God of War: Ascension – Video Game News, Reviews, Walkthroughs And Guides | GamingBolt

10 Times Single Player Game Devs Pursued Multiplayer Trends

Shubhankar Parijat — Fri, 28 Jul 2023 07:56:21 +0000

Incredible things can happen when developers decide to step out of their comfort zone and try completely new things that one wouldn’t normally associate them with, but there’s always a lot of risk involved with anything along those lines, because as we’ve seen more than a few times over the years, it doesn’t always work out. In fact, you’ll see plenty of examples of that looking just at developers known for making single player games who end up chasing after multiplayer trends, whether that’s at the behest of their publishers or parent companies or of their own volition. Of course, results tend to vary from game to game, and for some of them, things do actually turn out quite well- but unfortunately, more often than not, the opposite is the case. Here, that’s exactly what we’re covering, as we talk about a few times that single player studios misguidedly ended up chasing multiplayer trends.

ANTHEM

After having built itself up as one of the best Western RPG developers in the industry over the course of decades, with Anthem, BioWare decided to go down the live service looter shooter route, and it was… well, let’s be generous here and say it wasn’t great. Anthem was a failure by pretty much every metric, because not only was it sorely lacking in the things that had made previous BioWare games as great as they were, it wasn’t even a good looter shooter. Hell, it wasn’t even a competent one. It was rife with technical and connectivity issues, missions and objectives were boring, the loot balancing and progression systems were broken, and there was a shocking lack of content, a terrible issue to have a for a game that claims to be live service. Of course, it didn’t even end up being live service in the end, because after a short period that saw intermittent and underwhelming updates (and some talk of a complete overhaul), BioWare and EA ultimately decided that it just wasn’t worth the effort, and chose to shut Anthem down.

God of War – Every Boss Fight in the Series, Ranked

Shubhankar Parijat — Tue, 08 Nov 2022 14:58:50 +0000

From the very beginning, the God of War franchise has been known for delivering some of the best boss fights you’ll ever experience in video games, from thrilling set pieces of epic scale to grueling fights that put all of your skills to the ultimate test. God of War Ragnarok is coming soon, and the hope is that it will continue that tradition (and based on what we’ve seen of it so far, it certainly seems like things are shaping up that way). Before we dive into its offerings, however, here, we’re going to take a look back at all the major boss fights across all God of War instalments and rank them from worst to best- although there aren’t really any “bad” God of War boss fights, so it might be more accurate to say we’re ranking them from decent to spectacular.

#40. SCYLLA (GOD OF WAR: GHOST OF SPARTA)

God of War: Ghost of Sparta’s opening boss fight is very reminiscent of the likes of the likes of the Basilisk and the Hydra, in that it’s an intro boss fight that sees Kratos taking on a sea monster- but frankly, it’s not as good as any of them. It’s very short and doesn’t test the player at all, and the fact that the first encounter and the conclusion are separated by a decent chunk of gameplay doesn’t exactly help with the formidableness of the creature. Then again, the final QTE sequence does result in a pretty gory death for the Scylla, which is always fun to see.

What Went Wrong with God of War: Ascension?

Shubhankar Parijat — Thu, 08 Sep 2022 14:11:30 +0000

God of War as a franchise is in the best shape of its life right now. Since its debut on the PS2 nearly two decades ago, the action-adventure series has delivered a steady stream of games that have seen great critical and commercial success, including the likes of the first three numbered God of War games, which all have Metacritic scores of 90 or above. And yet, even with all of that in its rearview mirror, in 2018, the series managed to surpass any of its achievements with the soft reboot-slash-sequel titled simply God of War, which is the series’ biggest critical and commercial hit to date by far.

Of course, looking deeper into background of the 2018 title’s release makes its accomplishments even more impressive, because for a few years until it came out, the God of War franchise wasn’t doing too well. In 2013, Sony released God of War: Ascension for the PS3, which is widely regarded to be the black sheep of the franchise. With lukewarm reception from critics and audiences, God of War: Ascension is perhaps the biggest (and probably the only) stumble from the series, to the extent that it made it abundantly clear that its established formula had run out of steam.

