# Chapter Select, [[S2E3 - God of War II]] Transcript This transcription was completed on March 4, 2026 with the application MacWhisper on macOS. This was done automatically, without human input during the transcription process. The transcription used the Parakeet v3 model. My hope is that by offering this transcription – however accurate it may be done by a machine learning/AI – will help you, the listener. I’d love to offer full, proper transcription some day, but that is not feasible at this time. Thank you for listening and reading. I hope you enjoy the show and that this document was helpful. Enjoy. --- Hello everybody and welcome to Chapter Select, a seasonal podcast where we bounce back and forth between a series of games exploring their evolution, design, and legacy. *00:00* Uh I am one of your hosts, Max Roberts, and I'm joined, as always, by Logan Moore. *00:10* Hi, Logan. *00:15* Hi. *00:16* I didn't mention this before we went live, but uh *00:17* I think somebody's practicing a recorder near me today. *00:20* So if you hear any record any any recorder sounds being played, I'm sorry. *00:23* I live in between school children. *00:28* So *00:30* Oh my god. *00:32* Alright, well maybe they can play um some God of war music and it'll just seamlessly blend into the background. *00:34* The recorder, a classic Greek instrument. *00:40* Yes. *00:42* I uh it's Kratos favorite instrument, actually, famously. *00:42* And um we're not alone this week. *00:47* Joining us for this special episode on God of War 2 is Grant Huff. *00:50* Grant, welcome to the show. *00:54* What's up fellas? *00:56* Uh kind of a fun fact. *00:57* I only got through two songs on the recorder in elementary school *01:00* So was one of them hot cross buns, I would assume. *01:03* Yes, it was. *01:07* That was that was the first one and then I got like the second belt and then I never practiced again and I couldn't pass the third test. *01:07* I think I just took the recorder and like used it as a wand or a weapon. *01:15* Like I don't even think I played the recorder properly. *01:20* I think *01:23* I just like swan it at people like as a weapon. *01:23* It's a it's very strange that teaching the recorder to uh elementary school kids is like so *01:26* common across the country. *01:33* I don't that seems like a very strange thing to be like part of the standard grade school curriculum. *01:34* Like, oh let's teach these kids about music. *01:40* Oh, what instrument? *01:42* Oh the r we'll use this recorder. *01:43* I guess it's yeah, I guess it's easy to use, but anyway. *01:45* It's got like five buttons, that's all you need. *01:49* And it's plastic. *01:51* It's very cheap. *01:52* You can probably make 'em for *01:54* 85 cents a pop or something. *01:55* Yeah. *01:58* And you know what? *01:58* Maybe they grow up and they become like insane in the rain. *01:59* And maybe they have covers of songs from God of War 2. *02:02* Which is the topic of today's episode. *02:07* Season two is all about God of War. *02:10* And uh we just last episode was all about ascension, and so now we are back. *02:12* Over on the front end of the release order of this series with God of War 2. *02:17* Originally came out for the PS2. *02:23* March 13th, 2007. *02:25* It'd later be re-released, remastered for the PlayStation 3 in the Vita *02:28* paired actually with God of War 1. *02:33* So that was November 17th, 2009 for the PS3, and then May 6th, 2014 for the Vita. *02:35* It was developed, of course, by Santa Monica Studio, and it was directed by one Corey Barlock, who would *02:41* Um I learned a lot about Corey this week. *02:50* We'll talk we'll we'll talk about that more later, but this was Corey's directorial debut. *02:52* It was uh produced by Steve Katerson. *02:57* Combat *03:01* Eric Williams, who we've mentioned in the past, is now directing God of War Ragnarok. *03:03* There's Derek Daniels, who I just found out was born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana, which is both where Logan and myself are from. *03:09* And there's Jason McDonald, who's still there. *03:16* Derek is still there. *03:19* Eric obviously is still there. *03:20* And then there's Adam Poole. *03:21* I don't know if I didn't look up if Adam was still there or not. *03:23* Maybe he is. *03:26* And then the music, all God of War Alum. *03:28* I was talking to Grant before the show. *03:31* I'm not going to screw this one up. *03:33* Gerard Mariano. *03:35* I was very nervous about this one. *03:40* Uh Ron Fish, Mike Reagan, and Chris Velasco. *03:42* So not as long, like an extensive cast of *03:46* uh composers from but these are all God of War alum and then got a metacritic score of 93 out of 100. *03:49* Which I don't know if that's the second highest. *03:59* It's definitely one of the highest God of War. *04:02* I think it's the second highest only behind the re *04:04* Um the reboot sits it I mean well I don't know if we need to break this all down because we can do it then we'll do it episode by episode. *04:08* But it's it's definitely one of the highest God of War um *04:15* Yeah. *04:19* And if that is the case, both Cori Barlock games sit at the top. *04:20* I guess I should jump in. *04:24* The original has a ninety-four, so we're already wrong and on that front. *04:25* Two episodes ago we had we had one that was higher, so *04:29* I've I it's so hard to keep it all track. *04:33* I know. *04:36* But I wanted to kinda see what all of our experiences with this one were in particular, and I want to kick it off to you, Grant, first *04:37* Did you play God of War 2 before this show? *04:46* Uh I did. *04:51* Played it on PS2. *04:53* a long time ago and I remembered t like little tidbits of it but for honestly forgot most of the game. *04:55* I mean I was a kid probably shouldn't have been playing it in the first place because you *05:03* See plenty of boobs in this game apparently that I forgot about. *05:08* But um yeah, I played it back as as a kid, thought it was awesome back then. *05:11* I mean what like *05:17* I had to be like 11-year-old. *05:18* Every 11-year-old play this game. *05:21* Probably thought it was awesome, you know. *05:23* Never thought about it too much. *05:24* But uh revisiting now *05:26* Yeah. *05:30* I'll talk about it more later, I guess. *05:32* We will, we will. *05:34* Logan, what about you? *05:35* Um *05:37* Same thing that I talked about with the first one, um, how I hadn't played the first or second one until the remastered PS3 collection came out. *05:38* I'm pretty sure I played both one and two, like *05:46* Back to back pretty quickly. *05:50* Um again we could look this up with my trophies again if we wanted to really. *05:52* We don't need to. *05:57* But I'm pretty sure like when I got that collection, I played them both *05:58* Uh back to back pretty quickly. *06:01* Um so I had played this before, but it again has been probably seven, eight, nine, ten years at this point. *06:03* Um *06:10* So yeah, it was uh it was interesting going back to this one, especially since uh like we said, this is like Cork Barlog's become practically a household name if you pay any sort of *06:11* close attention to the video game industry over the past five years. *06:23* Or I guess more specifically the past three. *06:27* Um so it was interesting going back and seeing the one that he was synonymous *06:29* with before uh the reboot came out a couple of years ago. *06:35* Um and yeah. *06:39* One quick thing one quick thing I wanted to bring up, um, kind of *06:41* Backpedaling just a little bit because we mentioned the release date and how this game came out in March 2007. *06:45* And then uh in 2009 they came out with that PS3 remaster. *06:50* How quickly do you think they greenlit a PS3 version of this game? *06:55* And I'm sure that's something we could look into and maybe find out. *07:02* Um but to my knowledge, also I mean the bigger the bigger thing here, and you can tell me if I if you can both tell me if I'm wrong, I really remember that God of War One and Two HG remaster being like one of the first real remasters that ever *07:06* came out to my knowledge. *07:20* Like I don't remember that being a thing before that released. *07:22* Um and obviously this came out in 2007 so the PS3 was already out and this game came out *07:26* five to six months after it launched. *07:33* So that was kind of a weird thing that it was on old hardware even though the PS3 was already available. *07:35* Um but then it obviously came to the system two years later. *07:40* Anyway, yeah. *07:43* Yeah, I guess my question is I just I wonder how quickly Sony was like crap this game is one of the best games of the year and it's on our old hardware. *07:44* We need to get this on our new hardware stat *07:51* Let's do that. *07:54* I think they greenlit it pretty quick because clearly by the end of this game, like this was set up to lead into God of War 3. *07:56* Yeah. *08:03* It was I mean this was one of famously one of the PS2 Swan Songs. *08:04* They've openly talked about how they wanted to put it on PS3 at