It's a disgrace that this game has "Trials" in the name. None of the qualities that make a Trials game exceptional and satisfying are present in whatever this game is. Bad motorcycle physics, a lot of gimmicky gameplay with jetpacks, mine carts and swinging ropes and incredibly bad on-foot section. One has to wonder how the platforming can be implemented to feel so incredibly bad.

The humor and constant references are also more embarrassing than anything else.

Avoid, unless you just want to complete the series.. In which case go into the game expecting anything but Trials.

This needed to walk so Dark Souls 3 could run

This game introduced a lot of gameplay fixes on the original’s design with many unique features that make it a great experience amongst the souls-borne series. It also introduced a lot of what I disliked in the series such as linear areas, returning to the hub area and speaking to an NPC to level up rather than at any bonfire, and warping between every bonfire (the interconnected world of DS1 can never be topped)
That, plus a lot of cheap-shot placed enemies and insta-kill attacks with a soul-tier system that makes it hard to play with friends left a sour taste in my mouth when playing

I do not understand the hype surrounding this game at all, it's not a bad game by any means but man the story is average af, the gameplay is pretty bland until you're getting the spartan blades in a very late section of the game and unlike the axe they're actually fun to use
the difficulty scaling in this game is horrible, I hate games that think that making each enemy bullet spongy is a good decision for increased difficulty
also I HATE when games guide you from start to finish, it feels sometimes like the game was meant to be played by actual toddlers
now for my biggest problem I had with GOW 2018, my god the cutscenes in this game are EVERYWHERE and most of the time they just break immersion and interrupt big moments like boss fights for example
there are just so many points that shouldn't have any of them to begin with I do not understand the appeal of games that have so many cutscenes in combat sections,it's simply irritating
after dissing the game for a bit it's time for the good things about it, the world of this game is freaking phenomenal and beautiful, the world building is also really great and character interactions are on point for most part
I liked the cast of characters this game offered, they're not amazing or anything but I'd be lying if I told you that I didn't enjoyed the it throughout the whole journey
lastly the last conclusion, it was super satisfying and the final boss was pretty great too unlike the other bosses and unlike these bosses they actually done a great mix of boss phases and cutscenes, it was a great finisher before heading to the mountain

In conclusion getting impressed by GOW 2018 is like getting impressed by Kim Kardashian's ass, sure it has a great shape and mass but man that shit's just plastic

it's not GOTY material at all but it sure is a good game, 6-6.5/10

Unreal fucking game. From the height of seething highest anger to the most tender understanding. An absolute golden game. I went from despising and stupidly fumbling through this title to enjoying the walks, the many sights, the many enemies, the many fights, the history, and everything the game had to offer. The complete switch I made from when I started playing compared to now is really something. But I really came to appreciate and love this game from the bottom of my heart.

(More writing soon, might make a full blogpost instead.)

I've just now finished this game for the very first time in my life, with some friends on Discord I fired it up ironically, thinking I'd just play the first few levels, laugh at the guy running and then leave. I was a fool. This game is frustrating, level design is unfair, infuriating and confusing and sometimes it just doesn't forgive your mistakes whatsoever, it really amps up in difficulty in the later stages.

It's a fun and addictive runner, but it's just too unforgiving and ends up being frustrating and even to master it, but I do appreciate its legacy as the bizarre ad-game that it is for the Japanese market, and it being published by the same house that published old Kotaro Uchikoshi visual novels and him even being the 3D modeller of this one.

It's just something you kinda play once and that's it, I guess.