Ascension’s failure to wow people was so severe, in fact, that it put God of War on ice for a good few years, forcing Sony and developer SIE Santa Monica Studio to completely rethink the series. All’s well that ends well, and God of War (2018) turned out to be just the kind of reinvention it needed to be, but what about Ascension was it that ended up necessitating it in the first place? What exactly makes it the series’ lowest point bar none?

The biggest factor that contributed to God of War: Ascension’s relative failure was the plain and simple fact that people at large had grown tired of the series’ established formula by that point. It’s a mistake that video game franchises have made time and time again over the years. Starting with the first game on the PS2 in 2005, in the space of eight years, Sony released six mainline God of War games across three platforms that all adhered very strictly to a very specific formula, and by the time Ascension came along, players were ready to move on to something new, and something with perhaps a bit more nuanced.

Nothing can take away from how good the vast majority of the Greek era God of War games were, but they were all also products of their time. From level design to mechanical depth to storytelling and more, the God of War formula was one that simply did not have enough to it to sustain that many games. 2010’s God of War 3 served as a perfect stopping point for the series in many ways, because with its sheer epic scale and its ridiculous focus on polish, it took the God of War formula to its absolute peak, and showed us things that its predecessors simply hadn’t been able to do. With God of War: Ascension, on the other hand, it was very much just a case of “more of the same”. Clearly, it was a game made by a team that had run out of ideas on how to further expand upon the formula they were working with- primarily because the game’s predecessors had already done pretty much everything that could be done on that front.

Of course, given the fact that at its core, the God of War formula still entailed brutal, gory combat and high-octane set-pieces and boss fights, there’s no denying that there was still fun to be had in Ascension. It all felt like it was just going through the motions though, like it was constantly retreading very familiar ground. A God of War that cannot get your blood pumping with its action in new and exciting ways has clearly failed on some level, and that could very much be said about Ascension. If those original six God of War releases hadn’t all been crammed into an eighty-year window and each release had been given some time to breathe, maybe Ascension would have attracted relatively less criticism for how unambitious and familiar it felt, but as and when it launched, it felt almost unnecessary.

On top of being overly familiar to the point where it almost couldn’t justify its existence, it’s also worth bringing up that God of War: Ascension wasn’t without flaws with its actual content either. The game’s story in particular was underwhelming at best. Sure, it had some solid moments here and there, but by and large, it feels completely inessential. In all honesty, if you’ve never played the game, at least where series’ larger story is concerned, you’re not missing much. Like much of the rest of the game, Ascensio’s story is largely forgettable and barely makes any lasting impression. God of War: Chains of Olympus does a far, far better job of serving as a prequel to the original game in the series.

Meanwhile, for some reason, God of War: Ascension also had a multiplayer component. That, of course, was very much the trend at the time- multiplayer had taken off like no one could have imagined, so developers and publishers all over the industry were rushing to cram multiplayer component in their games, even if it made no sense to do so. God of War: Ascension was one among several single player games that made the baffling decision to include a multiplayer component- and to little surprise, it didn’t work out.

To be fair, Sony Santa Monica actually did a surprisingly decent job of translating God of War’s combat mechanics to multiplayer. Credit where credit is due, because many wouldn’t have imagined that even that would be possible. Beyond that, however, there wasn’t much else of note to say about Ascension’s multiplayer offerings. It was fun and novel enough to be engaging for maybe dipping your toes in the water a couple of times, but there wasn’t nearly enough meat on the bones to sustain any real interest from anyone.

It’s really no surprise that Sony almost pretends like God of War: Ascension never happened. Pretty much every other game in the series has seen re-releases over the years in an effort to introduce them to newer audiences, but Sony has let Ascension languish on the PS3’s library since its launch back in 2013- and honestly, there aren’t a great deal of people who’re just clamouring for a remaster either. That said, as the game that compelled Sony and Santa Monica Studio to completely revamp and radically reimagine God of War in such spectacular fashion will always be part of its legacy, which is something.