first, but Shuhei Yoshida made the call to make sure it was a PS2 game. *08:08* They didn't want to ignore their massive *08:17* install base. *08:19* And so I think green lighting a sequel or I'm sorry, the remaster to like help lead into the sequel. *08:21* was a very quick and obvious thing for them. *08:29* And it was done by Blue Point, which, uh to slightly date the podcast, you know, was recently acquired by Sony as now a first party studio. *08:32* So even though it was second party then, now it's *08:41* You know, it's kind of come full circle now with them being a first party team now. *08:43* Am I right though? *08:47* Like that was one of the first HD remasters of the time because HD gaming wasn't a thing until 360 and PS3. *08:48* Yeah. *08:56* I can't think of any other ones other than like the Metal Gear Solid HD collection, but I mean I think that was even after uh God of War remasters. *08:57* It was definitely it was one of the first *09:07* proper HD. *09:11* There was Resident Evil on the GameCube, which was a remake of the first one from the PlayStation. *09:12* But that wasn't HD. *09:17* But yeah, yeah. *09:19* It wasn't it wasn't really a re *09:20* It was kind of a full blown re remake in some ways, uh that Resident Evil One compared to the first one. *09:23* Yeah, because it's *09:29* This one was just kind of up rez, look prettier, you know, it wasn't a remaster. *09:30* Running at 60. *09:35* I mean, this really started the trend of the remasters. *09:36* Yeah, they did that a lot on the PS3. *09:39* Before I talk about my own little story with God of War 2, I decided to pull up your trophies again, Logan. *09:43* Uh I did do it. *09:48* You you you played God of War on the PS3 for the first time. *09:50* in June of 2014 and it looks like he played God of War 2 in April of 2015. *09:54* So he waited almost a year to play the Season. *10:00* At least according to when these trophies were sent to When did uh *10:04* God of War 3 would have been out already, for sure. *10:08* Scott of War Three was definitely out by then. *10:10* That's interesting. *10:13* I don't remember see I thought I thought for sure I played these in high school. *10:14* Not college. *10:19* That's kind of *10:20* You may have just on the PS2 possible. *10:22* No, I never I never did. *10:25* I know that for certain. *10:26* Well, I definitely played it on PS2. *10:28* Actually, God of War 2 was *10:31* was like one of the first rated M games I bought when I turned seventeen. *10:36* I actually I turned seventeen, went into GameStop and bought *10:41* God of War II, Chains of Olympus, and Ghost of Sparta. *10:45* Like that was for my 17th birthday. *10:48* Uh was just a God of War and I also bought Animal Crossing City Folk the same day. *10:51* So you know I really had a diverse range there. *10:55* I was gonna say that's a weird collection of games to buy. *10:59* Mm-hmm. *11:02* It was um it was quite the shopping trip. *11:02* And then I actually came back the next day because the disc was scratched for God of War 2 and it wasn't working. *11:06* So they replaced it and they included they had a copy of the special features DVD that was in included with the game. *11:12* They threw that in for me. *11:19* So *11:20* Um that was when I played God of War 2 for the first time, and then I replayed it back in 2018, right before *11:21* the reboot, you know, the sequel reboot, reimagining, however you want to call it, came out. *11:29* I played through the first core three games then. *11:34* So *11:38* But yeah, I've I've played it on PS2 and PS3 now for the first time. *11:38* And I know Logan, you continued to play on PS Now through the power of the cloud. *11:44* However, it still continues to I I mean I'll continue to update every time I it continues to work very well for me. *11:50* Like I continue to be very *11:56* Um impressed in a general sense. *11:59* Like it's better than I thought it would be, to be totally honest. *12:01* So that's good. *12:05* I'm surprised because every time I've tried it, it's been bad. *12:06* And the only time I've tried it was *12:09* like in the beta at the beginning. *12:10* So I I'm not a very good I mean it don't get me wrong, it has moments where it slows down, but it's never *12:12* Ta super terrible. *12:19* It it's just like it gets really framey for a little bit. *12:20* And considering most games now, I can't even play Breath of the Wild on my Switch without it dipping to 15 frames every now and then. *12:24* So like that's just something I'm *12:30* used to in general in a general sense seeing frame dipes, so like it's not that huge of a deal. *12:32* How did you play it this time around, Grant? *12:39* Uh I got the remastered collection on PS3. *12:43* If I knew before I purchased it it was on Vita, I would have bought it on Vita because I haven't played a Vita game in years and that sounds fun to me *12:47* I I've our other friend, ironically, also named Grant. *12:56* He recently played God of War 1 on the Vita, and it it sounded like it was a bit of a rough ride. *13:01* So maybe you'd *13:06* Should be. *13:07* Oh, maybe it was good I avoided that. *13:08* He did not enjoy that at all. *13:10* So m based on what he did. *13:12* Yeah, so maybe you dodged a bullet there. *13:13* Yeah, maybe. *13:16* So before we dive into kind of the general structure and just our usual talking points in the game, I wanted to hit on *13:19* Corey Barlog first because I he is synonymous with not just the new God of War and the direction it's going, but you know, God of War II as well. *13:29* And it was his directorial debut, which, you know, coming from lead animator to director was kind of an interesting jump. *13:41* That actually also happens with Stig. *13:49* from God of War Two to God of War Three, which is interesting in and of itself. *13:52* But I was looking around online this, you know, this week, kind of getting ready for the show and just learning and reading about Corey and stuff. *13:58* And he was way more involved with God of War than normal. *14:06* Actually, quite surprisingly so. *14:11* He um well he left shortly *14:13* um a few months into God War Three's development to go off and work on a Mad Max game and different things like that and consulting *14:16* I mean he helped write the story for Chains of Olympus and he wrote the story for Ghost of Sparta and he outlined the story of God of War Three. *14:24* I mean he's essentially actually been the narrative guide for Kratos, not just in *14:34* in two in twenty eighteen. *14:39* So I thought that was interesting. *14:40* But I was curious what you two thought of *14:42* Th I guess the direction of this game coming from David Jaffe in the series creator to handing off to a new person. *14:48* I mean, really, God of War has a different director every time. *14:55* In the rare exception of God of War two in 2018. *14:58* So what did you think of Corey's debut here and I guess his Kratos' sequel outing? *15:02* So I I was very vocal uh on our God War episode that I didn't like that game really that much going back to it. *15:08* Um and the one thing I really *15:16* didn't like more than anything was the story. *15:18* I thought the story was really flat, and I thought that the characters were not great as well. *15:21* Uh that's totally *15:26* I I my feelings are totally different with God of War 2. *15:29* I think they're I think the uh the brunt of who Kratos is is like a character is *15:32* more fully explored in this game compared to the first one. *15:39* The first one he's just Yelly Revenge Man and he's kinda he's he's basically still that in this game. *15:42* But they get into *15:48* Yeah, they get into a deep into it a little bit deeper with him this time. *15:50* Um, and they start to f more fully explain a lot of things that are going on in this world to the point that you care a little bit more. *15:55* Um, because last time in the first game that was the thing that I I never really uh clicked with with that game. *16:03* Uh when we went back to it, is that it was very much a story with Kratos at the center, but he was kind of *16:10* He he kind of influenced everything around him. *16:18* And this game I feel like shows that there is a lot more larger things going on in this world outside of just him. *16:20* And so the game is very much more about things that are happening in the Greek world and how he slots into that, rather than the reverse with the first game which felt more like here's Kratos and he's playing in this sandbox that is the Greek world, if that makes any sense. *16:27* Um and I like that a lot more. *16:42* Um I like that he feels less like the person and he just feels like a player within this world and he's kind of uprooting *16:45* uh these structures and the hierarchy of power and stuff like the hierarchy of power. *16:54* That's a that's a rock phrase. *16:58* Um my goodness. *17:00* From his Black Adam trailers. *17:02* Anyway, um *17:04* Yeah, I don't know. *17:06* I think this I think the story is really good in this game. *17:07* I think this game does a better