Top 50 Reaction: God of War

By Tom Bramwell Published 18 January, 2006

David Jaffe hasn't played it since, but he recalls making it.

In many people's eyes, Nintendo won 2005 in terms of the really, actually "new" games. But even so, Sony America's God of War was the highest-ranked original game in your Top 50, and number two overall. We couldn't find much to put ahead of it either, and there was a lot of internal debate about its position. In an early draft of our Top 50, God of War was actually behind a couple of games it wound up in front of when all the votes were counted, prompting Kieron - who experienced it in full when he was trying to put Spartan: Total Warrior in context - to bombard us with invective most of which centred on our diminished manhood.

For example, Mario Kart was going to be ahead of it. "Okay. Are we seriously saying this a website where everyone would rather have a mushroom race against Princess Pooble and some manner of immigrant hired help on a handheld toy rather than SNATCH A HARPY FROM THE AIR, TEAR ITS WINGS OFF AND THEN PROCEED TO HOWL A CELEBRATION OF YOUR ENDLESS PUSIANCE AT THE BLOOD RED MOON??!?! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU ALL?" Later we got some more votes that turned things around.

Anyway, we thought we'd send David Jaffe some email about its position. God knows what Kieron would make about his love of Phil Collins.

Eurogamer: God of War stepped into an overcrowded genre using a fairly popular premise, but still won out. You must have been pretty convinced you knew what you were doing...

David Jaffe: I was 100 per cent convinced that we were making the game that I had always wanted to play. I had no clue if others would like it, but I didn't really care. And I didn't care because I didn't know how many more opportunities I would have to have a shit load of cash, a great team, and lots of development time. It seemed disrespectful to that very rare situation NOT to just go for it and follow my gut 100 per cent of the time. That said, I never assumed we would be a hit. There were days I thought we were going to go big and days I thought we'd flop. But even flopping - for me - was ok because I don't want to be in this business if I can't do projects that come from my gut and soul. It's too hard of a job and it doesn't pay enough for you to do it if you are not following your dreams, you know?

'Top 50 Reaction: God of War' Screenshot 1

Eurogamer: Obviously things went well for you. What gives you the greatest satisfaction when you look back at the game? Have you played it much since it came out?

David Jaffe: No, I have not played it and have no desire to do so. When I see people playing games I have worked on I tend to not even recognize the games... I'm like: is that Twisted Metal? Is that God of War? Because when you make the game, you really throw yourself into it with all your heart and soul and then - when it's over - it's like you want nothing to do with the thing ever again. Maybe when I'm older, I can look back and enjoy the games. But I am enjoying them when I come up with the ideas. When I first think up - or hear about - a cool idea for a game, I get the same charge just hearing the idea as a player does experiencing it for the first time in the actual game. So by the time the game is finished, I'm just so sick of it cause I've already been thinking about it for over a year.

Eurogamer: One of the things that people often comment on is the way the game manages to challenge players without becoming too punishing - what's the secret to creating a game with that kind of accessibility?

David Jaffe: Two things. Lots of play testing. We play-tested the crap out of this game to make sure it was balanced, not too hard, not too easy. We were always looking for that sweet spot where the average player was engaged.

The other thing is I always remember what it was like to grow up with little money and drop 40-50 bucks on a game that sucked. It's just a terrible feeling. And for most people, a game that is too hard is not fun. I know there are the hard core DMC3/NGB fans out there and God bless them. I could never play at the level they play. But for most people, hardcore mastery of a game system is not fun. Instead, most folks are looking or a great, interactive ride. And most folks want to be able to play through the whole game and not get stuck 30 per cent of the way in because the difficulty ramps up to crazy levels. We wanted players to finish and see the whole story of Kratos.

'Top 50 Reaction: God of War' Screenshot 2

Eurogamer: I think everyone was a bit surprised at just how good the game looked in spite of the PS2's growing age. Were you doing anything differently, or did you just push harder than most people?

