*God Of War 3 Thread v2.0 + Interview Stig Asmussen

[patsu]

It's probably because the game is not targeted at you and me per se. GoW3 is well known to be violent. The demo further confirmed it. Unfortunately, people like us bought the game for the presentation, and we will have to play along.

Fear not, as long as they share their tech, there will be other equally or more (visually) impressive games further down the road. These games will have different theme and audiences from GoW.

 

[manux]

What I described is exactly what happens in the game. Maybe my reaction was extreme (I don't think it was), but I thought that scene was incredibly tasteless, and I'm not sure why it was included, or who is supposed to be enjoying it.

Maybe that was exactly the point? Revenge at what price? Atrocities Kratos commited made the ending all the better

Spoiler

kratos finally realising that revenge at any cost isn't worth it. Kratos is trying to save pandora and in the end kills himself so that people can have hope(power) over themselves. I think this ended the time of gods and time of the people started

Btw. Greek mythology from which god of war takes it inspiration isn't exactly stuff for children to read about. In that sense I think gow is a reasonable portrayal of the myths even if some of the stuff is extreme. In my opinion they didn't even do some of the more extreme stuff such as Oidipus(who killed his father and married and fcked his mother). Also the real history from around Greek and Roman empires time is full of violence which cannot really be understood by todays standards. Actually thinking about slaves one doesn't need to go too far in the history to see what their lifes worth was... And think about how america's black population feels about their roots today. Why would Kratos care any less for a slave.

Spoiler

Thinking about killing Poseidon and the earth being flooded, I bet that would have been far worse than single sex slave being killed if the things had happened for real

I doubt many people who played the game really thought Kratos was anything but raging psychopath for most of the time. But this was what I expected and loved - it's a story about revenge. One man's war against the gods and damned be those who stand in the way. It's easy enough to not play this game if you cannot or don't want to handle the idea of darker more violent world.

I wonder if gow3 is cencored in some countries? I think some games didn't have red blood in japanese versions and germany has also pretty strict rules about violence in movies/games. There might be possibility for deeper discussion about if there should be limits to what can be shown in games.

I have to agree with mr. London about the hermes. That was some seriously twisted ending... And let that poor dude suffer. At least be humane and kill him before...

Am I the only one who would want to have psn game from

Spoiler

the 2d fight with zeus in the end. Gimme that stuff with some more characters, better moves, sizzling graphics and make it multiplayer at the same time. I felt somehow very nostalgic during that part of the zeus fight.

 

[Arwin]

Maybe that was exactly the point? Revenge at what price? Atrocities Kratos commited made the ending all the better

Spoiler

kratos finally realising that revenge at any cost isn't worth it. Kratos is trying to save pandora and in the end kills himself so that people can have hope(power) over themselves. I think this ended the time of gods and time of the people started

That does seem like a little bit of redemption after all.

 

[SG79]

Btw. Greek mythology from which god of war takes it inspiration isn't exactly stuff for children to read about. In that sense I think gow is a reasonable portrayal of the myths even if some of the stuff is extreme. In my opinion they didn't even do some of the more extreme stuff such as Oidipus(who killed his father and married and fcked his mother). Also the real history from around Greek and Roman empires time is full of violence which cannot really be understood by todays standards.

Exactly. Can't say that certain parts didn't bother me, but the source material that the game draws from loosely isn't exactly pretty. Complaining about the violence in any form of the game is like taking a vacation to Alaska and complaining that it's cold.

and I'm not sure why it was included, or who is supposed to be enjoying it.

Again, you're just over-thinking the matter. The portion wasn't designed for a certain demographic (misogynistic people or 40 year old virgins), it's just another sequence in a game with over the top violence. I still find Helios' death to be the most brutal thing in the game, if only because it was actually depicted. You don't see the death in the portion you described after all.

I think you'll enjoy the story progression leading to the end though. It takes a break from the whole "I'm out for blood" theme that's been on since GOWII.

Unfortunately, people like us bought the game for the presentation, and we will have to play along.

It's unfortunate that you actually feel this way, because the game has the perfect mix of action, adventure, platforming, and puzzles. A welcome addition to the shooter obsessed market these days, and quite possibly one of the few we'll ever see. Capcom aside with DMC, no publisher has had any luck with the genre this gen.

 

[Scott_Arm]

manux and SG79, I'm familiar with Greek mythology and how dark and violent it can be. I'm also not afraid of dark subject matter. What I don't like is gore porn. You couldn't pay me to watch the current run of torture horror films. They're absolutely vapid, and simply offer gore and suffering as entertainment. That's the category I'd place God of War 3 into, at times. For 99% of the game, I can handle everything that's happening. Some of the god executions are a bit over the line for me, but it's nothing I can't handle. But to say that God of War 3 is deep, intellectual or has any level of sophistication would be a massive overstatement. It's entertainment. The one scene in particular that I'm complaining about, I found to be too much. Sure, Kratos is a complete self-centered asshole, and he'll do anything to further his own personal cause at the expense of everyone else. I get it. It's one of the reasons I hate the character. I'm pretty sure that point was effectively made without that scene. It'd be hard to convince me that scene was included as character development.

