Topic: Pyro conquers God of War

[PyroMenace]

Out of all the games I am ashamed of not completing, the ones that bring the most guilt would have to be Okami and God of War.

Now last Sunday I was sort of sitting around a little bored, thinking what I wanted to play, but couldnt really find something that would hit the spot. God of War kept bouncing around in my head, maybe I should give yet another shot since I had tried 3 other times but kept stopping around the same spot (the beginning of the Pandora Temple). Then I decided that this time Im going to go hardcore on this son of a bitch and play till my eyes bled. So I did, I got all the way to where I usually stopped and just kept on trucking and now Im sooo glad I did.

I really enjoyed the game from that spot I kept playing to but I thought the rest of the game was going to be much of the same and I always ended up getting distracted by something else. I was completely floored at how awesome the game got as you ventured through the temple of pandora. The puzzles and various challenges thrown at you were some amazing experiences, that place didn't fuck around. One of my favorite moments was dragging the caged soldier to his death as he screamed and cried for mercy... that was just awesome.

The game does have some rather glaring frustrating moments. Excessive button tapping shouldn't be something I needed to be an expert at to complete a game, but I managed to compose myself and triumphed through the absurdity of some parts. At least at the end of it all, it really became a game where I've felt truly accomplished after finishing, something I havent felt in a long ass time. Anyway, I'll be off tomorrow, and I'm going to be picking up the sequel to get my Kratos ass kicking on.

[TheOtherBelmont]

Cool man, glad to hear you finally finished it.  You'll love the second one.

[scottws]

Now that you mention it, I haven't finished Okami or God of War either.  In fact, God of War is still in the shrinkwrap.

[Quemaqua]

The God of War series is maybe slightly overrated, but still totally amazing.  I love all 3 games, and the only one I didn't finish was the PSP one, mostly just because the plot was pretty meh.  Not that the others were completely story-driven games, but they made more sense and did a better job of keeping you motivated.  But yeah, definitely get the second one if you liked it first.  God of War 2 is one of my very favorite PS2 games, and it has several awesome boss fights, one of which I think stands as one of the best in gaming.

I still need to finish Okami.  I know what my problem is... I want to do it on vacation.  Just take a week and power through it again, being immersed in all the scenery and everything.  But I hate breaking it up between sessions at work and such.  That just frustrates me for some reason.

[PyroMenace]

Well Im well into God of War 2 and needless to say its completely awesome. The new story they've created is turning out to be a little more interesting than the first. What Im impressed with the most is the visuals. There are quite a few moments that floor me, they do an amazing job at makings things feel truly massive and epic, I am quite impressed.

[K-man]

I just looked at a gamefaq and realized that I'm right at the end of Chains of Olympus.  It's been fun, but a lot less challenging and engaging than the console counterparts.

Still worth the price of admission though, I think.

And yeah, God of War impresses.  God of War II makes me wonder how they were able to squeeze all that out of the PS2 so late in its life (and effectively renders Kojima's "We're using 100% of the cell processor" complaint impotent).  Great games.  I just hope Jaffe and Barlog have something to do with III

[TheOtherBelmont]

I just hope Jaffe and Barlog have something to do with III

I think one of them is working on a Mad Max game, but I can't remember who.

[PyroMenace]

Well I finished God of War 2 last night, freaking awesome stuff. I think I liked this one more than the first. The first had some really good puzzles but the amount of boss fights and amazing level design and even more abilities they were able to squeeze into it just made for something truly epic gameplay. It feels very much like an adventure Zelda game but a whole lot less tame with a greater emphasis on fighting. The combat feels so good in these games. I like it so much because it teeters on this delicate balance of being a fun button masher, but holds enough variety to have this edge of tactical thinking. The learning curve just feels so natural and keeps gameplay engaging. All of this on top of a really cool mythical story, its hard to not come away in awe. God of War 3 will now be a greater reason to own a PS3, I can't fucking wait for it.

[Quemaqua]

Absolutely.  It's one of the reasons I got a PS3 in the first place.

[K-man]

"I can release you from your life my son, but your torment is just beginning"

Yeah, I heard this like 800 times.