David Jaffe: Well I can tell you the team pushed really hard, on all fronts. And we have a very, very talented team. A great lead coder who was a pain in my ass for the whole project (and I was a pain in his) but that tension and desire to make a great game - on both our parts - pushed the game (and the team) farther than we knew we could go. Also, we have amazing artists who not only understood tech limits and how to work within them and - at the proper times - push them... But the artists on our team are also just amazing creatives as well. Oh, and a strong-ass producer who really kept the team from killing each other... and especially killing me. Oh, and Sony giving us lots of cash and time to make the game and to keep pushing.

Eurogamer: Finally - with the exception of God of War, what was your favourite game of 2005, and why was it special to you?

David Jaffe: Shadow of the Colossus because it made me feel like I was on a grand adventure and was literally jaw dropping (no hyperbole here... I actually recall showing my wife the game and going, 'look hon, my mouth is actually open in awe... does that ever actually happen?!?!'... Granted my mouth was open in awe when I said this so it came out kind of funny). And Guitar Hero because it let me - along with many others - live out the rock star dream that I've always had. Now if they would just release an expansion pack with all Phil Collins/Genesis/Queen songs, I would be a happy camper. Oh, and yes, I do love Phil Collins. Yes, I am a total dork.

Picture of Tom.

About Tom Bramwell

Tom is Operations director of Eurogamer Network and Editor-at-Large of Eurogamer.net. He joined the company in February 2000.

Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Bramwell archive page.

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Comments (60) Latest comment 6 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Mr.Small #1 6 years ago

    Most folks are looking or a great, interactive ride.

    Amen to that. God of War really pulled this off and just hit the sweet spot for me when I played it during summer.

  • Bertie Verified Senior Staff Writer, Eurogamer.net #2 6 years ago

    Hah, he's mental! It's endearing :)

  • tengu #3 6 years ago

    I didn't really take to God of War at first, but it eventually drew me in and I enjoyed it a lot more second time through.

    Saying that, there really was no excuse for that 'spinning blades' climbing crap near the end.

  • trevd72 #4 6 years ago

    god of war is one of those games that you get a kick out of playing and people who walk into the room while you play it are stopped in thier tracks by it

  • Fozzie_bear #5 6 years ago

    We play-tested the crap out of this game to make sure it was balanced, not too hard, not too easy. We were always looking for that sweet spot where the average player was engaged... And for most people, a game that is too hard is not fun.

    The above should be printed out and stuck on the desk of everyone who makes videogames.

  • Nikanoru #6 6 years ago

    I was 100 per cent convinced that we were making the game that I had always wanted to play. I had no clue if others would like it, but I didn't really care.

    Let's hope that corporate pricks take heed: give developers freedom and they'll make you money.

  • megastar #7 6 years ago

    bang on tengu, that annoyed the fuck out of me too! I remember screaming at the screen at that point.

    rest of the game kicked ass though!

  • Smugglarn #8 6 years ago

    Disembowelment with huge knives and Phil Collins - that's a strange combo...

    or is it? ;)

  • TheJuriel #9 6 years ago

    Eh. God of War was short and limited, with barely any story or cutscenes. DMC3 was better in every way, especially in offering the player freedom with combos.

  • neon #10 6 years ago

    "It's too hard of a job and it doesn't pay enough for you to do it if you are not following your dreams, you know?"


    Where right there with you maaann :)

  • glavenopolis #11 6 years ago

    I often wondered whether I'd ever find a better game than Prince of Persia Warrior within. After/During playing God Of War I soon found that it was in fact the best game I have ever played! Now that's heartbraking for me to say as I've collected all 7 of the Prince Of Persia series but... its TRUE!!
    I LOVE GOD OF WAR! My mouth was totally hanging open at times as I was on the edge of my couch, and I was like "wtf am I doing?"
    Yeah, this game kicks ass.

  • Tomo #12 6 years ago

    Not a good game in my opinion.

  • Flabio #13 6 years ago

    Hardly anyone who works on a game ever wants to play it again once it's been released. On average, you'll have had to live with the thing day in day out for 18 months, thats a hell of a lot longer than the people who actually buy it will...

  • SeesThroughAll #14 6 years ago

    "wow for the first time, in an interview, a game developer who actually sounds nice, and down to earth."