job of Ex like fleshing out this world, fleshing out Kratos in some more interesting ways. *17:09* Probably, I mean, again, we'll see as we move forward with the series, which is why we're playing through all of these, but I really think that he gets more time to shine in this game. *17:17* Probably compared to any other game other than the 2018 reboot. *17:27* Um So yeah, I and I didn't hate him in this game necessarily because he doesn't come off as *17:31* Or well, he definitely comes off as a huge D-bag a lot of times still. *17:38* I mean the opening sequence of the game, he's just like, I'm gonna jump out of the sky and go destroy this town because I'm f<unk>ed off and so he's not a great dude, but *17:42* Better than last time around, I thought. *17:52* Grant, what about you? *17:54* I don't know, I kinda agree. *17:55* I mean, I think uh the first game from what I can rem remember, I don't remember Kratos having any having any redeeming qualities at all. *17:57* Whereas this one they flesh out his story a little bit m uh bigger. *18:06* He had a good point. *18:10* He kinda gets uh put into like the Greek mythology and he kinda has his place and time in that. *18:10* And uh with all that *18:19* all that stuff is pretty cool and fleshed out and that's neat, but I I still kinda feel like everyone in this game doesn't have many redeeming qualities. *18:20* I'm not I I didn't leave the game thinking like, oh man, like that was *18:31* uh it thought not thought provoking this is a this is a game from 2007 games back then weren't very thought provoking but it was just one of those experiences where I was like *18:35* I'm gonna kinda forget about a lot of these characters, whereas in the 2018 reboot, I feel like that narrative hit me a lot more strongly and it's something I remember as *18:47* one of the best stories told in a video game whereas this one I just remember like Kratos and the gods are all selfish for a lot of the needs that they think they need to have justified, you know *18:58* Uh, but maybe it's I'm just reading a little too deep to a a game released on PS2, you know. *19:11* Yeah, I ca the world just felt richer, you know? *19:18* It just the first game *19:22* really was Aries. *19:26* Like we Yes. *19:29* Aries did me wrong. *19:30* I have to and so *19:31* Everything just fits under that umbrella of Ares. *19:34* And this just felt like the whole Greek pantheon opened up and it it felt like a world instead of just *19:36* Go f kill Ares. *19:44* I it it left a single-minded focus and while Kratos has a single drive pushing him forward, just everything happening around him and what he goes through just *19:46* was more dynamic and richer for him to actually move and push his own narrative through. *19:56* I think the thing that makes this story a lot more satisfying to me. *20:02* Um is Zeus as the bad guy because Zeus screws Kratos over and you can kind of see that Kratos gets screwed over, and you can not necessarily like empathize with him, but you can *20:07* You have a stronger desire to go fight Zeus because of what he does to you in the opening hours of the game. *20:19* Ares is a bad guy in the first game, never worked for me. *20:25* Because yeah, he does betray Kratos and screw him over and make it lead to him killing his family and stuff. *20:29* But it's totally a story where Kratos makes a deal with the devil and then later on he doesn't like the deal that he made. *20:34* And it's like, well *20:42* you made a deal with a blood hungry the God of war. *20:43* Like i if of course this wasn't gonna turn out in your favor. *20:47* Um so I n I've I never really liked the conflict of the first game because I don't feel like *20:51* Ares is a super bad I feel like Kratos's uh plight in that game is self-inflicted. *20:58* This game it's somewhat self-inflicted because he's still a huge D-bag and like I said, and he's *21:04* running around and messing up the Greek world. *21:10* But at the same time Zeus is doing what he's doing to him because he's trying to keep his keep his power, uh he's trying to put Kratos's power in check and he's trying to *21:13* keep make sure that he is the one staying on top. *21:24* Um and so he's more compelling as a villain because of that I think *21:26* Yeah, I it just it's not just Zeus either. *21:32* It uh this game actually has um something called boss fights, which I think we'll we'll talk about mechanically I I think a bit more with gameplay, but *21:35* Narratively focused, it's Kratos is going to the edge of the world, is kind of like this narrative pitch to find these the sisters of fate. *21:46* And *21:57* It it does feel like you go a great distance and you're trudging forward and pushing through obstacle after obstacle. *21:59* Not only *22:08* you know, Theseus or or Perseus or even Icarus, like other just kind of Greek icons. *22:09* You even tie in this God of War lore with like bringing the barbarian back. *22:15* kind of almost halfway through, which is this reminder of the deal you made with Ares and it g it they build and tie and just kind of weave God of War and Greek lore together. *22:20* to make this world feel even better. *22:33* And I'm I liked that push of always going forward. *22:35* It wasn't like *22:40* The first game where you're going back and forth between environments, like you're in the Athens and then you go to the desert, and then you leave the desert and you come back, this was always forward. *22:42* There was never backtracking. *22:51* And it kept pushing Kratos further and further down this path of taking down the god of Olympus. *22:53* Uh I like that. *23:01* I like that push. *23:02* I will say some of the characters they throw in um show up kind of out of nowhere. *23:04* That's the one thing about this game where it's just like, wait, why the heck are you here? *23:10* Um Like who? *23:13* Uh Icarus just like crawls out from under a bridge and he's like, Ghost of Sparta! *23:15* It's like what are you hanging out under this bridge for, bro? *23:19* Like I know ever I know he's trying to go to the see the fates or whatever. *23:22* Um but a lot of people just show up places. *23:26* It's like, oh okay, I guess this person's here. *23:28* Um even the his soldier he finds at the end, how does he get all the way there? *23:31* Like I know they kind of try to explain it, but *23:36* Uh well he was ahead of Kratos in the bog. *23:39* But how does he get Kratos had to get wings of Icarus to like fly across that large? *23:43* How does he get there? *23:49* Like what *23:50* Like there's a lot of things like that where people just show up and you're like, oh okay, well I guess this is happening. *23:52* Um which is fine. *23:57* It's a video game. *23:59* Like I'm not I don't need it to make total continuity sense like that all the time. *24:00* Um *24:05* But yeah, I I thought that was funny. *24:06* Yeah. *24:09* The uh you know, kinda speaking of the uh that soldier *24:11* I was one of the things I love when a video game does is when they do tie that gameplay. *24:18* and narrative together and they they put the story in your hands and on the controller. *24:26* And there were a couple points in this game where they specifically do that, not only just the push to get to the edge of the world and you're you're going through *24:32* the Island Iron, that's kind of the whole game. *24:40* But, you know, there's that fight with the soldier, and it's this great silhouette 2D slash fight, and then you burst out and Kratos realizes that *24:43* It's one of his Spartans and you know, why is Sparta d undefended and all this stuff and that that leads to a good reveal. *24:54* But then also in the beginning of the game, where *25:01* The game opens just killer. *25:05* It's this killer suite set piece opening of fighting this giant Colossus statue thing. *25:07* But then the sword of Olympus comes down and you mechanically, I mean you're holding the circle button or whatever, but you're pouring all of your godly power into the sword, and it that felt *25:13* really smart to me as a way to make a player give up all of the power that they got from the previous game. *25:26* Instead of Samus getting zapped by b electricity and she loses all her powers or *25:31* Um, you know, just a character starting over, like, uh my stuff's over there. *25:39* I or I left it at home, so I gotta start over. *25:43* It just it feels *25:46* It felt cool to sacrifice that and then have Zeus come down and betray you and stab you in the gut and and all that kind of stuff. *25:48* I will say I th I thought that uh *25:56* A lot of the concepts they had in this game were super cool uh to me. *26:00* I mean, I I was gonna bring up that *26:06* too about him literally getting like his powers drained by uh into the sword from Zeus. *26:08* You know, that was something cool to me. *26:13* But um I don't know. *26:15* I for s for some reason with me with a lot of these *26:17* older games at times. *26:21* I feel like the execution's just not there, or maybe they didn't age as well just from a narrative standpoint, you know. *26:23* Um *26:29* I don't know I don't know why this it maybe it's just I told myself for so long that like man Kratos is kind of a boring character going back to this game. *26:31* It's hard to look past some of this stuff, but I will say that like the whole concept of *26:40* the original God of War series was so cool to me. *26:45* But uh going back to it now, I don't know I don't know why I just *26:48* feel like the execution of it wasn't there. *26:53* Maybe I'm just comparing it to the twenty eighteen Ru reboot too much because that's one game I feel like is *26:56* It's close enough to a perfect game that I can say it's a po perfect game, you know. *27:03* But uh Yeah, I don't know why I feel that way. *27:07* I think it's just I d *27:11* Th I mean, I think Logan and I will get into this when we do do the the twenty eighteen God of War focused episode, but I think it *27:12* It's a testament A to just how far they pushed that particular game, like reimagining it for PS4 and keeping everything else. *27:23* Like they easily could have just said. *27:32* Scratch all of this, it's done. *27:34* Here's a new God of War. *27:36* Uh, but they kept it all and it's relevant. *27:38* And I think that th this game I think is one of those games in particular. *27:40* out of you know the whole series leading into the reboot. *27:46* Like this stuff I don't know. *27:50* I really like being reminding myself that this stuff happens to *27:53* the Kratos we play as in the Norse realm. *27:58* Like these You know, when he stabs that soldier, for example, and like you see the *28:00* The shock and sadness on his face for as much as Kratos on a PS2 was giving at the time *28:08* And you I like uh my brain goes to he named Atreus after a fellow Spartan. *28:16* Not that particular one, but they use this stuff to make Kratos better in the future, and I like *28:21* I don't know. *28:27* I just like being reminded of that and thinking it puts a lot of the stuff, his fears and frustrations and rules into context. *28:28* And I think this game in particular is one of those stronger examples. *28:37* I mean, by the end of the game, he finds out, for sure, that Zeus is his father. *28:41* And it's like, well, no wonder he's really not into this hole. *28:47* God thing. *28:52* I I do have to say that reveal this time around felt way more weak than I remember it. *28:53* It just kinda comes out of left field. *28:59* It's just Athena on her deathbed. *29:02* Yeah, they don't really hint at it or there's no there's no foreshadowing to it whatsoever other than Zeus really saying, My son, he says that a couple times. *29:04* But like you figured he just he's just saying that just because he's uh like an old man. *29:14* Um so they don't really foreshadow it and then she gets stabbed, she's like *29:19* Go, Kratos! *29:23* Zeus is your dad! *29:25* It's like, well that's okay, but that's kind of a random thing. *29:27* Um I feel like they could have done more with that if they would have maybe *29:31* Uh actually I don't know that because I can't remember how God of War 3 plays out exactly, and we will get to that point where I do remember how it plays out exactly once we play it. *29:35* Um, but yeah, as far as this game goes, I feel like if they would have maybe done a little bit more with it earlier, then that would have been cool. *29:44* Speaking of what you said though before about how um *29:50* Like certain things affect Kratos and uh that stuff is like taken with him moving forward. *29:54* One of my favorite things about this game, and maybe it's just a very uh *30:00* It it's it's uh I don't want to say it's a subtle thing, but it's a defining feature of his character is him getting stabbed in the gut. *30:05* I love that he always has that giant scar and it never goes away, even in the new ones. *30:14* Like I always see that and I'm like, ooh, God of War 2, Zeus, stab this man right there. *30:18* Um I I love that that's so prominent and it's such a part of his character moving forward, that moment. *30:23* Um, and just the entire arc of this game, like what he has to do in the wake of that to get back to *30:31* To get back to that moment and turn the tables on Zeus. *30:39* So like this whole game uh centers around that moment and then him getting back to that moment via time travel, which is a wacky thing. *30:42* Um *30:49* Forgot about the time travel. *30:52* Yeah, they might they might do it uh when we were talking about Ragnarok, uh I mean I don't we don't need to get too much too deep into the Ragnarok stuff, but basically *30:53* There are theories that Ragnarok is gonna involve time travel. *31:03* Um and I've heard I know some people have been like, that's really weird. *31:07* It's like, well it's also kinda normal because this has happened before. *31:10* Um it's *31:16* It's quite common for Kratos actually. *31:17* Uh so if they do time travel in Ragnarok, it's gonna all kinda come full circle. *31:20* in a funny sort of way. *31:25* Although it'll be very I I don't know how they'll do it. *31:26* I don't know if he's just gonna pull a thread of thread out of his back pocket and be like, Don't worry son, I got this thread here. *31:30* You can we can go. *31:36* Hold on to this one. *31:38* The end of this game though is really super well paced. *31:40* I love it. *31:45* I think it has this great narrative buildup of *31:47* You finally meet the sisters and fight them. *31:52* And then you fight the bigger sister. *31:55* And then it's now you have the threat and you time travel back. *31:57* And you fight Zeus, which is its own kind of fight here. *32:01* And then instead of the game ending there, which it totally could have, totally could have just stopped, like with Zeus flying away and Athena dying. *32:05* And like, ah, we'll get revenge. *32:16* Instead, they're like, nope, go back to the temple, time travel all the way back to the Titan War and bring them all forward. *32:18* However that works. *32:27* It's like what superpowers. *32:33* So mechanically, like you know, time travel logic or whatever, let's just scratch that. *32:35* But *32:39* He brings them back and then, you know, that famous climbing up Mount Olympus. *32:40* I bring the destruction of Olympus. *32:46* Like. *32:48* Zeus. *32:49* Oh my gosh. *32:50* And then it just says the end the the the beginning of the end and it's The end begins. *32:51* The end begins, thank you. *32:57* How cool of an ending. *32:59* I I feel like that is a dope ending that just definitely leaves a player wanting more. *33:01* But um Grant, what did what did you think of the end of this? *33:06* How does it make you feel? *33:09* I totally forgot that it l I mean going back, I think it's even cooler knowing the beginning of God of War 3 that it's like if you go *33:12* back to I just watched a walkthrough of God of War 3. *33:21* It literally starts with him saying that like I bring the destruction to whatever. *33:24* Like it literally starts from that second. *33:29* I just thought that was so cool that they did that. *33:31* Um *33:34* Before before we move on there, f I just had to say this. *33:35* Two things. *33:38* I thought it was hilarious that Athena was just like, Kratos, he's your dad. *33:39* Don't kill him. *33:44* All the gods kill their dad and he's like, No, and then he's just like *33:44* I'm a kill him anyway. *33:48* And then it just kinda moves on. *33:50* Yes. *33:52* And then when he he m he moves back in time or he goes *33:52* Fort back in time and then he like Zeus sees him and he's just like, uh I guess that's what happened. *33:56* Like he just knows immediately *34:01* I just thought that was funny. *34:03* The thing that's like how the other part about the time travel mechanic that I would like to bring up is that he can only use his own thread, right? *34:05* To go throughout his own life. *34:15* Yes, so how does he and then he shows up like back with long long long time ago and he's like I'm here now what's up? *34:17* And then Gaia's like, Oh we've been waiting for you, huh? *34:25* Like How did Guy know? *34:28* She should have turned around and been like, What the heck is this guy doing here, smack? *34:32* Um Yeah, I don't know. *34:35* A lot of strange things that don't really make a whole lot of sense, but y sure, just shrug your shoulders and move on. *34:38* Um *34:46* Um but it's very fun. *34:46* Yeah. *34:49* Athena getting stabbed is also pretty dumb, if I'm being honest. *34:49* Or her getting uh stabbed the way that she does, I guess I should say. *34:53* Like trying to push the sword out of the way. *34:58* Yeah, she just kinda like uh I don't know. *35:00* It doesn't even look like he's sta he's about to stab Zeus exactly, and she just kind of jumps in and takes I I don't know *35:04* It just looks funny in the cutscene, but anywho. *35:10* Speaking of getting stabbed, let's talk about the gameplay, the real *35:15* Again, core, I mean, of these games is how the combat feels. *35:22* It's *35:29* You know, you're following this up. *35:30* It's a sequel to a big new IP. *35:32* It's the end of the