God Of War Review

By Kristan Reed Published 1 July, 2005

Mein Gott!

Version tested: PlayStation 2

Europe could be just about to let one the greatest PS2 titles ever made pass it by, and not for the first time. Yet again, some inexplicable political skulduggery has ensured that yet another outstanding Sony America-developed title will be released by Sony Europe without the required pre-awareness and sufficiently beefy marketing clout, almost guaranteeing a tragic underperformance of a truly stunning game.

But there remains hope. Having already been released in US to universal critical acclaim back in March, the groundswell of admirers behind God Of War's irresistible action-adventure charms almost guarantees that it'll be one of the few titles to break through over here from word of mouth - providing enough copies make it onto the shelves, of course.

Under the influence

The game succeeds on just about all fronts, managing to tick the right boxes in every category imaginable; a game that borrows the best bits of the most memorable games yet conjures a personality all of its own. Its influences are often all-too-easy to spot, yet far from feeling like a derivative, me-too affair that's in awe of its peers, it's one of the few games to emerge in recent times that feels like it truly builds on its influences, whether it's the relentless combat of Devil May Cry or the mystical, mythical atmosphere of Prince of Persia: The Sands Of Time. Some of the structural brilliance and gameplay mechanics of its peers are borrowed wholesale, yet every time you think you've seen it all before you can't help but acknowledge that in subtle but meaningful ways it's refining so many areas that God Of War feels much more than the sum of its parts.

Even the brutal, bleak yarn of regret becomes something so much more involving than the average throwaway efforts we so often have to put up with in videogames. As far as lead videogame characters go, Kratos is possibly one of the most despicable specimens imaginable. This unfeeling mass murderer is probably the last person you'd want to help out, a man who deserves his demons and deserves to rot in the bowels of hell for all eternity for his sins. Yet, once you gain combat prowess so powerful that even the Gods are impressed, it's hard not to find the whole experience utterly thrilling.

In keeping with the Godlike genius at work, Sony's Santa Monica studio has evidently used some sort of celestial voodoo in order to fool the PS2 into thinking it is, in fact, an Xbox; and an Xbox being pushed hard at that. It's no exaggeration to report that God Of War is easily among the best-looking games we've ever seen on any system, never mind the supposedly humble PS2. Quite how the developers managed to keep up this level of detail with barely a hint of frame rate drop (and in widescreen Progressive Scan, incredibly) is probably a question many rival coders are pondering right now.

Celestial vision

'God Of War' Screenshot 1

The stills do little to convey just how good this game looks.

God Of War looks impossibly glorious at times. Not only does it have enormously detailed backdrops, wonderfully imaginative character models and some of the slickest animation we've ever seen, the whole effect becomes all the more impressive by virtue of a control and camera system so refined and effective it's easy to forget how well implemented it really is.

When you consider that even the most promising games can find themselves undone in the harsh glare of critical nitpicking, it's all the more remarkable that we're sat here having real trouble finding fault with anything in the entire game. Through even the most jaded eyes this is a barnstorming blockbuster of a game that will live long in the memory.

To begin with, God Of War comes across as little more than a highly impressive-looking Capcom-inspired hackandslash. As a veteran of all three Onimusha and Devil May Cry games it's easy to see where Sony was pitching the game, with a combat and progression system borrowed almost wholesale. Kratos himself isn't anything amazing at the beginning either. Sure he's got dual blades welded to his arms and has a nice line in acrobatics, but beyond that it's easy to wonder what God Of War really has to offer beyond pretty visuals. For the first hour or so, the game really does need to pull every impressive visual trick it can, because you're not even close to becoming the most feared warrior in the history of the universe.

Breaking your resistance

'God Of War' Screenshot 2

If I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times. Stop respawning!

But thanks to the allure of some of the most richly beautiful environments we've ever seen, along with some truly gigantic early bosses and some clever puzzling it's a game that masks its initially derivative nature via some stunning set-pieces. Once you've got a feel for the precision of the combat and how well implemented the automatic camera angles are, the game does a great job of breaking any early resistance you might have at the prospect of another hackandslash button masher.

As you start to harvest souls, build up experience, learn new abilities and power up old ones the game really comes into its own with a combat system that is perfectly tailored to be accessible to complete novice while also proving to be exceptionally satisfying to the kind of manic hardcore nutters that can romp through Ninja Gaiden untroubled. The combat really is one of God Of War's key triumphs, conjuring a combo system that's never stupidly overwhelming or overly simplified. Depending on your choice of skill level (there are four in total, with the awesome 'God' mode unlocked on the first run through) there is a skill level to match anyone's abilities, with even the Easy mode putting up decent resistance without insulting or patronising players.

Exquisitely paced and expertly structured, new abilities appear right the way through the game, positively demanding that you keep on going to find out what lies around the corner. But the game never strays into mindless mashing territory, with a range elegant combos that are easy to learn yet fashioned with a depth that encourages you to try out new moves and different tactics to dispatch the variety of foes that cross your path.

Nobody's fault but my own

'God Of War' Screenshot 3

Lugging a giant crossbow around was starting to annoy Kratos.

Better still, God Of War will appeal to the true adventurer thanks to an array of challenging puzzles that evoke memories of the original Tomb Raider in their levels of logical cunning. Granted, many of them typically involve the kind of lever pulling, block shifting and pressure pad activating that we've seen many times before, but in among the standards are some excellent brain teasers that often involve under-utilised moves from your range of kicks and leaps, or levels of observation that many games shy away from these days. The key thing you'll reflect upon whenever you've cracked a particular puzzle is that it always feels fair and logical. You really only have yourself to blame when things go wrong in God Of War, and that's all you can ask for as a gamer.

Tied into this feeling of satisfaction is the fact that the game is consistently checkpointing your progress so that you rarely find yourself having to endure tedious repetition and backtracking. While this does cut the overall playing time down a notch (to around 12-15 hours), it's one of the few games around that could never be accused of unnecessary padding. It's pure, lean, unrelenting entertainment. A game that constantly keeps things fresh, changes the environment, and ups the ante without ever throwing in a gruelling task or unexpected difficulty spike just to artificially prolong the agony.

That's not to say that you'll just breeze through it. Some of the puzzles - for a start - can be a complete sod unless you've got your lateral brain into gear (but there's always GameFAQs for emergencies, eh?), and on a few notable occasions of minor frustration we found some of the platforming balancing acts a little bothersome. You may even find the weight of enemy numbers incredibly daunting, but somewhere along the line you'll find your rhythm, find the right move-set, get your brain and reactions in gear and move onto the next gripping section and feel hugely satisfied that you did so. No one said it wasn't challenging; in fact it's one of the few games that's about as challenging as you want it to be, rather than how the game wants it to be. In fact, if you repeatedly get your arse kicked, the game even offers to drop the skill level down for you, in another nod to the Capcom ethics of game design. You might well thank them for it, too.

Godlike

'God Of War' Screenshot 4

Hellooooo, is anybody down there?!

Is there an area where God Of War doesn't excel? Truly, no. Even the game's audio is a stunningly evocative example of a well-judged dramatic soundtrack and thunderous effects, with a continual cinematic ebb and flow mirroring your efforts with aplomb. Even the straight-laced voice work is handled with an expertise so sadly lacking in most other videogames. Narrowed down to its own genre, God Of War kicks many of Capcom's hilariously hammy efforts into orbit, but next to almost any American-produced game it's handled with a cinematic intensity that never resorts to trivialising the task at hand. This is serious business, and it's handled excellently. Admittedly, the way it handles nudity early on in the game is a mite ham-fisted, but on the whole it's one of those rare games where you'll actually want to watch cut-scenes again.

In terms of providing incentives and replayability God Of War delivers, with a huge suite of unlockables that are among some of the best we've encountered - notably the superb 'Deleted Scenes' documentary that reflects on the game's genesis, complete with early prototype levels, as well as ideas that got cut out in order to get the game on the shelves on time. And as if that wasn't quite enough, even more goodies await those determined enough to crack the horrendously tough God mode.

