@deviltaz35: "Plus the explanation of why him and his brother are so estranged is rubbish as well."

I've seen and heard of people ending friendships and relationships with family members and other close ones over disputes that aren't that serious. Have you ever seen how emotional and argumentive people can get over disagreements concerning matters of politics or religion? Considering the near apocalyptic world they live in and the philosophical differences they shared it's not hard to imagine that a disagreement between the two would result in a fallout that leaves them estranged. And it's not like they could have just called each other and talked it out.

Even in the modern world we live in with all the technology we have and ways to communicate it's so easy to lose touch with people even if there is no dispute. Time passes, life goes on, and you just never rekindle those old friendships and relationships. Now, going back to Joel and Tommy, seeing that they had a dispute and then one took off and moved across the country I can absolutely buy into their estranged relationship.

@Baconstrip78: man that first scene in TLOU hit me hard. The performances in that scene, and the game in general, felt real and forces you to care about the characters. If people can play that opening and not care or feel anything they must be void of emotions.

@merwanor: "And personally I hate this notion that you have to relate to a character to enjoy the story"

What made the characters and story for both games great is the emotion involved which is a credit to the writing and performances of the voice actors/actresses. Maybe you can't relate to these characters but you can certainly feel for them and their situations.

I remember playing the opening for TLoU for the first time and I don't know if a videogame moment ever hit me so hard. After that I was emotional invested in the story and characters. God of War hasn't hit me with a scene quite like that but, similarly, the performances and writing have me caring about the characters and their journey.

@deviltaz35: that could possibly be more likely now because of the success of this game. This game is going to bring in a lot of new fans that never experienced the older, original games. Next year would be a great time to come out with a remastered set of at least the first 2 games.

And I still think Kratos is an "arse kicking bastard." He's still just about as violent and viscious as he ever was. It's not like the series went from a Mature rating to Everyone. I've also been getting a kick out of his interactions with his son because of the tough love relationship they have. Kratos is so cold towards Atreus and he's reluctant to be the father Atreus wants and, perhaps, needs.

@chessic: as a fan of the other games I don't mind the drastic changes. Maybe it's because it's been years since I've played those games, haven't touched any of them since I beat GOW 3 when it released, so I no longer have a deep connection to those games and Kratos.

Personally I like this older, experienced, more matured and controlled Kratos. I can buy into the idea that Kratos has changed and grown a bit after his past experiences and years after the events of those games (we gotta assume at least a decade or so has gone by based on Atreus's age). And we still see signs of that old Kratos. The way he treats Atreus (a very "tough love" relationship), the rage that comes out from time to time (either directed towards Atreus or foes), his lack of trust, etc. Except now we have a Kratos that knows he is flawed and can recognize those flaws. Still far from perfect but better than he once was.

I agree this game could have worked, probably just as well, as a new franchise but I do like seeing a new take on GoW and Kratos. If this game was instead just another God of War (same old combat, same old Kratos) I think the game would have been far less interesting and likely wouldnt have been as well received (from both critics and gamers).

@lionheartssj1: there certainly are similarities to be made between the two games but they are also vastly different at the same time.

I'm never a fan of "which one is better" debates, especially for two games that, for all their similarities, are very different. Gameplay wise there is little in common and determining which one is better really comes down to preference. It's easier to compare story and narrative but even that could be more about preference and not necessarily one being better than the other.

I just find competition like this unnecessary. They're both great story driven games and experiences, does it really matter which one is better?

@videogameninja: I'm with you. Some people hold it against games (or any product really) for "copying" and not being completely original but as long as the imitation is done well and/or improves on borrowed ideas I have no issue. It's rare to find anything that is completely original these days. I like new and original ideas but I also like things that are good/great.

When it comes to "copying" I always think of products like cars and cell phones. If a company like Ford or Apple comes out with a great new feature for their newest car/phone wouldn't you want other companies to keep up and come up with their own version of it? The world, technology, arts, gaming, etc would never evolve and improve if no one ever imitated or took inspiration from others.

Venom design looks pretty good from what was shown. Venoms a difficult character to rip from the comics and bring to the movie screen and have him look both accurate and realistic.

@frosty988: I could understand if for a game like Bloodborne or Dark Souls. If I went into Bloodborne blind I would have quit within an hour. But God of War, from what I've played so far (a few hours at least), is pretty straight forward as long as you read and pay attention to the tutorials. And even if you don't, I skipped through some explanations and descriptions, it's not difficult to figure things out assuming you have some experience with videogames and RPGs.