PS2. *35:35* The PS3 is already out at this point, like announced and out. *35:37* Actually not um *35:41* Not too dissimilar to other stuff, you know, other big games that like happened between the PS3 and the PS4. *35:43* God War Ascension was a PS3. *35:50* Swansong probably could have been on PS4. *35:52* What did you think of the follow-up here? *35:56* Like, is this a true does it elevate the God of War gameplay to you, Logan, or does it just more of the same? *35:59* And the same is good enough? *36:07* I think it's a lot better. *36:09* Um I think it's a lot better even than Ascension, which we played. *36:12* previously. *36:18* Um coming off from Ascension to this it felt vastly better to play this game. *36:20* Um mainly because I like a lot of the magic powers they give you way more. *36:26* Um I think the chains feel very *36:32* fluid and responsive in this game. *36:37* Um the ki the combos that you do within throughout the three games we've played are never very different. *36:40* But there's like there's a certain heft to them with in this one that I felt more so than Especially last time around with Ascension. *36:48* Um *36:57* It's very similar to God of War, obviously. *36:58* But uh but yeah, I I I think this is the most refined and polished like *37:02* Last time around or the on our on our last two episodes I remember I would have I was having some like little niggles here and there and talking about some things that bothered me about uh about the combat with each I really didn't have any sort of strange *37:07* problems in this one, um other than like really, really nitty gritty stuff that's even hard for me to like explain. *37:20* Like uh *37:29* I don't know. *37:31* Uh just like the timing and how things work sometimes uh didn't make much sense. *37:31* Like I would die in strange instances where like my character was clearly not dead. *37:37* Um like uh like oh a Medusa froze me and then somebody blew me up but like I also shook out of it at the exact same second that somebody attacked me. *37:41* Oh yeah. *37:50* And my character model didn't blow up, but it still gave me a you're dead screen. *37:50* It's like well that's kinda weird. *37:54* Um, but that's like some very, very nitty gritty stuff that I don't even know how to Yeah, like that's not super common. *37:55* Uh in a general sense, yeah, I think it feels *38:03* Way better. *38:05* I like uh like I said, I like them new match the different magic attacks quite a bit as well. *38:05* Um the bow feels way better than the lightning did the uh *38:10* the change to the uh lightning attack. *38:16* I know last time it was like the was it the Poseidon attack in the first game? *38:20* And I know you didn't think. *38:24* And they replaced that sort of with the *38:26* Atlas smash the ground thing. *38:29* So um it's all pretty basic, but I think it feels better in larger combat situations. *38:31* Grant, how did this game feel so many years later? *38:38* You know, from eleven-year-old Grant playing a game he probably shouldn't have been playing to now. *38:41* Uh I forgot how fun like these PS2 era like hack and slash games are. *38:48* I mean I had some of the same instances where *38:53* I think it was just uh like timing of when you need to block something. *38:57* I know there's just some attacks when uh *39:01* I think when like you do a heavy attack, you're not able to roll out of it and there's just some weird timing instances where I'm like I I pressed d I pressed evade, but he didn't evade, you know, but for the most part, like *39:04* I just had a blast every time I had a combat encounter, except for like the Medusa heads. *39:18* I hated those things 'cause they're an instant kill, um, which uh sucked. *39:24* But for the most part, even I mean like *39:29* I feel like quick time events get a bad rap, but I even with the quick time events I had a blast with all of them. *39:32* All the con all the different moves you get were uh fun to use. *39:40* I know a lot of times in these games *39:44* You'll find one move that you're like, oh, this is it. *39:46* This is all I'm gonna use the rest of the game. *39:49* I found myself really using everything I had. *39:51* Other than the two other weapons, like the I forgot what it was called, like the giant hammer and then the spear, the chaos blades were just too fun to use. *39:55* That's all I wanted to use the entire game, so *40:03* For the most part, uh like combat holds up in a PS two game. *40:06* Yeah, it's I *40:12* It's a continuing testament to just how rock solid the idea and design of the Blades of Chaos are. *40:14* They are some of the best weapons in video games and they um the fact that *40:20* 2017's what is that? *40:25* 14 years ago? *40:27* I mean we're almost at next year, I guess. *40:27* Actually just in a few months will be the fifteen year anniversary of this game. *40:30* And it's it's awesome just how that stuff holds up. *40:34* I really *40:38* enjoyed the focus on trying to expand that arsenal though with the spear in the hammer. *40:40* And I thought it was interesting that the first bit of magic was essentially an alternate weapon, the bow. *40:49* You know, instead of being actual magic like you get later. *40:53* So I liked that they tried to expand upon it beyond just giving you a sword in like the back quarter of the first game. *40:59* But also didn't try to force you to use those alternate weapons like they do in Ascension. *41:07* where Ascension puts those five different classes of weapons on you and typically forces you to use them in certain scenarios. *41:15* So I like that. *41:23* And the the the new L one circle *41:24* attack where you like Kratos goes sideways and like stabs the blades back and forth. *41:28* That that that was a good move. *41:34* That's just really good. *41:35* How often did you guys switch from from the blades to other weapons? *41:37* Pretty rarely. *41:43* I'd say yeah, I'd say it was like 95% me sticking to the platinum. *41:45* I did switch to the hammer in the push toward the loom, but that's because the guide I was using for the platinum. *41:48* uh recommended it to get to the bottom in ten minutes to like really hit hard. *41:54* But for the most part Oh yeah yeah yeah I know what you're talking. *41:59* I was using just the blades just because they *42:03* They're so good. *42:06* Mm-hmm. *42:09* It's awesome. *42:10* I think I switched to the hammer a cut I is it a hammer? *42:11* I haven't got a big thing. *42:14* Yeah, there's there's the barbarian hammer, which is *42:14* That's what it was. *42:17* Pretty cool that you take the guy who arguably kickstarted this whole thing. *42:18* You take his weapon from him. *42:22* Um and then there's the purple spear that you get from the *42:24* Uh it's not a fawn. *42:30* I mean I guess it technically is, but the guy that was riding the bird creature at the beginning and he crashes onto the island and you take his spear from him. *42:32* Yeah, I know there's uh during the game I'd use like the Medusa head, turn them to stone, and then the hammer would basically break them, but that's really the only time I'd use it. *42:43* They just I I I appreciated the effort here. *42:53* I this felt like a good balance of offering options but knowing, you know knowing what they've got and not ignoring it like they eventually would end up doing an ascension. *42:56* What about the puzzles? *43:07* So obviously it's not just combat, there are also some puzzle elements. *43:11* Um it's an a character action game from the mid-2000s. *43:17* That you just don't have it without puzzles *43:22* I I kind of had two notes in particular, but the first one was just how puzzles impact the physical world instead of just pushing boxes around or shifting weights or whatever. *43:25* there was some sort of consequence to the real world, whether that was pushing shields to block the eyes, to lower the *43:38* the force field, which when were there force fields in Greek myth, or uh you know, using the trees or slowing down the time. *43:47* I mean, even when you get the amulet for the first time you have to like destroy the statue of the Sisters of Fate, and that breaks the glass, and then she taunts you from so there's just *43:56* I thought that was interesting how puzzles were more tied into the world itself instead of just being almost feeling out of place being a puzzle, but what did you think about um *44:05* uh in this game grant. *44:17* Um so for the most part I enjoyed most of the puzzles. *44:19* I forgot how many there were in the game. *44:23* There was uh most of them I was like *44:25* I w I I thought that they were pretty clever, I guess. *44:30* I know the one where you're in the chamber where the water is uh *44:35* rotating around the chamber after you break through a couple of walls. *44:39* And uh it took me a little while to realize you have to put the body on the water and then it rotates all the way around and then you put it on the other weight. *44:43* It took me a little bit to *44:51* understand that and uh for the most part most of the puzzles