It’ll be interesting to see whether Sony will look to its past as it moves on from its Norse mythology setting after God of War Ragnarok. Assuming the next game however many years down the line takes us to a new mythological setting, will it once again try and reinvent the wheel in an attempt to let stagnation set in, or will it try and get more out of this new formula? Either way, if Sony has taken its lessons from Ascension (which one would assume it has), we can at least be sure that the series is unlikely to get to that kind of a low point again anytime soon.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

All God of War Video Games Ranked from Worst to Best

Shubhankar Parijat — Tue, 31 May 2022 18:36:49 +0000

Like any franchise, God of War has had its lows, though they’ve been few and far between- some might even argue there haven’t been too many of them at all. Its highs, on the other hand, are as numerous as they are spectacular. Hopefully, the upcoming God of War Ragnarok will fall in the latter category, but while we wait for the highly anticipated sequel to arrive, here, we’re going to take a look back at the franchise’s past. Starting from its beginnings on the PS2 in 2005, right up until now, we’re going to talk about all God of War games, and rank them from worst to best.

#8. GOD OF WAR: BETRAYAL

God of War: Betrayal was a mobile game before mobile games as we know them today even existed. It was a 2D sidescrolling Java title and extremely limited in its scope as such, and honestly, you’d be forgiven for not even being aware of its existence. It exists though, and it’s part of the series’ canon- and you know what? It ain’t half bad. If you go in expecting a decent, enjoyable mobile game that successfully captures at least a fraction of what God of War is about, this delivers it. Expect anything more though, and you’ll be sorely disappointed.

#7. GOD OF WAR: ASCENSION

God of War: Ascension almost killed the franchise. It wasn’t a bad enough game to warrant that kind of a reaction by any means, but even so, that reaction was easy to understand and even empathize with. That’s because even though it was a perfectly fine God of War game that did what God of War games had always done, it was little more than that. Yes, it had some decent boss fights, yes, it had typically gory combat, and yes, it looked great for it’s time- but it was nothing we hadn’t seen five times before it. It was just more God of War, and it did nothing to advance or shake up the series’ formula – which was wearing thin by that time – in any way. It felt wholly unnecessary, and more than anything else, highlighted the series’ desperate need for a reinvention- which, of course, it ended up getting… but we’ll get to that later.

#6. GOD OF WAR: CHAINS OF OLYMPUS

God of War: Chains of Olympus had some tough expectations to live up to, seeing as it had the unenviable task of delivering a quintessential God of War experience on a decidedly less powerful handheld device that didn’t even have all the buttons and inputs that consoles did. But developer Ready at Dawn, who stewarded the game in Santa Monica Studio’s stead, did an excellent job. Chains of Olympus was everything one could want from a God of War game- only in truncated form. Maybe the game’s short length and relative lack of boss fights can be held against it, but it was still a brutal, adrenaline-fueled romp that delivered excellent action, looked great, and told a solid story that focus on Kratos’ personal arc in a way that no other game in the series has.

#5. GOD OF WAR (2005)

The one that started it all. Viewed from a different lens, the original God of War may very well have a shot at being the #1 game here, or at least being somewhere in the top 3. Its legacy can never be diminished, and at the time, it was an absolutely revolutionary experience. Of course, if we’re going purely by merit, we do have to knock some points- God of War is still fun to play today, but parts of the game have not aged very well and can feel a little rough around the edges, while there’s also no denying that it has been thoroughly outmatched by its many successors in almost every possible way. Even so, given what it is, and especially what it was when it first came out, no one will ever be able to deny that this is one of the all-time greats in the history of PlayStation.

#4. GOD OF WAR: GHOST OF SPARTA

Ready at Dawn was up to the task of delivering a solid handheld God of War game with Chains of Olympus, and naturally, the studio ended up exceeding it with its follow-up. 2010’s God of War: Ghost of Sparta remains an excellent game. It tells a captivating story that, once again, explores a corner of Kratos’ personal life that no other series instalment has cared to look at, and on top of that, its excellent, brutal combat, and its impressive visual fidelity, it also makes up for Chains of Olympus’ few shortcomings with a healthy roster of exhilarating boss fights. Again, length is a bit of a issue here, but given how incredible the game is from start to finish, that issue is, ultimately, rather easy to overlook.