When the dust settles on the PS2 era and it's time to sit back and reflect upon the system's best games, God Of War stands out as an absolute colossus that towers over the competition - on any format. It not only deserves to become part of any gamer's (not just PS2 owners') collection in the immediate future, but will be held aloft as one of the true greats of this generation. It's not often a game just comes along and floors the competition, but that God Of War does so in such breathtaking style is incredible. For the love of God, buy it.

9 / 10

Read the Eurogamer.net scoring policy
Picture of Kristan.

About Kristan Reed

Kristan is a former editor of Eurogamer, dad, Stone Roses bore and Norwich City supporter who sometimes mutters optimistically about Team Silent getting back together.

Read more articles from Kristan by visiting the Kristan Reed archive page.

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Comments (180) Latest comment 7 years ago

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

  • Derblington #1 7 years ago

    \o/

    Roll on friday!

  • Eraser #2 7 years ago

    Looks great. I keep confusing this with Epic's UE3 game Gears of War
    Edited by 1 at 01/07/05 @ 13:15

  • Salvia #3 7 years ago

    8th of July??? I want it NOW!!!!!

  • therev #4 7 years ago

    Am I the only person in the whole world who thinks this is horrible, button-mashing dullness with the worst lead character in gaming history?

    I was so disappointed I nearly wept.

    EDIT!

    I'm an idiot. I've just tried it again, to make sure it's as bad as I remember... and it's great. I can see the things I hated, but right now they don't matter.
    Edited by 2 at 09/07/05 @ 00:33

  • krudster #5 7 years ago

    Just keep telling yourself!

  • lost_soul #6 7 years ago

    So I should buy this?

  • lost_soul #7 7 years ago

    Out of interest, what held it back from getting a 10?

  • Blerk #8 7 years ago

    Even I've got this. ;-)

  • drumbaby #9 7 years ago

    Fantastic game. One of the best on PS2, no doubt about it. Great review too, btw :)

  • Derblington #10 7 years ago

    Blerk, if you don't like, I'll take it off you :)

    Please!

  • Blerk #11 7 years ago

    Blerk, if you don't like, I'll take it off you :)

    Arf! You'll have to join the queue! ;-)

    I played for about 15 minutes last night and got completely spanked. I is teh suXX0r5! \o/

  • Razz #12 7 years ago

    Any xbox release schelduled?

  • Blerk #13 7 years ago

    Razz, it's a bleedin' Sony game.

    /rolls eyes

  • krudster #14 7 years ago

    What held it back from a 10? Not much. It's a wafer away. I'm one of those people that happens to think 10s are for the kind of games that totally push the boundaries, whereas this is probably the textbook example of a game that has honed other people's ideas exceptionally well without necessarily doing enough new things to appeal to people who aren't already fans of this type of game.

  • JHuxley #15 7 years ago

    "Ico's dull as ditchwater"

    Err...right.

    Been waiting for this one for a long while. To hear that SCEE aren't choosing to push such a great game is really very disheartening. Along with the recent PSP fiasco, it's obvious that they need to get their act together quickly or face a totally botched PS3 launch.
    Edited by 1 at 01/07/05 @ 13:39

  • Artemus #16 7 years ago

    So which version were EG reviewing? Sounds like NTSC one. PAL gamers have been shafted again with borders and no support for PAL60.

  • Blerk #17 7 years ago

    SCEE are probably afeared of the Daily Mail reaction. Or they're waiting for the DM to get whiff of the story and promote it for them for free. :-)

  • Blerk #18 7 years ago

    PAL gamers have been shafted again with borders and no support for PAL60.

    True, but the borders are tiny and it does have a widescreen mode.

    Edit:
    And besides, the PS2 doesn't do PAL60. :-)
    Edited by 1 at 01/07/05 @ 13:34

  • drumbaby #19 7 years ago

    "It's a wafer away. I'm one of those people that happens to think 10s are for the kind of games that totally push the boundaries"

    Like HL2?

    Arf arf!! :)

  • tengu #20 7 years ago

    It doesn't? But even the Dreamcast did that FFS!

  • Blerk #21 7 years ago

    It doesn't? But even the Dreamcast did that FFS!

    No. Drop the PS2 into 60hz mode and you're in NTSC territory.

  • krudster #22 7 years ago

    I chose to review the NTSC version on the basis of its progscan support, just to clarify. It looks great in normal mode though, and even has a 'soften' option to blur out jaggies.

  • markypants #23 7 years ago

    Can't control camera. Repetitive game-play. That's about the only negative stuff I can say really. It is quite annoying that the camera can switch every now and then without any warning, but you do get used to it.

    Sadly this game just didn't appeal to me. I got bored. I'm sure for those that love Devil May Cry etc. It will rock your world. But for me it just didn't do enough differently to warrant my excitement. Nice graphics, but I'm getting increasingly bored by great graphics alone. Lets get more innovation people!!

    M

  • #24 7 years ago

    Blood... check
    Guts... check
    Tits... check
    Sex... check
    Gratuitous.. check

    9/10 then

    Only kidding, when's this out then, I want to do some button mashing?

    EDIT: Did this game bomb at retail in the US then?
    Edited by 2 at 01/07/05 @ 13:40

  • krudster #25 7 years ago

    If you can't see how HL2 pushed the boundaries, there's no hope for you ;)

  • Lutz #26 7 years ago

    Hmm... not a single negative comment and only a 9...?

    (Not that I've played the game though)

  • pjmaybe #27 7 years ago

    YAY!

    And SHIT I've just spent all my gaming funds..

    Peej

  • #28 7 years ago

    "And besides, the PS2 doesn't do PAL60. :-)"

    Obviously, you didn't play Primal. :)
    Edited by 1 at 01/07/05 @ 13:43

  • Artemus #29 7 years ago

    'And besides, the PS2 doesn't do PAL60. :-)'

    Tekken 5 disagrees.

  • Blerk #30 7 years ago

    o_O

    My understanding of PS2 vs 60hz was that the hardware doesn't support PAL60, only NTSC 60.

    Do those two games actually say 'PAL60' on the options? 'cos if they just say '60hz' then I very much doubt it's PAL60.

  • #31 7 years ago

    *swoons*

    /starts capping all his 'almost completed' games and makes some space for this one.
    //Starts to spread the word to friends that an Epic not seen on any console since I don't even know how long ago is about to arrive...

  • Lutz #32 7 years ago

    Blerk is right, they are 60hz options, the PS2 for the UK doesn't output at PAL60.

  • boo #33 7 years ago

    Sounds pretty good. Might have to get this, even if it's not my normal sort of thing.
    Oh.
    What's that?
    I've already got a free copy?
    Why so I have...

    /high-fives Blerk

    /runs

  • Artemus #34 7 years ago

    'Do those two games actually say 'PAL60' on the options? 'cos if they just say '60hz' then I very much doubt it's PAL60.'

    Yep. Tekken 5 definately says PAL60.

  • Blerk #35 7 years ago

    I realise they're not the greatest of technical sites, but GAME's guide to 60hz says that the PS2 doesn't do PAL60. I've never seen a PAL60 PS2 game. My telly tells me what screen mode I'm in - selected 60hz and up pops the little 'NTSC' logo. Every time.

    And Ico is the greatest game on PS2. No doubt about it.
    Edited by 1 at 01/07/05 @ 13:54

  • AssassiN Verified Owner/Editor, Computers N Stuff #36 7 years ago

    Better than Halo then? ;)

  • Lutz #37 7 years ago

    Blerk is again right. Any game saying it does "pal60" is actually outputting in NTSC.

    Google it, it ain't hard to find out... :)

  • Freek #38 7 years ago

    It's already out on "the contenent", pure genuise, this is right up there with RE4 in terms of "must play awsomeness".
    Sequal is also in the works and the games storyline sets it up perfectly. In the unlockables you can see where GoW 2 is going in terms of story and it's looking good.

