630°

PS4 Exclusive God of War Gets New Trailer and Lots of Info on the Draugr and More

Sony Santa Monica shares a trailer showcasing beautiful artwork of God of War, alongside a lot of information on the Draugr and other creatures.

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AspiringProGenji2438d ago (Edited 2438d ago )

I am so ready to dig the Norse Myths. I'm pretty sure Sony SS will teach more about Norse myth than school or other media ever did (looking at you Marvel), just like they taugh me Greek Myths

opinionated2438d ago (Edited 2438d ago )

There isnt a whole lot of source material compared to Greek mythology. Almost everything derives from the Poetic Edda. The good news is that they have a ton of freedom to make their own lore using some great characters and personalities. The framework is there for something great but i wouldn't expect to learn anything new that you haven't already known.

morganfell2438d ago

@opinionated,

That isn't exactly accurate. There is a great deal of material that does not rely on Snorri. Many writers simplistically fall back on him and ignore other sources as they seek to put their own spin on classic tales. Re-imaginings, usually disgusting literary affairs. He has a major influence because of the Eddas, and certainly as history goes the Heimskringla is important. But there is plenty to read aside from him. I love his works but there is more than Sturluson. I have read a little bit about the subject because of my family's Scandinavian heritage: https://imgur.com/a/nRYBY

The Sagas are a great source, numerous and abound in history and rich myth. Also there are works such as those of Saxo Grammaticus - a must have for any aficionado. A good deal of material comes from documents written as a history yet they contain numerous mythological stories and references. And much of the Norse legends are Germanic in origin so that offers even more sources. The Saga of Hervör and Heithrek is quite important and was a huge inspiration for Tolkien and his writings while also plying into Swedish history.

Snorri's impact on Norse myth is massive, no doubt. Its irrefutable and the most prominent. But he isn't alone nor was he always good for myth. Some works offer insight to where he actually altered myths for no reason other than the fact he was Christian, and either by intent or accident in many ways he crafted some of the stories to be less than they could have been. I suggest people read The Seed of Yggdrasil for that info.

opinionated2437d ago

@morgan
Nice collection dude. I will have to check a few of those out. I didn't mean to sound like there isn't more to look into, I was just comparing it Greek mythology.

When I startes looking into Norse it was really hard to find something that wasn't the same thing retold like you mention. It seemed like it all came from the same spot unlike the Greeks which you can find a wealth of information on.

morganfell2437d ago

@opinionated,

Its all good. I didn't mean to sound like you were way off the mark either. For most people it is the Eddas that will be the foundation of everything they will ever know about Norse mythology. And for them it will be enough.

But those of us that want to look further, there is more to find. After all my immediate family passed, I grew curious and did the Ancestry.com route and ran my DNA as well. Surprise. Scandinavian by a mile. So I had to find out more. Plus Norse mythology is so much darker than other mythologies I have enjoyed such as Greek, Egyptian, and Indian. I recommend The Saga of Hrolf Kraki because it tells the story of Bodvar Bjarki - the blueprint for my favorite Tolkien character, Beorn. Plus it is a really good story of the patience required for true revenge. Also The Sagas of the Volsungs, Njals Saga, The Sagas of the Icelanders which also contains The Vinland Sagas (Step off Columbus, step off).

There is a lot out there, a great deal of it more historic in nature than straight mythology but early Norse society was different than most others. They had no word in ON (Old Norse) for religion because it was not seen as a separate aspect of life but was ingrained into all things in the world. If you want a different take on that life, try reading "Ibn Fadlin and the Land of Darkness: Arab Travellers in the Far North". This is a series of historic accounts that form the basis for Michael Crichton's Eaters of the Dead, which in turn became the movie The 13th Warrior.

opinionated2437d ago

@morgan

I would gladly be wrong on something like that, I'm a fan of most mythologies like you. I will definitely check out that Seed of Yggdrasil book. Who wrote that Norse dictionary? When you say historic do you mean the saga books are Viking era tales? I really like that the new God of war is pre-Viking. It's more in that myth realm of things.

Yeah I like the darkness of it. It makes sense that marvel took inspiration because they are more like heroes (or villains) than gods. Extraordinary people with everyday ordinary problems like the rest of us. They are more like the watchmen imo lol.

morganfell2437d ago

Yes, the Sagas are interwoven with some mythology but several of them tell stories - amazing GOW type stories in some cases - of historical Scandinavian figures or individuals believed to have existed. Some of Wagner's Ring Trilogy draws on Norse history and mythology found in some of the Sagas. I mentioned Bodvar Bjarki earlier. In the Saga of Hrolf Kraki he is a Berserker - a shape shifter known as a Berserker or Ber serkir (Bear Shirt) in ON. These warriors could change into a creature similar to a werebear in battle. In reality some Vikings were considered Berserkers going into combat shirtless or sometimes wearing bear skins and would fight in a mad battle rage. They are similar to the legends of the Ulfhednar or Wolf Shirts. Bodvar shares a lot of similarities with Beowulf and may have been drawn from the same source.

