God of War II

[Domstercool]

"Simply put, it's easily one of the best action adventure games of the last console generation, and it even trumps much of what has been shown in the current generation. For fans of the first game, and fans of bloody, violent, exciting action in general, God of War II shouldn't be missed. "

 

Game should get posted today from VGP!

[Owen]

"Simply put, it's easily one of the best action adventure games of the last console generation, and it even trumps much of what has been shown in the current generation. For fans of the first game, and fans of bloody, violent, exciting action in general, God of War II shouldn't be missed. "

 

Game should get posted today from VGP!

 

Mines been posted! So i reckon yours should be too!

[Domstercool]

Yep it has indeed been posted! I can't bloody wait for it now!!

[Domstercool]

IT'S HERE!!!!!

 

*Creams pants and sticks it into the PS2!*

[That Guy]

Well? Any good? I've seen loads of videos of this and it looks brilliant, but I may have to wait until I'm done with all my games before I get this and Ratchet and Clank.

[Domstercool]

It's so fucking amazing. I haven't stopped playing it all day. I'm still on it right now, just on pause behind me.

 

I don't know where to start with it. It's one of those games that manages to drag you in with all it's none stop action. I really can't put the title down. It's so exhilarating.

 

It's really amazing that right now I'm saying that this game looks phenomenal, it's a PS2 game yet it looks sooo nice. The scope is breathtaking. It's like countless people have said, it prooves that if you've got the right talent you don't need fancy textures and what not to make a outstanding looking game. It's better looking than any Wii game that has come on the market so far.

 

Words really can't describe it alone. You have to play it right now. If you've never played God of War then shame on you and go buy it right now, then buy this once you've finished it. It's one of the best action games I've played in a while, hell it's the best game this year so far out of any console. Up there with the best.

 

*QTEs random soldier, breaks the soldiers arm backwards and sticks the soldiers sword into the body from behind* Wooo fun!!

[That Guy]

You see I realy want to play it but I've got a box of about 20 games to play through (if I ever do play through some of them), and to get this would mean Okami would slip even further down the list and I really want to play that soon.

 

I will also need a PS2 component cable before I buy it, I'm not looking at the best looking PS2 with the crappest AV cable ever on a HDTV. Even SOTC looks like ass on it.

[Domstercool]

Just had to force myself to stop. The game says I've been playing for 7 hours and 40 mins, but it doesn't include deaths/retries. I've actually been playing it for about 9hours 40mins. I don't know how far I am in the game, but I don't want to finish it today, so I'm holding off till tomorrow.

 

Time to get something to eat I think.

 

Just to say, bloody amazing game. SO DAMN GOOD!

[That Guy]

How are you going on the 'complete 50 games in a year' thing?

[Domstercool]

I've done 8 games so far. It's not going that well, but I've got some games that I've played that just need finishing off. I don't have to panic just yet.

[That Guy]

Haha, I'm sure you'll manage it mate, if not you'll have to cancel you're New Years Eve party to cram in more games :p

[ZeldaFreak]

Shame its delayed in EUROPE until APRIL 14th

[Owen]

God i'm crap at games...I couldn't even complete the first bloody bit!

 

Anyway! The first level is OUTSTANDING. So many 'wow' moments, i kinda lost count. It's very similar to the first one, but with added boomth. I honestly don't remember the first one being so gory either, theres literally blood everywhere!

 

A superb final (well nearly final, you have to buy Rogue Galaxy) farewell to

PS2.

 

This year, so far, has brought some outstanding games already! Makes you realise why you love computer games!

 

I normally can't complete games , i'm either quite crap at alot of them or lose interest, i always do my VERY best to complete the big-hitters though! I tend to really really take my time, as i haven't even completed Gears Of War, Okami or Zelda yet, i will though.

[Caris]

Stop buying so many games and play the ones you have, thats why.

[Owen]

Stop buying so many games and play the ones you have, thats why.

 

No.

 

Anyway. I can honestly say that the first boss in GOWII could well be one of the best boss encounters EVER. The levels are HUGE as well and you really do get a sense of scale from them, like Shadow Of The Colossus.

[Hellfire]

I'll wait for the EU version though, that way I don't have to use swap magic. It's not that long.

