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God Of War 4 art leaks (Norse setting, Kratos w/ beard) [Up2: Polygon says real]
- Thread starter Nibel
- Start date
Troubled Bat
Member
You for real? Come on now.
It -starts- with Kratos, but then it transitions to Nariko as a Valkyrie?!!!Ya'll are getting too hung up on Kratos.
Right?
No, probably not.
How dare Kratos, the God of War kill an innocent!
TetraGenesis
Member
If Kratos isn't the main character of God of War 4 will you never EVER play another Sony Santa Monica game again?
SolidSnakex
Member
Ascension had a number of problems.
1.) They actually listened to people that complained about Kratos and tried to make him likable in the traditional sense by showing his origin story. They highlighted this in the E3 demo where people were being impaled by spears and Kratos pushes one of them out the way. Not a very Kratos like thing to do. This of course is not what most GoW and/or Kratos fans wanted.
2.) It was a major step back from GoW3 in terms of scale. The scale was a major selling point for 3, so going to Ascension just felt like a let down.
3.) It really didn't offer anything new. While GoW3 was definitely an extension of what they'd done with GoW and GoW2, it did have the scale factor. It felt much bigger than any other GoW which allowed it to have a fresh feeling to it. Ascension didn't have that. Which is likely why it was called Ascension rather than 4. You obviously expect something much different from a numbered entry.
It wasn't a bad game by any means, but it wasn't surprising that it didn't generate the hype, sales, or acclaim that a GoW game usually does.
TetraGenesis
Member
Man, if this were a JRPG we already would have killed the Abrahamic God.
Acquiescence
Member
I'm grateful that the setting has received a complete overhaul, but disappointed to learn that Kratos is still the lead. I think the only protagonist I despise more than him is Raiden from MGS2.
I also think Egyptian mythology is far more compelling than Norse, so that seems like a missed opportunity, but we'll see. I'm sure the team will do some very interesting things with their new backdrop nonetheless.
I also think Egyptian mythology is far more compelling than Norse, so that seems like a missed opportunity, but we'll see. I'm sure the team will do some very interesting things with their new backdrop nonetheless.
pauloshinobi
Member
Freja's kitten carriage will look so cute in 4K!
I would've preferred a new hero but have no problems with Kratos. I'm more conflicted with the art direction as it almost looks too sci fi to me, like an alien planet or something.
She will appear semi naked, fuck Kratos because reasons and then he will murder her brutally because she's a backstabber or something like this.
Shambalakan
Member
Kratos is one of the most popular PS characters. maybe the second one after Nathan. Deal with it guys!
UnluckyKate
Member
Then completely rewrite him.
Boombloxer
Member
And this tells me you haven't played enough games. Shit opinion.
That was a joke.
Non-sensical comparison. And he had plenty of characterization that explains why, from his brother to the player going through every part of his life. You may not like his characterization, but it's there.
And for those calling for a new protagonist, this is also a joke. You might as well ask for Ninja Gaiden game without Ryu, DMC without Dante and Bayo without Bayo. FOH with the double standards just because you don't like the dude.
By virtue of him having dispatched with the people at the root of his anger in God of War III they'll have to rewrite him.
Yeah I wonder why they went with Norse mythology and Kratos. Egypt is much closer to Greece.
UnluckyKate
Member
I wonder what the twist will be. After gow3 he crawled to... Norse? Ocean streams took him to the northern Shores?
Or will he be reincarnated into the body of Viking champion?
Ancient Egyptian mythology pre-dates ancient Greek mythology.
I imagine this game will be about Kratos dealing with a wave of new gods, which would require a mythology that came after the one he belongs to.
UnluckyKate
Member
And in the end they team up against a Giant valkyrie queen riding a kraken or something.
I don't know why, exactly, but I feel like Kratos could die at the end of God of War 4, to set the stage for a new protagonist for 5 and 6.
The idea of them sticking with Kratos for 2 more games seems unlikely, to me.
Triggerhappytel
Member
Freja's kitten carriage will look so cute in 4K!
I would've preferred a new hero but have no problems with Kratos. I'm more conflicted with the art direction as it almost looks too sci fi to me, like an alien planet or something.
It will be a pair of massive tigers and Kratos will set Fenrir on them while he battles Freya and her boar.
It'll be fucking awesome. The more I read up on the Norse gods the more I think it'll be a great fit. Can you imagine how amazing SSM's artists are going to make places like Yggdrasil and Valhalla? I imagine Yggdrasil will be the hub which Kratos travels up and down to get to each realm.
yup, you hit the nail on the head.
Trying to humanize Kratos left a bad taste in my mouth. I dont want to see that shit.
First reaction to the beard pic:
I'm hoping he isn't the new protagonist, or maybe just one of the playable characters. I think the God of War franchise is strong enough as a franchise to cut off (most) ties to the previous games and start something new. Kratos kinda feels like a relic at this point. Of course, if the game feels different enough, you won't hear me complain, but we've had 6 GoW games from the same template, I want something that feels fresh enough. At least the Norse mythology is a good start.