    Btw Blerk that's your TV acting up, not the PS2 at fault. I've played plenty of games in Pal 60hz, Silent Hill 3 for example.
    Edited by 1 at 01/07/05 @ 13:57

  • krudster #39 7 years ago

    Ico may not be the finest game ever made, but it's the atmosphere it generates that gets me. Atmosphere is that X factor that transforms a product from a mere videogame into something that stays with you, like a place you've visited and had a powerful effect on you. Stripping ICO down to its bare mechanics is to completely miss the point.

  • MikeD #40 7 years ago

    I chose to review the NTSC version on the basis of its progscan support, just to clarify. It looks great in normal mode though, and even has a 'soften' option to blur out jaggies.

    I don't think that's a great review policy for "euro"gamer. Ic an understand reviewing an ntsc version because it's not out in pal territory yet. But once it is you should play what WE will get. And not just up the graphics glory for your own enjoyment.

  • Spiral #41 7 years ago

    Tekken 5 only 'does' PAL60 if you bought an RGB cable. It displays it in black and white without it.

  • Blerk #42 7 years ago

    Tekken 5 definately says PAL60.

    Well, colour me baffled. I always thought it was an impossibility. Maybe they're fibbing? :-)

    /will have to try it out on his telly

  • Mint #43 7 years ago

    I spent fifty quid on a fancy special edition Belgian version of Ico, and I can't be arsed to play it.

  • Blerk #44 7 years ago

    Tekken 5 only 'does' PAL60 if you bought an RGB cable. It displays it in black and white without it.

    Well that's a dead giveaway, then - NTSC does exactly that. Proper PAL60 output works fine over composite - see the Cube for reference.

  • Artemus #45 7 years ago

    Blerk is again right. Any game saying it does "pal60" is actually outputting in NTSC.

    Google it, it ain't hard to find out... :)

    Alright guys. I'm only telling you what it says.

  • ToxicTed #46 7 years ago

    'Quite how the developers managed to keep up this level of detail with barely a hint of frame rate drop (and in widescreen Progressive Scan, incredibly) is probably a question many rival coders are pondering right now.'

    Does this mean that the PAL version actually supports prog scan? \o/ YESSS! \o/

  • Blerk #47 7 years ago

    Alright guys. I'm only telling you what it says.

    You could probably sue if it's a fib. ;-)


    Does this mean that the PAL version actually supports prog scan?

    No, it doesn't. Not as far as I can tell, anyway. Widescreen, yes. Prog scan - no.

  • #48 7 years ago

    After reading the review, I think I'll just rent it. 12-15 hours for a hack 'n' slasher, that might look good. Doesn't rightly justify £39 in my opinion.

  • krudster #49 7 years ago

    Seems like a lottery regarding what PS2 games support progscan in Europe. Recently we've had Haunting Ground, F1 05 and Destroy All Humans, but yet God Of War dropped its support for "technical reasons". I've interviewed the team on this issue, which you'll be able to read next week when I finally get around to transcribing it.

  • Blerk #50 7 years ago

    Christ, Balor - what more do you want? Personal delivery to your home by semi-naked ladies?

    And is there really anyone in the world still paying full price for their games? You should be paying £30 tops for this one, on the day of release.

  • ToxicTed #51 7 years ago

    No prog scan for us? Too bad, I have a 42" plasma HDTV, and games without prog just looks like sh*t on such a big screen. Why do they have to remove something that's already in there? And more importantly, why doesn't the review make a point of this, instead of telling us how good the game looks in prog scan, when we will never see it in prog scan here in Europe?
    Edited by 1 at 01/07/05 @ 14:09

  • weblaus #52 7 years ago

    I agree with the other people about the pointlessness of reviewing the NTSC version NOW, i.e. when the PAL game is just around the corner or already available in pretty much the rest of Europe (except Germany, of course).

    What good does it do for anyone buying the game in PAL format that you think ProgScan is the best thing ever when it's a) not available to them and b) you even base some of your points on it, judging by the remark posted above?

    Wouldn't it have made more sense to take a closer look at the PAL version, i.e. what sort of display modes it DOES support (i.e. no 60 Hz and ProgScan, but Widescreen and otherwise fine conversion) and what possible changes there are? Unless the UK gets its very own version, there apparently is at least one noticable difference (don't want to spoil anything, I'll just say "cage) which admittedly doesn't hurt the game one bit and the case of the bonus materials being harder to unlock.

  • ralphwolfenstein #53 7 years ago

    re: the PAL/NTSC thing...

    I have a crappy 6 year old 14" TV that doesn't support NTSC

    Rez on Dreamcast had 50Hz and 60Hz options - the latter was PAL 60, full screen, full colour

    Rez on PS2 has 50Hz and 60Hz options - but the 60Hz output is in black and white - presumably beacuse it's an NTSC signal my TV can't cope with

  • weblaus #54 7 years ago

    "Seems like a lottery regarding what PS2 games support progscan in Europe."

    Well, perhaps, but I guess using the PAL copy for a supposedly "euro release" review probably would have solved that riddle for God of War pretty much.

    About the so-called technical reasons, is obvious that there's no ProgScan due to no 60 Hz included. My guess would be that somebody realized that'd have to stuff all the FMV material (including the bonus materials) in both 50/60 Hz on the DVD, and with the game being multi-language already, they'd either would run out of space even on a DVD9 or had too much effort to change things around (especially compared to the small number of people actually using the option).

  • IronGiant #55 7 years ago

    One of the best games i've played in as long as i can remember.. up there with Ninja Gaiden and Res4 in my opinion. In fact it's one of those very rare titles which actually looks as good in motion as it does in the screenshots!!

    "Ico is pretty but slow and too easy in my opinion. Maybe if I hadn't seen better graphics on both other formats I'd have a different opinion of it. Certainly not worth its asking price second-hand, which I luckily managed to get back."

    ICO has something 99% of other games lack, atmosphere by the bucketload. As for you comment about seeing better graphics on other machines, pfft you ain't a gamer at all and i just lost any related respect i had for ya.

  • Lutz #56 7 years ago

    What wasp said really. And Blerk.

    £30 for 15 hours of utter awesomeness? And you KNOW you can play it more than once.

    Yes please. Quality over quantity any day.

  • weblaus #57 7 years ago

    About the 50/60 Hz debate:

    The PS2 does NOT support PAL60, just real NTSC. Period. If you're using a RGB cable or have a TV that does support true NTSC, you won't notice any difference between PAL60 and NTSC anyway.

    Dreamcast (I believe) and Xbox DO support PAL60. Not sure about the Cube, but according to Blerk it probably does, too.
    Edited by 1 at 01/07/05 @ 14:26

  • Tweakmonkey #58 7 years ago

    Balor - you seem to be trying your best to discredit this game even though you haven't played it. Good luck!

  • IronGiant #59 7 years ago

    "Balor - you seem to be trying your best to discredit this game even though you haven't played it. Good luck!"

    It's on a Sony platform so par for the course unfortunately with his comments.

  • IronGiant #60 7 years ago

    A smidgeon ;)

  • #61 7 years ago

    " Christ, Balor - what more do you want?"

    Some more gametime, for my money would be nice. You see having played plenty of games of this genre this gen, I can only assume that like them, GoW will be no different in game time. First go: 12 hours (Because you don't know what you're doing), Second go: 4 hours.

    In my opinion, I can't see the gameplay being as rich as Ninja Gaiden, and while the graphics might be great, it's not enough inspiration for me to be spending the money it cost on a new game. (especially as I'm a bit skint).

    Luckily PS2 games (That sell well, which is what I'm presuming GoW will do) go for a Curly Wurly on eBay after a few weeks. I'll probably get it then.
    Edited by 1 at 01/07/05 @ 14:23

  • Lutz #62 7 years ago

    Balor: Even the greatest hits of the xbox, Halo 1 and 2, don't last 10 hours, even on the first run through.

    10 hours of sheer brilliant gameplay is fine in my books, especially considering I play all games at least twice, if not more.

  • stormcr0wfleet #63 7 years ago

    looks like a good game, will be putting it on my "have to buy" list.. wich seems to be getting longer and longer!. im glad theve included a widescreen option beacuse most games on the ps2 dont :(.. and considering most people now have* widescreen tv's its an area of game design that to often goes unmentioned.