[Mr. Bananagrabber]

Ha, there's still more coming out on the PS2 that I want than on the PS3 and Wii.

There's still plenty of big RPG's coming. I don't think the PS2 is finished yet.

And this game looks glorious.

[Domstercool]

Just completed! That was one fantastic play through of a game. I can't recommend this game enough to everyone out there. Everyone should own a PS2 just for this game, that's how fucking brilliant it is.

 

The ending is OHH MAN!! So sets up for number 3, but you'll never guess what the ending is, it's not your normal standard ending.

 

CAN'T WAIT FOR THE NEXT ONE!! So gooooood!

[Owen]

Just completed! That was one fantastic play through of a game. I can't recommend this game enough to everyone out there. Everyone should own a PS2 just for this game, that's how fucking brilliant it is.

 

The ending is OHH MAN!! So sets up for number 3, but you'll never guess what the ending is, it's not your normal standard ending.

 

CAN'T WAIT FOR THE NEXT ONE!! So gooooood!

 

You've completed it already? You only got it saturday didn't you?

 

How long is it?

 

You must be very good at games.

[Domstercool]

I can' remember what the clock said on the game. Something like 14 hours (but probably more like 16-17 since it doesn't include deaths.)

 

I played it for like 9 hours + on Saturday. Couldn't put the game down, it's how good it is at grabbing you.

[ZeldaFreak]

I've just seen the ending - now I'm thinking how can they incoprate a psp version into it if they have confirmed no.3 for ps3

[Domstercool]

Well the PSP version is suppose to fit into the story line. I guess that they might have a Kratos backstory prequel or maybe even having him go somewhere else using *spoilers* that he managed to control in GOW2.

[Dante]

Jaffe: God of War Franchise May Be Extended

 

In this exclusive interview, David Jaffe explains that it could take another 2 or 3 games to finish the story of Kratos. Beyond that, they could fill in "gaps" with other games, he said. Jaffe also questioned whether Sony did a good enough job in marketing the PS3's value, and he shares his love for Nintendo, his thoughts on rumble, storytelling and much more.

 

Note: this interview took place mid-week during GDC at a special Nintendo reception.

 

 

 

 

GameDaily BIZ: So I'm surprised to see you here at a Nintendo event.

 

 

David Jaffe: Well I'm with a buddy of mine and she had an invite, and she said, "Hey you wanna go to the Nintendo party?" and I've never met Miyamoto before, and maybe he'll be here, but I don't know... I love Nintendo. I can't get my hands on a f***ing Wii. I go to my GameStop every couple mornings, and they're like, "No, sorry!"

 

 

BIZ: [Nintendo of America president] Reggie [Fils-Aime] is right over there; why don't you go ask him for one?

 

Jaffe: I don't know, it's not like he's carrying them around like Santa Claus... but I'm grateful to be here. It's pretty exciting.

 

 

BIZ: Let's talk a bit about PlayStation Home and LittleBigPlanet. You've probably known about this for months or longer, right?

 

 

Jaffe: I have known about Home for quite a while, even before it was called Home, and it certainly has come a long way. It's very, very exciting. It makes me real proud to be a Sony employee. I think the fans have responded in an incredibly, overwhelmingly positive way, so I think we're on to something. I'm proud to be part of a company that's doing something so cool.

 

 

BIZ: And how long has that been in development?

 

 

Jaffe: I can't say, both because I'm not allowed to and I'm not entirely sure. You hear about things in hallways and meetings, but I don't know where the original idea came from or how long it's been. [Note: it's since been revealed that Sony was at one point working on Home for PS2, so it's been in the works for many years – Ed.]

 

 

BIZ: People have been saying, "Where's Sony's answer to Xbox Live?" Do you view this as the answer?

 

 

Jaffe: You know, I think Phil Harrison's a guy who believes in and pushes innovation, and this is me guessing—I haven't talked to Phil and the guys in England who came up with this—but my guess would be that this came out of a place of pure passion and excitement for something they've been really excited about, and that passion seems to be translating to gamers. So I don't think Sony really works that way in terms of, "This company is doing this, so let's counter with this..." I just think we're all kind of following Phil's vision for innovation and cool stuff. And this is just another thing in a long line that fits that bill.

