Topic: God of War 3

[broodwars]

Well, I've finally found it.  Every God of War game has at least one section seemingly designed to piss me off with absolutely atrocious game design.  The first game had Hades, the second had that ridiculous final QTE and a few really tedious aquatic death traps, and it seems the third game has The Chain of Balance (for starters.  Knowing the God of War developers, they're just getting started in that regard). 

Now, up till this point I have had a reasonably good time with the game, especially once I acquired my "lantern" that helps a great deal in combat (except against those annoying little bladed pricks that like to hide in the ground and dive at you, who seem to have no suitable counter aside from just trying to wait until they finally decided to stand up).  But this section drives me patience to the breaking point: it's a frickin' escort mission in a God of War game where you have to make sure an ever-increasing wave of Minotaurs don't break the chain that's holding your platform up while you're also trying not to die fighting them.  Why some moron developer decided to put one in this game I'll never understand, but it's truly ridiculous.  There are just too many minotaurs, and my Claws of Hades (my best weapon) just can't kill them fast enough (especially with those archers taking pot shots at me, who are difficult to hit back with the Bow of Apollo because the aiming control in this game is atrocious).  Argh!  If this were Hard (Titan) Difficulty I could understand this, but I'm playing on the game's Normal (God) Difficulty!

[GoldenPhoenix]

Well, I've finally found it.  Every God of War game has at least one section seemingly designed to piss me off with absolutely atrocious game design.  The first game had Hades, the second had that ridiculous final QTE and a few really tedious aquatic death traps, and it seems the third game has The Chain of Balance (for starters.  Knowing the God of War developers, they're just getting started in that regard). 

Now, up till this point I have had a reasonably good time with the game, especially once I acquired my "lantern" that helps a great deal in combat (except against those annoying little bladed pricks that like to hide in the ground and dive at you, who seem to have no suitable counter aside from just trying to wait until they finally decided to stand up).  But this section drives me patience to the breaking point: it's a frickin' escort mission in a God of War game where you have to make sure an ever-increasing wave of Minotaurs don't break the chain that's holding your platform up while you're also trying not to die fighting them.  Why some moron developer decided to put one in this game I'll never understand, but it's truly ridiculous.  There are just too many minotaurs, and my Claws of Hades (my best weapon) just can't kill them fast enough (especially with those archers taking pot shots at me, who are difficult to hit back with the Bow of Apollo because the aiming control in this game is atrocious).  Argh!  If this were Hard (Titan) Difficulty I could understand this, but I'm playing on the game's Normal (God) Difficulty!

Sounds lovely. Wow.

[broodwars]

Well, I've finally found it.  Every God of War game has at least one section seemingly designed to piss me off with absolutely atrocious game design.  The first game had Hades, the second had that ridiculous final QTE and a few really tedious aquatic death traps, and it seems the third game has The Chain of Balance (for starters.  Knowing the God of War developers, they're just getting started in that regard). 

Now, up till this point I have had a reasonably good time with the game, especially once I acquired my "lantern" that helps a great deal in combat (except against those annoying little bladed pricks that like to hide in the ground and dive at you, who seem to have no suitable counter aside from just trying to wait until they finally decided to stand up).  But this section drives me patience to the breaking point: it's a frickin' escort mission in a God of War game where you have to make sure an ever-increasing wave of Minotaurs don't break the chain that's holding your platform up while you're also trying not to die fighting them.  Why some moron developer decided to put one in this game I'll never understand, but it's truly ridiculous.  There are just too many minotaurs, and my Claws of Hades (my best weapon) just can't kill them fast enough (especially with those archers taking pot shots at me, who are difficult to hit back with the Bow of Apollo because the aiming control in this game is atrocious).  Argh!  If this were Hard (Titan) Difficulty I could understand this, but I'm playing on the game's Normal (God) Difficulty!

Sounds lovely. Wow.

