620°

Cory Barlog: In God of War, “We Cut A Lot of Bosses”

The game director of God of War, Cory Barlog, revealed in a long interview how the project was initially even more ambitious and out of his mind, with a greater number of bosses.

gangsta_red1962d ago

Seriously, the lack of boss fights or just using the same giant troll was one of the only biggest criticisms I had of the game.

Kribwalker1962d ago

I agree. I wanted more boss battles and a better variation of enemies instead of the same enemies with a different burn.

The Wood1962d ago (Edited 1962d ago )

Lol. Funny!

But true.

Side note. . . Have both of you guys competed it yet? Screenshots of platinum trophy or it didn't happen. . .😎

HaveSumNuts1962d ago (Edited 1962d ago )

I wanted more bosses as well but the Valkeries did kind of make up for it. Even if they just had different attack patterns, they were a good challenge

Edit: I wanted to fight that giant ass eagle in Helheim why the hell put something so epic looking in the distance that I can't interact with

gangsta_red1962d ago

@wood

Are you expecting a "property of..." pic from one of us??

blitz06231961d ago

Not sure why you're getting disagrees, this is the most common and legitimate concern the game had. The only 'real' boss fight without going into spoilers was epic, but also underwhelming. The best bosses in the game were the optional Valkyries which were the best fights

The Wood1961d ago

@red.

Yesir. With you embossed in the pic holding a G red banner

Potnoodle9991961d ago

Prove you’ve completed the game. We all know you haven’t but bet you’d like to shut us up? But can’t? Ahh I see now it all fits! 👍

Kribwalker1961d ago

@potnoodle

I can’t show you a platinum because i didn’t platinum it, but i beat the game and got 55% of the trophies

https://postimg.cc/9rXKJTDv

sammarshall1021961d ago

More fights like The Stranger would have made it my favorite game of all time

Kaze881961d ago

@Wood

You know you don't have to platinum a game to beat the story ;) and platinuming a game doesn't make you any better to judge if it's good game for everybody. Everyone has their own preferences, some like to grind meaningless shit to get a shiny virtual trophy and some like just enjoy the good story with a great gameplay.

Anyone saying that there was no repetition or lack of bosses....specially when GOW has always been famous from the gore and their bosses, they are simply lying to themselves or being ignorant. It's a good game, but it could have been even better with some more variation.

bluefox7551961d ago (Edited 1961d ago )

@HaveSumNuts The Valkyrie fights were phenomenal. The Sigrun fight was probably the most satisfying gaming experience I've had in years.

obidanshinobi1961d ago

@ Kribwalker

psnprofiles.com - this shows your game history. Here's mine for instance - https://psnprofiles.com/obi...

Kribwalker1961d ago

@obidan
https://psnprofiles.com/kri...

that’s a pretty good source to look at what you’ve played. Some games i’ll try, and if they don’t catch me right away i put them to the side and eventually try to come back to them.

+ Show (9) more repliesLast reply 1961d ago
Hardiman1962d ago

That's your main take away from that interview?!?!

stupidusername1962d ago

Well it was the headline of this article...

Hardiman1962d ago

Yes it is but after watching it boss fights was the last thing on my mind!

gangsta_red1962d ago

It's definitely my main criticism of the game.

Andy_Dee1961d ago

I don't get when people are giving down votes for something that is actually true.

Yea a bit too many of the same troll I agree. Let's hope for more gods in the next one!

By Thor's hammer!

Silly gameAr1961d ago

I'm not sure why people are concerned about other people getting downvotes.

Plus, it could be the fact that he's a bit of a troll.

rainslacker1961d ago

The troll wasn't really a boss after the first one that shows up. After that, it was just another enemy that showed up. They even respawned in some areas.

That may be why they're getting downvotes.

That, and the people saying it won't say anything good about the game anyways, so their opinions are not taken seriously.

1960d ago
Andy_Dee1960d ago

It's not the biggest concern in that sense it has more to do with that the statement made is a fact, it is not an opinion so I just don't get the point of downvoting the truth hahah.

If you would go into the game and count, you can count the different bosses almost with one hand. Sure the valkyries were awesome, not saying anything bad about that! But unique bosses would've been fun to have a couple of more, just look at GOW 3. GOW 2. GOW 1. I think all of them has more than the latest installment.

But it's still a hell of a game! One of my favorites! :D

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 1960d ago
HeisenbergX1961d ago

Yeah well..