And yes many of these individuals in the Sagas are supposed earlier Viking warriors and Kings. Some of them real and some legend like Ragnar Lodbrok about whom there are stories - Ragnar's Saga Lodbrokar. - but hard evidence of his existence is lacking.

I have several Norse dictionaries but they are more like encyclopedias. I recommend the one by Rudolf Simek. It is the most referenced and comprehensive: https://www.amazon.com/gp/p...

For actual dictionaries you may want to tackle Icelandic first since it is the modern language that most resembles Old Norse. But regarding ON, Jesse Byock has done the best courses available with full audio support in many cases: https://www.amazon.com/Viki...

Be aware that The Seed of Yggdrasil is more of a reference book breaking down the writings than it is a tome of stories. It delves into manuscripts kept from the public for over a thousand years. It also shows errors in past interpretations and the real meaning of some ON idioms and the like. It demonstrates where Snorri just made up characters now believed to have been part of Norse Mythology when they weren't. The writer, Maria Christine Kvilhaug has done extensive work in philology and really has no equal in this department. It is utterly fascinating. Look at the name Ivar the Boneless. Many people assumed he was a cripple but that may not have been the case since Boneless in Old Norse shouldn't be strictly translated as it can mean someone that does not have sympathy or feelings of compassion for anyone and we know that to be the case with the historic Ivar. I like Vikings but that show is about as historically accurate as the movie Tombstone meaning it isn't accurate at all in many ways. Kvilhaug also has a youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/cha...

KingKelloggTheWH2437d ago

They will take huge liberties though..and people wont understand that

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_-EDMIX-_2437d ago

I can't wait

is there even another high level hack and slash game besides God of War that is coming next year?

2437d ago
FallenAngel19842438d ago

It'll always be God of War 4 to me

bigmalky2437d ago

No it's not. It's a continuation of canon. Following on from GoW III.

If it forgot about Kratos' past, it would be a reboot, soft or otherwise. But it doesn't. It's a continuation of Kratos' life... Sequel.

UCForce2437d ago

@bigmalky Soft reboot is a sequel but revamped something new.

bigmalky2437d ago (Edited 2437d ago )

Invented term. So, the 2000s Robocop is a reboot. New actor, timeline reset, no follow on from the original, entirely different story.

God of War. Kratos, after his adventures in Greece, has moved to Scandanavia , had a child, and has settled down. Same character, continued story, still the protagonist... It's a sequel, new style gameplay or not.

Relientk772438d ago

I'm excited for this. I love the new style of the game

CyrusLemont2438d ago

That theme song is stunning and looks to be so iconic and memorable. Not enough credit going towards that given how unforgettable video game soundtracks are these days.

I also want something like this for Snoke in the new Star Wars please. Imagine that and when the song turns positive and uplifting you see Luke with his green saber in a stand off. SO F***** OT but I can’t help. TLJ is so close.

Zeke682438d ago

Looks great ! Can't wait much longer. Hopefully times goes fast until release.
Thank god I get GT Sport and Wolfenstein II in a few weeks to occupy me while waiting for this masterpiece.

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360°

Days Gone Director Says Bend's Project Costs Over $250M; Says PS Co-CEO Doesn't Want 2 Zombies Games

Days Gone director claims Sony has already poured in at least a $250M in Bend's project; says Days Gone sold more than Death Stranding.

shinoff218323h ago

Well that sucks. Seems they want more online trash. I'd rather of had the sequel if it was single player

MrNinosan9h ago

What online trash games did PS Studios release last 10 years?

Notellin7h ago

The past has nothing to do with the future. This is such a terrible argument. Everyone knows about their current live service push.

_SilverHawk_6h ago

It's so tragic what happened to days gone. It is such an amazing game but bandwagoners trashed it and it underperformed in it's launch year. Days gone is the best open world zombie game released in the past five years. I was recently playing it on pc and I'm still amazed by it.

Games are very expensive to make and it seems like it's normal for a AAA game to cost over a quarter billion to make so if a quality game like days gone greatly underperforms then people shouldn't be upset when they see a lot of GAAS. I still remember a lot of bandwagoners calling days gone trash but years later it's now amazing when it's considered a failure by sony.

If a game isn't the best thing seen since hats with pockets then a lot of gamers who haven't played it automatically calls it rubbish and whoever made it should be incarcerated

Cacabunga4h ago(Edited 4h ago)

Co CEO prefers gamers to boycott.. so be it. I’ll never buy a gaas.
Just imagine buying a game you cannot replay in some years.. this shit must stop.

Days Gone did zombies in a very original way. The story was also so engaging. You actually only meet Zombie hordes later in the game. There are many more enemy groups to deal with.

