*spin-off* God of War III Demo Impressions

[JardeL]

Before ;
[ http://i37.tinypic.com/s4xcuu.jpg ]
After ;
[ http://i38.tinypic.com/a14dg4.jpg ]

Blood all over Kratos' body. I like that.

And look at Kratos' face , the detail and facial expressions are awesome.

 

[Rotmm]

But the blood disappears in seconds, from both Kratos and the environment. Very disconcerting to see it fade right in front of your eyes as you play.

 

[RobertR1]

But the blood disappears in seconds, from both Kratos and the environment. Very disconcerting to see it fade right in front of your eyes as you play.

Good point. It would be cool to see the aftermath of your massacre NG2 style.

 

[Rotmm]

Good point. It would be cool to see the aftermath of your massacre NG2 style.

Or at least wait until your view changes away from the carnage before 'disappearing' it.

 

[JardeL]

Or wait until the final code.

 

[MazingerDUDE]

However the combat is nothing new at all. It looks like they put all their efforts into presentation. Bayonetta combat make this look stale.

The combat system in Bayonetta is just as shallow as GOW. It's just visually more impressive, that's all. I'm a bit disappointed myself as I expected more depth in combat like Ninja Gaiden, but after all GOW is all about the presentation, I'll just give Bayonetta a rent since I'm not a fan of its art direction either. As a hardcore hack n slash action game fan, likes of DMC & Bayonetta are the lowest in my book.

 

[djskribbles]

I'm a huge hack n slash fan as well, and DMC is at the top of my list (specifically DMC3). DMC3 has the deepest combat system of any action game and it's extremely satisfying pulling off combos. It has an extremely steep learning curve though. DMC4 was OK, but it wasn't nearly as good as DMC3 IMHO. As far as combat, NG is also up there. GoW is more of a button masher, but the platforming/puzzle solving mix, presentation and story is what makes it a great game. I enjoyed the second GoW much more than the first as it was longer and had slightly more replay value.

 

[Sigfried1977]

For me GoW is the right blend of a fun, yet accessible combat-system and a story/presentation that doesn't make me turn my head in shame.

 

[BadTB25]

I'm a huge hack n slash fan as well, and DMC is at the top of my list (specifically DMC3). DMC3 has the deepest combat system of any action game and it's extremely satisfying pulling off combos. It has an extremely steep learning curve though. DMC4 was OK, but it wasn't nearly as good as DMC3 IMHO. As far as combat, NG is also up there. GoW is more of a button masher, but the platforming/puzzle solving mix, presentation and story is what makes it a great game. I enjoyed the second GoW much more than the first as it was longer and had slightly more replay value.

I just love the bad ass attitude of Kratos as well as the epic like story. I also like that it is not catered to the PG13 crowd with compromises in both the sexual innuendo and language.

The gameplay gets the job done, but in my preference order for hack and slash gameplay it would be NG/NG2 > DMC > GOW. I think Bayonetta may end up somewhere in the middle. For overall game it would be NG/NG2 > GOW > DMC.

 

[idsn6]

The combat system in Bayonetta is just as shallow as GOW. It's just visually more impressive, that's all. I'm a bit disappointed myself as I expected more depth in combat like Ninja Gaiden, but after all GOW is all about the presentation, I'll just give Bayonetta a rent since I'm not a fan of its art direction either. As a hardcore hack n slash action game fan, likes of DMC & Bayonetta are the lowest in my book.

As a hardcore hack'n'slash action game fan, it seems like you just dismissed every heavy hitter in the genre other than NG. What else is there?

 

[MazingerDUDE]

As a hardcore hack'n'slash action game fan, it seems like you just dismissed every heavy hitter in the genre other than NG. What else is there?

I'm not sure if the current console generation had seen much of heavy hitter in hack n slash genre, but I've played from some mediocre titles like Conan to some obscurities as Onechanbara. Outside the Ninja Gaiden games, only game that had provided me with some decent fun in its combat system probably was Dynasty Warriors.

 

[ultragpu]

Heavenly Sword is still one of my most favorite Hack and slasher, that game was seriously underrated.

 

[patsu]

MazingerDUDE, if you are looking for a visceral combat experience, you might want to give Demon's Souls a try. Most of the time, I play it like hack-n-slash with careful timing to roll out of danger. If you're good enough to stay as body form, you'll fight other players rather frequently too. Many people have to quit the game after the first PvP encounter (waiting for their heart beat to settle down). But one should be able to drive away intruders successfully given some practices.

The game has some shortcomings (some gamers can't get used to the lock-on), and takes a long time to complete. But the combat system shines. That is all. v_v

 

[Sigfried1977]

Heavenly Sword is still one of my most favorite Hack and slasher, that game was seriously underrated.

Agreed. I like it for the same reasons I also like GoW: fighting is very enjoyable (play on hell mode if you think it's too button-mashy) and unlike the DMCs and NGs, HS doesn't insult my intelligence with pathetic characters and stories.

 

[patsu]

I play HS for Kai and the acting. Can't find similar experience elsewhere; plus I like Kai as a character

Spoiler

especially her swollow the worm part

It looks lile the GoWIII demo is only available in the EU store ?

I may give the first 2 games a try when they come out in mid November.

 

[SG79]

I'm not sure if the current console generation had seen much of heavy hitter in hack n slash genre, but I've played from some mediocre titles like Conan to some obscurities as Onechanbara. Outside the Ninja Gaiden games, only game that had provided me with some decent fun in its combat system probably was Dynasty Warriors.

NG and DMC hardly fit the typical hack and slash mold; they're much deeper. As is Bayonetta though I'm turned off by a lot of stuff in that game.

Trust me though, DMC1 and 3 (even 4 at core) are deeper than NG. NG just presents its meat better in the form of long move lists.

But did you actually find Bayonetta more impressive visually than GOWIII or did I miss something there? I'd give the frame rate advantage right now, but GOWIII's build is actually quite old (about a year prior to the game's release).

 

[deepbrown]

Love the GOWIII gameplay - obviously can turn into hack and slash and relies on your imagination to mix up the combat. You can easily rely on the same move over and over...because the demo is so easy.

Played Dante's Inferno - wow surprisingly good. Graphics impressive on PS3 (surprisingly for MP) has the same scale as GOWIII...and also almost exactly the same controls and gameplay. It's like they just copied the game...but actually did it very well.

 

[SG79]

I believe the similarities between GOW and DI is because the lead designers on the latter used to work for Sony Santa Monica.

 

[assurdum]

But the blood disappears in seconds, from both Kratos and the environment. Very disconcerting to see it fade right in front of your eyes as you play.

Patience.

 

[assurdum]

Love the GOWIII gameplay - obviously can turn into hack and slash and relies on your imagination to mix up the combat. You can easily rely on the same move over and over...because the demo is so easy.

Played Dante's Inferno - wow surprisingly good. Graphics impressive on PS3 (surprisingly for MP) has the same scale as GOWIII ...and also almost exactly the same controls and gameplay. It's like they just copied the game...but actually did it very well.

OT are you sure? In the last screen not seems nothing of special.