The Official God of War Ascension Thread of Bros Before Foes

God of War Ascension, the story of how Kratos escaped the Furies (who punish oathbreakers) after parting ways with Ares after being tricked into killing his family, is almost here. As one expects of the series, in addition to the Furies, there are a lot of new enemies being introduced, the most notable of which are the Elephantaur (top screenshot) and the Hekatonkheires (hundred armed giants stronger than the Titans). The combat system now boasts tethering (impaling a blade in one enemy, then either dragging them around or using them as a weapon against other enemies) and the ability to pick up weapons foes drop (shields, oversized swords, spears and suchlike, some of which are limited use). Also, there is a new magic system which includes time manipulation powers which are used to solve puzzles as well as to harm enemies (as you can see from the screenshots below, when it comes to enemies, Kratos is a very big believe in 'harm').

Reviews have been mostly positive, but somewhat mixed, for understandable reasons (the addition of multiplayer many feel is extraneous, the notion that Ascension should be a more radical sequel) and not so understandable ones (whining about violence or the gender of monsters).

Below are three reviews which cover the range of (prerelease) reviews as well as a partial review from IGN and a link to GoW's metacritic page.

Gamespot likes the single player (though it doesn't like the platforming bits and thinks boss patterns are a bit simpler than in the past), but doesn't like the multiplayer.

Score - 8

http://www.gamespot.com/god-of-war-ascension/reviews/god-of-war-ascension-review-6404941/?page=1

You're unlikely to play the multiplayer outside of a few practice sessions: it simply isn't deep enough to hold your attention for long. Fortunately, the single-player has a few tricks up its sleeve with a New Game Plus mode that unlocks after you complete the game, allowing you to use objects that give you unlimited mana, or dole out extra damage for some truly wondrous action-packed combat. There's a harder difficulty level too, should the single-player not be challenging enough, and there are plenty of unlockables in the form of artwork and behind-the-scenes movies.

The single-player is where you should spend your time. No, it doesn't quite reach the audacious and rage-filled moments of God of War: Ascension's predecessors, nor does it move the series forward in any way, but it's skilfully put together, and wonderfully satisfying to play. The mix of Greek mythology and lurid schoolboy fantasy still manages to simultaneously charm and gross out all at once, and that's a trait few games can boast, let alone execute with such confidence. Not to mention Ascension looks stunning, from the lighting effects that make for moody encounters in darkened dungeons, to the detail that has been thrown into each and every stab of a knife, and each drop of blood that flows from a downed enemy's recently spilled guts. Yes, it's all very juvenile, but boy is it fun.

Edge likes the multiplayer, but doesn't think much of the SP (its worth keeping in mind that Edge has never been big GoW fans). Their complaint about a difficulty spike towards the end is echoed by many other reviewers.

Score - 7

http://www.edge-online.com/review/god-of-war-ascension-review/2/

Its chaotic at first, with the large multi-tiered maps just packed with things to capture, smash open, pick up and pull. You can yank a lever to activate a set of floor spikes, push a crank to spew flames from a nearby patch of ground, and even take control of a handily placed god and shoot enormous balls of fire at nearby enemies. The options are overwhelming, but start to make sense as you learn the levels, and the fixed camera youll spend much of the singleplayer game cursing is an asset here: you can always see exactly whats going on and fight your opponents instead of the viewpoint.

Ascensions biggest success is a colour-coding system that effectively lets you know when you have an opening and when to run. Unblockable attacks are signalled by a player glowing red, white denotes invincibility, and blue signals a player in recovery. Its a simple, smart system further improved by rock-paper-scissors combat (heavy beats parry beats light beats heavy), cooldown-controlled special moves and a logical, consistent approach to hitstun. Consider our expectations defied: this is the star of the show. While this series singleplayer template is showing its age, theres plenty in Ascensions multiplayer that deserves to survive the transition to PS4.

Destructoid likes the single play and the multiplayer quite a bit, but complains about the difficulty spike towards the end others have mentioned and some bugs like sound dropping out.

Score - 9

http://www.destructoid.com/review-god-of-war-ascension-247532.phtml#8GxqLJAZmdwKAUSk.99

Ascension had challenges coming from every direction from early on. Some of the franchise's core mechanics have grown a bit tired over the past years, which had gamers questioning the need for another title. Beyond this, some questioned the need for a prequel story. Most of all, the idea of a multiplayer addition was initially off-putting to vocal series fans. But, like Kratos, Sony Santa Monica ripped through every one of these challenges with their bare hands to bring us a game that is so fantastic that it should make anyone that ever questioned them feel bad for doing so.