 

 

BIZ: I met with Chris Satchell and Aaron Greenberg over at Microsoft [stay tuned for that interview, folks! – Ed.], and they thought the idea for Home is interesting but that gamers would get tired of walking around a virtual world just to view trailers or interact with others. On Xbox Live you can do these things without using the virtual world as a means to an end. How do you respond to that?

 

 

Jaffe: Well, what do you want them to say? They're the competition, and they're clearly having to respond to some news they weren't expecting that I think does make it very clear, and one of the many things that'll make it clear, the significant difference between what we offer the consumer and what they offer the consumer. So I think it's a good attempt at spin. Good for them for trying to spin their way out of a pretty bad situation.

 

 

BIZ: I think LittleBigPlanet basically stunned everybody. The audience erupted in cheers. Are we going to be seeing more and more of this user-generated content focus from Sony?

 

 

Jaffe: I can't really answer that, but Phil's a big proponent of innovation and new stuff and everything that you heard him say at the keynote yesterday is stuff he's been saying since he took over a year and a half or two years ago. I think the man puts his mind where his mouth is, and he puts his energy and the teams' energies behind what they believe in and he believes in. I'm not in any position to speak to what's coming down the line, other than to say it's exciting stuff... and it's an exciting time to be at Sony right now.

 

 

BIZ: I know nothing's been announced yet regarding rumble, but what's your reaction to Sony settling with Immersion? I found it a bit funny because back at D.I.C.E. Phil Harrison had just told me that it's a "last generation" feature. So what do you think about bringing rumble back to PS3?

 

 

Jaffe: I can't tell you if it's going to happen because: (a) I wouldn't be allowed to; and (b) I don't know.

 

 

BIZ: Right, but as a designer, just speaking in general, do you feel that it's important?

 

 

Jaffe: In general... important, no. It's one of a number of small things that helps add to the enjoyment of a game. I don't think having it not be there is anything close to being a deal breaker for me as a designer or player. It's a nice thing to have, but it isn't like anything close to being ultra cool and important.

 

BIZ: I think you'd have to agree though, if we're playing God of War or God of War II and we took the rumble out, that simply wouldn't be as good an experience, right?

 

Jaffe: I definitely think it adds to the experience but what I don't necessarily agree with when you look at the fan boards and things like that is how much it adds [to the experience]. Sure it's nice. No one would say, "Yeah rumble sucks, nobody cares about it." It's a nice feature... but let's put it this way: when I heard we weren't going to have rumble I wasn't like, "Oh my god we're f***ed."

 

BIZ: Some developers were pretty disappointed, though. Hideo Kojima, for example, I believe expressed that he would have really wanted to keep rumble.

 

 

Jaffe: Kojima has done a lot more innovative stuff with rumble than I have, certainly. I read somebody online asking, "With the battle against Psychomantis in Metal Gear Solid, when you play it on PS3 how do you beat that?" ... Certainly for someone who does as much innovation as he does, I could see it being more of a kick for him, but I really didn't look at it like that big of a deal. If it comes back, that's exciting, but we're not going to be like, "Oh sweet, we can finally make the game we want to make." It's simply one of many, many things we have as tools to make our games better, and losing one tiny thing like that doesn't amount to much.

 

 

BIZ: So your game Calling All Cars is almost done right?

 

 

Jaffe: We're about 95 percent... the game here at GDC represents about 95 percent complete. We're doing some final tuning, adjusting some of the network code, things like that. Overall the game here at the show is pretty darn close to being representative of the experience you'll be getting.

 

 

BIZ: I saw you posted about the focus group testing you guys did and how incredibly anxious you were about the whole process and how these people would receive the game. How optimistic are you about how the game will do when it's released?

 

 

Jaffe: Well, I have read response from this show and I have been very pleased with it. The two things that'll please me the most is if almost unanimously—if not unanimously because I haven't seen one site that hasn't written this—they talk about how it's accessible, easy to get into, it's intuitive and it's fun. And so those were all the things we were aiming for. So I'm very, very proud and excited by the response. The fact that I can step back without having to demo it and let people walk up and play it, and people get it and they like it and they're laughing and smiling, and that makes me really, really happy.