#3. GOD OF WAR 2

This game right here is partly why the original God of War isn’t placed higher in this list- because God of War 2 is pretty much the perfect sequel. Put aside the fact that it’s got a story that falls apart the moment you look at the logic of its time travel shenanigans for more than a second- because from beginning to end, God of War 2 is just a monster of a game. From combat to visuals, from boss fights to the fiery rage this series has always been known for, this game took everything that was good about its predecessor and dialed it all up to eleven. Very rarely have video game sequels managed to up the ante as successfully and as drastically as God of War 2 did. If Ragnarok can accomplish even half of what it did back in 2007 in terms of expanding on its predecessor’s excellent foundations, it’ll be an absolute masterpiece.

#2. GOD OF WAR 3

God of War 3 is, simply put, the purest, ultimate distillation of what this series used to be before it was radically reinvented in 2018 (again, we’ll get to that in a bit). Buckets of gore, gleefully excessive violence, angst and rage, a truly unparalleled sense of scale, and, of course, incredible boss fights and set pieces. Since its inception, God of War has been about those things, and every single one of those elements was in prime form in God of War 3. It was a thrill ride unlike any other, an absolute rollercoaster that never failed to make you feel like a murderous badass. One after another, God of War 3 delivered unforgettable moments that we fondly remember to this day, from the Poseidon boss fight to the legendary Cronos encounter and so much more. There are many who’ll probably argue that God of War 2 deserves to be higher on this list than God of War 3, but as far as we’re concerned, God of War 3 is the zenith of the series’ formula.

Or, well, its old formula, at the very least. Speaking of which…

#1. GOD OF WAR (2018)

The most obvious #1 pick of all time, right? But it’s obvious for a reason. People have been waxing lyrical about God of War (2018) since the day it came out, ourselves included, so there’s nothing we can say that hasn’t been said before countless times already. But no amount of praise feels like it’s enough for this game. In so many ways, God of War (2018) is so diametrically opposed to what its predecessors was, from its more thoughtful and mature story and storytelling to its slowed, deliberate pacing to its over-the-shoulder perspective to its cavalcade of gameplay changes. And yet, in spite of all that, it still very much feels like a God of War game, like an extension and natural evolution of the franchise. Striking that sort of balance should be impossible, and yet God of War (2018) does it so convincingly and so confidently, you almost end up taking it for granted.

13 Most Divisive Single Player Prequels

Usaid — Fri, 03 Dec 2021 06:10:17 +0000

The games industry is filled with a ton of promising and financially lucrative IPs, and as such fans are accustomed to getting sequels to their favourite games. However, prequels are less popular – but much like sequels, they do vary wildly in quality. To that effect, here are 13 of the most divisive single-player prequels of all time.

God of War: Ascension

God of War: Ascension showcases the story of series protagonist Kratos as he fights all those who oppose him for breaking his blood oath to Ares. While the game is considered a great one by many, others thought that the QTE heavy combat and the over-the-top violence that catapulted the series to great heights at one point were now becoming stale and required a major rethinking going forward.

God of War Ascension Director Now Working on Star Citizen

Ravi Sinha — Mon, 02 Mar 2015 19:23:52 +0000

Star Citizen’s fortunes continue to grow. After crossing a crowd-funding goal of $74 million and being well on its way to reaching $75 million, Todd Papy has announced that he’s joined Cloud Imperium Games to work on the online space sim/first person title. Papy originally worked on God of War: Ascension at SCE Santa Monica before leaving in 2013 to work at Crytek.

Papy announced the news on Twitter and revealed that he will be working as design director. “Got a new job, excited to be part of a great team and working on Star Citizen.”

The scope of Star Citizen is tough to measure at this point. All additional funds are currently being allocated to expand its scale and creator Chris Roberts hopes to see the overall crowd-funding budget hit $100 million when it’s all said and done.