God of War has never looked or played better than this. Kratos has never been as deep or interesting as this. They've set the bar so high that I have no idea how they'll be able to follow this one up. Sony Santa Monica should be proud. Series fans should be proud.

IGN isn't going to post a full review or a numerical score until they can play the multiplayer in real world conditions (nods towards SimCity), but are mildly underwhelmed by the SP, complaining about a difficulty spike towards the end and that epic setpieces that come along too infrequently.

http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/03/07/god-of-war-ascension-review-in-progress

For the most part, God of War Ascension looks sharp and deliciously brutal, and when I say brutal I mean it. Whether youre yanking the brain from an Elephantaur or hacking a Gorgon in half, Ascension is a game thatll make you cheer and wince in equal measure.

Quite how the multiplayer gels with story remains to be seen, but the initial signs are promising. Importantly, when youre fighting online it feels like God of War, with much of the combat system carried across and many of the storys themes present and correct. But God of War has always, up until now at least, been a solo experience and until we put more time into the multiplayer Ill have to hold back on whether or not it adds to the experience.

For now, know that God of War: Ascension continues Kratos bloody tradition in fine form with a single-player game thats satisfying rather than stunning.

Metacritic link

I'll fill this in with additional details in a bit.

The title displeases me.

The title displeases me.

burgeg

[QUOTE="burgeg"]

The title displeases me.

CarnageHeart

Brothers before mythological greek monster things that may or may not be whores.

[QUOTE="CarnageHeart"][QUOTE="burgeg"]

The title displeases me.

burgeg

Kratos get's all blood drenched now. Ok, we got it.

I may or may not buy this today. I haven't decided yet, but Starcraft II Exp just came in the mail, I still have Ni No Kuni and I just bought SimCity.  These things never go as planned.  I know if I buy GoWA I will put it on top priority until I beat it so I can get back to my other games but I don't like having this many active games at once.  

Nice OP though, I like the review summaries.  Personally, like I've said a dozen times, I've only played GOW and GOW3 and half of 2 so I can take another samey sequel.  I thought 3 was a masterpeice and I never expected it to be topped by a prequel, but I wouldn't mind a PS4 reboot with new myhtos.

Will wait for clearance but curious of the impressions. The title is great by the way.dvader654

Played about the first hour or so, and man.... this game is epic.    At first I didn't like the demo, I'll be honest -- it felt weird to me.   But maybe it's because I wasn't fighting minotaurs, and gods.   The more I played it, the more I liked it (the demo, that is).   I began to appreciate the stunning animation and huge (although not like GoW3's) setpieces.   But then I started thinking -- do I really want another God Of War game exactly like God Of War 3, anyway?   No.

So back to the game -- in the area RIGHT past where the demo ends, they start introducing new enemies, weapons, and powers.   None of them feel like anything in other God Of War games -- it's totally your option to use the weapons you pick up, but they all feel and play differently.   Some of the same attacks become available (like parry and Cyclone) but the button inputs are different and it alters the gameplay a bit.  For instance, Cyclone takes a second to startup, so it needs to be used with discretion.  You don't have the grapple enemies option like you did in the other games where you could just press circle and kill them.  Now instead, Kratos will kick or punch depending on the enemy -- enemies with weapons are disarmed when hit by the Spartan Kick.  Now, you can latch onto enemies with the R1 button and keep them on a leash for a short period -- to either control them while you hit other enemies, or to attack or throw the grappled enemy itself.   It all works and feels well, but as I said, it feels really different than what you're used to.  

I have only fought ONE boss past the "demo" portion of the game, but it was AS IMPRESSIVE as anything in the God Of War 3.   Without spoiling anything, I couldn't believe the scale and the combat scenario I was presented with -- jaw-dropping stuff.   It was staggering, and it showed that God Of War can still surprise and impress.    

Another addition to the game are real-time mini-games which replace QTE's as finishers to some enemies.   Instead of pressing square when you see it pop up on the screen, you're given free-reign to attack and dodge your enemies during this sequence.   It feels satisfying, moreso than the typical QTE, because you're in much more control (you even dodge during these minigames).   And of course, the death animations are extremely brutal and gory -- carving out a creatures brain from it's head and watching it drop to the ground while blood sprays all over you -- yes, this is very much a big-budget God Of War title.

So so far?  I think it's great.  It feels like God Of War but seems to introduce enough new concepts to keep it from feeling like you're playing a previous entry.  Gonna play more tonight and post some impressions later.