Got me thinking about why there was never a Thor (Marvel) game. The GoW style is perfect for a Thor/Asgard game.
I'm hoping he isn't the new protagonist, or maybe just one of the playable characters. I think the God of War franchise is strong enough as a franchise to cut off (most) ties to the previous games and start something new. Kratos kinda feels like a relic at this point. Of course, if the game feels different enough, you won't hear me complain, but we've had 6 GoW games from the same template, I want something that feels fresh enough. At least the Norse mythology is a good start.
Got me thinking about why there was never a Thor (Marvel) game. The GoW style is perfect for a Thor/Asgard game.
What are you angry about exactly?
The Norse Gods will survive with their reputation intact in the same way as the Greek Gods have post God of War 1-3
I'm all for a game set in the world of Norse mythology
awww shiiiiiiet
Haha, I should have seen that coming
Spatially and Temporally. I'm not 100% sure, but I don't think the Greeks and Norsemen ever came into contact. In fact, I think their civilizations miss each other by a few century.
Pyramid head
Banned
Who the fuck is Kratos's brother and why should I care? Note, I haven't played the PSP games. If they can't successfuly communicate Kratos's motivations within 4 mainline games that's on Santa Monica. As it stands, Kratos is just a dumb, one-note killing machine with nothing else to him.
But I like all of the protagonists you listed there, so why would I ask for them to be changed? You should look up the definition of 'double standard'.
If you're an average Gaffer, I've played twice or three times the games you have (sounds ridiculous but I've played a lot for a long time), and Kratos is still distilled poop. In fact, the fact I've been a hardcore gamer since well in the 80s lets me appreciate the fact that Kratos is worse than almost any AAA protag. Most of the worst ones just bland or slightly ridiculous. Kratos is like an annoying parody of the thing he tries to be, a 90s grimdark Spawn-age superhero stuffed into an otherwise amazing game series.
Phreakuency
Banned
Surprised you can see the keyboard to type with all those tickets on yourself.
Some people don't like Kratos. Many do.
Get over it.
And yourself.
Funny how Kratos gets such a rise out of people. Guess most have not come to terms with the fact that a main character doesn't need to be traditionally good, he can be flawed even psychotic. Kratos is the face of GOW, an iconic character and happens to be one of my favourites. I look forward to his return the most than a brand new mythology.
RipperGrim
Member
They don't need to be good, they need to be likable.
Millions of games sold. Huge fanbase. His likeable, I like him.
Triggerhappytel
Member
I disagree; I actually didn't mind the concept of seeing more of his origin. I just thought they did a completely piss poor job of humanising him.
Ok, missed that. Let me rephrase: "Got me thinking about why there was never a good Thor (Marvel) game." Imagine if SSM got to make it
Why do they need to be likable? There are loads of great films, novels, plays etc, where the main character is not likeable
Why do we have to limit games arbitrarily?
I don't love or hate Kratos as much as some of the people in this thread, but I wouldn't mark the games down for having a character that isn't a nice guy
For example, in Vice City your character isn't nice, or even that likeable, he's a greedy, murderous psychopath, even in the games story (if you want to detach narrative from player agency) he is not a nice guy, nor does he have a good motive for what he does in the story
Kratos is a bastard as well, but for some reason he gets a ton of criticism for it
Not every video game character has to be Nathan Drake
Miles Quaritch
Member
I'm not against playing as hobo Kratos, but it would be nice if there was a twist or something in there that introduces a new playable character or at least 'kills' off Kratos.
Hmmm are you picturing a hub overworld where we can travel to all those different places?
Would be a dramatic shift for the game, something akin to Mario Galaxy could work if implemented well that still allows the cinematic aspect to work.
Yeah this is what people on Gaf can't understand.
GoW would not even be the half the sales beast it is for Playstation if everyone hated Kratos like Gaf.
Can people not see beyond the Neogaf bubble and understand Kratos just jives for a lot in the mainstream (and some of us here lol)
Edit: I'm not against adding more depth, character development etc to him, but it's weird seeing so many people outright dismiss why SSM would even consider keeping him.
Regginator
Member
wtf??
SolidSnakex
Member
I don't get how he isn't interesting. Unless you just simply don't like characters that are just pure selfish assholes. But if anything that's specifically what makes him so interesting. There's really no one like him in gaming. He's just an asshole that's wreaking havoc on anyone that gets in his way. I think that's why he's so liked and also so hated. He's very much a love or hate character because of his attitude. The fact that he's not one to hesitate to burn an innocent person alive or strap them to a device that rips them in half to get what he wants is rather refreshing in gaming.
Holundrian
Unconfirmed Member
Kratos is a banana and some people want onions.
TheWorthyEdge
Member
That Kratos actually looks really badass. I'm so excited for this.
pixellated_man
Member
I'm cool with Norse mythology but I would have preferred a new character who fit's in with the Norse Mythology.
Hopefully this is just really early concept art and there is indeed a new character.
Hopefully this is just really early concept art and there is indeed a new character.