God of War Ragnarök (2022)

What started in 2018 seamlessly continues 4 years later.

It's a bit disappointing that the game is a PS4 game first and foremost and as such it doesn't really shine as a PS5 title. But other than that, this sequel looks better, runs better, implements deeper combat and offers an expanded world and set of characters to explore.

The Nine Realms is such an interesting setting both because of the varied and colorful scenery and because of the gods and lore that give these games so much personality.

The only criticisms I can level at this sequel is that maybe the pacing isn't quite right at times and the lack of innovation, as this is just another solid entry for the series and the genre but doesn't really represent a breakthrough this time.

9/10.

Welp I spoke too soon, this is back on my wait until it hits PS Plus list.

God of War Ragnarök feels trapped between great design and blockbuster movies

There is nothing life-changing about the way Ragnarök wraps up, but it delivers the same pleasant satisfaction that I get from finishing a Marvel movie that lets me run on autopilot. Even where the game can be frustrating, rote, and uneven, it’s also safe and comforting, like a rerun of Cheers where everyone knows your name and you know that you’ll never get thrown out of the bar. God of War Ragnarök, as the sum of its many disparate and often conflicting parts and influences, isn’t here to reinvent the wheel. But its single-minded desire to emulate all the hallmarks of an epic Hollywood narrative will remain both its biggest weakness and its enduring source of success. And like many, many Hollywood success stories, it shouldn’t feel this weird to say that something of this scope and scale is just OK

God of War: Ragnarök has a formal release date: 9 November 2022.

I think I'm sitting this one out. The first has its enjoyable moments, and even that I didn't play at release. I picked it up half off over the holidays that same year. I'm tempted to just wait until this hits PS+ in a couple years. I'm burnt out on the PlayStation studio formula and it will take something different to get me excited about another tentpole release. Maybe something daring like Returnal, or maybe it will be another of Insomniac's games but I worry that even Insomniac has a problem with tedium once their games stretch out too long. Give me a Miles Morales or a Ratchet & Clank over longer titles.

Anyway, weird rant. Hope those excited for the game are stoked now that there is a release date :-)

P.S. 12 people have already played it and 11 gave it 5/5, with one person resigned to a 3/5. Looks like it's going to be a banging game :/

In case you're still confused about the new gods and mythological beings from the God of War: Ragnarok trailer, I wrote an article explaining who they are in the mythos and how they'll fit in Kratos' adventure.

The article is in spanish and you can find it in GamerFocus.

And yes, I talk a little about Thor being fat because that was a whole thing on Twitter.