[QUOTE="dvader654"]Will wait for clearance but curious of the impressions. The title is great by the way.Baroni88

Have you fought the first boss after the "demo" area?   Dude! :P

Played for 7 and a half hours straight. The presentation and story definitely lack the pop of previous God of War games but the gameplay is second only to GoW2 imo. Combat is much improved, the puzzles are great, and the game is gorgeous. Very good stuff so far.

impressionsJbul

So wait, did they take that trophy title out then?JustPlainLucas

I've put roughly 8 hours in. I love the combat. Some of the secondary weapons (nods towards the maul and the slingshot) are extremely useful. The elemental attacks are reminicent of Ghost of Sparta but are even more powerful (once fully powered up, which takes a bit). The ability of Kratos to punch and kick when unarmed comes in handy (unarmed attacks can not only stagger opponents but stun and disarm them). One enounters a boss pretty early on who is fairly small (merely five or six time the size of Kratos) but boasts an abundance of speed and ferocity.

The puzzles are well done (a lot of them use the time manipulation power), but I don't love them :P. I suck and puzzles and it took me forever to get past one and now I am stuck on a second (decided to take a break, come back to it tomorrow).

I've put roughly 8 hours in. I love the combat. Some of the secondary weapons (nods towards the maul and the slingshot) are extremely useful. The elemental attacks are reminicent of Ghost of Sparta but are even more powerful (once fully powered up, which takes a bit). The ability of Kratos to punch and kick when unarmed comes in handy (unarmed attacks can not only stagger opponents but stun and disarm them). One enounters a boss pretty early on who is fairly small (merely five or six time the size of Kratos) but boasts an abundance of speed and ferocity.

The puzzles are well done (a lot of them use the time manipulation power), but I don't love them :P. I suck and puzzles and it took me forever to get past one and now I am stuck on a second (decided to take a break, come back to it tomorrow).

CarnageHeart

lol Carnage up past 11! This game must be great! 

As much as i've b*tched and moaned about the game overthe last couple of weeks, I had still traded in MGR towards it and preordered it at bestbuy to get teh $20 cash back. I was going to pick it up on the way back from work, but only just got home so no God of War for me today. Amazing impressions by Jbul, yours didnt get me as hyped up as Jbul but great impressions nonetheless. 

Betrayer! You said to wait on this game. You lied to me. :P Nah I am waiting, TR I think was the better choice for me right now. Impressions are great so far, I have heard great things about the puzzles. I am excited about that.dvader654

I got Tomb Raider for like $28 on PC. Plus with the $20 cash back, this game only cost me $40. I got $30 for trading it MGR which i also got for $40. I plan to trade this back in after i finish it twice. $10 for two weeks is not bad. Much better than relying on redbox which f*cking sucks.

I love this game God of War: Ascension is a third person action-adventure video game developed by the Santa Monica Studio and published by Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE). The game was first released on March 12, 2013, for the PlayStation 3 (PS3) console. It is the seventh installment in the God of War series and a prequel to the entire series. Loosely based on Greek mythology, the game is set in Ancient Greece with vengeance as its central motif. The player controls the protagonist Kratos, the former servant of the God of War, Ares. Kratos attempts to sever ties with Areswho tricked Kratos into killing him.The gameplay is similar to that of its predecessor. It focuses on combo-based combat, achieved through the player's main weaponthe Blades of Chaosand secondary weapons acquired later. The game features a revamped quick time events system, which includes the previous system that requires the player to complete various game controller actions in a timed sequence to defeat stronger enemies and bosses, as well as a newprompt less free-form system. It also features puzzles and platforming elements. In addition to its similar game play, it is the first installment to feature multiplayer for both competitive and cooperative play. It also features a revamped combat and weapon system, new gameplay mechanics, and downloadable content.:)

[QUOTE="dvader654"]Betrayer! You said to wait on this game. You lied to me. :P Nah I am waiting, TR I think was the better choice for me right now. Impressions are great so far, I have heard great things about the puzzles. I am excited about that.S0lidSnake

I got Tomb Raider for like $28 on PC. Plus with the $20 cash back, this game only cost me $40. I got $30 for trading it MGR which i also got for $40. I plan to trade this back in after i finish it twice. $10 for two weeks is not bad. Much better than relying on redbox which f*cking sucks.

For the most part, Im satisfied. I just fixed the water wheel (Took me a bit to figure that out, lol.) and I like what Ive played so far. The executions for the Elephent thing and the Gorgon (I think thats what it is) brutal and graphic, which is what I like about the gameplay for this series lol. My main problem with this is for some of the set pieces, the camera pulls back too far so I can barely see myself. Im still playing on an old 32" Standard until I get my taxes back, so maybe it will change. I havent bothered with the mutliplayer yet. I havent even bothered putting the code that came with it in, lol. Probably wont ever. If somebody wants it, feel free to message me. First come, first serve. Ill try the multiplayer out tomorrow and if I like it, I'll use it but if not, Ill give it away. I bought it from Walmart btw. Spartan_N7

You're a better gamer than me. I was stuck on the waterwheel for a while.