Oh, it gets better: there are no checkpoints in this entire 5+ minute sequence (despite there being plentiful checkpoints everywhere else in the game up to this point), so when you die you have to start all over again back at the beginning of the sequence.  Hell, at that point in the game I hadn't seen a save point in probably about 15-20 minutes.  I suppose the developers thought that it was better to just start over and give you a fresh chain so you would have a chance to keep it more intact by the point you previously failed, but it just makes this sequence a lot more frustrating than it should be.  Honestly, the difficulty's been all over the place so far.

[Adrock]

Dude, square, square, triangle.

I personally detested the Wings of Icarus areas where you have to dodge debris and fly through holes. There are like 5 in the game. The invisible chests are BS too. This was the first GoW game where I didn't have all the upgrades by the end.

[Stogi]

Yeah that was one thing I hated about the game; the over use of the the Icarus Vent or whatever.

Well, I've finally found it.  Every God of War game has at least one section seemingly designed to piss me off with absolutely atrocious game design.  The first game had Hades, the second had that ridiculous final QTE and a few really tedious aquatic death traps, and it seems the third game has The Chain of Balance (for starters.  Knowing the God of War developers, they're just getting started in that regard). 

Now, up till this point I have had a reasonably good time with the game, especially once I acquired my "lantern" that helps a great deal in combat (except against those annoying little bladed pricks that like to hide in the ground and dive at you, who seem to have no suitable counter aside from just trying to wait until they finally decided to stand up).  But this section drives me patience to the breaking point: it's a frickin' escort mission in a God of War game where you have to make sure an ever-increasing wave of Minotaurs don't break the chain that's holding your platform up while you're also trying not to die fighting them.  Why some moron developer decided to put one in this game I'll never understand, but it's truly ridiculous.  There are just too many minotaurs, and my Claws of Hades (my best weapon) just can't kill them fast enough (especially with those archers taking pot shots at me, who are difficult to hit back with the Bow of Apollo because the aiming control in this game is atrocious).  Argh!  If this were Hard (Titan) Difficulty I could understand this, but I'm playing on the game's Normal (God) Difficulty!

Those bladed pricks can be dispatched quickly if you use the "L1 + O" technique and just trust grab them out of the ground and ram them. Once they are in the air, just repeat the move and watch them die in hilarious fashion. (Backbreaker FTW!)

As for that protection part, I had trouble on it as well (I think I failed  once or twice), but all you have to remember is to use your "Spartan Mode" and just rampage on those assholes. Also, use your magic. But most of all "Square Square Triangle". That last hit disrupts them so you can combo the **** out of them.

And why are you using the claw of hades? None of the other weapons except for one obvious one are better than your normal blades. I hate to spoil it, but its true.

[broodwars]

And why are you using the claw of hades? None of the other weapons except for one obvious one are better than your normal blades. I hate to spoil it, but its true.

Because so far I haven't seen a dramatic difference in attacking power between the Blades of _______ (I'm not going to dignify their silly storyline conceits by calling it by its new name when it's the exact same weapon it's been for 4 games now) and the Claws of Hades, and I find the way the Claws hook enemies fun to watch.  The Soul magic can be pretty useful as well, if not always magic-efficient (Gorgon).  Plus, the Claws are purple.  : :   Maybe later on the Blades of Exile will become much more powerful to the point where I'll just use them exclusively like I have the last 2 GoW games, but right now they're practically identical aside from hit patterns.

BTW, it bugs me just how much this game references Chains of Olympus considering that's the one GoW game not recapped in this one and probably the one most people haven't played.  From the sounds of it, it was kind of a cool game.

[Caliban]

especially once I acquired my "lantern" that helps a great deal in combat (except against those annoying little bladed pricks that like to hide in the ground and dive at you, who seem to have no suitable counter aside from just trying to wait until they finally decided to stand up).

L1 + O

But this section drives me patience to the breaking point: it's a frickin' escort mission in a God of War game where you have to make sure an ever-increasing wave of Minotaurs don't break the chain that's holding your platform up while you're also trying not to die fighting them. There are just too many minotaurs, and my Claws of Hades (my best weapon) just can't kill them fast enough (especially with those archers taking pot shots at me, who are difficult to hit back with the Bow of Apollo because the aiming control in this game is atrocious).  Argh!  If this were Hard (Titan) Difficulty I could understand this

The archers are easy, burn them down with your Apollo Bow.The Minotaurs can be brought down just like Smokey McSmokerson said.