While i agree that there should have been more enemy variety and more bosses because of how the game is much longer than the previous GOW's i watched Kinda Funny interview with Cory and he said the trolls weren't bosses at all they are just normal enemies,kinda like the cyclops were in the old god of war games or for example chimeras in GOW 3.

NarutoFox1961d ago (Edited 1961d ago )

The game was so great I still didn't care about that. Just the atmosphere and the world was amazing! That was enough for me. After reading this news article I already know the sequel is going to be better.

-Foxtrot1961d ago

So instead of the same troll or stone ancient why not add some of the cut bosses in?

Would give the bosses some variety

I_am_Batman1961d ago

Well I assume they got cut early on so it'd take a lot of work to get them to a level where they'd be of acceptable quality. I gotta say as much as I liked the new God of War I wish they would've gone for a more traditional linear level design. That way we probably would've gotten more interesting enemies and bosses and probably more felshed out realms.

DaDrunkenJester1961d ago

That and the boss fights were really formuliac and lacked the depth and level changes the previous games boss fights had. Remember the older GoW when a boss fight would change in strategy AND location like 2 or 3 times? In this GoW it was just the same thing over and over. For example, the Baldur fight was the same strategy through all 3 of his waves. Same for the end fight, which was a LITTLE better, but not by much. Magdi and Modi barely changed up their attack patterns, and the trolls all did the same thing, but with a different element. Except for the troll in Hell who had a slightly different strategy due to the floating orbs that would attack you and him being able to teleport.

Casepb1961d ago (Edited 1961d ago )

You're not lying. The game suffered from repeatitus... but it wasn't as bad as Hellblade. And at least fighting the same shit over and over was still fun.

FalconofLucis981961d ago

That and the absence of Thor and Odin I found underwhelming.

Ceaser98573611961d ago (Edited 1961d ago )

Every game has their share of criticism so certainly you can satisfy everyone.. but its the first game so i am cool with how SM went and created the new GOW Lore.. From next installment onwards it will be clear how they have set up the world and what new they will bring...

+ Show (7) more repliesLast reply 1960d ago
MrVux0001962d ago

My only real issue with the game (cuz everything else was near perfect).

Thankfully now that the game was a success, we will likely get what was promised by one of Santa Monica devs for next God of War game...

"it will be bigger, better, longer."

GaboonViper1962d ago

Same, the boss fights that were there were stunning but just not enough of them, i know this will be fixed in the sequel and i can't bloody wait, hopefully we get to to take on Fenrir the wolf.

ArchangelMike1962d ago

I hope Cory is still directing God of War 2, I don't think anyone else can effectively carry on teh visino that he has started. Just give the man time to recouperate first.

Fist4achin1961d ago

I just read the issue as becoming a sequel.

wraith99991961d ago

"now that the game was a success" understatement of the year haha, agree tho! so hyped for the next iteration

rainslacker1961d ago

Yeah, there could have been more. Started off strong with the stranger. Then was kind of barren until about halfway through the game. Freya's boss fight was pretty disappointing.

I do think it'd be a bit distracting if they had as many as GOW3 did though. That was more like 10 minutes of game play, fight a boss kind of deal. Obvious exaggeration, but that game was packed full of them. This game was paced much differently though.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 1961d ago
mrmikew20181962d ago

Yea the same troll boss fights was my only complaint, it would have been cool if I each one had their own unquie move set, and a different finishing move for each one would have been a plus.

But other than that, the game was freaking awesome.

Hardiman1962d ago (Edited 1962d ago )

Damn that last part hit me in the feels! this game spoke to me onmsny levels as a father and as a son. My father was a hard working but very distant man and as s child I always felt like I was a disappointment to him. Like if I hadn't of been so different he could've related more but as time goes by and you grow you realize people struggle with things and most of the time it's a quiet struggle! One of the best games I've played and just thinking about it puts a big smile on my face!

The good news is this was a resounding success so I'd imagine the sequel will have more of everything.

ClayRules20121961d ago (Edited 1961d ago )

Same here. That story that Cory shared about that guy coming up to him and getting emotional almost from the beginning speaks to how powerful and moving these story driven games can be, and the impact that they can have on someone is something special.