 

 

It's been a little strange because I'm used to having games that are at the forefront of the news and being reported on and talked about. And this is a game that's going to come out and do really well for us both critically, hopefully, commercially certainly, and it's really exactly where I want to be as a developer right now. But it's weird to step away from as much excitement generated over a title like God of War... besides that, though, I think as long as people know it's a ten dollar game ($9.99) and it's totally not meant to compete with Halo 3 or Killzone then I think people will be really happy with it.

 

 

I think where I get a little nervous is this perception people have of all these games, on Xbox Live Arcade, PSN... you read some stuff on message boards and they're almost comparing it from a standpoint of feature set and scope. I hope they compare it from a sense of fun, that they should be able to have just as much fun with Calling All Cars as they do with say a Halo 2 deathmatch. What I hope people don't do is start saying, "Well, Halo has 50 levels or Killzone has 20 levels or Resistance has 30 levels" ... that I don't know, I'm real eager to see where the mentality is for these smaller games. Are people willing to shift their mindset for the fact that we're making smaller product?

 

 

BIZ: As a designer you've said in the past how much you enjoy working on these smaller downloadable games...

 

 

Jaffe: Soooo much, so much.

 

 

BIZ: Right, and you're overlooking the entire Santa Monica studio and Cory Barlog is going to be moving on to God of War III on PS3 we assume...

 

 

Jaffe: Well, we haven't announced what he's going to be working on. I have made public that we're kicking around story ideas and play ideas for God of War III, but that doesn't necessarily mean that will be internal Santa Monica's next title though. But he will be directing internal's next title, absolutely. [Note: Cory "unofficially" announced that the next God of War would support 1080p and Sixaxis controls during the launch event for God of War II – Ed.]

 

 

BIZ: Ok and you're going to be working on smaller downloadable titles instead of traditional console games for the foreseeable future?

 

 

Jaffe: You never know what comes down the line obviously, but right now this is the space I want to be in, this is the space that I hope Sony will continue to support me being in, I hope players will support these games that we're working on, I think they're a blast to make and a blast to play, I think they're great value for customers at $9 or $5, so absolutely I don't want to be in any other space right now than this space.

 

 

BIZ: And Sony has really been quite supportive of your decisions it seems; must feel great for you to work for a company that supports your ideas.

 

 

Jaffe: It is pretty cool. The weird thing is I've never known anything else. So I was on the game design challenge panel today and I went back and forth for about three days with Eric Zimmerman who runs it, and it's kind of like, "Can I do this?" and he says, "No, that's not in the rules." And I finally said, "I never get told no this often... you're like working with a f***ing publisher." So he says, "Don't ever call me a publisher." [laughs] But I've been very fortunate; Sony has been very kind to me over the years to allow me for the most part enough freedom that ultimately they're happy as my boss, but at the same time I'm able to do things that I'm creatively passionate about. So we'll see... if Calling All Cars comes out and tanks and my next PSN title comes out and tanks, then maybe you'll see me back on the big games, but right now I love it. It's a great, great job.

 

BIZ: Do you have it planned out in your head exactly how the God of War franchise is going to continue? Is it a trilogy or what's the master plan?

 

 

Jaffe: Well that's debatable... There is a master plan. I know exactly how it's going to end...

 

 

BIZ: Right, the trailer even says "The End Begins."

 

 

Jaffe: And we seeded that even in the first God of War. If you go around and start looking at artwork on the walls and artwork on the floors you'll actually see images and text that sort of talk about this coming battle on Mt. Olympus and what it ultimately means. So the idea of where this is going we've known for quite some time. Whether it's a trilogy or whether we make four games, who the hell knows.

 

 

BIZ: Wouldn't a lot of that be sales dependent?

 

 

Jaffe: Well, a lot of it is sales dependent but a lot is scope dependent. For example, me and Cory have a story for how God of War wraps up. Whether or not we'll be able to tell that story in one game for PS3, or it's going to take 2 or 3 games is really more dependent on how much time we have to make that game. Now when that story is concluded and assuming people—and we hope they are—are still interested in Kratos and his universe, there's a lot of places we can go to continue to make God of War games if people are interested, but the core story of Kratos will have been told. So that's what I really want to get told is that core story. And then after that, there's all these gaps where Kratos was doing things for Ares, where Kratos was doing things for the gods and we can tell all kinds of stories. But right now we're just focused on the main story of where Kratos ultimately ends up.