On Hard (Titan) it's all about aggressive, and ruthless persistence when striking the enemies.

[GoldenPhoenix]

And why are you using the claw of hades? None of the other weapons except for one obvious one are better than your normal blades. I hate to spoil it, but its true.

Because so far I haven't seen a dramatic difference in attacking power between the Blades of _______ (I'm not going to dignify their silly storyline conceits by calling it by its new name when it's the exact same weapon it's been for 4 games now) and the Claws of Hades, and I find the way the Claws hook enemies fun to watch.  The Soul magic can be pretty useful as well, if not always magic-efficient (Gorgon).  Plus, the Claws are purple.  : :   Maybe later on the Blades of Exile will become much more powerful to the point where I'll just use them exclusively like I have the last 2 GoW games, but right now they're practically identical aside from hit patterns.

BTW, it bugs me just how much this game references Chains of Olympus considering that's the one GoW game not recapped in this one and probably the one most people haven't played.  From the sounds of it, it was kind of a cool game.

Chains of Olympus was a good game, really short, but good.

[broodwars]

The archers are easy, burn them down with your Apollo Bow.The Minotaurs can be brought down just like Smokey McSmokerson said.

On Hard (Titan) it's all about aggressive, and ruthless persistence when striking the enemies.

Yes, I already know about the Bow.  I just have problems using it when there are a lot of enemies on-screen because the game likes to pick a target by default nowhere near where I want to shoot, and then I have to (while running around with the left stick to avoid getting hurt) select a new target with the right stick.  It's cumbersome and annoying.  This game actually seems fond of button combinations that destroy your hand, actually (*eyes the Right stick + Y button combination for special dodging with the Claws of Hades.*).
 
And I'm playing on Normal (God) Difficulty, not Titan.

[Adrock]

BTW, it bugs me just how much this game references Chains of Olympus considering that's the one GoW game not recapped in this one and probably the one most people haven't played.  From the sounds of it, it was kind of a cool game.

I found it odd that there's no recap though really Chains of Olympus has nothing to do with the revenge thing. It's an extraneous story. As a game, it blows the original God of War out of the water.

I found it odd that Hades is pissed that Kratos killed Persephone considering 1) the gods sent Kratos to find out what happened to Helios and she was the one who kidnapped him, 2) she tried to destroy the entire world and 3) she hated Hades.

Chains of Olympus also completely contradicts the original God of War and negates the whole Pandora's Box plot point entirely. Apparently, to kill a god, Kratos needed the power in the box. Well, apparently not. All he needed was a giant metal glove....

[GoldenPhoenix]

BTW, it bugs me just how much this game references Chains of Olympus considering that's the one GoW game not recapped in this one and probably the one most people haven't played.  From the sounds of it, it was kind of a cool game.

I found it odd that there's no recap though really Chains of Olympus has nothing to do with the revenge thing. It's an extraneous story. As a game, it blows the original God of War out of the water.

I found it odd that Hades is pissed that Kratos killed Persephone considering 1) the gods sent Kratos to find out what happened to Helios and she was the one who kidnapped him, 2) she tried to destroy the entire world and 3) she hated Hades.

Chains of Olympus also completely contradicts the original God of War and negates the whole Pandora's Box plot point entirely. Apparently, to kill a god, Kratos needed the power in the box. Well, apparently not. All he needed was a giant metal glove....

Lol that is true about Chains of Olympus, so perhaps it should be the reimagined (and better) GoW1.

[Halbred]

Also, the narrator in GoW2 states that Kratos escaped Hades for the second time, when really it's his third. GoW, GoW2, and Chains of Olympus all have our boy stuck in Hades. So by the time he escapes from it again in GoW2, he's escaped three times, not two.

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

Kratos sounds like God of Parole Violations.