    Agreed.
    Developers should be respected for their work, but not idolized like they often are nowadays. No wonder some of them are obnoxious "wanna-be popstars".

  • neon #15 6 years ago

    Will there be a PS3 God of War special?
    Edited by 1 at 18/01/06 @ 13:23

  • Galvanizer #16 6 years ago

    What is "NGB"? :s

  • tiddles #17 6 years ago

    I often wondered whether I'd ever find a better game than Prince of Persia Warrior within

    0_o

  • davyuk #18 6 years ago

    NGB = Ninja Gaiden Black

    I thought GoW was a good game, but it didn't touch me on an emotional level - that's still something the Japanese are best at - and is normally a shortcoming of most western games. (from the west, not cowboy-genre)

  • Shinzou #19 6 years ago

    NGB is Ninja Gaiden Black. A game I coincidentally finished yesterday.

  • Nikanoru #20 6 years ago

    Eh. God of War was short and limited, with barely any story or cutscenes. DMC3 was better in every way, especially in offering the player freedom with combos.

    While I think GoW was overrated somewhat, the story was definitely fleshed out and well brought. Especially the voice acting, which was beautiful and to which 90% of all games out there don't hold a candle, DMC included (then again, Capcom is renowned for that).

  • kangarootoo #21 6 years ago

    "I was 100 per cent convinced that we were making the game that I had always wanted to play. I had no clue if others would like it, but I didn't really care"

    I can never understand why people applaud this kind of attitude in game development. I'm not saying you should "sell out" to the masses, but taking account of your target audience is surely part of what forms a professional developer's skillset.

    If I had someone working for me whose attitude was "I'm making this for me, I don't care if your paying public like it or not" I would be concerned.

    Making games for a living is not a hobby. Treating it as such is one of the reasons why so many games are shit (present example excepted, though GoW didn't really do it for me).

  • statix101 #22 6 years ago

    Nothing wrong with Phil Collins...one of the best drummers this country has ever produced....

  • Feanor #23 6 years ago

    Voice acting in DMC 3 was great. Dante is supposed to sound like a party dude at the start because he's young and brash and a half-demon. And he matures a bit as the game goes on right up until the perfect ending cut scene.

  • Freek #24 6 years ago

    Watered down only a tiny bitt. There's a scene in the US version where you sacrifice an athenean soldier to solve a puzzle, in the Euro version it's a zombie soldier, that's it.
    Woulden't really let something that small get in the way of playing a game.

  • neuroniky #25 6 years ago

    @Wonga: God of War has not been watered down. The original Ninja Gaiden was. But Ninja Gaiden Black is back (in black) in the original form.

    Edit: stand corrected by freek, forgot about that human sacrifice thing. Makes completely sense in the Euro version however from a puzzle / story POV.
    Edited by 1 at 18/01/06 @ 14:44

  • Rambaldi #26 6 years ago

    So..it's so popular because it's meant for the masses...that's why Boyzone did so well;) Now, back to PGR3 on Platinumn....
    Edited by 1 at 18/01/06 @ 15:06

  • GeorgeZN #27 6 years ago

    "I can never understand why people applaud this kind of attitude in game development. I'm not saying you should "sell out" to the masses, but taking account of your target audience is surely part of what forms a professional developer's skillset. "


    I for one would prefer a developer to actually like what he is doing, not do it just cause its a job. If he actually likes what he is doing he is gonna do what ever possible to make the game as good as he can possiblely can. If he's just gonna do a job he aint really gonna care if the game is good or not he would just put the 9-5 shift and then forget all about the project. Besides if a game developer actually finishes a game that he is trully prowed of he has acomplished with the game as a whole chances are gamers are gonna enjoy it too.

    just my 2 cents.

  • Teeth #28 6 years ago

    Liking what you're doing and developing for a target audience are not mutually exclusive goals. Think before you write.

  • symmetry #29 6 years ago

    A great lead coder who was a pain in my ass for the whole project (and I was a pain in his)

    Nice tight relationship they have there.

  • Teeth #30 6 years ago

    Designers should not be a pain in the "ass". When they are it harms the project. Maybe this game is the exception to that rule, as it's clearly a well-made game.