 

 

BIZ: This has been asked many times before, but I wanted your take on it: The $600 price point has obviously been a bit of an obstacle for the PS3 – do you think that a price cut is necessary this year to get the adoption rate to where it needs to be?

 

 

Jaffe: [pause] I think Sony would love to be able to sell the PS3 for $199, for $99... the reality of it is, whether or not Sony has done a good enough job of communicating how special the box is, that's the debatable issue. Because I think when most people breakdown the Blu-ray player, the power of the machine, what it can actually do, people say, "Alright I get it, I get where the $600 is going." Would they love to sell it for less? Sure they would. Will they ultimately? I imagine so, but I don't know... I think they're pretty happy right now. The reality is we have the most powerful hardware out there, we have a Blu-ray player and a great system and a great brand. So we'll see where the price comes down when it comes down, but my understanding walking the halls of Sony is everyone is pretty darn pleased with the reception so far.

 

 

BIZ: I wanted to gauge your reaction to Doug Lowenstein's final speech during D.I.C.E. He went over a laundry list of "pet peeves."

 

 

Jaffe: I didn't see it by the way.

 

 

BIZ: Ok, well he basically said developers of controversial content need to stand up for their games instead of letting others fight the fight for them. He thought it was pathetic that only a handful of people had signed up for the Video Game Voters network. And he said that the game press is sometimes too lazy and sloppy in reporting. So those were a few of the things he talked about and I wanted your take on it and his leaving the ESA.

 

 

Jaffe: I honestly didn't follow the man's career all that much, and this isn't a knock, but I don't know how much his organization had to do—maybe quite a bit—with a lot of these bills being shot down all over the country, which I think is a good thing, or how much was it simply that these bills weren't legal and they were never going to fly regardless of who you had protecting them.

 

 

I can tell you—and this was a long time ago—I watched a senate hearing about seven years ago, and a guy from Acclaim was on it and all the publisher heads were called up in front of congress... and I remember being kind of embarrassed. It's kind of like, "Would you guys get some f***ing balls, and tell these motherf***ers that these games are protected under the constitution, a lot of them have artistic merit?" And instead it was like, "Oh yes, senator, yes senator, no senator." I'm like "f**k you!" These are elected officials. They work for us, this is our industry, and in that sense standing up and not just kowtowing because someone comes over who is a senator and we're supposed to be impressed... I don't get that. These are f***ing public officials, so that I can tell you that if that's still the way it is then I would agree we have a problem.

 

 

As for reporting, here's what I'll tell you. I was one of the guys bitching about reporting, but I have noticed an improvement in game journalism over the last year one to two years. There's a sense of pride in game journalism and I like that. You get asked tougher questions; that's sometimes a challenge to deal with, but that's ok. I don't know about sloppy reporting but I'm sure there's that, just like there's sloppy game design. But the fact that you can look to the industry lately both here and in the U.K. and there are some people out there that are looking at this like a valid career and they take pride in it. That's pretty exciting; I like that. I don't think there's an overall decline in game journalism; I actually think it's on the upswing.

 

BIZ: I went to an interesting session earlier with Warren Spector where he talked about the importance of storytelling in games, and said that people who have made the argument that story doesn't matter, "Well you've lost."

 

 

Jaffe: I have not lost the argument my friend. I'm pointing to f***ing Wii Sports... I promise you that argument is not lost.

 

 

BIZ: Well it's interesting. He said that storytelling is going to be a key element in broadening the audience for gaming and to bring in non-gamers, so obviously Nintendo would disagree with that.

 

 

Jaffe: I love Warren's games. I'm a big fan of the idea of certain games having very rich stories. I think you can have both. Here's the issue: it's been proven since the beginning of games—forget video games, just games—that pure gameplay works. It's engaging, people love it, they will love it for another 6,000 years. I think the first game was like 4,000 B.C. on record. [According to History.com, in 4,000 B.C a Babylonian board game was played that was probably an ancestor of chess and checkers – Ed.] That hasn't lost; it's not going anywhere. The question is, "Can there be something more?" More is even a bad word because it implies this isn't good enough, and I don't think that's true. I think there's a great nobility in providing fun and entertainment and laughter for people. I mean look at these f***ers; they're here smiling and laughing and that's great. The question is, "Can you do games that are also emotional in their storytelling?"