I can relate to you on that in a sense. My father’s always been hard working as well. But also one to hide his emotions and to this day (I’m 30) he’s never once said to me “I love you” it honestly doesn’t bother me now, i believe he does love me regardless, but his difficult upbringing has certainly caused a lot of pain to him. He does sometimes come over to my house, chat or watch me play story driven games, and is impressed with how far this stuff has come. Also, games like God of War, TLoU, and Heavy Rain especially, for me; are such moving experiences that really do speak to us parents in different ways.

I can’t imagine the sequel, but I bet it’ll be a Showcase across the board on PS5.

Hardiman1961d ago

Absolutely and that's why I'm such a supporter of Sony because they put so many resources into these kinds of games.

In 09 I was still gaming just not as much and games like Mass Effect and Bioshock kept me going but once I played Uncharted especially Among Theives my love of gaming came back with a vengeance. Heavy Rain was another one that got my attention and once The Last of Us hit I realized just what this medium can do as far as how it can affect you!

If the original GOW and what happened in its sequel is anything to go by then God of War 2 should be something truly spectacular! Take care man!

ClayRules20121961d ago

Indeed. Sony & their studios just really give everything to deliver unique gaming experiences to the players. I hope they never stop. That’s awesome to hear Among Thieves did that for you. So cool. Such a special game that is. Thanks. Take care as well bud!

1962d ago Replies(8)
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410°

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.

shinoff21831d 2h ago

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

MrNinosan11h ago

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

Notellin9h 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_8h 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

Cacabunga7h ago(Edited 7h 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.

MrNinosan5h 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.

shinoff21833h ago(Edited 3h 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 3h ago
-Foxtrot1d 2h 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.

ThinkThink18h ago

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

shinoff21833h ago

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

Grilla11h ago

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

vfl52310h ago

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

Notellin9h 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-648h 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.

Cacabunga6h 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 3h ago
excaliburps12h 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!

Grilla11h 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.

Notellin9h ago(Edited 9h 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.

derek5h 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.

shinoff21833h 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 3h ago
P_Bomb11h ago

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

CrimsonWing6911h ago(Edited 11h 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!

rippermcrip8h ago

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

It sold shit.

-Foxtrot3h ago(Edited 3h 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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300°

Trying to push players over from PC to console is a terrible idea, PlayStation

As PlayStation announces its new strategy to encourage PC users to choose PS5 it is a bitter-sweet moment for PC gamers.

Christopher1d 3h ago

I mean, it's a business based on hardware market. Do we expect them to not even try? It's not like Nintendo doesn't do the same by not putting any games on PC and Microsoft until recently did the same. I don't care what they attempt, as long as they don't abuse the community or lie about their goals/requirements.

Will it work? Not likely. Should we care? No. Let them waste their time, it doesn't affect anything.

RaidenBlack1d 3h ago

let them try ... at the end of the day, we get few extra PC games ... yay ... and also promotes game preservation via PC ... so double yay.

LordoftheCritics10h ago

If only Playstation games provided the ease of pc gaming features.

Primary being very few PS games support m/kb.

Christopher3h ago

If only PC games supported controllers more. Main reason I play primarily on console. So many games have shit support on PC. Playing Dark Envoy now, and it's quite frustrating since I have to switch to keyboard during cut scenes just to make sure advancing conversation doesn't also auto-select a decision. Let alone it's quite rough to select between characters and inventory screens are bad bad bad.

Anywho, similar complaints for both I find. But, I 100% agree that both PC and consoles should support both as best as possible.

LordoftheCritics2h ago(Edited 2h ago)

I don't think you understand what I mean by the lack of m/kb support on PS.

Over a thousand titles have PS controller support on PC.

Not even 30 titles have m/kb support on PS5.

Once you are done with the single player title, you'll go back to playing your daily shooter/looter/mmo etc which the pc gamer has mastered with their mouse and keyboard.
Why would any pc gamer make the switch?

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 2h ago
Fishy Fingers1d 2h ago (Edited 1d 2h ago )

I wish them the best of luck.

But PC players are often a patient bunch, many will even wait for Epic launcher exclusivity to end until a game comes to Steam.

If they didnt buy the console when its games were exclusive, why would they do it now theyre not?