[GoldenPhoenix]

Also, the narrator in GoW2 states that Kratos escaped Hades for the second time, when really it's his third. GoW, GoW2, and Chains of Olympus all have our boy stuck in Hades. So by the time he escapes from it again in GoW2, he's escaped three times, not two.

Which is why Chains of Olympus should be canon now and not GoW1.

[broodwars]

Also, the narrator in GoW2 states that Kratos escaped Hades for the second time, when really it's his third. GoW, GoW2, and Chains of Olympus all have our boy stuck in Hades. So by the time he escapes from it again in GoW2, he's escaped three times, not two.

It gets even more bizarre when you consider that Atlas directly references Chain of Olympus in God of War 2 when Kratos runs into him in that game.

[GoldenPhoenix]

Also, the narrator in GoW2 states that Kratos escaped Hades for the second time, when really it's his third. GoW, GoW2, and Chains of Olympus all have our boy stuck in Hades. So by the time he escapes from it again in GoW2, he's escaped three times, not two.

It gets even more bizarre when you consider that Atlas directly references Chain of Olympus in God of War 2 when Kratos runs into him in that game.

It is Sony, what do you expect?

[broodwars]

Ok, yeah...the Chronos fight was awesome, definitely up there with one of the best action game boss fights I've ever seen.  Really, though, Hephaestus...that was your master plan?  Give the guy who just took down a Titan and has been slaughtering Gods left and right an extremely powerful weapon that actually works perfectly, and then try to kill him?

[GoldenPhoenix]

So would you recommend the game Brood?

[broodwars]

So would you recommend the game Brood?

Yeah, since for all its frustrations and the sometimes lame legacy issues I have with this franchise (really bad camera for platforming, bad platforming implementation, random spikes in difficulty, and the fact that Kratos' blades sound like someone jingling change in their pocket) this game is probably one of the best hack-and-slashers I've ever played with a particularly spectacular sense of scale.

[Adrock]

I just finished the original God of War and..... Jesus Christ on a crutch, the Hades level is even more irritating than I remember it being. Who thought that was a good idea? Ok, David Jaffe did... but why?!

I started God of War II again. Much better. It's better than God of War III. The only thing I miss besides the Oh-My-God HD graphics is the battering ram move. Otherwise, it's just a much better game in every way. And that's including the holy shiz God of War III opening level.

[broodwars]

I just beat GoW 3, and I thought the last portion of the game + the ending did a pretty fair job of wrapping up the God of War Trilogy (+1).  I definitely could have done without several of those Icarus Vent sequences towards the end of the game and the Zeus fight resolved itself in what feels like a growing cliche in games these days: the metaphysical internal exposition sequence.  I look forward to seeing what Sony plans on doing for DLC for this game, considering we already know one Titan fight was sent to the cutting room floor late in the production.  I'm not sure if I'll go for the Platinum on this one or not: I'm only 2 Trophies short (completing the game on Titan Difficulty and completing the Challenge of the Gods mode), but I'm ready to move on to something else now (probably back to FF XIII or Resonance of Fate).

And, incidentally, that had to be the most elaborate and convoluted way I've ever seen to open a box. -_-'

[broodwars]

Well, playing God of War III got me in the mood to go back and see if I could better appreciate the first two God of War games via the PS3 Collection.  I started playing the first GoW and have made it through the first section of Athens and...yeah, this game hasn't aged well.  Even with the models "remastered" in HD, this game looks every year its age.  To be fair, though, as primitive as the game looks, when you see what the old game really looked like during the non-remastered in-game cutscenes it's easy to appreciate just how much work went into this collection.  Some of the in-game character models look quite good, actually, such as Ares and the Hydra.  The environments...not so much.  And I really wish they'd have "remastered" the interface and upgrade menu while they were doing everything else, because they look bad.  Also, I don't know if it's just that I've gotten that much better at it or if it was just never as bad as I remembered it, but I haven't had that much trouble with the platforming so far.  I remember dying quite a lot even early on in the game from falling off beams and whatnot.  On an interesting note, I'd forgotten just how much more exploration the original game encouraged compared to its successors, as there's stuff hidden all over the place that you'd only see if you just randomly jumped into the camera all the time.