#3. GOD OF WAR (2018)
Taking a tired series with rote gameplay and a protagonist who has become a parody of himself, and deciding to reinvent it can almost be viewed as a fool’s errand. Given that you’d have to change everything to catch people’s interest, why even bother? But led by Cory Barlog, Sony Santa Monica decided to take on the unenviable task of reinventing God of War, and making it exciting again. And boy, did they succeed. Rather than being unnecessary baggage that drags the game down, God of War’s connection to the older games lends weight to its new arc, which is set in an entirely new world, and with an older, wiser, and less angry Kratos. God of War reinvented itself while still retaining the spirit of the older games. Visceral combat, gigantic vistas – all of that’s here. What’s also here is an emotional story of one man’s quest for redemption, his growing bond with his son, and action-adventure trappings that finally make God of War’s world something players can truly inhabit and explore, rather than being funnelled down as they move from one fight to the next.