 

[Scott_Arm]

Exactly. Can't say that certain parts didn't bother me, but the source material that the game draws from loosely isn't exactly pretty. Complaining about the violence in any form of the game is like taking a vacation to Alaska and complaining that it's cold.

That's such an idiotic cop-out reason for anything. It's violent and loosely inspired by violent source material, so anything goes right? Why not have Kratos rape women and kill children? There are lines, and everyone's got them. Not all violent acts are made equal. To me, that particular scene, was one of the worst scenes I've had the misfortune of being subjected to. I had no interest in taking part in that particular part of the game. That's the reason I stay away from games like Manhunt and Postal.

 

[SG79]

That's such an idiotic cop-out reason for anything. It's violent and loosely inspired by violent source material, so anything goes right? Why not have Kratos rape women and kill children?

No, I didn't say anything goes and you really need to keep it civil. We're having different views, and I certainly didn't view any of your reasons as idiotic so cool your jets. I think I've elaborated that the mere fact that you don't see the actual act makes is far less grotesque than Helios' decapitation and what happened to Hermes. I turn my head when the former sequence comes up in fact.

I'm in no way saying I enjoyed the part, but your reaction struck me as exaggerated considering what the series is known for. And for the record, Kratos DOES kill a child.. his own, in the first game.

The setting is entirely fictional so it can't bother me unlike some aspects of GTA or Manhunt (awful game), or FPS's in general. Again that's just me.

 

[gokickrocks]

Maybe that was exactly the point? Revenge at what price? Atrocities Kratos commited made the ending all the better

Spoiler

kratos finally realising that revenge at any cost isn't worth it. Kratos is trying to save pandora and in the end kills himself so that people can have hope(power) over themselves. I think this ended the time of gods and time of the people started

until you realize that

Spoiler

it was all for nothing (bringing hope to people) since humanity got wiped out in the great flood after poseidon's death and there is no human alive to be seen after except for the lady in hades and pandora but they both end up dying

 

[Toaddio]

What I don't like is gore porn. You couldn't pay me to watch the current run of torture horror films. They're absolutely vapid, and simply offer gore and suffering as entertainment.

My advice:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYucU765-M8

 

[Scott_Arm]

My advice:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYucU765-M8

Already seen it. I like Cronenberg.

 

[SG79]

But to say that God of War 3 is deep, intellectual or has any level of sophistication would be a massive overstatement. It's entertainment. .

I missed this part earlier, but has anyone here or anywhere for that matter made any outlandish claims that it's anything but entertainment? No one has argued that the particular scene was character development either. If anyone is looking for an engaging story in game, this is one of the last places to look.

 

[manux]

until you realize that

Spoiler

it was all for nothing (bringing hope to people) since humanity got wiped out in the great flood after poseidon's death and there is no human alive to be seen after except for the lady in hades and pandora but they both end up dying

actually I think you got it wrong.

Spoiler

Kratos had the strength/power all the time inside him after opening the pandoras box in earlier game. Kratos realises this and he has two choices. Either give the power back to athena and let god(s) rule or kill himself and free the power to people, He killed himself, gods lost their power and it became the time of the man. This also explains why zeus was consumed with fear and hatred. At the same time kratos got power from pandoras box the gods got infected with "disease"

 

[manux]

manux and SG79, I'm familiar with Greek mythology and how dark and violent it can be. I'm also not afraid of dark subject matter. What I don't like is gore porn.

I guess that's a cultural thing what is considered appropriate. I didn't see porn there or even much gore. It's all in players head in that case. Nothing sexual was shown or happened in the scene. If thought was sex everybody would have several rape charges every day while seeing some beautiful people on the streets, tv, whatever. Kratos killed that lady and did no other harm to her. Just one of the many deaths in that game.

 

[ultragpu]

Seriously what would Athena do if she gets the power of "hope" now that she's dead? She wants it so badly could probably mean that it can revive her and rule over Olympus, if that's the case then

Spoiler

Kratos is not dead even if he stabs himself with the Blade of Olympus, the power of hope could effectively revive him in the process and that explains how he got up and jumped off the cliff. He survived the blade once and can well do so again.

 

[London Geezer]

Seriously what would Athena do if she gets the power of "hope" now that she's dead? She wants it so badly could probably mean that it can revive her and rule over Olympus, if that's the case then

Spoiler

Kratos is not dead even if he stabs himself with the Blade of Olympus, the power of hope could effectively revive him in the process and that explains how he got up and jumped off the cliff. He survived the blade once and can well do so again.

Another thing i noticed, and please correct me if i'm wrong, but when Kratos

Spoiler

stabs himself, Athena says something along the lines of "Noooo you fool, that was meant for me, they won't know what to do with it!!". Or was i dreaming?