[gpw11]

I loved the first game and really need to play GoWII.  Well actually, I've played through the first hour or so of it like three times, but my PS2 kept freezing at the same point so I just returned the game, intending to pick it up again but never did so.  I should get on that.

Oh, and get to Okami.  I think it may be the best game I've played from last generation (well, tied with Ninja Gaiden).

[MysterD]

Here's Jaffe, on his latest blog on how marketers/publishers want to change concepts, names, and even the title of your game to what they want/prefer.

[MysterD]

On Jaffe's blog, he talks about how come game designers names will often not make the cover of the box.

That's basically Jaffe's reply to John Riccitiello saying that EA will likely not have a game with their lead designer's name on it -- like say someone as well known as Will Wright.

[MysterD]

Jaffe and Sony are being sued for copyright infringement over God Of War.

Sony, Designer David Jaffe Sued for Alleged God of War Copyright Infringement
September 17, 2008

Sony Computer Entertainment America and high-profile game designer David Jaffe have been sued in U.S. District Court in California for alleged copyright infringment involving the best-selling God of War series, GamePolitics has learned.

The suit was filed in late February by Jonathan Bissoon-Dath and Jennifer Barrette-Herzog, both of Davis, California. SCEA and Jaffe filed responses with the Court on August 29th.

In the complaint, Bissoon-Dath identifies himself as "the author of a series of related works of fiction, including Olympiad, a screenplay." Barrette-Herzog is described as the creator of Island at the Edge of the Living World, "a map that was submitted with Bissoon-Dath's work: The Adventures of Own: Owen's Olympic Adventure."

The plaintiffs allege that in 2002 they sent their work to Sony Pictures as well as agents who also did business with SCEA. Bissoon-Dath and Barrette-Herzog note that the original God of War shipped in 2005 and that David Jaffe apparently said at some point that the game had taken three years to develop.

Beyond the alleged similarity in the time line, the plaintiffs also claim that GoW shares elements of plot, character relationships, themes, settings, mood, pace and dialogue with their works. Bissoon-Dath and Barrette-Herzog list seven pages of what they allege are suspicious similarities between their work and God of War. By way of example, here a few of the claims are made by the plaintiffs:

    * Plaintiff's works tell the original story of how a champion saves Athens from destruction by the invading Spartan army that has been sent by Ares... [GoW]... is the story of how a champion chosen by Zeus and Athens saves Athen from destruction by an invading army sent by Ares...
    * In plaintiff's original work and God of War, the Champion's family is hacked to death in a one-room building in a small peaceful village. In both stories the Champion feels partially responsible even though he is not really to blame...
    * In exchange for Kratos' pledge, Ares gives him... the Blades of Chaos... two massive, glowing, sword-like blades fastened to chains fused to Kratos's wrists... These Blade of Chaos are taken directly from a scene in Bissoon-Dath's work... "As Zeus strides forward... his hands MORPH into two massive swords that glow like light sabers..."
    * ...Owen must cross the Bottomless Valley over a long, sagging suspension bridge, shown on Barrette-Herzog's map... in God of War Kratos must cross the Bottomless Chasm on a long, sagging suspension bridge...

GP: It would be difficult to fathom either SCEA or Jaffe being involved in something like this. After all, both GoW and the plaintiffs' work have a basis in Greek mythology, so they are both treading similar ground from the start. But the case appears to be proceeding, at least for now.

For their part, responses filed on behalf of SCEA and Jaffe deny that any copyright infringement took place and point out that some of the plaintiff's work (presumably the Greek mythology) lies in the public domain. In addition, the plaintiff's delineation of specific alleged similarities are described as "inaccurate, incomplete, abstracted and/or misleading."

SCEA and Jaffe also request that they be reimbursed for legal costs incurred in defending themselves.

[Quemaqua]

Oh no, someone used a suspension bridge in a game!  But I thought of it first!

What a crock of fucking bullshit.

[gpw11]

Oh no, someone used a suspension bridge in a game!  But I thought of it first!

What a crock of fucking bullshit.

Hey, let me know when you're done your book.  I'll edit it for you.

[MysterD]

So, are those who invented Greek mythology gonna come back from the dead and sue Sony and David Jaffe, too?