The game is not getting a fair rap because the only thing anyone ever says about it, is that is God Of War, and why would you play it when God of War 3 is coming out so soon.
I think the only person I've heard who liked it and judged it on it's own merits was Pete from the trigames.net podcast (Ep 164).
In my view it also suffered some reviewer backlash because of the publicity surrounding the promotional items that were sent to reviewers over a seven week period -- each week covering one of the Seven Deadly Sins (including checks made out to the reviewers in "Greed" week). The reviewers may have wanted to go out of their way to show they can't be influenced (lol).
What intriuged me when this game was announced and what intriuges me now that I play it is the setting. The medieval image of hell is, like I said, the perfect setting for a videogame in the sense that's it's already dividied into levels that each has it's own theme, different creatures and boss-like characters. And Satan is a perfect endboss. It all just feels so logic within the realms of videogames.
It doesn't hurt that Visceral did an amazing job when bringing the poem to life in all it's disgusting and unsettling glory. Hell is the main draw and the most prominent character in this game. Every level breathes of life (or death really) with twisting tormented souls grasping for salvations that isn't coming, fires burning everywhere I turn and screams and anguished howls piercing the hot air. It's an unsettling setting for sure but then again, a journey through hell shouldn't feel anything but.
It's a brutal, challenging and grotesquely beautifull game. But most of all it's fun.
I think most people turned off the game once the reviews started rolling in and weren't wholly complimentary. It's not my sort of game either way, nor is DMC or GOW. I think most other people here are more interested in Darksiders which has the combat and this zelda/metroidian like design.
hamzik said:I played through the demo of Darksiders. It was really fun and definitelly had the Zelda-feel down. Maybe a little too much. Zelda is holy and any game that copies the formula is measured against it's inspiration. Having said that, Darksiders defintely has a nice combat system and pretty cool Spawn-like aesthetic. It just didn't feel mindblowing.
I get that impression, I will check it out at hobo i.e low prices though.
hamzik said:I checked back a couple of pages dating back to december and didn't see any thread on this game.
BTW you can just use the forum search box up top, not the news search box, but the one just above threads on the forum page.
So which circles impressed you the most? Please, make sure to describe the imagery in all gory details.
Anger was also cool. Especially the last part of the circle where I took control of a huge fiery demon and smashed my way to the walls of City of Din that holds the lower circles of hell. My walk across a bridge towards the citygates was accompanied by an amazing pan by the camera that floated higher and higher above until it revealed the entire city.
gamingeek said:Does the scenary have a decent amount of variation? All the pics I saw were very sort of gory and red, fleshy etc.
There is definitely enough variation. From desert wastelands, to boiling rivers of blood, the disgusting intestinelike surroundings of the Circle of Gluttony, marshes, woods, cities. All of them filled with creepy and grotesque details and small touches that makes your journey through hell properly unsettling. Some fine examples are the above mentioned damned floating in the river of blood, walls made out of people writhing in pain, impailed people, constant screams and wailing...the attention to gory details is amazing.
EA has made Dante a former crusader who betrayed and damned his wife Beatrice and is now kicking every ass around in hell trying to redeem her soul. Not quite like in the poem in other words. But the vistas are largely inspired by the vivid poem and Virgil is a sort of a guide even in the game. Hi pops up in several places and tells a few lines that are lifted from the poem.
The thing that the game mostly shares with the poem is the medieval picture of Hell that is, I think, the primary character in the game. The tale of Dante's journey to redeem his damned Beatrice is just an excuse to let him kill everyting in his path.
Now bring on the sequel. According to NPD Inferno sold rather great so a trip to Purgatory and (in the third part of the trilogy waitning to be confirmed) Paradise seems like a given.
I liked the references to the poem and the souls you would redeem or damn.
I was a little disappointed in Lust; you basically climbed the tower and it ended. I guess I expected larger areas in each Ring. It was pretty graphic, but I think it was a bit overblown. In the end I was shocked at first then desensitized after the first hour or two.
Dunno. I'm glad to hear someone enjoyed it. You made me reconsider and maybe I'll pick it up again one day.
hamzik said:Who in their right mind would complain about breasts in a game where you travel through a medieval image of hell? You kill babies that have blades instead of hands, Lucifer is hung like a pornstar and one enemy actually defecates on you as an attack. It's a game set in hell, it's not for kids and it's all good fun.
hamzik said:Just finished the game after beating Lucifer into submission in his prison that is the ninth circle of Hell. Once again the vistas in this game are amazing and the last circle that was a great departure from the previous one (seeing as it is covered in ice) was no exception.
Now bring on the sequel. According to NPD Inferno sold rather great so a trip to Purgatory and (in the third part of the trilogy waitning to be confirmed) Paradise seems like a given.
So what game are you going to play next?
hamzik said:Who in their right mind would complain about breasts in a game where you travel through a medieval image of hell? You kill babies that have blades instead of hands, Lucifer is hung like a pornstar and one enemy actually defecates on you as an attack. It's a game set in hell, it's not for kids and it's all good fun.
Don't worry Hyper said Little King's Story was too cute. They just have an aversion to goodness.
I bought the game and started playing when it came out but Endless Ocean 2 got in the way. Now that I am done (oh well, storywise) with EO my journey trough hell continues. I just completed the Anger-circle and I am enjoying myself immensely. Sure, the game is not the deepest one. It's a buttonmasher and it all boils down to killing everything in your way and doing so as brutally as possible. But the vistas are amazing, the atmosphere appropriately creepy and depressing and the over the top-brutality ever so entertaining. Hell is the perfect setting for a game of this kind and the constant downward journey of my character and the division into nine circles is a logic and engaging premise.
You like?