  • deepmenace #64 7 years ago

    "ICO has something 99% of other games lack, atmosphere by the bucketload. As for you comment about seeing better graphics on other machines, pfft you ain't a gamer at all and i just lost any related respect i had for ya."

    true that. there is no other game on ps2 ( other than maybe this ) that has made me lift my thumbs off the pads/buttons and just pause to take in what's being shown. looks like the next one to it will be shadow of the collosus.
    Edited by 1 at 01/07/05 @ 14:27

  • IronGiant #65 7 years ago

    "In my opinion, I can't see the gameplay being as rich as Ninja Gaiden"

    Bloody hell you can judge that without even playing it? Wow, you're talented.

  • #66 7 years ago

    "10 hours of sheer brilliant gameplay is fine in my books

    Remove the dis from Tweakmonkey's comments and ..

    "you seem to be trying your best to credit this game even though you haven't played it. Good luck!"

  • Mike69_2004 #67 7 years ago

    when are we gonna see a conker review?

  • IronGiant #68 7 years ago

    Balor will review it, i predict his score to be 11/10.

  • Lutz #69 7 years ago

    Balor: I'm not commenting on this game though. I'm talking in general terms.

    If I play this game, it lasts 10 hours, and it's a superb 10 hours, then it's great value for cash IMO.

    I'm not saying either way, you're just reading into my words.

  • #70 7 years ago

    "Bloody hell you can judge that without even playing it? Wow, you're talented."

    I read the review, and I'm sure it said in there the exact same thing. :)

    "As you start to harvest souls, build up experience, learn new abilities and power up old ones the game really comes into its own with a combat system that is perfectly tailored to be accessible to complete novice while also proving to be exceptionally satisfying to the kind of manic hardcore nutters that can romp through Ninja Gaiden untroubled."

    Right, so the combat isn't as rich as that in Ninja Gaiden. For a game that is heavily focused on its combat, I prefer an amount of depth and skill in mine.
    Edited by 1 at 01/07/05 @ 14:33

  • asphaltcowboy #71 7 years ago

    One of the only games that actually makes me want a PS2!

  • Blerk #72 7 years ago

    Balor, you have an uncanny talent to be able to read a paragraph of text and interpret its meaning to be "exactly what you want it to be" and not "what it actually says".

  • Blerk #73 7 years ago

    So, this 'softening' option. Is it better to play the game with that on or off? It defaults to off and it looked pretty good to me when I played last night. Opinions on that?

  • Freek #74 7 years ago

    GoW offers as much depth as you want it to have. There's a shit load of moves to be unlocked and can all be combined into verry stylish combos. Aswell as magic.
    But you can also not bother with some of the more advanced stuff. Although that would become a considerable problem later on in the game as enemies get more powerfull and you really start to need to get clever in order to kill them. Dodging, blocking and using the right moves is less of luxuery.

  • IronGiant #75 7 years ago

    It's a common condition round these parts, Rabid Fanboi'itus. He's got a severe case of it and if left untreated it will only get worse.

  • krudster #76 7 years ago

    We do have the PAL version sitting right here, but apart from the lack of Progscan support (which isn't a big issue, trust me the game looks amazing without it) it's the exact same game. We put the review up early because I finished the game last week and fancied drumming up some pre-awareness; honestly, whining about lack of progscan support is NOT an issue. On the PS2 progscan doesn't actually make a huge difference because there are no descernible scanlines to fill in on a plasma screens. On certain games like Destroy All Humans it actually looks *better* and sharper in the normal mode, trust me on this! Putting it in progscan makes it look strangely blurred.

    The Conker review is coming soon; i.e. Tuesday. I would have done it earlier but have been in Finland for half the week and haven't played enough multiplayer.



  • #77 7 years ago

    Heh! Twice people have said I'm talented in a day, I'm beginning to wonder if that is an inuslt? Wait.. news just in, it's a feeble attempt at sarcasm!

    I gather you've played God of War, in your opinion, because you're entitled to one aswell you know, Does God of War have richer combat that Ninja Gaiden? Yes or No.

    Edited by 1 at 01/07/05 @ 14:40

  • Freek #78 7 years ago

    Having also played NG. Richer then: no, just as good as: yes.

  • krudster #79 7 years ago

    TBH, Blerk, the softening option makes it look like the progscan mode. It smooths out the jaggies somehow. I'd prefer to switch it on myself.

  • #80 7 years ago

    Right freek!

    Let's see if people bite your head off then for saying the exact same thing as me.

  • krudster #81 7 years ago

    To be clear Balor, any Nijna Gaiden fan will get off on this just as much. The God mode will sort *anyone* out!

  • drumbaby #82 7 years ago

    "If you can't see how HL2 pushed the boundaries, there's no hope for you ;) "

    I'm bolluxed then. DOOMed, you might say....Utterly :)

  • Freek #83 7 years ago

    No, you were sayign something different. You were saying GoW was not as rich in combat as NG. Wich isn't true, it's just as rich ,like I said.
    Then you asked wether it the combat was richer then NG wich it isn't, it's only just as good, it's not better but it's not worse either.

  • krudster #84 7 years ago

    Good god, this is like some nonsensical Beatles/Stones, Blur/Oasis argument. Just like them both for gawd's sake!

  • #85 7 years ago

    "No, you were sayign something different. You were saying GoW was not as rich in combat as NG. Wich isn't true, it's just as rich ,like I said.
    Then you asked wether it the combat was richer then NG wich it isn't, it's only just as good, it's not better but it's not worse either.

    I don't want to continue this silly argument anymore, I think this game is worth a rental, until it's available on eBay for a Curly Wurly. But that paragraph stinks of contradiction mate. :/

  • Freek #86 7 years ago

    Good god, this is like some nonsensical Beatles/Stones, Blur/Oasis argument. Just like them both for gawd's sake!

    That's the point I'm trying to make and I woulden't have had to go into "percentages" if Balor diden't twist around what I said.

    And no that argument doesn't stink of contradiction at all. Were it not for the fact that you orcestrated that by asking to different things.
    Firstly arguing that sometihng isn't as good as something else, wich it is, and then proceeding to ask wether or not it was better. With a clear yes or no answer request. Trying to go down the path of "if it isn't better then it must be crap", when the quality was the same.
    There's a difference in two things being of the same quality and one thing being better.
    Edited by 2 at 01/07/05 @ 14:54

  • Artemus #87 7 years ago

    Krudster, how does it compare to NTSC speedwise considering this is a game revolving around fast paced combat.

  • Blerk #88 7 years ago

    TBH, Blerk, the softening option makes it look like the progscan mode. It smooths out the jaggies somehow. I'd prefer to switch it on myself.

    Cheers, Kristan - I shall switch it on next time, then. :-)

  • krudster #89 7 years ago

    The PAL version looks and feels the same.

  • drumbaby #90 7 years ago

    It's the sheer blancing of gameplay elements that puts this above similar fare on the PS2.

    The combat is great. Not the best, but certainly up there with the best.

    The story is compelling, and told seamlessly because somehow they've nearly done away with any loads.

    The gameplay is nicely varied. Combat, obviously. Platforming. Puzzles. Minigames.

    It's atmospheric. It controls brilliantly. It has perhaps the best fixed camera of its kind in the genre.

    While the boss encounters aren't as plentiful as similar games, the ones you are given are just so memorable it's untrue.

    It's the best looking 3rd person PS2 hacker bar none. It has a glorious soundtrack and environmental sound fx.

    Great replay value.

    Thoroughly deserving of 9/10...perhaps more!

  • krudster #91 7 years ago

    Well said, in a nutshell.

    You'd have to be the world's biggest mentalist not to go out and get this the minute it comes out.

  • Genji #92 7 years ago

    With regards to HL2... Ooooh, I can pick up boxes with this gun and throw them at people! And even better, I can USE IT TO CREATE PLATFORMS OUT OF STUFF LYING ON THE GROUND. Can you feel the innovation yet? (don't mind me, I'm very bitter when it comes to the state of PC gaming)

    Also, I'm sorry, but you're not a ninja in this game. Ninja Gaiden wins on the ninja front.