What are your thoughts on Star Citizen at this point? Let us know in the comments.

God of War: Ascension DLC Completed, SCE Santa Monica Transitions to Other Projects

Ravi Sinha — Mon, 14 Oct 2013 11:34:22 +0000

It was a fun ride while it lasted but now, SCE Santa Monica has announced that it has finished work on God of War: Ascension’s DLC and that there won’t be any more content for its multiplayer. Sony community strategist Aaron Kaufman revealed the same in a blog post on the Official PlayStation US Blog while also stating that the core team would be moving on to other projects.

“As of today, we will not be producing any more DLC content (maps, weapons, armors, marks) for God of War: Ascension Multiplayer, as our primary team resources start to transition to other projects here at Sony Santa Monica. However — this is not the end of support for God of War: Ascension Multiplayer.”

God of War: Ascension will also be re-released on PlayStation Network this Tuesday, for those who have yet to experience it. SCE Santa Monica is currently working with Ready At Dawn Studios on The Order: 1886 along with other unannounced projects.

Sony Santa Monica Teasing God of War Announcement

Ravi Sinha — Tue, 23 Jul 2013 09:26:11 +0000

Despite working with Ready at Dawn Studios on The Order: 1886, SCE Santa Monica are still focused on the God of War series. And despite the rather drab response to God of War: Ascension for the PlayStation 3, the studio is still surging forward, teasing a new God of War announcement via Twitter (with an attached video for good measure).

Incoming soon #GodofWar http://t.co/0O6KSXBV2M

— Sony Santa Monica (@SonySantaMonica) July 22, 2013

At this point, it appears to be DLC for God of War: Ascension’s multiplayer mode, adding a new weapon that will potentially tilt the odds in favour of those who have it. Sound good enough?

It would’ve been better to have some new missions (or an entirely new campaign) for single player, but with The Order: 1886, it seems Santa Monica’s resources are a little limited for anything else right now. Check out our review for God of War: Ascension here to learn more about the game and whether the multiplayer mode is worth it.

God of War: Ascension DLC Weapons Are Now In Preview-Mode Until July 7th

Leonid Melikhov — Thu, 04 Jul 2013 08:12:01 +0000

Sony has announced via Official PlayStation Blog that God of War Ascension downloadable multiplayer weapons are available for free as a preview on the PlayStation Network store until Sunday, July 7th. This means that starting today you may jump into God of War: Ascension multiplayer mode and test out the brand new weapons for free on your character until Sunday and then may decide to purchase it after the preview event is over.

“Right now, jump in to God of War: Ascension Multiplayer and get a brutal hands-on test drive with 11 of our DLC weapons for free, in every Multiplayer mode. Wield the latest Titanic Hammers, Weapons of Judgment, Legendary Spears, the Blades of Artemis and Thanatos, and more. These weapons will be unlocked and ready for you the moment you jump in to customize your Warrior,” said Aaron Kaufman, Community Strategist at Santa Monica Studio.

Check out the picture gallery below:

Let us know if you’re playing God of War: Ascension multiplayer in the comments section below.

Check back on GamingBolt for more news and updates.

God of War Developer to Reveal New Title at E3 2013

Ravi Sinha — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 08:37:18 +0000

SCE Santa Monica is gearing up for E3 2013, and will reportedly be announcing a new game at the event according to a report on VentureBeat.

It will reportedly be streaming the announcement on Twitch live this Tuesday, June 11th. The developer is also set to reveal some new content for God of War Ascension as well. As of now, expectations are high that this will be God of War 4, or at the very least, a brand new IP. We’ll have to wait till find out.

As for God of War: Ascension, which released earlier this year for PlayStation 3, it didn’t exactly set the charts on fire like its predecessors. This is despite featuring an all-new quest and multiplayer mode, along with, well, being friggin’ God of War.

Stay tuned for Sony’s E3 media briefing as well. Given SCE Santa Monica’s hand in designing the PS4, it wouldn’t be above them to put in an appearance there as well.