just kind of clicked after a while. *44:53* There were a couple that kind of missed me a little bit that uh *44:59* I'm not ashamed to say I looked up a walkthrough. *45:03* I know the one I'm thinking of is when you had to uh you had to grab one of the statues that holds the puzzle or uh the uh shield and you had to put it on a raised platform *45:05* and apparently kick it off. *45:17* It's the only time you do that in the game that I had no idea you're able to do that. *45:19* So I was like, oh, I wish they told me that. *45:24* So uh that was the only one I really was like, all right, I'm I'm just looking this up *45:26* But for the most part, all the puzzles were pretty good. *45:30* I uh uh the bell puzzle at the end, I don't know what it was. *45:34* I clearly didn't have too much trouble the last two times I played this game, but I was like, how does this puzzle work? *45:39* My brain could not understand comprehend *45:47* I thought I had to ring the bell, slow time, and then move it to ring the other bell. *45:50* No, I just I have to slow down time and then walk over and just hit it myself. *45:55* I like couldn't get out of my head. *46:00* I had to couldn't use the battery ram. *46:02* I was that felt way too unclear to me. *46:05* What about you, Logan? *46:09* There were a couple that were pretty obtuse to me. *46:11* Um *46:13* Some of the ones that are coming to mind right now, um the one force field where you have one with the shield and then you have to reflect the other one *46:14* I was like I got the first shield and then I just assumed there was another one that you needed to find and I was like where's the second one? *46:22* Nope, you just gotta *46:30* Block. *46:32* Golden fleece it. *46:32* Um which I guess makes sense, but also I I just uh totally didn't think about it. *46:34* And then in that same area, um *46:39* For some reason it took me forever to realize that the thing where you uh where you have the two pillars and you put you have to put one of the pillars on like an elevator thing and then roll the elevator up. *46:42* and then quickly go push the other pillar underneath the elevator thing so that it stops it. *46:52* That like tripped me up for like twenty minutes last night. *46:58* I could not I could not I was like what am I s what am I missing here? *47:01* Like what am I is there something larger in this room that I'm not seeing? *47:06* Um that one tripped me up for a while. *47:10* Um *47:12* Um yeah, there was a couple tr strange ones in this game, more so than I remember from God of War One or Ascension that we've done so far. *47:13* But uh *47:22* In general, yeah, I mean they were mostly pretty straightforward. *47:23* But again, like some of the ones you guys mentioned, I had no issues with whatsoever. *47:26* So yeah. *47:30* That's interesting. *47:31* What about kind of related to puzzles here that this slowdown time mechanic? *47:33* Um I thought it was interesting. *47:38* Uh this is kind of what I meant, Logan, in the Ascension episode where I said *47:41* that Ascension felt like the cutting room floor of God of War 2 and God of War III and stuff because that game also features a time mechanic except it's reversing time. *47:45* But quite often the uh time slowdown mechanic here in God of War 2 was the solution to a puzzle or a way to find a secret. *47:58* Um what did you guys think about that? *48:08* Yeah, I felt like most of the time I was like, all right, there's a puzzle I need to do that involves time at some point. *48:11* I know that uh *48:18* for d at the end towards the end of the game where you're in the room with the spikes that shoot up and you need to uh slow down time or you need to rotate the thing, slow down time, then run over to the gate that I guess opened up. *48:19* I had no idea that gate was there. *48:34* For some reason I spent like ten minutes just rotating this thing and I'm like, what am I doing? *48:36* Where am I supposed to go? *48:41* And then I look in the corner of my eye that I'm like, oh there's a gate here. *48:42* I guess I need to go over there. *48:45* But uh *48:47* For the most part, I thought it was cool how they included or how they was uh put into puzzles, but uh I didn't think it was a game changer or anything. *48:47* Yeah *48:57* Logan, is this a better time puzzle mechanic than Ascension? *48:58* Um *49:04* Yeah, I guess so. *49:06* Um I don't know. *49:08* I don't care for either of them if I'm being totally honest. *49:10* I didn't think it was too bad here, um for the most part. *49:13* The puzzle that uh *49:17* Grant specifically mentioned um about the spikes at the end that kind of kind of tripped me up for a second as well. *49:19* Um *49:27* But yeah, i I don't know. *49:28* It it was fine. *49:30* It wasn't my favorite part of the game by any means. *49:31* I know it was one of the big mechanics they looked to use uh when it does come to the puzzles, but uh I didn't think it was too bad. *49:33* It was probably better than Ascension, honestly. *49:41* Yeah, it definitely was. *49:43* I kind of wish it was in combat more. *49:45* Yeah, that would have been fun. *49:48* You can play some of the trials. *49:50* They'll make you use it there. *49:51* They do haven't done that yet. *49:52* The um the m my one kind of real complaint about it, I I agree with what you both have said about solving puzzles with it and stuff, it you know usually was the solution. *49:55* Which then kind of makes it a little easier. *50:05* My one like qualm with it was it was mapped to L one and R one, but L one's also block. *50:08* Or was it R one? *50:14* I think it was L one. *50:15* And so sometimes craters would just block. *50:16* Like it had missed the double press. *50:18* Mm-hmm. *50:20* And *50:21* You wouldn't do sometimes you have to freeze time rather quickly so that you can, you know, before say a character jumps off a ledge or some timer is counting down, like you want as much time as possible. *50:22* And so I was a little frustrated that there wasn't an alternate *50:33* Like they didn't figure out some other button combination for slowing down time, especially for a command that you do use frequently with the blocking. *50:37* So I was a little bummed. *50:46* about that in particular. *50:48* But I mean I learned that if you hold down block, you can still press R1. *50:51* You don't have to like double tap at the same time. *50:55* So I started just because I ran into the same issue because I would just press both and then it wouldn't register. *50:58* If you like held down L1 before and then you went R1, it usually worked. *51:03* Okay. *51:08* I will remember that for my fourth playthrough eventually someday. *51:08* Because I definitely will come back to this at some point. *51:12* The last kind of *51:14* Main bit of gameplay, I suppose, I think is the best part. *51:18* This game actually has boss fights, uh, which we mentioned earlier. *51:21* The first game has two *51:25* Well, technically three, if you count the Hydra, um early on. *51:27* But this game has so many boss fights, and they're with people that if you're familiar with just basic Greek mythology *51:32* You know Theseus or Perseus, um, Icarus, especially. *51:40* Not that he's really a boss fight, you just kinda punch him as you fall. *51:45* But obviously there's Zeus, and then there's the Sisters of Fate, uh, all three of them *51:48* A Kraken for whatever reason. *51:54* Yeah, where the heck does that come from? *51:56* It just shows up. *51:58* Yeah, I don't know, but but it's a boss fight and it's there, it's cool. *52:00* Logan. *52:05* I mean this is this is definitely the most boss fights we've seen so far in God of War. *52:06* How do you feel about the increase? *52:12* It's very good. *52:15* It's probably one of my favorite aspects of the game, honestly, because most of the fights are um pretty different from one another as well. *52:16* I think that's what uh I think that's like *52:24* why it's successful with this many boss fights is because each of them feels like they're doing at least a little bit something different. *52:29* Um and they're not all the best. *52:35* I forgot that the opening *52:37* fight with the Colossus or the statue. *52:39* Forgot that I hate how that ends. *52:42* Um, where you have to go inside of the thing for a good five to ten minutes. *52:44* That's not my favorite. *52:49* Um in general since though, yeah, I I think the boss fights are um one of the standout aspects of the game. *52:50* And I think it really helps with the pacing, honestly. *52:57* Um because one felt like *53:00* Pretty bogged down. *53:04* Like there was nothing in between certain sections of God of War One that I really was uh *53:05* I don't know, it just felt too long. *53:12* And like this game I feel like is it like it's segmented by the boss fights, if that makes much sense. *53:15* Um, which leads to better pacing. *53:21* I think it got a war one that their bosses or breakups were just standard enemies, but when you they'd introduce them for the first time, like when they show Cerberus. *53:24* or the