If i wasn't, who are "they"??

Also, Santa Monica Studios clearly said that this is the end of GOW, at least Kratos's story.

Spoiler

So what was the point of the end? He's alive? Plus, something is going to have to be done about the mess he created this time, the world is falling apart! And all because of his little revenge!

OMG I know, they're gonna do GOW but based on Christianity. A bit like Dante's Inferno but good. One of the unlockable skins is the Pope. Imagine killing demons as the Pope! That would be really cool.
Then after that, a trilogy based on Scientology, which we all know is the only religion based on true facts out there.

 

[BadTB25]

Pretty far into it now. For the most part I'm still enjoying it. My least favourite moment so far is

Spoiler

leading a seemingly defenceless and topless women through a number of dangers, only to murder her for the purpose of propping open a gate. You tie her to a gear, and she gets sucked inside and killed, jamming the gear and holding the door from closing. When she dies you get a trophy titled something like, "I didn't do it ... but I wish I had." She seems to be some kind of sex slave for Poseidon and to complete the game I had to murder her. Seriously, what's up with that? Is this game targeted at forty-something misogynists still living in their parents basements after a lifetime of rejection by women, or is it targeted at pubescent males living in their parents basements headed towards a lifetime of rejection by women? Those are the kind of guys that would buy this game to jerk it to the sex scene. I mean, this is the ultimate Spike TV game. It's fun to play, and great to look at, but the actual substance is extremely lame. How anyone can be a huge fan of Kratos, I'll never understand.

I agree with you for the most part. It felt to me that there was a lot of unnecessary deaths compared to the previous games -- I wonder if the developers intentionally wanted you to loathe Kratos by the end of the game for his thirst of revenge at all costs.

I did enjoy the game though, but to be honest most gore porn and violence doesn't really bother me. In this instance, it was weird that I disapproved of the character more at the end of the game than at the start.

 

[BoardBonobo]

OMG I know, they're gonna do GOW but based on Christianity. A bit like Dante's Inferno but good. One of the unlockable skins is the Pope. Imagine killing demons as the Pope! That would be really cool.
Then after that, a trilogy based on Scientology, which we all know is the only religion based on true facts out there.

lol!

There would be far too much rape, infanticide, and other such gratuitous violence in a game based on the bible stories than would be palatable for most people it seems!!

 

[ultragpu]

Another thing i noticed, and please correct me if i'm wrong, but when Kratos

Spoiler

stabs himself, Athena says something along the lines of "Noooo you fool, that was meant for me, they won't know what to do with it!!". Or was i dreaming?

If i wasn't, who are "they"??

Also, Santa Monica Studios clearly said that this is the end of GOW, at least Kratos's story.

Spoiler

So what was the point of the end? He's alive? Plus, something is going to have to be done about the mess he created this time, the world is falling apart! And all because of his little revenge!

OMG I know, they're gonna do GOW but based on Christianity. A bit like Dante's Inferno but good. One of the unlockable skins is the Pope. Imagine killing demons as the Pope! That would be really cool.
Then after that, a trilogy based on Scientology, which we all know is the only religion based on true facts out there.

Yeah, Athena's line was really confusing, but I think she meant man kind. After all

Spoiler

Kratos freed the human from all the gods and passed on that power to the human so they can prosper on their own. Athena was just being greedy unless she can predict how human have initiated world wars some xxxxx years later.

 

[Billy Idol]

Finished the second playthrough (God difficulty, 9hours this time) - what a perfect game it is!
I immediately started my third game - this time on titan difficulty...man, the poseidon fight was really tough this way, in my first playthroughs, I did not even recognized that the boss (including the water spider horse) has some combat pattern
But after learning them, I could beat him...

Unfortunately, I have to wait 2 weeks till I can play the game again (damn you 'my career pretension', for making me rational!!)

After playing the game a second time and finishing it after 9 hours play time, I wished that they made some scenes longer to increase the play time:

Spoiler

-why do I only have to press one button (or two), to kill the lava titan? they could have easily made an epic battle and increased the play time!
-as people here said...the same goes for hermes...they could have made him more memorable. If you ask me, the end fight with Hermes falls back compared to the other battles...just look at the 'immediate' crystal scorpion fight in comparison!
for instance: the could have really make a Hermes chase. Hermes running down Olympus along the chain, Kratos flying after him and tries to catch up to get him-this would have been cool and a real chase...

 

[London Geezer]

Finished the second playthrough (God difficulty, 9hours this time) - what a perfect game it is!

Jesus... I started playing on Titan difficulty and not only i died like a hundred times at Poseidon, but i just could not get through the 3 challenges the first time you get to the Three Judges stage. Just could not get past the second challenge and i bucked to the pressure, went on 'Easy', turned on all items and off i went to the end in a few hours I'm so weak.