  • Killerbee #31 6 years ago

    GoW was my game of the year (yes, I enjoyed it more than Resi 4, though admittedly I still haven't finished that one) so kudos for getting David Jaffe's comments up.
    Personally I reckon we'd have a much more diverse and interesting industry if more publishers actually let their games designers and developers get on and make the game they want to make. Pandering to the tastes of the masses inevitably results in a bland product that neither offends nor particularly pleases anyone. Hence why almost all movie licences are toss.

    After all, where would gaming be without the vison of certain individuals - Miyamoto probably being the best example, but I could also cite Kojima, Ancel, Will Wright (remember - EA didn't want to publish the Sims straight away...) and probably some others whose names currently escape me...?

  • Teeth #32 6 years ago

    "Personally I reckon we'd have a much more diverse and interesting industry if more publishers actually let their games designers and developers get on and make the game they want to make."

    That's not new science.

  • marilena #33 6 years ago

    kangarootoo, I don't think that he was trying to say that he didn't think about what people would enjoy, rather he means that he did it his way, not according to focus groups / fan requests / trends.

  • Teeth #34 6 years ago

    Or maybe he's spouting absolute crap and had to make as many marketing/production changes to his game as anyone else does.

  • kangarootoo #35 6 years ago

    @marilena

    I've got no objectionm to someone to driving a consistent vision, but his exact words were "I had no clue if others would like it, but I didn't really care".

    Now maybe he didn't mean exactly that, but if he did I would see that as a problem (as I would also see his casual attitude to poor relationships with his co-workers as others have mentioned). I take your point, but I can only go on what he was quoted as saying.

    I would also be wary of bunching these three "focus groups / fan requests / trends" together. Focus groups are reeeeeaaally useful if done properly. A game is made (or should be made) for gamers, right? Focus groups are (or should be) made of a good representation of the gamers you are actually aiming your title at.

    @Bored_Gamer
    "Teeth,give it a break will you? Another pretentious intellectual wannabe...."

    What on earth does that even mean? I agree that Teeth os firing from the hip a little (as I do myself often enough) but I'm not quite sure I see any pretensions to intellectualism.

    To sum up my thoughts on this chap. The game obviously turned out well, but some of the stuff he says about development (and about other very successful games elsewhere on the web) kind of doesn't sit right. Now maybe GoW turned out great exactly because he forced his true vision through against ignorant opposition, or maybe it turned out OK in spite of him and he wasn't quite given the free reign he suggests.

    Chances are its not the latter as this game did turn out very well, but everytime I read an interview with him I just think "most successful devs don't work the way you describe". In his case it worked out OK, but usually when someone with a "my way or the highway" attitude and bad interteam relations works on a project, they push it down rather than up.

    I await the next project he is involved in.

  • reality_cheque #36 6 years ago

    This game makes me wish my playstation still worked.

  • marilena #37 6 years ago

    kangarootoo, you sound like a few people I know :).

    Anyway, I think you look too much into his words. When you're supposed to give a reasonably short answer to a question, you tend to simplify it and say something that isn't perfectly true, but gives a correct vision of the truth to anyone but the people that tend to overanalyze, like you.

    As for team relations, only they know. But I really disagree that you hove to be in a constant love affair with your collegues. Disagreements are bound to appear, unless nobody cares about the project. When people care, they tend to argue their opinions very stronly. Anyway, my interpretation of the 'pain in the ass' bit is that both of them had very high demands one from the other, which is only reasonable if you want to make a very good game.

  • Teeth #38 6 years ago

    "@Teeth,give it a break will you? Another pretentious intellectual wannabe...."

    Aha, ahahaha. Man, I'm so pretentious. You crack me up.

    Jaffe's manner is the only pretentious thing around here. You get the impression that everything is said at 200% VOLUME. Listen to him warble on...

    "I was 100 per cent convinced that we were making the game that I had always wanted to play." - So now you can retire? And this simple hack-and-slash is the game you always wanted to play?

    "I'm like: is that Twisted Metal? Is that God of War?" - yeah right. Believe this and you'll believe anything. Like the rest of the interview for example. "I can't recognise my own work", lol.

