God of War [PS4, PC]

[Aaron Elfassy]

Yes the HDR implementation is using the full 10000 nit range of the signal. SM must have decided it would future proof the image, without realizing most, if not all current consumer displays cannot properly tonemap beyond 1500 - 10000 nits.

My OLED65B7 can't properly show most of the firelit cave sections properly, even though it can resolve a 10000 nits peak signal. My tv's brightness roll off is different to the brightness roll off SM uses in their SDR tonemapped output.

Simply turn off HDR and in SDR you can confirm there is more detail in the fire particles, or on Kratos's lit skin standing next to the fire. The provided options in the menu definitely can't fix this. SM needs to add a working peak brightness limiter.

 

[djskribbles]

Finished. Wow. How hard is the platinum on this one?

So apparently not as hard as I initially thought. I just realized that you can change the difficulty mid game.

I had to drop the difficulty down to fight the

Spoiler

9th Valkyrie. I tried for like an hour and I could only get her health down to like 15%. If I had rage built up I could maybe do it, but I had zero rage going into the fight. I saw that you can change the difficulty and just said f*** it.

I have all but 4 trophies, including the Platinum trophy. All I have left now is to find all the treasures, collectibles and ravens, but I dunno if I want to go through all that trouble.

 

[London Geezer]

Yes the HDR implementation is using the full 10000 nit range of the signal. SM must have decided it would future proof the image, without realizing most, if not all current consumer displays cannot properly tonemap beyond 1500 - 10000 nits.

My OLED65B7 can't properly show most of the firelit cave sections properly, even though it can resolve a 10000 nits peak signal. My tv's brightness roll off is different to the brightness roll off SM uses in their SDR tonemapped output.

Simply turn off HDR and in SDR you can confirm there is more detail in the fire particles, or on Kratos's lit skin standing next to the fire. The provided options in the menu definitely can't fix this. SM needs to add a working peak brightness limiter.

Ah so it's not just me. Pretty poor, if even a Sony ZD9 can't show off this game correctly in HDR. Perhaps they'll fix it?

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Should be easily fixed in software by tone-mapping on the console.

 

[Aaron Elfassy]

Ah so it's not just me. Pretty poor, if even a Sony ZD9 can't show off this game correctly in HDR. Perhaps they'll fix it?

First party sony titles are inelegantly using the full range of HDR-10, with the exception of gran turismo (with the right menu settings). I say inelegantly because with the exception of Sony's 10000 nit prototype display, there isn't a display that exists that can handle the full non-tonemapped uhd output of the ps4. Ratchet and clank is quite the offender - clipping sunny details in the 2nd mars like section. Uncharted 4 also has a few scenes with heavy clipping in the sky box and sunlit characters. Sony may be advising Devs to use the full range, with the hope that when a true 10000 nit capable set arrives only PlayStation will have the games that take true advantage of HDR. As good as the ZD9 and the C7 competes today, it will be a very different story by the time the next console generation comes around.

 

[ultragpu]

The rumored Sony Z9F is a 4000 nits monster and should more faithfully reproduce those highlights indeed. Might see it end of year even.

 

[Aaron Elfassy]

4000 nits may still not cut it, as many games are already taking advantage of the 6000-10000 nit range. Devs are putting the cart before the horse. A properly implemented peak nits limiter and APL adjustment is a must with current display technology

Despite the clipping and a few scenes with banding, GOW's implementation is still pretty fantastic. I wouldn't go back to SDR, even though it's a more polished image

 

[London Geezer]

4000 nits may still not cut it, as many games are already taking advantage of the 6000-10000 nit range. Devs are putting the cart before the horse. A properly implemented peak nits limiter and APL adjustment is a must with current display technology

Despite the clipping and a few scenes with banding, GOW's implementation is still pretty fantastic. I wouldn't go back to SDR, even though it's a more polished image

Oh absolutely. It looks amazing. It only really ‘breaks’ when it tries to push too much brightness and there is nothing in the system that tells the TV to roll it off properly. And that’s not too often, relative to the time the game spends in eye-candy territory.

Again, the irony here is that you’d think that something made by Sony would at least get that right. GTS did it, and a few other games.