Played the game for another hour or so -- still great, and the elemental combat system definitely borrows a bit from Sparta.  The scale if everything in this game is just rediculous.

  Moment for moment (so far) it's not as great as GOW3, but it's still really damn good, and dare I say even better looking.   Still very early (about 1/4 through according to most review estimates),  and looking forward to what's next. 

[QUOTE="Spartan_N7"]For the most part, Im satisfied. I just fixed the water wheel (Took me a bit to figure that out, lol.) and I like what Ive played so far. The executions for the Elephent thing and the Gorgon (I think thats what it is) brutal and graphic, which is what I like about the gameplay for this series lol. My main problem with this is for some of the set pieces, the camera pulls back too far so I can barely see myself. Im still playing on an old 32" Standard until I get my taxes back, so maybe it will change. I havent bothered with the mutliplayer yet. I havent even bothered putting the code that came with it in, lol. Probably wont ever. If somebody wants it, feel free to message me. First come, first serve. Ill try the multiplayer out tomorrow and if I like it, I'll use it but if not, Ill give it away. I bought it from Walmart btw. CarnageHeart

You're a better gamer than me. I was stuck on the waterwheel for a while.

There's absolutely no way they actually playtested the Trials. No way at all.

There's absolutely no way they actually playtested the Trials. No way at all.

Systems_Id

Haven't tried them myself yet, but makes sense. GoW's trials tend to be unfairly brutal and this time around I got the sense during the developer interview that announced them that they are tuned for two players.

[QUOTE="Systems_Id"]

There's absolutely no way they actually playtested the Trials. No way at all.

CarnageHeart

Haven't tried them myself yet, but makes sense. GoW's trials tend to be unfairly brutal and this time around I got the sense during the developer interview that announced them that they are tuned for two players.

I never found the previous trials to be unfair, just very difficult. This is straight up unfair.

Just beat the game. The final boss is some kind of epic and probably the best final boss in the series. Once I figured out what to do in the Trials, it kind of became one of my favorite fights. It's a fight that REALLY requires you to lean on your magic and sub abilities, something that doesn't happen all that often in the GoW series. Great game overall and probably second to only GoW2 as my favorite. Now to try out some multiplayer.

Just beat the game. The final boss is some kind of epic and probably the best final boss in the series. Once I figured out what to do in the Trials, it kind of became one of my favorite fights. It's a fight that REALLY requires you to lean on your magic and sub abilities, something that doesn't happen all that often in the GoW series. Great game overall and probably second to only GoW2 as my favorite. Now to try out some multiplayer.

Systems_Id

Cool. I'm close to the final boss (just have to beat a small army of monsters to get there).

EDIT: Made it up to the Furies, but I have an errand to run in a few minutes so I just decided to stop and then resume in the morning (the beauty of early mornings is I am the only one up).

I shouldn't have bought this game. Just so boring.

Combat is more fun that I thought it would be. They did a good job spicing things up though the camera is either too far away or too close to Kratos making it easy for you to lose sight of Kratos. Still, I am glad they at least switched it up. 

I caved....picking up in an hour.F1Lengend

[QUOTE="F1Lengend"]I caved....picking up in an hour.JustPlainLucas

As for the game, its been pretty great so far.  I feel like GOW3 was definitely more epic and focused but this has been pretty consistent.  The premise is just not up to 3 and it lacks the mystery plotwise due to being a prequel. You couldn't wait to see what happens next in 3, here I'm just interested in the actual battles and the story is just there.

I started on Normal and found it easy (although I was really early) so I decided to put it on hard.  This wasn't an easy decision, those of you who read my impressions on the last game would have saw me curse myself ad nauseum for that decision.  But I've come to the conclusion that I prefer the difficulty of the battles to the spectacle without that gratification.  I'm way more into the battles and always on my toes, where as with normal, I'm just button mashing.

Thankfully, after I struggled on the first boss, its been pretty smooth so far.  I'm not struggling on every battle like I did in 3.  The parry system is absolutely crucial.  I feel the enemies are really aggressive in this and they do not wait for openings to attack, they just go nuts.  With 7+ enemies at a time, this can be really difficult to handle without being overwhelmed.  But the parry system makes you feel godlike when you pull it off multiple times in a row.  Maybe I'll regret it in the future, I'm already dredding the infamous 'trails' later in the game but its something I felt I had to do.