    Then he goes on to say that they did a lot of playtesting (who wouldn't do play testing? Duh.), and then basically says we made it easier so it's more fun but left hard modes in for people who like it. Oh, so you mean like most other games. You sir, are a genius.

    Just because he says it in a friendly way doesn't make him the Oracle. GoW has nothing tremendously new in it, it's just been made well. Jaffe is most often put forward as the designer of the game; if he's also the project manager and producer then fine, he's done a great job of holding the team together and ensuring the game was of a high quality, which it surely is. As a piece of design, though, it's well executed but not so very original.

  • Teeth #39 6 years ago

    Oops. Sorry guys. Jaffe gets me fired up!

  • Cosmopolitan #40 6 years ago

    I agree with what Teeth says.

  • marilena #41 6 years ago

    Bah. I think I'll let you flame the man, there's no talking to you. Everyone does playtesting? Every game is perfectly balanced for every type of player? You live in the different world than me.

    It's true that he's just a bit exhalted, but I kind of like it.

    And yes, he was game director, so he managed the project (I think) and was the main creative force in it. For all it's lack of originality, the game did a lot of things right that you don't often see done right, in my opinion. Like the way rooms are built to let you know if you are on the right path with a puzzle (for instance there is a catapult in one of the leveles, that you can move around, but when you get it in the right room, you can't take it out; I thought that this was pretty clever).

  • Teeth #42 6 years ago

    OK, I meant everyone *wants* to do playtesting. Most people aren't in games for the hot cash. I've rarely worked with anyone who didn't want their game to be good. Lots of playtesting is vital for that, it's basic, basic logic. Lots of testing leads to better balancing. As the director, he put aside lots of time for that, which is great.

    I think the fundamental thing that went right with God Of War is actually having a director, and one with big cojones at that - maybe he did just stand up and say "no, we're doing it our way", which is great if it works, but would get most games canned before they even got to alpha. If every game had lots of time set aside for things that make it more fun, then many more of them would be good. Pretty simple, but unfortunately it's difficult to get that time in my experience.

  • marilena #43 6 years ago

    It's true. Very often good people make bad games simply because they don't have enough time and money. This was one of the things he said, actually, that he knew he won't have many chances like this one, to make a game with a big budget and lots of time. Sony definitely let them make it as good as it could be, which showed. Sony's internal studios (I don't know if the same one) made many games, but I don't remember another one being very good.

  • Teeth #44 6 years ago

    It would be unlikely to happen in SCEE, in my opinion, with what little knowledge of the studio I have in my tiny,malformed brain, that's for sure :)

    edit: gosh, is that libellous, I wonder. Let me make a little edit...
    Edited by 1 at 19/01/06 @ 12:16

  • kangarootoo #45 6 years ago

    @marilena

    "kangarootoo, you sound like a few people I know"

    Man, you could have told me whether that was good or bad. I guess I would have say you have some very wise aquaintences, but I'm guessing you don't agree ;)

    I agree it does very much come down to interpretation of his words. I, like some others here, get a bit arsey whenever I read interviews with Jaffe so I bias my interpretation in one direction (especially regarding the team relations bit, which I concede I was reading in a way that suited my agenda) and I guess you bias yours in the other.

    Ce la vie :)

  • kangarootoo #46 6 years ago

    @Teeth

    "edit: gosh, is that libellous, I wonder. Let me make a little edit..."

    Aw man, now I'm all curious :)

  • marilena #47 6 years ago

    "You could have told me whether that was good or bad."

    Itt's not very bad. The people I'm talking about are pretty smart, if a bit too constrained by a corporate type of thinking.

  • Triggerhappytel #48 6 years ago

    "there really was no excuse for that 'spinning blades' climbing crap near the end."

    I'll second that. I don't remember the last time I used so many four-letter words whilst frothing at the mouth ;)

  • kangarootoo #49 6 years ago

    @marilena

    "The people I'm talking about are pretty smart, if a bit too constrained by a corporate type of thinking."

    Wow, I'll take that as a compliment. Especially the "pretty smart" bit, which I shall read to myself a few more times ;)

    I've worked in both corporate circles (a big US IT firm in my pre-games days with zillions of employees) and small devs (40 people in total) and my experience is thus.

