What game are you playing?

[gabito]

Thoughts after wrapping up last night:

Spoiler

Overall, I did enjoy it, but there were some parts that I thought were just OK. The final battle for Asgard seemed pretty tame by the time you get to it despite uniting Hel, Light/Dark Elves, etc. I'm not sure if that was technical limitations or what, but they cut it down pretty quickly to just the God Squad by destroying the towers, leaving the last one the Jorgmundr 2.0 that I was correct in predicting; although that itself is confusing, as that snake goes from a standard python looking snake to a giant serpent, but somehow they say it's the same Jorgmundr that's in Midgard and recognizes Loki/Atreus despite never seeing him get sent back in time by Thor?

I know Gabito mentioned it, but all the fate/destiny stuff did seem messy as they constantly say they're writing their own but end up doing exactly what the prophecy says up until the very last moment so it's like, WERE they writing their own or was the prophecy wrong? Loki doesn't end up serving Odin like the mural said, and Kratos is alive, so where was the diverging point between the two?

I knew Brok would end up dying once Sindri tells you the story of him missing the last piece of the soul (Mimir mentions it again in the endgame portion, but I don't know if they say WHICH piece he's missing), so that coupled with his anger at the Lady of the Forge, it only made sense to send him off. Still didn't feel good to see happen though.

I think the way the villains were written/interacted made perfect sense, Thor being the sympathetic parallel to Kratos and him NOT getting to atone for what he's done by Odin killing him; Odin outright saying he'll never stop in his quest for knowledge, as that's his whole deal. Sif was the only one who I don't recall if she had a side, she was constantly against Loki but I'm not sure if it was just misplaced anger and we don't hear the parts when it was really at Odin, like at the end of the game.

Between the two, right now after finishing this one, I feel like the smaller scope of 2018's reboot/continuation works better with just Balder as the big bad, this one rightfully expands on it in scale but there were parts where I just felt like, "do I really need to be playing this little bit right now?" (AKA Atreus) One day there'll be a companion mission that doesn't feel like a lesser version of the main game. No major changes to the axe/blade runic attacks, just the addition of the Draupnir Spear which I really never used even thought I upgraded it to almost max level (seriously, the crater is a highway to maxing it). Leveling felt like it was much slower than 2018 as well, I ended the game at like, 7.5 whereas I think I finished the previous one a full level higher or maybe even 9? Can't recall after how many times I've played it honestly.

Now I'm cleaning up for trophies etc, taking care of everything I didn't on this first pass, seeing how much I can get and maybe snag the platinum since I did for 2018. I think the Muspelheim trials are going to be the biggest hurdle at this point. The King of the Hill one killed me last time, not quite sure why I biffed it so badly, but maybe I was just out of practice for the playstyle they require. I took down two different Berserkers as well - one in Svartalfheim by the mine entrance who required solid parrying skills (changed my shield rond for increased parry window and I think I found the timing) and another one that I forget. I almost had the lightning dude killed but that fucker gets ONE solid reversal on you with his unblockable lightning attack and it can change the course of the fight.

Spoiler

I think Jorgmundr recognizes Atreus because of the time he (Atreus) puts some giant's soul into the dead-but-not-quite snake's body. Then the snake grows into this super gigantic snake and fights Thor during Ragnarok (they say something like "There's Jorgmundr... but he looks different somehow", goes back in time who knows how may years and eventually meets Kratos and Atreus during GoW 2018. So there are 2 Jorgmundrs at some point, but GoW 2018's Jorgmundr went somewhere else in GoW Ragnarok? I don't know.

IIRC Mimir mentions that the part of Brok's soul that's missing is the part that guides him into Valhalla or something like that, so he's denied an afterlife. It seems Nords have pretty shitty afterlife rules... poor Brok. Also that's why The Lady Of The Forge couldn't see him.

I found the Muspelheim trials to be easier this time. There are less of them (I think), but you have to do some stuff (different combinations of the base trials) to unlock all the extra ones. You get to choose which ones, so you can choose the ones you like the most.

I still have to fight all the Berserkers and Gna... not looking forward to it but I'll do it eventually.

 

[MFB]

I feel like I'm playing GoWR really slowly - I kept hearing there's a [something something] that happens "15 hours in" but it took me 30 hours to get there, and so I have no idea how much left there is to go.

I feel like once you do the

Spoiler

Heimdall fight

then that's when things really kick into high gear and you're within the last handful of hours of linear gameplay. There's a slightly more definitive moment that it's legit "you're going into the last mission from here" but I'd say even that's surprising for how late it is in the main story.

 

[MFB]

Spoiler

I think Jorgmundr recognizes Atreus because of the time he (Atreus) puts some giant's soul into the dead-but-not-quite snake's body. Then the snake grows into this super gigantic snake and fights Thor during Ragnarok (they say something like "There's Jorgmundr... but he looks different somehow", goes back in time who knows how may years and eventually encounters Kratos and Atreus during GoW 2018. So there are 2 Jorgmundrs at some point, but GoW 2018's Jorgmundr went somewhere else in GoW Ragnarok? I don't know.