    And it had more weapons to play around with. I'll still happily play this, though.

  • weblaus #93 7 years ago

    "The PAL version looks and feels the same."

    So then why did you decide to focus an (admittedly small) part of the review on the one thing (ProgScan) that's definitely NOT the same in the PAL version?

    And I still have to point out that there ARE changes in the PAL version. And while there's not very important all around (unless you're so focused on violence that I'd prefer not to meet you in the dark), it'd still might have made sense to mention them instead of a not-available feature...
    Edited by 1 at 01/07/05 @ 15:15

  • gaijin #94 7 years ago

    "It not only deserves to become part of any gamer's (not just PS2 owners') collection in the immediate future..."

    um... I don't see a release date for any format OTHER than PS2... so are you suggesting everyone else buys it and just stares at the cover? weeping?

    /just envious cos he doesn't have a PS2

  • OldWormsFan #95 7 years ago

    "The Conker review is coming soon; i.e. Tuesday. I would have done it earlier but have been in Finland for half the week and haven't played enough multiplayer. "

    Is that NTSC as well???

    Why dont we have USA-Gamer. We already need UMD-gamer for the amount of rubbish you lot post about UMD releases... :)

  • krudster #96 7 years ago

    No, Conker is PAL, as is 90 per cent of what we cover here. Many publishers send us the NTSC version for review; you ought to realise that's just standard practise as it's the one they have to hand.

  • #97 7 years ago

    Krudster: You'd have to be the world's biggest mentalist not to go out and get this the minute it comes out.

    [Spoken in a 'introducing two people who have never met before' style]
    Krudser, may I introduce you to Balor. Balor, Krudster is a well respected reviewer on Eurogamer. Krudster, Balor thinks this game does not represent great value for money, and will be buying it later with Curley-whirleys (or something).

  • zErOb_cOOl #98 7 years ago

    "Sony's Santa Monica studio has evidently used some sort of celestial voodoo in order to fool the PS2 into thinking it is, in fact, an Xbox; and an Xbox being pushed hard at that. It's no exaggeration to report that God Of War is easily among the best-looking games we've ever seen on any system, never mind the supposedly humble PS2."

    Ooh my PS2 fanboism is brewing. Kidding but...

    "The stills do little to convey just how good this game looks."

    And the stills look bloody marvelous!

    Good review, but the intro was a bit over the top (well,..possibly...we are dealing with greatness here) finished nearly half way down the page at

    "To begin with, God Of War comes across..."

    LOL!

    But why not 10/10? The reviews is 99.9% positive, with just 2 bad comments (I think)

    "we found some of the platforming balancing acts a little bothersome"

    and

    "Admittedly, the way it handles nudity early on in the game is a mite ham-fisted"

    Hmmmmm. Anything ever get 10/10 EG?

    ***EDIT***

    Sorry Krud just seen your post

    "What held it back from a 10? Not much. It's a wafer away. I'm one of those people that happens to think 10s are for the kind of games that totally push the boundaries, whereas this is probably the textbook example of a game that has honed other people's ideas exceptionally well without necessarily doing enough new things to appeal to people who aren't already fans of this type of game."
    Edited by 1 at 01/07/05 @ 15:42

  • OldWormsFan #99 7 years ago

    Krudster, fair enough but can you please change the 'Euro Release ' icon to 'USA Release'? As this gives the impression you reviewed the PAL version.

  • weblaus #100 7 years ago

    You're right about publishers at times giving out NTSC copies for review, but Sony is one of the companies where this almost never happens. And I know a few colleagues in Austria and Switzerland (for example) who got hold of PAL review copies a while ago. True, the way these things are handled in the UK and for web-based publications might differ, but...

    ... since you state somewhere in this comment thread that the PAL version looks and plays the same, this indicates you had it available. So why not use that one instead?

  • Mirkan #101 7 years ago

    This is easily a better game than HL2. Maybe HL2 does shit that somehow makes that "innovative" and all 10/10-y, but this is just a thoroughly enjoyable game on every level. Brill story too. With an ending. Yeah.

  • krudster #102 7 years ago

    Okay, the point I failed to mention is that the finished PAL copy was incompatible with the save games from the finished NTSC build I'd already sunk five hours into. With time not on my side (Tom's now on holiday, meaning no time for gaming for about a week) I continued playing that version to get all the way through the game before writing the review. I checked back at the PAL version to see what that version was like, was happy the two versions were basically the same and that was that.

  • zErOb_cOOl #103 7 years ago

    Hmmm, just been reading the comments on this 50/60hz thing.

    I bought Tekken 5 last Fri, and I was shocked to see it had a 60hz mode, and it works on my TV! The game runs no smoother/faster as far as I can tell, and the graphics are no less sharp, and the refresh is absolutely unoticable compared to the 50hz mode. Just the view is slightly more zoomed in without borders (obviously.)

    I'm running it straight to my Sony TV through the red/white/black cable, is that RGB?...nobody has ever given me a straight answer to that. It just came with my PS2.
    Edited by 1 at 01/07/05 @ 15:52

  • Genji #104 7 years ago

    "This is easily a better game than HL2. Maybe HL2 does shit that somehow makes that "innovative" and all 10/10-y, but this is just a thoroughly enjoyable game on every level. Brill story too. With an ending. Yeah."

    Well, it's a little silly to compare a platform/action game with an FPS...
    I am having a lot more fun with this one, though.
    Edited by 1 at 01/07/05 @ 15:52

  • weblaus #105 7 years ago

    Ah, the dangers of writing a comment and missing the answer you'rwe waiting for.. ah well, the edit option comes in useful.

    I completely understand that reasoning regarding the savegame problem (I do work professionally as a reviewer myself and know all these things from my own experience), but I still have to chide you a bit for not checking the options on the PAL version while you were at it.. otherwise, you'd have certainly noticed that the game doesn't support 60 Hz (and no ProgScan), therefore not confusing readers by talking about it ;)
    Edited by 1 at 01/07/05 @ 15:58

  • zErOb_cOOl #106 7 years ago

    "so 30fps sucks, but you can't tell the difference between 50 and 60hz?"

    Not on Tekken 5 no. Crazy taxi and Soul Calibur on the DC yes. I think fps is a hell of a lot easier to notice. Not a very good point wasp.

    Why don't you go and find sombody to hold a proper grudge against if you really want to hold one against somebody.

  • gaijin #107 7 years ago

    Weblaus: good lord! whoever said these forums were about actually answering questions!?
    :-)
    /eyes fanboy rants above
    /goes back to pac-man thread which has puns

  • zErOb_cOOl #108 7 years ago

    waps, u talking to me or weblaus?

    And don't worry weblaus, wasp doesn't allow you to put forward an opinion without his permission.

  • abeit #109 7 years ago

    Krudstar you rate this game equally to It's Mr pants.....
    And you call this the best PS2 game ever

  • weblaus #110 7 years ago

    Zerobcool: To get RGB, you need a SCART cable. So no, the signal you're getting with your cable is no RGB and therefore of a lower quality than possible.
    Edited by 1 at 01/07/05 @ 16:11

  • Mirkan #111 7 years ago

    Genji: What I mean is that GoW sets out to do a bunch of things and does everything well. It doesn't neccessarily break new ground in each of those areas (though it's fairly likely that you've never seen a game on this sheer SCALE before) but it's a tighter, more complete and enjoyable package. In my opinion, HL2 did some new and genuinely exciting things that made some of its very prominent flaws excusable. This game needs no excuses.

  • zErOb_cOOl #112 7 years ago

    "Zerobcool: To get RGB, you need a SCART cable. So no, the signal you're getting with your cable is no RGB and therefore of a lower quality than possible."

    Ahhh right thanks. Thats not good. Hmmm. What cable do I have then, just an AV (with 3 heads red, white and black?)

    I always thought that was RGB for some reason. U know anywhere you can get decent RGB scart cables from in the UK?

  • weblaus #113 7 years ago

    That depends... if all three AV plugs are the same, you're having standard-AV which is the worst possible quality aside from using an HF-adaptor. IF the video plug is different (a.k.a. S-Video), the quality should be decent, but still noticably under true RGB.