Satyrs or uh the Sirens. *53:33* Like those are their boss fights. *53:36* Yeah. *53:38* But it's just standard enemies that you later encounter at a pretty regular pace. *53:39* This this was just cool. *53:43* They really all were different in some way. *53:46* Memorable, there was you know, Theseus with his magic and so many minotaurs, there was Perseus being invisible. *53:49* Icarus the falling and punching, which is just, you know, its own thing. *53:55* Obviously, Zeus Kraken. *53:59* The sisters going back in time to the Ares fight, which just kind of I've always liked that as a *54:02* just a cool neat moment. *54:09* And then obviously the big sister with it being a puzzle and solving how to take her down. *54:11* Grant, what did you think about the bosses in this game? *54:17* Do they hold up this many years later? *54:19* Yeah, for the most part, all the bosses were spectacular in my opinion. *54:23* I mean the the Sisters of Fate might be one of my favorite boss fights I've had. *54:28* I mean it it just kinda like *54:34* you y you kinda use your entire arsenal you've been building up to and I I don't know why. *54:36* I just I like swinging around. *54:42* So I it I thought it was an interesting boss fight and I I did feel like the end of the game *54:43* I don't know if uh y'all kind of ran in this too, but I just felt like it was like this long extended boss fight that took like an hour. *54:49* You just move on from like boss fight to boss fight to boss fight. *54:57* I just thought it was *55:00* Awesome. *55:02* I mean, I going into it, I didn't remember the game being about 11 hours it took me, but uh *55:02* Yeah, I mean I played this game over a span of a couple weeks and there's some boss fights I remember. *55:11* I'm like, oh yeah, I forgot that happened. *55:16* That was an awesome boss fight. *55:17* Um *55:19* Yeah, for the most part, even the Kraken one that came out of nowhere. *55:20* I had a blast with done. *55:24* It took me a little bit to realize I had to pick up the dead body and put it on the weight, but uh it was still cool as heck. *55:25* Yeah, I just that that really that final run of Kraken, sister, sister, both sisters at the same time. *55:33* Big sister, and then obviously Zeus. *55:45* And then even like in between, you have to run through that little gauntlet of like basically every enemy you've *55:49* uh played against the entire game. *55:56* That was that was awesome. *55:58* Yeah, they just they really nailed that final kind of stretch of bosses. *56:00* I loved it. *56:04* Oh, it's so cool. *56:06* Um and I've it makes me really excited to play God of War 3 because *56:07* What is God of War Three if not just a boss gauntlet of the biggest and baddest Greek gods? *56:15* I mean it opens with the Poseidon fight. *56:21* I mean, it's just they really stepped up their boss pacing uh here, and I think that goes to great effect. *56:23* later on, um, and not just in God of War 3, but also 2018 and whatnot. *56:32* How do you guys feel about how it looks? *56:38* Again, I it's a d it's dawned on me in this recording *56:40* Since Grant kind of pointed it out. *56:43* I mean, this game's almost fifteen years old. *56:45* It kind of makes me feel old. *56:47* But how do you guys think this looks, holds up? *56:49* uh so many years later. *56:53* I mean we all played the PS three version essentially. *56:54* Uh this *56:58* Is it better than the first one? *57:01* Like does this hold up or s do we need to, you know, remake God of War 2 uh for it to be considered decent to look at? *57:03* I wish there wasn't a swamp level *57:11* That's what you got against the swamp. *57:14* I've played all the Dark Souls games. *57:17* That's what I have against swamps. *57:19* Anytime a swamp shows up, I'm like, oh no, I've been here too many times. *57:22* I I think each area of the game uh kind there are it just depends on the area. *57:29* Um like the the opening stuff *57:36* when you're in the city and fighting the Colossus, that all looks awesome, I think. *57:39* That all looks very good. *57:44* But then there are uh some areas where it's just feels like uh s co too many corridors or um *57:45* Just bland buildings and stuff like that and structures. *57:54* Um, but then there are very cool ones like the approach to uh the Fates area, I think, is very cool. *57:59* The whole Fates area is actually really *58:05* uh cool looking I think as a whole. *58:07* Um yeah I don't know. *58:10* It it it there are some hits and misses depending on where you're at in the game, I think. *58:12* No. *58:18* Grant, what did you think about it? *58:19* Uh for the most part, it looks uh I'd say *58:22* Sharp would probably be the best term to use. *58:26* I mean it is a PS2 game. *58:29* There were some cutscenes where I'm like, this guy's face is really blurry. *58:31* But uh for the most part it looks pretty good. *58:35* Um what I what the God of War games do really well is just like these giant set pieces where it's just a giant monster or uh um *58:38* when you're like climbing Atlas and you're right by his ginormous face, some of that stuff just kind of takes you back. *58:48* But there there's still gonna be some instances you run into where you're like, oh this is blurry or *58:56* I mean it's a fifteen-year-old game. *59:02* You're gonna run into some stuff that doesn't hold up as well, but for the most part, God of War kinda shines when those uh *59:04* super cool set pieces that you really don't find in a lot of other games. *59:13* Yeah, I I do I kind of am marveled by the f the scale that it maintains. *59:17* It this still feels *59:24* Big, Alice, or um, gosh, what's the first Titan in the Icy Cave? *59:26* Uh I'm blanking on his name, but that scale there, fighting the fingers to free the Pegasus. *59:33* flying around. *59:39* Even Zeus, the final boss, uh has a phase where he becomes a giant that they *59:40* they continue to keep this great sense of scale going in for Kratos and stuff. *59:48* I think that's good and maintains it pretty well. *59:55* But uh it looks good. *59:59* I mean it's it's good on PS3 at 60 frames. *01:00:01* It's it's the same old, same old, it's the same treatment. *01:00:04* previously. *01:00:07* I did think the CG cutscenes aged a little bit better. *01:00:08* Yes. *01:00:11* Than the PS1 or I'm sorry, the God of War One cutscenes. *01:00:12* For sure. *01:00:16* Uh so big step up in that tech between those *01:00:17* few years of development there, which is I don't think we see that big of a jump in this stuff anymore so much. *01:00:20* in games, so it was interesting to see such a substantial leap and just a two-year gap, essentially. *01:00:29* I mean, good on them. *01:00:36* It they've definitely aged a lot better. *01:00:38* I'm not sure. *01:00:41* I feel like this has been a problem. *01:00:44* I mean, a problem maybe is too harsh. *01:00:46* But I feel like this has been a thing so far for us with God of War here, Logan. *01:00:48* The music. *01:00:53* Uh Yep, it's God of War. *01:00:55* It's more God of War, but it's still it's better than Ascension. *01:00:57* So good? *01:01:02* Yeah, probably. *01:01:03* It's more memorable, I'm Yeah. *01:01:05* It's more bomb it's more like bombastic and I think plays better to the set pieces, but also there are just better set pieces in this game than Ascension, so *01:01:07* I feel like there's more uh room for it to shine. *01:01:18* Yeah, I don't know. *01:01:24* Again, um *01:01:25* We talked in a lot in the like the first season about like all the Paper Mario music and how there were certain tracks that always stood out to us a lot, and I felt like that was because music was far more of a core *01:01:27* element of those games in more ways than just the background music in here it's just a lot of background music primarily *01:01:39* Um, for the cutscene with the cutscenes and the gameplay and all that, and not much else outside of that. *01:01:47* So it's hard to really *01:01:52* Yeah, I don't know. *01:01:55* It's it's there. *01:01:57* It's it's and that's not to diminish the work of anybody who's who worked on it and it's not bad, but it's not uh *01:01:59* game where I'm gonna go, you know, pop on the soundtrack on Spotify or something like that and listen to it while I work. *01:02:05* What do you think about the music grant? *01:02:12* Yeah, it's funny. *01:02:15* I tried to do that exact thing where I put it on where I work today and I was just I it's not a I can work *01:02:16* to music, I I I guess. *01:02:23* But yeah, I don't know. *01:02:25* If you if you told me a lot of it was just kind of like not to sound harsh, but like *01:02:26* stock Greek mythology music, I'd be like, okay, yeah. *01:02:33* I mean like none of this I wouldn't be able to pinpoint like, oh yeah, that's a banger from God of War 2. *01:02:37* um, you know, where a lot of other games I can pinpoint. *01:02:43* Oh, this is from this exact game. *01:02:47* I don't know. *01:02:50* It just *01:02:50* Like you said, it's God of War music. *01:02:51* It sounds like God of War music, but I wouldn't