IIRC Mimir mentions that the part of Brok's soul that's missing is the part that guides him into Valhalla or something like that, so he's denied an afterlife. It seems Nords have pretty shitty afterlife rules... poor Brok. Also that's why The Lady Of The Forge couldn't see him.

I found the Muspelheim trials to be easier this time. There are less of them (I think), but you have to do some stuff (different combinations of the base trials) to unlock all the extra ones. You get to choose which ones, so you can choose the ones you like the most.

I still have to fight all the Berserkers and Gna... not looking forward to it but I'll do it eventually.

Spoiler

So, I did some reading after my post, Jorgmundr IS the same as 2018 it's just that in the fight from Ragnarok he does at some point get hit so hard from Thor that he travels back to the events BEFORE GOW2018 and awaits our arrival (and he keeps growing during that time from the size we see him, as you said, they do mention him looking different.) I'm assuming the hit he takes from Thor is right before Thor leaves that fight and swoops in to fight Kratos.

So he's a closed loop, it's just not how we typically see it.

 

[TedEH]

There's lot of spoiler tags being thrown around, so I won't click any but instead say I'm at this point roughly:

Spoiler

I saved at the point where the Boy has just convinced everyone to let him return to Asgard after Heimdall dies.

 

[wankerness]

There's lot of spoiler tags being thrown around, so I won't click any but instead say I'm at this point roughly:

Spoiler

I saved at the point where the Boy has just convinced everyone to let him return to Asgard after Heimdall dies.

I think you're like 4/5 of the way through the story then.

 

[RevDrucifer]

How the fuck do you guys remember all these names of the bosses/beasts?!?

I beat it last Wednesday night but still have a few side quests to wrap up. I can’t remember a fucking name of anything from that game!

 

[MFB]

I think you're like 4/5 of the way through the story then.

Yeah, then that's the point where you're in the legit endgame

 

[MFB]

How the fuck do you guys remember all these names of the bosses/beasts?!?

I beat it last Wednesday night but still have a few side quests to wrap up. I can’t remember a fucking name of anything from that game!

I've always been a huge fan of Norse/Greek mythology to the point where I considered doing it as my major in my college, but it requires a triple major in: history (of whatever region), language (of whatever region), and one other aspect as well, and the reality is that you do nothing with it besides teach others or if you're lucky, talk about it on History Channel

 

[gabito]

How the fuck do you guys remember all these names of the bosses/beasts?!?

I beat it last Wednesday night but still have a few side quests to wrap up. I can’t remember a fucking name of anything from that game!

Some I remember: Brok & Sindri, Freya, Freyr, Mimir... others are stored in my brain using placeholders like "the humongous snake", "the gigantic old lady", "Atreus' girlfriend's grandma", "the blonde asshole", and then I look up (or copy and paste) their names when I want to say something about them.

To this day I don't know how to write Angr... something or Jorg... whatever. Nor will I

 

[RevDrucifer]

Some I remember: Brok & Sindri, Freya, Freyr, Mimir... others are stored in my brain using placeholders like "the humongous snake", "the gigantic old lady", "Atreus' girlfriend's grandma", "the blonde asshole", and then I look up (or copy and paste) their names when I want to say something about them.

To this day I don't know how to write Angr... something or Jorg... whatever. Nor will I

Hahahaha that makes sense. I just turned 40 but didn’t think my short term memory took THAT much of a hit.

 

[TedEH]

To this day I don't know how to write Angr... something or Jorg... whatever. Nor will I

I end up usually making up new names for people anyway....

Spoiler

Magic lady and her Frere (instead of Freyr, 'cause he's the brother)
Angry Booty and her Grumpy Grandma
BOY
The Giant Snake
The Squirrel guy
The boat guy
The Mom
Thicc Thor Jr.
NID-HOG I remember 'cause of the indie game, but I'll never pronounce it correctly
Heimdall I can remember because it makes me picture Idris Elba
Tyr I can remember 'cause he's prominent, but also 'cause I vaguely remember opening for the band once, and getting into conversations about how to pronounce it.

 

[MFB]

Ah yes, who could forget everyone's favorite act from America's Got Talent? Angry Booty and Grumpy Grandma!

We also would have accepted "Jeff Dunham's newest dummies" (not counting his entire fanbase)

 

[BlackMastodon]

Somehow, God of War Ragnarok has made me skip posts faster than all the Soulsbourne talk in this thread, but that's probably because I want to play God of War and this one eventually.

Monster Hunter Sunbreak is still fun. I can't think of a more satisfying grind in a video game, and I'm hesitant to even call it a grind.

