Apparently I never logged this. This was my second playthrough, it's a masterpiece, etc, etc.
When I was a kid, I was always so frustrated with non-Mario platformers (Sonic specifically) that couldn't get platforming right, because it's already been done perfectly! Just do that again! That's how I feel about post-God of War 3rd person action games. God of War did it already! it figured out the crunch! Just do that again!
This iteration also finally feels complete and full. I played the first two on the PS2 back when they were released, and while they were fun action games with some awesome scope, they felt like they were made by 20 year olds. Ultraviolence, as graphic as possible, boobs, sex, drinking. Even at 25 they felt juvenile to me.
This feels like those guys grew up, started families, had kids, and realized what being an adult actually is like, then made that game. The story is mature, it's steeped with regret, Kratos is trying to break the cycle of violence, but suddenly has to take care of a kid and doesn't know what he's doing or how to be a better father than his own father was.
There are so many amazing narrative moments in the game, beyond the big setpieces. The way it conveys emotions, how it shows instead of tells, how it makes you live with the choices of the character, a character you control but don't make decisions for, it's a narrative, mature masterpiece.
When I was a kid, I was always so frustrated with non-Mario platformers (Sonic specifically) that couldn't get platforming right, because it's already been done perfectly! Just do that again! That's how I feel about post-God of War 3rd person action games. God of War did it already! it figured out the crunch! Just do that again!
This iteration also finally feels complete and full. I played the first two on the PS2 back when they were released, and while they were fun action games with some awesome scope, they felt like they were made by 20 year olds. Ultraviolence, as graphic as possible, boobs, sex, drinking. Even at 25 they felt juvenile to me.
This feels like those guys grew up, started families, had kids, and realized what being an adult actually is like, then made that game. The story is mature, it's steeped with regret, Kratos is trying to break the cycle of violence, but suddenly has to take care of a kid and doesn't know what he's doing or how to be a better father than his own father was.
There are so many amazing narrative moments in the game, beyond the big setpieces. The way it conveys emotions, how it shows instead of tells, how it makes you live with the choices of the character, a character you control but don't make decisions for, it's a narrative, mature masterpiece.