MrNinosan3h ago

@Notelin
I am one of the few who bought Days Gone on release day and loved it completely.
However, "more online trash" is phrased like Sony has put out alot of trash online games.
We got what, 2 games? Helldivers 2 and GT7, 2 of the most sold Playstation games where both is loved by millions.

You, me and especially shinoff has no idea if Fairgames, Marathon and Concord will be trash.

Just because we (as in you and me) don't love or support online games, doesn't mean millions of other do.

And we don't know what Bend Studio is working with? We don't know if they're forced to make a online game or another amazing single player experience.

The only thing we do know is that it's not Days Gone, sadly due to poor sales the first 6 months.

shinoff21831h ago(Edited 1h ago)

More online trash wasmt meant how insee it comes across. I should've worded it different I was meaning the focus they currently have on it.

Anything online is online trash to me. How long did naughty dog spend on that dumba last of us multiplayer, how about Concord, or even the other couple we hear about. I fk with Sony because rpgs and their 1st party single player games. Been like that for years. I hate seeing them waste time, money, and talent on trash. I understand bot every game is gonna be for me but this focus they've seem to had on multiplayer is extremely disheartening. Even at the state of play the only things I was really feeling were Astrobot and silent hill 2 and I'm content with that, not everything is for me. It's just the online focus I hate. Ms bought up 3 to 4 wrpgs developers, Sony just ignores rpgs 1st party wise.

And a days gone 2 would've been much better then whatever online sht bend is working on. I do know sometimes I get very idk emotional. I do need to work on toning that down a bit lol

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 1h ago
-Foxtrot23h ago

It would be a shame if it was true that Hermen never gave the franchise a chance simply because he didn't like it and they already had a "Zombie" game with TLOU.

NaughtyDog are most likely moving onto a new IP next so it would have been the perfect time to do it.

ThinkThink15h ago

Here's where xbox steps in and releases state of decay 3 day and date on ps5.

shinoff21831h ago

I mean it's not out of the realm of possibility at this point.

Grilla8h ago

Days gone 2 was canceled before Herman was in charge. That happened like 4 years ago.

vfl5238h ago

4 years ago he was head of Playstation Studios. He would've probably had a hand in the cancelation.

Notellin7h ago

Man two seconds of research could have saved you from this comment. Amazing work Grilla you fit in with the uniformed N4G community who speaks before verifying anything that they say.

Redemption-646h ago

Maybe encourage people to buy the game at full price and not when it's heavily discounted or go on plus. If this game had sold well when it was full priced a sequel would have been in the works. They made a single-player game that most people didn't support until they dropped the price.

Cacabunga4h ago

The guy’s just a moron.. he should have stayed within game development. His choices will have a terrible impact on the brand in the long run.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 1h ago
excaliburps9h ago

Yep. Kind of weird since it wasn't a sales flop, no?

I know we have to take what Ross says with a grain of salt since we're hearing just one side of the story, but even so, the game wasn't bad at all. Heck, it's my brother's favorite last-gen game from what I recall.

The amount of zombies on screen, imagine that with the PS5 and SSD? That would be insanely fun!

Grilla8h ago

Most copies were sold on sale. Not enough ppl bought it at full price. I paid 20$ for it 6 -7 months after release.

Notellin7h ago(Edited 7h ago)

Yeah we should never believe the creators side until we hear the corporate/big business side as history has shown we should always believe billion dollar corporations.

What a bootlicker statement.

derek3h ago

@Notellin, of course you'll believe an embittered ex-employee with an axe to grind because it's evil Sony he's complaining about. You guys act like days gone was this huge success and somehow Sony hates easy money a sequel would have generated. The game was mid and so was the response to it. They're still supporting the developer who is making a new ip that could be great.

shinoff21831h ago

Days gone was fantastic. I bought day one but didn't get around to it for months. When I finally did I was pissed at myself for waiting so long lol

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 1h ago
P_Bomb9h ago

Well I don’t want 10 live service games, but they have no problem doing that lol. Ugh.

CrimsonWing698h ago(Edited 8h ago)

Oh great so we only get what the big wigs want… y’know, the people that really have their fingers on the pulse of what their consumers want. Faaaaantastic!

rippermcrip6h ago

Well consider they know the sales... they do know what the consumer wants.

It sold shit.

-Foxtrot1h ago(Edited 1h ago)

But if it’s true what this guy says it sold better than Death Stranding

Yet that got a sequel and Kojima aside out of them both DS didn’t really NEED a sequel compared to Days Gone which ended on such a cliff hanger twist.

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60°

Greetings from the newly minted CEO - Shams Jorjani

Operating under the username BigKahuna_AGS, Jorjani created a lengthy thread on the Helldivers subreddit to introduce himself to the community following his appointment as CEO in early May.

50°

Frostpunk 2 Dev Talks Creative Risks, Supply and Demand, and More

Game Rant speaks with Frostpunk 2 co-game director and design director Jakub Stokalski about everything 11 bit poured into the sequel.

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