    I'm not living in the UK, but judging from a quick look at the obvious places, I'd guess you should be able to get a cheap and decent SCART cable that's RGB-cabable for less than 10 ukp pretty much every game store or web shop.

  • IronGiant #114 7 years ago

    "I don't want to continue this silly argument anymore"

    What argument? all you've done is troll on and on about a game you haven't even played.

  • Tweakmonkey #115 7 years ago

    zErOb_cOOl - sounds like you're using basic composite cable - which is awful. You really should get yourself a scart, and a proper rgb scart too if you can. You can probably get them in Game, Hmv etc. The picture will be visibly better.

  • krudster #116 7 years ago

    Keene Electronics are pretty damned good in terms of attention to detail. Pricey, but probably the best.

  • #117 7 years ago

    >>>KRUDSTER OR ANYONE>>>>>>.

    PLZ TELL ME IF THE PAL VERSION HAS A 60 HZ SWITCH .

    I HATE GAME WID BORDERS

    THXS

  • gaijin #118 7 years ago

    sheesh, that was loud. It's friday pm, some of us are trying to snooze...

  • Killerbee #119 7 years ago

    Great review Krudster. This one had totoally slipped under my gaming radar until now, but it sounds excellent and I will definitely be getting it as soon as I've scraped together a few quids.

  • Carrybagma #120 7 years ago

    Ok. Do I finally get a PS2 then for this and the others I've skipped? Is it that good? Or do I hold on for a PS3? Or do I go halves with a friendly PS2 owner!

  • Artemus #121 7 years ago

    Zarqawi you've obviously haven't read any of these comments. The answers no it doesn't.

  • #122 7 years ago

    I HAVE LOOKED AT THE COMMENTS , IT DOESNT MENTION PAL VERSION HAVING 60HZ JUST TEKKEN5 AND PROG SCAN IN GENERAL

    BUT PLZ ANYONE WHO KNWS TELL ME IF ITS GOT 60HZ SWITCH
    Edited by 1 at 01/07/05 @ 17:01

  • Tweakmonkey #123 7 years ago

    TBH I think 60hz is overrated, especially NTSC because the fewer lines is noticable compared with PAL.

  • Artemus #124 7 years ago

    Jeez, THERE'S NO 60HZ.

    Go on ask again.

  • mash the x button #125 7 years ago

    "As you start to harvest souls, build up experience, learn new abilities and power up old ones the game really comes into its own with a combat system that is perfectly tailored to be accessible to complete novice while also proving to be exceptionally satisfying to the kind of manic hardcore nutters that can romp through Ninja Gaiden untroubled".

    Does this mean I can get through the game by mashing the x button or will I have to contort my fingers into ridiculous positions to access the special moves?

    Edited by 1 at 01/07/05 @ 17:13

  • Mirkan #126 7 years ago

    It's not really about the lines or the image for most people though. It's about the speed and framerate of the game. Games that get a shoddy pal50 port are almost without exception loads slower than they're supposed to be. Lips don't sync, there's frame stutter (little but noticable) and perhaps most up-miffing, the timing in fighting games is way off.

    So if it was just about borders and lines, people wouldn't be so upset.

  • krudster #127 7 years ago

    Mash the X button - The answer is, yes, if you play it on Easy you can pretty much mash your way through it - or at least find a move (such as L1 and Square later on in the game) which kills everything in its path. Play it on harder settings and it can be an absolute git at times.

  • Artemus #128 7 years ago

    The speed issue is my pet peeve. After playing Tekken Tag 'Bullet time edition' for years, I was so pleased that they got it right with Tekken 5. I expected similar treatment for this.

  • Artemus #129 7 years ago

    CHRIST! Krudster tell the lad so we can all go home.

  • krudster #130 7 years ago

    For goodness sake, turn off the capslock key and use your eyes! No, there is no 60Hz switch on the PAL version, how many more times?!

  • #131 7 years ago

    BUT U SAID U WRE REVIEWING THE NTSC VERSION

  • krudster #132 7 years ago

    /loads tard gun.

  • Artemus #133 7 years ago

    /leaves thread forever

  • sturgeon #134 7 years ago

    WTF. where the hell are the 'meh' comments and anti PS2/Sony comments? Admin, there is clearly something wrong with this thread.

  • Tweakmonkey #135 7 years ago

    Games that get a shoddy pal50 port are almost without exception loads slower than they're supposed to be

    This is an interesting point. I know this was the case years ago were game speed was somehow tied to the vsync, but surely this isn't true anymore? 50/60hz are basically refresh rates on the TV and have no bearing on the speed of the cpu - no?

  • kangarootoo #136 7 years ago

    What is it today with these forums? Is it a school holiday or something?

    A valiant attempt Tweakmonkey, but I fear your reasonable query is likely to just get buried in uppercase crap.

  • krudster #137 7 years ago

    /suspects it's actually a regular pretending to be a tard...

  • Royal Fool #138 7 years ago

    Where in Europe is the game out already?

    It's not coming to Iceland until July 15th.... which is extremely crappy.

    EDIT: And which is why I'll import it from Play.com or some other place... I saw on Amazon.fr that they already have the game! What the hell, why do localized versions get released sooner than the English no-translation-needed versions? WTF.... *sigh*
    Edited by 1 at 01/07/05 @ 17:58

  • Artemus #139 7 years ago

    Tweakmonkey this is from that link Blerk posted...

    The PAL format is also restricted to running at 25 frames-per-second, where as the NTSC format runs at closer to 30 FPS. This results in PAL conversions running around 17% slower than their NTSC counterparts and can seriously damper the performance of reaction-based games. Just try playing Soul Calibur II in 50Hz after battling away in
    60Hz mode for an hour - it will feel sluggish and unresponsive in comparison.

  • #140 7 years ago

    "You'd have to be the world's biggest mentalist not to go out and get this the minute it comes out.

    He's a good advocate for SONY, bless! But his opinion is just that, subjective no matter who he works for.

    Unfortunately, many Playstation owners beg to differ, I askes earlier, no one replied, But didn't this game bomb in the US? I'm sure I heard it did.

    I'm going to buy this game, I've said more than once said it looks good. But I also argue that spending £39 (RRP) on measly 12 - 15 hours of gameplay, that as you yourself [Reviewer] say isn't anything we haven't seen before, isn't very clever really.

    The clever thing to do, is like me, save yourself £20 - £30 and buy it in a month or so. :)

  • Derblington #141 7 years ago

    "Having already been released in US to universal critical acclaim back in March"

    From the review.

    And again, why do you pay £40 per game?

  • #142 7 years ago

    Derb, Critical acclaim? Yes reviewers are saying it's good, no-one is saying it's shit, myself included. But that doesn't answer my question, how did this game get recieved by the people who actually buy them, those mental PS2 people, perhaps. :)

    £39.99 is the RRP :/ If you go onto the high street that's what you're likely to pay, unless you have some points on your reward card. :p

    And in most cases I don't buy games at full price, I'll wait a month or so until they're worth the money. On the odd occasion, I'll pick up a few obscure or dubious titles from eBay for next to nothing.

    Gaming is an expensive hobby, At £39 a game you can choose to be selective and buy only the games you think are going to be top quality, or you can employ a level of patience and wait until the games are reasonably priced and be more open to the games you buy.

    At least that's my outlook.
    Edited by 1 at 01/07/05 @ 18:25

  • Derblington #143 7 years ago

    I agree, but I don't know anywhere that charges that much anymore. Most games are £30.

    I think it did well in the US, but I have no proof.

  • Feanor #144 7 years ago

    My wife doesn't want me to get this because of all the boobs and the sex mini-game. She says it's unnneccesary and nasty. Luckily, DMC 3 (which I'd give a 9.5/10) wore me out a bit on action games.

  • Feanor #145 7 years ago

    "But didn't this game bomb in the US? I'm sure I heard it did."

    Sorry, but no it didn't.

  • Teeth #146 7 years ago

    It's becoming a real pain visiting this site.