    I very much like the small company mentality compared to the faceless behemoth, but a little bit more corporate style best practice in the games industry would result in less late nights, canned games and folded companies.

    The games industry is still quite new (even compared to IT in general, which isn't that old comparted to say bridge building) and is also staffed by people who want making games to be fun. Now I'm one of the people who wants it to be fun and I'm not saying we should make games the way MFI make furniture. But accepting that any profession will benefit from having some professional rules makes (hopefully) for a better quality product at the end. Given that development time is a rare and expensive commodity, a bit of corporate structure can often actually HELP creativity, because you spend more time making improvements and less time undoing badness.

  • Teeth #50 6 years ago

    Wanna show me where my erudite prose was then? Prior to your accusation? I'll have you know I'm neither erudite nor prose! Take that!

  • Benjaminos #51 6 years ago

    @Teeth

    I'll have you know I'm neither erudite nor prose!

    You don't say. I believe you're looking for the word prosaic. (In both senses of the word.)

    And for what it's worth, reading through your comments doesn't make you seem pretentious (as noted earlier). They make you seem more like an obnoxious, conceited, egotistical bellend.
    Edited by 1 at 19/01/06 @ 18:50

  • Teeth #52 6 years ago

    Well, doesn't the Internet make all our knobs bigger. If you have any salient points to make by all means make them, or you could just insult me further, taking the discussion nowhere.

  • chronom4n #53 6 years ago

    i have just received tha game today. and man i have to say for the first time a quite a while ' i felt as thought i have found my violent side in this game.' man what a powerful and angry creation is that Kratos. The only other game that made me feel as though i could rip into others was manhunt. And then i went ono he making of the game, and to be honest i was quite pleased when daveid jaffe and squires talk of the game while useing expletives because for once we are not take down and treated like kids. I loved the bit where he use of the f-word felt so at home. Geez, I really wish them guys further luck in the future.
    I could not stop laughing when i found out that kratos can punch and rip guys in half! too damn sweet. I also love the adult use of the female form.

  • Benjaminos #54 6 years ago

    @ Teeth

    ...or you could just insult me further, taking the discussion nowhere.

    Ooh, ok - you're also a ponce. Thanks for the opportunity!

  • Teeth #55 6 years ago

    OK, OK. The guy's clearly on the side of good; he's made most other developers look stupid by making a really professional game. What gets my back up is he's so smug about it, and what I get from the way he writes/talks is that seems to think no other developers have the same attitude as him and prefer to make terrible games just to pay the bills. I was wrong to attack him.

  • SeesThroughAll #56 6 years ago

    "What gets my back up is he's so smug about it, and what I get from the way he writes/talks is that seems to think no other developers have the same attitude as him and prefer to make terrible games just to pay the bills. I was wrong to attack him."

    So, do you think he would work for a company like EA? Maybe it's that philosophy of game strategy/design he is attacking, not really the developers themselves.

  • kangarootoo #57 6 years ago

    Christ, I leave the room for 10 minutes and everyone has started flinging their poo at each other (poo that has been roughed up by an internet dictionary in most cases it seems).

    @Benjaminos
    Anyone who creates a username by combining their own name with their pet name for their pyjamas is hardly in a position to be hurling insults at anyone, especially those of the playground name calling variety (sorry, I was a feeling a bit left out of the fighting there, I feel better now).

    So, to summarise the facts, we all agree Jaffe is a cock then.


    No, not really, put down that stick.

  • Bezzy #58 6 years ago

    Let's not talk about David's Jaffes anymore.

  • alimokrane #59 6 years ago

    still dont get why this game was so highly acclaimed. I did not see anything revolutionary in it. I'll take Resident Evil 4 over it anyday.

  • tengu #60 6 years ago

    So games have to 'revolutionary' to be good now?

  • kangarootoo #61 6 years ago

    "Let's not talk about David's Jaffes anymore."

    I hope you all know I was only kidding. My lips are now sealed.

  • Teeth #62 6 years ago

    Noooo! Why can't you let it die!