I think the graphics are crisper than 3 but its not a clear victory.  For some reason, Kratos doesn't seem to have that spectacular blur that encompases his body when swinging the blades like in 3.  Maybe because I've been PC gaming for the last year but his character model isn't as good as 3 either, or I'm just use to higher standards now.  Beyond that, the environments are really detailed, textures seem like a nice step up.  The blades are lacking visually though, especially the color blending that makes it hard to pick out kratos in a large battle.  At least the vanilla attack is like that but the elemental powers might change things.  I only have fire right now and its nicer. 

One thing I really love is how they took out QTEs and now you are in much more control during the kill phases.  You have to actively block and attack the enemy while also getting cinematic camera angles and gruesome finishers.  I think the battle system is a nice upgrade over the predecessars but it requires more work at the same time.

Yeah, pretty good so far, about 2-3 hours in and look forward to playing tomororw.  Solid told me not to play Hard but he can't hold me down.  BRING IT ON SSM.

Just finished the campaign. The last boss(es) are a challenge, but easier than surviving the gauntlet of enemies that precedes them, though perhaps some of my problems with the gauntlet spring from the fact I upped some of the elemental powers before I maxed out the blades, so while I was able to fully upgraded the blades in the middle of the gauntlet, early on it was very dicey, and not in a good 'enemy head split in half' way :P.

Overall, I'd say I like this as much as I like GoW3 despite the fact there are fewer boss battles and a story which doesn't really contribute much. There are some very fun to fight new enemy types that mix together well with each other and some of the older types, some great boss battles (though most of the bosses tend not to be supersized, they are no less vicious) and the new grappling, melee and finisher systems work really well, making the action feel more immediate and brutal than ever before. I didn't have much use for the sword but the maul, the javelin, the slingshot and the shield all came in handy in certain situations.

I will give a bit of non-spoilery advice to those who are still playing through. Don't hook the giant goat men.

To those who've played through/are near the end, what's the overall difficulty like? Many reviews mention difficulty spikes which always make me uneasy; a steady increase in the challenge is normal and expected but I don't relish the prospect of irregular bouts of apoplexy-inducing silliness.

To those who've played through/are near the end, what's the overall difficulty like? Many reviews mention difficulty spikes which always make me uneasy; a steady increase in the challenge is normal and expected but I don't relish the prospect of irregular bouts of apoplexy-inducing silliness.

Business_Fun

There's only one spike. Towards the end one has to win a series of three battles in increasingly confined (by spiked walls) spaces with no chests to heal you or replenish your magic. Of course, killing enemies partially replenishes those meters but none of the enemies you are facing die easy and many replenish magic points, not hit points.

I played on normal and found the game only moderately challenging aside from the spike (I was tempted to playthrough on hard, but talk of the spike scared me off).

[QUOTE="Business_Fun"]

To those who've played through/are near the end, what's the overall difficulty like? Many reviews mention difficulty spikes which always make me uneasy; a steady increase in the challenge is normal and expected but I don't relish the prospect of irregular bouts of apoplexy-inducing silliness.

CarnageHeart

There's only one spike. Towards the end one has to win a series of three battles in increasingly confined (by spiked walls) spaces with no chests to heal you or replenish your magic. Of course, killing enemies partially replenishes those meters but none of the enemies you are facing die easy and many replenish magic points, not hit points.

I played on normal and found the game only moderately challenging aside from the spike (I was tempted to playthrough on hard, but talk of the spike scared me off).

Thanks, that doesn't sound too bad then (although I'll reserve final judgment until I encounter the spike :p). I think I'll play through on easy first time around so I can see what I'm getting into, something I find myself doing increasingly often these days.

[QUOTE="Baroni88"][QUOTE="dvader654"]Will wait for clearance but curious of the impressions. The title is great by the way.Jbul

Have you fought the first boss after the "demo" area?   Dude! :P

Ascension could use more polish, another 3 months in the oven would have been for the best.  There is animation clipping and enemies falling through the level, and a few nitpicks here and there that I never noticed in 3. 

I just beat Spyro on Hard, it was challenging but I eventually got it.  I'm glad I chose hard so far.  One thing I don't get is upgrading the Blades of Chaos.  Are the points that you put into it upgrading all standard attacks since you can't actually select them once you get elemental blades?  Like it says for one of the combos Triangle x4 but that doesn't seem to do anything with fire ice or electric.  It doesn't mention needing a full rage meter either. 

^lol you will regret it when you get to the trials.

Let's play the coop mode today, yeah?