  • Freek #147 7 years ago

    It's based on greek mythology. Idealisation of the human body, it fitss the theme. Kratos is plagued with horrofic vissions of his past wich he tries to drown out in whine and women, but ultimately it doesn't help him. Besides, it's not that often, a few of the oracles have see through tops, and there's some half naked women in one of the movies, that's it. It's not gratoutise (sp?) at all or nasty.
    And the sex mini game isn't porn, it happens off camera. It's a way to teach the player the context dependend control methods used to defeat the larger enemies and gives you extra experience orbs.


    How was it recieved? Go to some forums, universal praise, US and Europe, the game is wonderfull, get over it! (now there's something I never expected to type).
    Edited by 2 at 01/07/05 @ 19:46

  • #148 7 years ago

    Hehe!

    Okay in your reluctance to do your homework, here is the answer to my question!

    Yes - God of War bombed!

    "GOD OF WAR SALES: Can't give out official numbers but the NPD (which gets posted on the net so it's not official Sony numbers) is putting us close to half a million sold at full price. We'll do better than that before we go to Greatest Hits. Not the amazing powerhouse I wanted it to be (I was hoping for a million before a price drop) BUT still really damn good. 500,000+ people playing a game I worked on...Man, that's a good, good feeling....especially given how most games struggle to sell 200k these days."

    Taken from a post 3 weeks ago in David Jaffe's Blog (He's the guy who made the game ;) )

  • Feanor #149 7 years ago

    500,000 sold in a few months is not a bomb. Get a grip, mate. FFS, the guy says most games struggle to sell 200,000 and that the sales are damn good, and you think that's evidence God of war bombed?
    Edited by 2 at 01/07/05 @ 20:50

  • Freek #150 7 years ago

    400.000 is the platinum threshold (the game can go in the Plantinum series if it sold that much), so no , 500.000 is by no means a bomb. And that's just US sales, it only just got released in Europe.

    Commercial Succes.
    Edited by 1 at 01/07/05 @ 21:34

  • mastertigurius #151 7 years ago

    I played through this game earlier this year (may the light always shine upon the PS2-chippers). I was convinced already at the start of the game that this was gonna be huge, and there is no doubt; this is the best game I've played on the PS2 - maybe even the best game ever!

  • mash the x button #152 7 years ago

    Thanks krudster. I cannot be bothered with all that fancy fighting stuff, so nice to know that there are options on this game.
    Zarqawi - I read somewhere that the site you mention is a CIA front. Is it?

  • Carrybagma #153 7 years ago

    Hoho! Sod GoW - welcome to the future of PS2:

    http://www. theinquirer.net/?article=24341

  • captain-future #154 7 years ago

    hmmm, got the US-import version months ago and couldn't believe my eyes, even in 60Hz the graphics show significant "tearing" (horizontal lines displaced).

    otherwise I like the game, 9 / 10 is OK in my book, and it's good to be the bad guy.
    and the really best thing about the game is the responsive control scheme.
    Edited by 2 at 01/07/05 @ 23:40

  • Tweakmonkey #155 7 years ago

    Artemus thanks for that quote: "The PAL format is also restricted to running at 25 frames-per-second, where as the NTSC format runs at closer to 30 FPS. This results in PAL conversions running around 17% slower than their NTSC counterparts"

    I still have major doubts about the validity of that nowadays though. What has speed got to do with anything? It's not like watching an NTSC DVD plays any slower is it? Ah well maybe I'll try SCII and find out myself...

  • Tweakmonkey #156 7 years ago

    "Yes - God of War bombed!"

    Balor you are pathetic! What I said earlier about discrediting the game was true. Try as you might but you can't stop the game being brilliant. It even has everything an Xbox gamer wants:

    Blood... check
    Guts... check
    Tits... check
    Sex... check
    Gratuitous.. check

    :-)

  • kingmob #157 7 years ago

    Just started on this and my God it it awesome incarnate. Looks the business, very intuitive to play, violent beyond my happiest dreams but...

    Underwater sections!!! Christ, does anybody enjoy underwater bits in games like this? Poinless and effing infuriating. This can be the only reason it didn't get a 10/10.

    edit: Just read through the reat of this thread and Balor, you are a tard.
    Edited by 1 at 02/07/05 @ 00:54

  • gaijin #158 7 years ago

    isn't there some kinda power-up at 182 comments?

  • beep #159 7 years ago

    I still have major doubts about the validity of that nowadays though. What has speed got to do with anything? It's not like watching an NTSC DVD plays any slower is it? Ah well maybe I'll try SCII and find out myself...

    You cannot compare the running of a DVD with how a game runs. DVD's are prerendered and games are rendered on the fly. Speed comes into play with games because of animation and how many frames of animation the developers assign to the movement of each character/ camera/ animated object.

    For instance, if you animate a character, the animator has a set number of frames to work with and assign to each and every movement. For the sake of this argument, let's use a punch animation as a reference, which takes five frames to complete. That's five frames in order to portray a punch. If using the NTSC timing of 30fps/60Hz as a basis for all animations, you should be able to figure out if the game is not optimised for PAL speeds correctly, you will see the same five frames but over the 25fps/50hz. That is what makes speed an issue in PAL conversions.

    My guess is that it is much easier for developers to "lazily" port over NTSC and get it to run on the PAL system by just slowing everything down. Otherwise you would have to manually adjust every animation to work on a "real" time based system, which is where things could get tricky (such as key frames dropping out due to lesser amount of frames in the timespace to work in).

    Hope that makes sense.

  • valli #160 7 years ago

    Balor, welcome to my ignore list. People like you deserve whatever shit is coming at them, no matter how bad it is.

  • AOFanboi #161 7 years ago

    The only interesting thing about "60Hz" is whether a 60Hz/NTSC mode is 480i or 480p.

    If you want to subtract something from the score, I found the box-pushing segments boring as heck. Especially the first one until I learned to kick the box so that the arrows didn't hit it.

  • drumbaby #162 7 years ago

    "Balor, welcome to my ignore list. People like you deserve whatever shit is coming at them, no matter how bad it is. "

    I ignored Blabla a long time ago m8.

    That little spat I had with the tw@ may have seemed a little excessive to some of you at the time....but perhaps you can see why I bit? I saw the idjit coming a mile off.

    Transparent anti-Sony trolling at its worst/ best, depending on your pov.

    :)

  • Tweakmonkey #163 7 years ago

    beep - thanks for the explanation on animation/frames. It does make sense for certain types of games, but I still have a problem with it. How come on a PC game then I can change the refresh rate of the screen and it doesn't affect the speed of the game?

  • tiddles #164 7 years ago

    The bottom line is that there are good PAL conversions and bad PAL conversions. A bad one will run 17.5% slower, and have large borders. But if the game has been converted properly, you'll see minimal borders, and it will run at EXACTLY the same speed.

    True, it won't look quite the same, as 50/60Hz is obviously discernable to the human eye, but the trade-off works both ways - PAL has fewer frames per second, but most people agree that the colours are richer and more vivid than on NTSC. (And believe me, when you see a game like God Of War running on PAL and NTSC you will see the difference...)

    Most big budget games these days are developed to be independent of screen frequency, so issues such as numbers of animation frames don't make much difference. Where you'll often see an effect is in pre-rendered sequences, where a decision may be taken not to re-render at a lower rate - instead frames will be skipped, leading to the familiar "stuttering" effect in many PAL game movies.

    Where is 50/60Hz does make a difference (and I'm moving more into the territory of subjective impressions here...), is when a game fails for whatever reason to keep up with its target frame-rate. For me, when a game running in 60Hz drops frames, it's more noticeable than when it happens in 50 - perhaps since there's more time in 50Hz for the game to do what it needs to do in each frame, so the relative drop isn't so high? On the other hand, the currently fashionable frame issue of v-sync tearing seems to be worse in many cases when the refresh rate is 50 (I'm thinking of Jak II here)... I presume it works the other way because, if you're not waiting for the v-sync, the more refresh cycles you have to play with the more likely it is you'll be able to do what you need to within each one. No doubt a more technically knowledgeable person than probably can set me straight on this :)

    Basically, if it's been converted well (or indeed, designed to run well on both refresh rates from the beginning), then you'll be fine. Prog scan - now that's a different issue altogether... ;)

  • JHuxley #165 7 years ago

    In all honesty, having owned PAL and NTSC consoles in the past, unless you've extensively played the 60Hz version you won't have any frame of reference with which to judge the PAL conversion, if it is indeed 17.5% slower. So don't worry about it.