 

[rokket2005]

Atlus updated Soul Hackers 2 about a week ago, so I jumped back in from about 20 hours in and now I'm in the last dungeon I think. The story really picked up and got a lot better since I started where I left off and I'm liking it quite a bit more than I thought I was going to. It's still like C tier SMT, but it's still pretty good.

I also got an sd card for my steam deck finally and setting up ps2 emulation on it took more time than I was hoping tonight. Tried out Xenosaga 1 for settings and such, then an hour later I was still playing. I guess I'm playing that after I finish Soul Hackers.

 

[Bloody_Inferno]

Further derailing the GOW R thread just to say I finished Trails From Zero.

If you can get past the fact that it's a dated looking port of a PSV game from 12 years ago and more of the same albeit evolved turn based JRPG system ripped from Chrono Trigger (and also highly abusable), Zero is still a quaint and charming game and a good gateway to the long running series.

It's a lot more short scaled than most games of its kind (it's just Crossbell city and surrounding areas, and you'll be constantly patrolling Crossbell over and over again), but part of the charm is knowing the locale and getting to know your team and watch them grow with every struggle and accomplishments. And this small group is just full of great characters, it's easy to get invested. The plot escalates hard on the last chapter but ends on a high note, which is a nice change to the gut punch cliffhangers of Sky FC, and Cold Steel 1 and 3, and long time players since the beginning get an amazing payoff.

Time to go back to Xenoblade 2 and hopefully finish that before Trails To Azure comes out.

 

[Ralyks]

Atlus updated Soul Hackers 2 about a week ago, so I jumped back in from about 20 hours in and now I'm in the last dungeon I think. The story really picked up and got a lot better since I started where I left off and I'm liking it quite a bit more than I thought I was going to. It's still like C tier SMT, but it's still pretty good.

What did it update? I finished SH2 last month (in time for Persona 5 Golden) and traded it in, but I thought about picking it up when it inevitably gets a big sale to finish the platinum and play the DLC, which apparently adds some 10 hours.
Also, yeah, I guess it's C-tier SMT, but I had fun with it, the story was pretty good, and I found myself really liking the characters and some damn good voice acting performances. Ringo in particular is one of my favorite main characters in recent gaming.

 

[rokket2005]

What did it update? I finished SH2 last month (in time for Persona 5 Golden) and traded it in, but I thought about picking it up when it inevitably gets a big sale to finish the platinum and play the DLC, which apparently adds some 10 hours.
Also, yeah, I guess it's C-tier SMT, but I had fun with it, the story was pretty good, and I found myself really liking the characters and some damn good voice acting performances. Ringo in particular is one of my favorite main characters in recent gaming.

They added a run button, which in and of itself makes Axis way less of a slog to run through. They also added a few new demons, I don't remember which. It also seemed like I was having fewer crashes and startup hangs than I did before, but I still get them frequently enough, mostly startup hangs rather than crashes, so they might've not done anything on that front. Atlus/Sega pc ports stay losing.

I didn't think much of the story originally and I dropped it right before the Zenon fight since that was around when Atlus announced they were going to update it in November. After that fight things have gotten really good and if the whole game was this good I'd probably like it more than TMS.

 

[gabito]

Just got the plat for GoW Ragnarok. I only needed a guide for 3 artifacts and 1 raven that were well hidden, but you can find almost everything just by exploring (I like that).

Gna and the King of whatever were hard, but I learned about a build that made things waaaay easier. I got them at my 2nd or maybe 3rd try. But it's done.

It was nice playing it, but I still like GoW 2018 the most. It's similar to what I think about TLoU and TLoU Part II: I understand the sequels may be better, but please give me something shorter and more focused: "Simple story, complex characters". Bring ashes / snarky girl to mountain / fireflies. Get to know the characters. Survive. Something happens at the end. Kratos is bald Joel. That's it.

I finished GoW 2018 like 3 or 4 times, but I don't know if I'm going to play this one again. Maybe in a few years? It's still missing New Game+ anyways

 

[RevDrucifer]

Just a minor gripe that popped up last night while playing Ragnarok while I was in the pub; how the fuck does a game with THIS kind of graphics work not allow you to move around tables and also doesn’t have a jump button?!

It’s like it’s incredibly well done in every aspect, except being able to move around certain areas…and you can only jump on shit if you’re right next to it.

 

[gabito]

Just a minor gripe that popped up last night while playing Ragnarok while I was in the pub; how the fuck does a game with THIS kind of graphics work not allow you to move around tables and also doesn’t have a jump button?!

It’s like it’s incredibly well done in every aspect, except being able to move around certain areas…and you can only jump on shit if you’re right next to it.

Traversal is kind of bad for a modern game. Too rigid, I think? You get used to the freedom other games give you and the in modern GoW you can't go around a pebble if that's not were they want you to go. "I can climb a titan and kill it, but that barrel? Let's find another way."

The old God of War games were similar, but even more linear and limited. You couldn't even control the camera!

It's obviously a game design decision, and something that sets it apart from other games.