be able to listen to it and be like, God of War 2. *01:02:53* I know that. *01:02:58* Yeah, I just. *01:02:59* It's so strange because it is when it's on, I know it, and I I will hum along while I'm playing, especially, you know, the *01:03:02* Like that just that comes to me, but I just I wrote notes like when I heard a song I liked *01:03:15* I wrote what was happening so I could remember to go look it up later when I'm editing the show. *01:03:22* But I I don't know the name of the song and I can't recall it in my head right now. *01:03:28* Where *01:03:33* When we did Paper Mario and I think The Last of Us is even easier just because the that music and the composer there, but I just I couldn't hum you. *01:03:34* Like I wrote down um *01:03:46* Phoenix firewall song. *01:03:48* So that that puzzle where the fire is being blown at you and you gotta push the statue. *01:03:50* Apparently I like the music then. *01:03:54* I couldn't hum or sing for you right now what that sounded like then. *01:03:56* I'd have to go back and listen to it. *01:03:59* And I *01:04:01* I don't know if that like if every soundtrack needs to have that, but it's good, you know? *01:04:04* That's fine. *01:04:12* I think yeah, not every soundtrack needs to be something like *01:04:12* that. *01:04:16* Um I think the music here fits very well with what you're doing and what this game is. *01:04:16* I don't think it needs to be *01:04:22* Anything more I I don't think it needs to be a soundtrack that you're dying to throw your headphones on and listen to necessarily. *01:04:25* And that and then yeah, that's totally fine. *01:04:32* Was there a song that sounded really familiar or not familiar, but sounded a lot like Duel of the Fates from the prequels? *01:04:35* There was one song. *01:04:45* I forgot what part of the game, but I was like, this sounds exactly like the Duel of the Fates from the prequels. *01:04:47* I don't know why. *01:04:52* I'll send it to y'all after the podcast. *01:04:53* But uh, it was really weird. *01:04:55* I I can't recall it, but if you can find it, let me know. *01:04:58* Because I I mean uh everyone loves Duel of the Fates. *01:05:01* It's one of the best parts of the prequels. *01:05:04* It's a banger. *01:05:06* So to wrap up here, I mean what is *01:05:07* What's the legacy of this game? *01:05:12* It's kind of multifaceted, I think. *01:05:13* It's it's a very interesting point in the franchise. *01:05:16* Logan, like what what do we got here? *01:05:20* The legacy of this game is that it's the game that Cory Barlog directed before the other one he directed. *01:05:24* No. *01:05:33* Um *01:05:34* I still think front to back this one is just upper echelon of the series based on my memories. *01:05:36* I think this is the best one we have played so far. *01:05:44* I'm gonna guess the handheld ones I'm not gonna think are better. *01:05:49* Nothing against those, and I haven't played those, but *01:05:53* Um, I know they're smaller in scope and nature. *01:05:56* But yeah, I do think this is a very solid game, and I think this game justifies uh *01:06:00* uh why we're doing this season sort of in the first place and um i it better helps remind me of why people like this franchise because *01:06:07* Yeah, coming out of the first one I was pretty down on it. *01:06:19* I really did not care for that game going back to it and then Ascension was obviously Ascension, not that great as well. *01:06:23* So this was the first one that has really sort of *01:06:30* um made clear to me, yeah, just why people like these games, why this series is so critically acclaimed and stuff like that. *01:06:34* Grant, how what do you think God of War II's legacy is? *01:06:42* Uh I mean it does an excellent job leading up to God of War Three. *01:06:46* I mean in the scope of these games it's *01:06:51* I'd try to segment off 2018 one, but uh with this one, it's I mean, it's hard to beat God of War Three when it's *01:06:54* the entire games like a boss run of killing off all of the Olympic gods. *01:07:03* That's such a cool concept. *01:07:08* It's it's hard to mess that up and it's *01:07:10* it's such a the scope of that game is so big. *01:07:13* I mean you'd start the game climbing a Titan. *01:07:16* Um but for what this game is, as much as some of the narrative stuff didn't resonate with me at all, it's *01:07:19* The game is so fun to play and I mean like when there are a couple instances where I looked up a walkthrough or something where I couldn't *01:07:28* I needed to beat the game, so I need to find how to f do a puzzle or whatever. *01:07:36* I mean the game there might be a day where I'm like, I can get through this game in four and a half hours. *01:07:41* Let's just uh run through it real quick, you know? *01:07:46* The game uh *01:07:49* I think for the most part the combat in uh puzzles shine so well that uh *01:07:51* I mean this this game is in the upper echelon of PS2 games and also God of War games. *01:07:59* You know, it's it's definitely I don't know if it beats three or the reboot, but uh it's up there. *01:08:05* Yeah *01:08:11* I I always just remember this being one of my favorites on the series before *01:08:13* 2018 came out. *01:08:22* It would it would be between this and Ghost of Sparta, which I mean I'm actually really excited to replay it myself because I haven't I've only played it once and I'm excited to see what you think of it, Logan. *01:08:23* But this game always just felt like it stood out more than *01:08:34* the core other games, God of War One and God of War Three. *01:08:42* On some level, God of War One and Three feel like *01:08:46* The same game in the sense that the your goal is to kill one particular person. *01:08:51* God of War 3 expands that to kill a set of people, but *01:08:56* Th two feels the most like vengeance. *01:09:02* Truly. *01:09:06* It is you are betrayed in the opening minutes of the game, and you actually have a real drive to to extract your vengeance and *01:09:07* And three is just a continuation of that same story and and it pulls it off well. *01:09:15* But and Logan, like you said, God of War One is really kind of *01:09:21* writing your own mistake. *01:09:26* He kinda dug his he he made his bed and didn't want to lie in it anymore. *01:09:27* So he's getting up to to make a new bed. *01:09:31* And I just and maybe it's because I was so into God of War at the time. *01:09:35* Like I said at the top of the show, I bought three of these games on one day. *01:09:39* Like I clearly *01:09:43* was and still am the target sort of audience for these games. *01:09:45* And I think this holds up quite well for *01:09:49* Even in the hindsight of the reimagining, this game is is a Titan *01:09:55* in within its own series. *01:10:03* And for the PS2 itself. *01:10:05* I mean the power that they were able to pull out of this that PS2 at the end of its own life, I think's astounding. *01:10:07* They really *01:10:13* Santa Monica really knows their stuff and can get the most out of PlayStation's own hardware. *01:10:14* Um maybe they didn't do that so much with God of War 3, but they certainly have did that with the PS2. *01:10:24* And obviously, like you said, Logan, really this game is remembered as Cory Barlogs. *01:10:32* first God of War game. *01:10:38* And I think it it's pretty cool that this is this is how he started. *01:10:40* And it's kind of like it only can *01:10:47* You know, you can go up or you can go down from here. *01:10:49* And um, thankfully he goes up. *01:10:51* So I'm excited to see where that goes here in the future of our season. *01:10:53* But as for this episode, uh, I'm gonna call it wraps there on God of War II. *01:10:58* Thank you for listening to this episode of Chapter Select. *01:11:03* Grant, why don't you tell the people where they can find you online? *01:11:07* Uh I'm sometimes on Twitter. *01:11:10* I don't tweet much, but I'm at uh the at the underscore Grantula21, if uh anyone wants uh see me not tweet. *01:11:12* You can find Logan over on Twitter at Moreman12 in his writing at comicbook. *01:11:21* com. *01:11:27* And then you can find myself over on Twitter at Max Roberts143 in my writing over at MaxFrequency. *01:11:28* You can also follow the show on Twitter at Chapter Select, where we just basically tweet out the show notes and stuff. *01:11:36* And you can check out the show at chapterselect. *01:11:42* com. *01:11:45* Join us next time in two weeks here for God of War, Ghost of Sparta. *01:11:46* That's our next game, and I'm so excited to dig into it. *01:11:53* it. *01:11:56* So thank you all for listening. *01:11:57* I hope you all have a wonderful rest of your day. *01:11:58* Audios? *01:12:01* Chapter Select is a max frequency production. *01:12:05* This episode was researched, produced, and edited by me, Max Roberts. *01:12:08* Season two is hosted by Logan Moore and myself, and it's all about God of War. *01:12:13* For more on this season, go to chapterselect. *01:12:18* com forward slash season two. *01:12:21* To check out previous seasons, go to chapterselect. *01:12:23* com. *01:12:27*