MrNinosan12h ago

Way more do than you probably think.

ravens5212h ago

All you need is that one game that'll make a few switch at a time. Like a game a PC player REALLY wants.

outsider16248h ago

I mean if there's 10 million pc gamers out there...getting atleast just 1 million from there is probably a good thing..right?

romulus236h ago

PC players are not a monolith, I don't know why people keep thinking they speak for the entirety of all PC gamers like they all know each other personally. You think out of the millions of PC gamers not one single person will be impatient?Well Sony is willing to bet there will be. Why would they do it now? People's feelings change and new PC gamers come along all the time that may also feel different about waiting, that's why.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 6h ago
-Foxtrot1d 2h ago

PC gamers are just too patient and loyal to their gaming set ups, something they've spent a lot of money on to perfect. They have backlogs of games which many never get round to finishing or get round to at all and will always have other multiplatform releases to keep them going.

Over the many years Sony has published so many awesome titles such as The Last of Us, Uncharted, Heavenly Sword, Infamous, Killzone, LittleBigPlanet, Dreams, Puppeteer, Resistance, Heavy Rain, Gran Turismo, Motor Storm, God of War, Horizon, Ratchet and Clank, Spiderman, Ghost of Tsushima, Bloodborne

If none of those games BEFORE all these PC ports convinced a hardcore PC gamer to get a PS5 console then why on Earth would porting them them to PC now make any difference? All PC gamers now know 100% is that they just have to be patient, which they are good at anyway to get a PS5 game 2 years later.

I get GaaS games or multiplayer focused titles but if people really want to play these games they'd have gotten a PS console years ago.

Crows909h ago

Not sure they're aiming to convince the hardcore PC gamer.

Not sure why people are obsessing over his comment...it seems pretty simple to me.

He will do all he can to entice gamers to move to his ecosystem. As you say....exclusives existing hasn't moved many gamers over. But if they get to try them and love the games then they might change their mind about waiting 2 years.

We're in an echo chamber on this site...I've Personally seen people with Xbox and PC setups but no PlayStation. I've also seen people with small PC setups but no console. Not every pc gamer invests thousands and many may decide to put one in the living room.

They're not looking to convince all of players to buy a PlayStation...just a few...and really it is just a PR statement after all...they have to give a reason why single player won't release day 1....not to mention they also have to ensure current PlayStation gamers don't jump ship to PC. It goes both ways and they're ignoring the big L by putting any of their games off their platform.

anast8h ago

"Not sure they're aiming to convince the hardcore PC gamer."

Right here

Kakashi Hatake8h ago

PC gamers think tomorrow is promised. Sorry, don't have time for that.

Michiel19897h ago

it's not just about loyalty or sunk cost, pc is an open platform while consoles are closed platforms. If you for example want to mod, you will play on pc, no question about it. Also if you like indie games, steam is a fucking goldmine for that. I've been playing a lot of indie games over the last years and there just seems to be an endless amount of them on steam. Also not having games locked to a certain fps is a prettty big deal for me and I assume a lot of other pc players.

Walalon6h ago

And don't forget steam sales, you can get a ton of games on an awesome price.

romulus235h ago

And how do you know out of the millions of PC gamers that not one single person ever went ahead and bought a PlayStation console for one or more of those games? People keep speaking for the entirety of millions of PC gamers like they know them all personally. Here's one example for you, I'm currently typing on a recently purchased PC that cost me over twenty five hundred dollars and is more than capable of running any game including Sony exclusives that come to PC and yet I still bought a PS5 so apparently I'm not patient or loyal enough to my set up, hope it's not mad at me for not being loyal.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 5h ago
helicoptergirl1d 1h ago

Who cares? Then just stay on PC and play the waiting game. No big deal. Sony wins in the end anyway.

Number1TailzFan1d 1h ago

I mean if there's any single player Sony games that I actually want that aren't on PC then I would buy said console to play them on. But the ones that I like that aren't on PC are few and far between anyway so no loss for me.

If I game, it's usually multiplayer titles, otherwise I like playing around with some other software.

Amplitude3h ago(Edited 3h ago)

Astro Bot is the game that just did it for me. I'm gonna have to grab a PS5 again for that.

I did this for Ratchet Rift Apart too but ended up selling the PS5 after getting my plat. Rebought it on PC and other than GoW Ragnarok and Horizon FW (which eventually I could get anyway), I haven't had a reason to downgrade my graphics, controller features, ease of recording, and increase my game costs and monthly subscriptions throughout this entire generation.

I play on a TV with a controller but this has been the absolute worst console gen for both consoles. Never in my life thought I'd be a PC gamer but I've been spoiled by the cheap costs, cross-platform controllers and mostly the unbelievably useful Steam controller config.

Show all comments (54)
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.