    Unless it has huge border of course, but NO modern Euro conversion should suffer from that little problem anymore.

  • Ecanem #166 7 years ago

    So there's tits in it, eh?.. COOL!

  • #167 7 years ago

    A good game on PS2? get the fuck outa here!

  • #168 7 years ago

    GOD OF WAR IS A LAZY PORT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    I JUST PLAYED THE DEMO, NOTICEBLE BORDERS . NOT GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    BOYCOTT GOD OF WAR !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IF JAK3 , TEKKEN5 HAVE 60HZ Y NOT THIS SONY PUBLISHED GAME

  • mash the x button #169 7 years ago

    Zarkui - (sic) you are a joke.

  • ali-uk #170 7 years ago

    Yet, you only give it 9/10? And Ico sucks.

  • RandolphScott #171 7 years ago

    God Of War is very good. But then maybe I'm a Sony fanboy for liking it. I have noticed a little bit of tearing and although it wasn't holographically projected into my brain matrix it still looked quite good. More importantly it plays really well.

    Anyone not put Balor on their ignorelist?

  • #172 7 years ago

    "The God mode will sort *anyone* out!"

    Hah. That's easily the dumbest thing I read in this thread. You do realise exactly what the difference between two difficulty settings in God of War is, right?

  • Jimmy__Fury #173 7 years ago

    Hey folks, newly registered just so I could comment on this whole PS2 60Hz thing.

    Quite frankly, to me the whole thing is a mystery. My television can happily display, in colour, my Saturn when running in 60 Hz (both PAL and NTSC games), my Dreamcast when running in 60Hz (again both PAL and NTSC games) and also my American Gamecube, which obviously is NTSC. Yet, unfathomably, it will not run my PS2 games in colour in 60Hz (such as Virtua Fighter 4, which gives you a choice of 50 or 60Hz). I've tried buying new cables, to no avail. Like I said, its a mystery. I'd rather not have to shell out for a new telly, which I think is basically the problem. PS2 60Hz needs a very up to date television set.

  • Dr_Fripp #174 7 years ago

    "Slightly surprised no one else noticed this reference but, meh."

    Everybody knows.

    "Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi IS A HERO TO THE ARAB WORLD FOOL !!!!!!!!!!"

    I pity the fool who thinks Zarqawi stands a chance against BA Baracus! FOOL!

  • Tweakmonkey #175 7 years ago

    WHO IS BA BARACUS ? BITCH

    lol - i ain't gettin on no plane foo'

    *spelling
    Edited by 1 at 03/07/05 @ 19:30

  • Stickman #176 7 years ago

    I'm certainly not getting on a plane with zarqawi around!

  • IronGiant #177 7 years ago

    "Yes - God of War bombed!"

    So half a million in the US alone is bombing. Maybe just maybe one day you'll take off your fanboi hat and grow up.. then again, no chance of that.

  • IronGiant #178 7 years ago

    Well as Balor has taken on the role of "re-addressing the balance of gaming" and the game is on a Sony platform he feels it's his duty to attack it. What a knob.

  • SteveV #179 7 years ago

    So does the game have widescreen support then or what?

  • bag-in-box #180 7 years ago

    Yes, widescreen support. But was this talk about borders in some demo? Only time I see some very tiny borders are during in-game movies. None while playing..
    Was a bit dissapointed when I started up the game due to the lack of 60Hz mode, but when I started playing it was nothing I ever thought about again.
    There still is some tearing in a few places but these are very few, luckily.

    [sorry if my english is rubbish... ;) ]

  • aarmath #181 7 years ago

    Hola peeps!

    Reading down the thread, I realise I aint the only one who has been berating lack of 60 hz support on PAL games for the PS2. But having said that there have been some exceptionally good PAL ports like - Prince Of Persia: Sands of Time as well as Warrior Within and Cold Fear. There was another lesser known title relating to Counterstrike/terrorist sorta theme that I dont remember, but yeah playing them didnt excatly make me yearn for PAL-60 [Which actually is a native pure NTSC signal and not the pusedo-signal outputted by commercial DVD players for PAL TVs]. BUt yes, at the same time I can cite scores of shoddy PAL conversions like FF-X, NFS: Underground 2, Getaway 2, Defjam: Fight For New York, all of which shine out in the NTSC domain. Sadly the "Developer lazily ports NTSC game to PAL" is way too prevalent and some very good games take a direct hit on the graphics front becaus of this. Also the next question is why is the Developer lazy, actually infact he is not. He has to tackle with multi-lingual aspects of the game released in PAL countries and from what I hear (though I trully cant confirm) is that incorporating the 60 Hz option involves some tricky coding.
    On the face I wish God Of War had a 60 Hz option, but if going by the fact that its SCEE who has developed it, I wouldnt worry about adverse graphical impact. BUt Im surprised that they didnt give a progreesive scan option, because PAL progressive has been used in quite a few games like Ghost Hunter as well as in POP: Sands Of Time. But yes I have a very good feeling that Im gonna like this game.
    Edited by 1 at 08/07/05 @ 08:28

  • Universal_Hamster #182 7 years ago

    I never ignore, even the 'tards. I'm amused by the thought of Balor sitting playing games, with a stopwatch on one side, (To ensure he knows what value he is getting from his game) and a big box of Curly-Wurlys on the other.

  • Darren #183 7 years ago

    Been playing God of War most of the weekend. Best action adventure game I've played on any format. Sheer brilliance. It would be astounding on the Xbox, it's even more impressive since it's running on the PS2. If you have a PS2 you need to play this game.

  • #184 7 years ago

    This game *IS* incredible.

    BUY IT NOW!

  • aarmath #185 7 years ago

    Hiya folks!

    Ordered God Of War 2 weeks back and got it over the weekend. And.... damn! IM disappointed. Fantastic game no doubt about it. but lack of screen alignment, not to mention, unoptimised, raw NTSC to PAL conversion truly robs the graphical essence of the game, which is so integral to God Of War. I mean everyone is raving about the graphics and its deservedly awesome loooking. BUt how am I supposed to appreciate it when there are those huge ugly bars on the screen. And if someone wants to pick a bone on that, I only have to tell you to go watch the Making of God Of War bonus video under Treasures in the game. I mean the shoddy conversion is so apparent. I trully didnt expect SCEE - Santa Monica studios to treat PAL players so badly. Ofcourse I am not going to say - Boycott the game and all that crap. But what I do want to highlight is the fact that North American and even European developers should be sensitive to PAL users. I mean hell! I pay more than NTSC users and what do I get??? Ugly black bars et al.
    Im surprised Eurogamer didnt even highlight that in the review. Truly its sad. I mean Ubisoft had dont such a fantastic job of PAL conversion on Prince Of Persia - Sands Of Time and Warrior Within. So why couldnt SCEE do it? Its so deliciously ironic - God Of War is based on Greek myhtology, which is in Europe and yet European PAL users have to make do with a lousy port. I mean did SCEE really think that PAL users wouldnt like this game? How stupid is that.

  • zErOb_cOOl #186 7 years ago

    Fantastic game no doubt about it. but lack of screen alignment

    Thats what disappointed me. The frame on my TV is a good half inch off to the left! Doesn't spoil the game though I suppose. I've never had a problem with borders though, I mean, they are tiny! So what.

    A few other things annoyed me about this game however. You cannot move the camera manually which is annoying, especially when walking along narrow beams. the FMVs at certain intervals of the game (I know some scenes would have been impossible) should just have been done with the in-game graphics, to add a sense of integrity to the game (altohugh the vids load instantly so not that bothered.)

    These really are nit picks though, and the game (as far as I've played) is excellent. A must buy for sure.