how does that disapprove my point. You admit the weapons were Iconic (regardless of why they were) and they were removed.even if you can use multiple weapons there is is a chance Chaos blades wont be included

My point is: it takes risk to change kratos and the weapons he uses. Its a risk of loosing fans and sales which is the biggest risk

[Jinger]

I kinda agree with him. In the originals when it would break to cinematic stuff and Kratos would do something crazy moves it didn't feel out of place because even the gameplay was always over the top and crazy.

While in the game, with it trying to be more grounded, it's weird going from the restricted gameplay where Kratos can't jump and needs a chain to climb a 15 foot wall but then can carry his son on his back while scaling cliffs and punching boulders and other crazy things like mentioned in that Stranger fight.

[dRanzer]

You have a lot of complaints about Sony's exclusives,MS exclusives? Not at all
Im guessing shot in the face of moving skulls is what you like

[Jinger]

Am I complaining? Or just pointing out that it is strange? I also praise a lot of Sony games, but you guys always tend to not notice those.

[HeisenbergX]

Of course you agree with him

[Jinger]

Well, sure. Finally ONE journalists who seems truthful while analyzing this new design change and brought a valid point.

Obviously he still really enjoyed the game, but that was something that bothered him. It's something I know quite a few fans of GoW are bothered with.

[QuickdrawMcgraw]

i have know idea,but maybe he has lost his power for some reason...

[P_Bomb]

Happened to Logan. Kratos has died a few times already. Sooner or later it’s gonna stick.

[Gwiz]

I made the mistake of comparing it to the Greek mythology,we should judge it based on Norse Mythology.

[The_Sage]

I know everyone is going to jump on this guy, but he does have a bit of a point if you read the article. He's basically saying that with as powerful as you are in certain situations, the low level enemies can feel unbalanced.

[Rude-ro]

Is that not every series in gaming?
They always have either repeating npcs where in the previous game you leveled up or gained things to eventually wipe them out easily only to go back and repeat the same progression in a sequel.
Sounds like making a mountain out of a mole hill with what has been in gaming since franchises were created.
I get the “complaint”... I just can not think of any examples of how it can be done better.
In the god of war series, it was always explained why there is a kind of reset... perhaps we just need to play the game to find out and it does sound like it even starts to explain said situation in the first 3 hours of the hands on according to articles I have read.

[AspiringProGenji]

Yeah becasue those cheap skeletons in past games were so powerful s/

[The_Sage]

He's saying the low level enemies are too powerful compared to how you can handle the bosses. I'm not saying he's right, just pointing out what he's saying.

[Dark_Knightmare2]

The low level enemies aren't unbalanced their designed to give a challenge because it's a freaking videogame and if we could one hit kill everything we would have articles from this very site and comments from people like you complaining about it.

[lellkay]

God of War has always had this thing where Kratos stuggles to open a door one second, and then can block the punch of a god the next... its a bit of a inconsistency that i could easily look past in the more arcade like trillogy. If them things still happen here (while this game is trying harder to tell a more "realistic" story) then i can see it sometimes being a small imersion breaker... regardless i'm still super excited for this.

[PurplePeopleEaters]

While watching that long gameplay video I did notice the enemies were slow to attack him. The only enemies that did land a hit were the ogres.

Still, the gameplay looks badass and brutal as always

[GameGod26]

Cool

[MrVux000]

Different mythology comes with different and perhaps stronger foes...

[IRetrouk]

Name me a game that does not do this......its ok ill wait.

[ShadowWolf712]

About the only things I can think of are turn-based RPGs.

[IRetrouk]

But even then the enemies usually get tougher as you level up which is really the same thing, its a non-issue in almost every game, i think some of the reviews are gonna be very entertaining

[ShadowWolf712]

I was thinking more of like when you're re-visiting past areas but yeah, that too.

[WelkinCole]

How many puzzles in GOW game I needed to do something to open and area to go to or climb up when he is a God killer?

Not exactly sure when reality was actually part of GOW.

Just seems like someone just overthinking this and pick on one particular game (when every other game does it) just to gain attention.

[dragonyght]

we making that argument, Kratos is powerful as how skillful the player is. for example with hardcore games like souls games many ppl who try to beat the game with at least 180 character level, top armor and build still struggle. and you have pple who beat with level 1 character, naked and bare fist.
its a none issue really