 

[Sigfried1977]

I think the HDR implementation in the game is pretty amazing actually. Unlike in more showy instances like Infamous, it just looks right here. I think the game's pretty meh, though. It's a magnificent looking yet rather by-the-numbers mashup of everything that's popular now. The first 5 hours damn near put me to sleep, then it picked up considerably, and now I'm at a point where every little trash mob takes an eternity to kill. Hate the combat camera, hate the invisible walls in combination with no possibility to jump, and I especially hate being forced to maximize my character instead of my game in order to tackle the tougher challenges. When my level 5 God of goddamned War does little to no damage to a level 8 revenant (is that what they're called?) and dies in 2 hits it just feels stupid. It's AC Origins all over again. Also, 30-100+ seconds worth of cooldown time for special attacks in an action game? That's an eternity even for a tactical rpg and feels completely at odds with the genre. Boss fights have also been a joke so far. Half of the first ever fight was basically a movie, and dodging lightning bolts while hacking away at the feet of a giant wyrm felt especially sad after battling these magnificent beasts in Dragon's Dogma or Dark Souls. Rolling left to dodge giant trolls is so very exciting too. Most trash mobs in Bayonetta have more varied attack patterns than those guys do. Don't get what most people see in the puzzles either. Sure, they're plentiful, but I've yet to encounter anything that was even remotely as clever or challenging as the hedge maze in God of War III (aka the damn near perfect game). I really like the narrative so far (I'm 20 something hours into the game I think), but at the same time I'm also really missing that punk rock attitude of the older games.

I'm gonna keep going because there's enough craftsmanship here to satiate the needs of my inner graphics whore, but I don't see myself replaying this thing over and over like I did with the other titles in the series. Way too many unskippable walky-talky sections for my tastes.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Given Kratos has already levelled up to max three times in three previous adventures, is there a story explanation why he's a wimp starting at rung 1 again?

 

[London Geezer]

Given Kratos has already levelled up to max three times in three previous adventures, is there a story explanation why he's a wimp starting at rung 1 again?

He’s no wimp at all and definitely not starting from zero all over again.

 

[Sigfried1977]

Given Kratos has already levelled up to max three times in three previous adventures, is there a story explanation why he's a wimp starting at rung 1 again?

You mean 6 times.

 

[London Geezer]

Plot always wins. Wouldn’t make a lot of sense to start a game ultra overpowered. Where do you go from there?

 

[Sigfried1977]

To Asura's Wrath is where you go from there

 

[Deleted member 11852]

Given Kratos has already levelled up to max three times in three previous adventures, is there a story explanation why he's a wimp starting at rung 1 again?

It's because you suck

He actually feels overpowered and although I am - still - only six or seven hours in, literally no battle has felt like I was worried about losing it. Seriously through, me and the Leviathan axe clicked after a few throws. It usually takes me a while to click with game's combat systems but the axe it just seems to do what I'm wanting it to do. I'd love to see a GDC presentation on how they approached designing it. Link's boomerang has nothing on the axe.

Is it just me?

 

[ultragpu]

Where is my Photomode, why is it taking SSM so long to dish it out? I'm waiting on my second playthrough with it so I can zoom all the way into Jörmungandr's eyeball.

 

[bgroovy]

Given Kratos has already levelled up to max three times in three previous adventures, is there a story explanation why he's a wimp starting at rung 1 again?

The skills are all basically equipment based and he just inherited the axe. You are also leveling up the sun's abilities and foreign magics you find along the way.

 

[Sigfried1977]

Loving these Valkyrie fights. Probably took me 50+ tries to get the third one down (the one in the mountain) I suppose those are meant more as a post game challenge, but damn, is it ever satisfying to do it early.

 

[ultragpu]

Sold 3.1 million copies in 3 daysbecomes the fastest selling PS4 exclusive ever.
https://blog.us.playstation.com/201...3-days-becomes-fastest-selling-ps4-exclusive/
Rightfully deserved Santa Monica Studio, you guys truly rocked my world with God of War and I thank you guys for bringing me one of the most enjoyable gaming experience ever. I think the sequel is pretty much set in stones as of now.

 

[London Geezer]

Sold 3.1 million copies in 3 daysbecomes the fastest selling PS4 exclusive ever.
https://blog.us.playstation.com/201...3-days-becomes-fastest-selling-ps4-exclusive/
Rightfully deserved Santa Monica Studio, you guys truly rocked my world with God of War and I thank you guys for bringing me one of the most enjoyable gaming experience ever. I think the sequel is pretty much set in stones as of now.

It’s definitely coming. It’s a question of when, and I really hope it won’t take too long.