 

 

BIZ: Right, and you had mentioned in the past how you wanted to create a game that would make people cry, but you gave up on that...

 

 

Jaffe: Well, I gave up on it for a number of reasons, not because I necessarily feel it's an impossible task. I think the real trick is going to come from the storytelling being tied into the play mechanics and not what's on the surface of those mechanics. Because, ultimately my theory is when you play a video game, no matter how story rich it is, if you're engaged in the video game you're not looking at the graphics, you're not looking at the story, you're not thinking about the context. You are going, "How do I get up on that f***ing wall? Do I use my zipline? Sh**, I only have three-quarters left..." Your brain in engaged in the challenge ahead, just like in real life. We're in this room, and our challenge right now is conducting this interview. We're not thinking about the sort of metaphorical nature of what this conversation means; we're living the moment. And I think when you're living the challenge and living the moment, a lot of that stuff you don't notice – you know what I'm saying?

 

 

And so I think you could very well tell stories and have emotions in games that are more than what we've had [to this point]. But so far I feel it's been alright; you have to really suspend belief and be willing to make the story work for you in order for it to work. I think a lot of it is, "Can you tie emotion directly into play mechanics and can you tie storytelling directly into play mechanics?" I don't look at what Warren said as wrong; I think what he's saying is exciting. For me, where I'm at, that just doesn't interest me as much as providing people with laughter and competition and tension and fun. To me, that's what I want to provide consumers, but if anybody can [make a game that evokes strong emotions] Warren can. It's certainly a mountain I've given up climbing, at least for now.

 

 

BIZ: His take on the next-gen consoles was pretty interesting as well. On the one hand you can create more believable characters and worlds, but because there's such a high level of expectations for visuals from consumers, he was arguing that the AI has been lagging behind and that's detrimental to the advancement of interactive storytelling. So essentially, the focus on high-end graphics has been a bad thing.

 

 

Jaffe: Warren's going to bring back the text adventure. [laughs] He has a lot of good points in that statement. One of the things he's talked about is procedurally generated storytelling, which I think is awesome. If you had graphics like this [points to Wii Sports], I think you'd have a lot more options to do that. When you're talking about photorealistic graphics like you see in Resistance or Killzone or Gears of War, I think it becomes a lot harder because you've got to create so many realistic assets, whereas here where you're almost dealing with iconography, the game can almost generate this on the fly. You know, "The guy has a sad face, oh he must be sad," versus going in and having the computer actually procedurally animate...

 

 

BIZ: Right, that's exactly his point. In fact, he said he's having his team at Junction Point deliberately look at cartoons and old silent movies...

 

 

Jaffe: Another great one is Lego Star Wars.

 

 

BIZ: ...just to see how expressive the characters can be. And it doesn't have to be realistic. You know, comparing Mickey Mouse to Chow Yun-Fat (Stranglehold), which is more expressive? Obviously, it's Mickey Mouse.

 

 

Jaffe: You've got a man with so much passion and so much experience and so much talent, and I just don't think the man's been given... and I think now this could be it... I mean, he's made some of the best games ever but I think this could be where all of those three things really come together and he does take that significant step. And I'll be right there first in line to get it because Deus Ex is one of my top five games of all time. It's just that for me as a maker, I don't want to make games like that right now, but as a player, I think if anybody can do it Warren can. I agree with everything he says except that fun games [without a story] have lost... they've not lost, they're just different.

 

BIZ: Thanks so much for speaking with us. Now go get your Wii from Reggie!

 

GameDaily

[Hero-of-Time]

Kratos in all his glory...

 

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NECA-PLAYER-SELECT-GOD-OF-WAR-KRATOS-FIGURE-BRAND-NEW_W0QQitemZ140103018582QQcategoryZ11321QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[Colin]

This is now out on the 27th here in PAL land. Can't wait, and I'm going to picking up that special edition version of it.

 

A quick question for those who've played both GoW games. I've not played the first, but if I dive straight into the 2nd like I'm going to be doing in a few weeks time, would I've missed much from the first game?

 

Like if everything is generally improved in the sequel, and it's just story that I'm missing from the first then I won't be too fussed. Just need to know whether it's worth playing through if I've completed the 2nd.