--- --- PRO
+ In God of War is everything always a little higher than elsewhere, and that is in Ascension course again the case. What a fact attracts attention, are the gigantic scenes which serial usual again beyond any context and are architecturally somewhere between huge and mega super huge. Especially when the camera Gow typical zoomed far out and Kratos is like a little ant, reveals the full extent of the most beautiful and most of all creative-designed areas.
+ The same applies to the staging of the bloody spectacle. God of War typically offer particularly large Fights again plenty of camera deposits, Moves, Slow Motion, QuickTime events and other highlights. Especially the boss fights are often in bold in scene and quite entertaining, even if you as a connoisseur series never really feel is going to have somehow seen it all before.
+ Oh, apropos Moves: Kratos naturally schnetzelt back by anything not nailed hard and above all are not necessarily harmless finisher which the good man uses regularly in his re Achern, are not only again eerie creative, but also with a lot of red color highlighted.
+ This brings me also equal to a positive gameplay innovation. In Ascension you will not only meant to encourage common practice to push the series for a successful finisher at the right moment, the right Quicktime buttons. No occasionally you may even lend a hand and edit the opponent with punches and also the right moment to avoid the fatal counter enemy attacks, so that the bloody attack can be brought to an end. A great thing in my opinion, since one is a little more involved in the actions.
+ Optical Ascension is also again become a real treat. Scenes, textures, character models, effects - everything looks really damn smart, prima fits into a larger whole and makes this prequel a feast for the eyes.
+ And also the character design, such as that of Moloch or similar critters, I like personally really good. Many figures in Ascension act again made for the series respectively subject. Filthy, Brutal, bloody, mutilated, Muscular ... everything here and GoW-like.
+ In order for the dismantling of opponents will not be bored, of course, there again the obligatory puzzles deposits, but these are really turned out well and sometimes even require some brains. It's also nice that the new skills such as Uroboros amulet or Orkos Eidstein be repeatedly integrated into precisely that.
+ The soundtrack is also not to be sniffed again, very present and offers great pieces, including the famous GoW Theme.
--- NEUTRAL ---
: As a neutral I evaluate, among other things, the pad layout. Because here has not done anything great except for a few changes. One can now see so and so. For me personally it is frankly care less that it is equal to 90%, since Kratos has always controlled well and does it well in Ascension. Likewise, the changes are not really care. You get used to it eventually anyway and the impact on the gameplay going through some changes down to one / two exceptions also eh towards zero. With quadrangle - or triangle is distributed, for example, hard and normal attacks, on X is hopping like mad, dodged to the right stick and blocked with L1. New for example is also that occur Kratos via round button now or lying about weapons like spears or swords, can use long-term.
: In terms of collecting stuff, there is nothing new in the land of the gods. Gorgonenaugen and phoenix feathers for energy or. Magic expansions, green, blue and red orbs of course there again in crates and are passing here and there from time to time a few pieces of paper with notes around in the area.
: A new game element is the aforementioned Uroboros Amulet. This gem is destroyed certain objects or even entire sections Level can raise up (or vice versa). Is indeed be a nice idea of the makers, but does not work completely around in my opinion. Because usually only big obvious objects etc. you can change it.
The game time is measured by its predecessor, shorter. For the first pass I needed to normal just a little over 7 hours and that's okay, but it is not necessarily much of a GoW. But well, that's what nen fresh multiplayer mode (snoring), the person, however, does not interest me the bean.
--- --- CONTRA
- So, now for the worse because of Ascension also has a lot to offer. One of the greatest strengths was in my eyes always the story of God of War, with all the multi-faceted character, the sinister, always liquid narrative style and the exciting gods Titans Mythology. But this strength has been here nearly, oh what is almost, if mans takes exactly completely hidden. Whether it's at the pale (and sometimes very annoying) main villains - or just lay on the missing gods etc. ... I think of the two - the so-called Furies. The three Furies croak really just the whole season over around and offer In character as much content as the gray / white hair of Zeus. Often I knew personally did not really why I'm doing what I'm doing right now. You play most of the time just like that in front of him, complete quests, puzzles and some times smaller and bigger opponents and the until the next sequence eintrudelt. So I thought then always: "Aha, I see, well no matter further in the text". Here Ascension simply lacks the epic and sweeping, which one continues to captivate and towards the next story bite. And as a prequel fails Ascension totally in my eyes. Because in the few cut-scenes in which it comes to Kratos, one learns to a handful of smaller details nothing new around his past.
- Some levels are like a chewing gum and just do not end. The (Attention possibly spoiler) level with the metal snakes example (spoiler end) was for me a real puzzle with all the slides, rock climbing, back slides and climbing, making felt between inside thousands of opponents flat, and then sliding and climbing (very creative end Sony). So stretch the season is of course also a possibility.
- What I already talking about the next downside would be the slip passages. So who considered it for anything in the world for me was a great idea to coerce Kratos repeatedly to Rutschpartie that looks like he was surfing. I mean, that fits times always placed not into the bloody gameplay of GoW series and is for me the most unnecessary schwachsinnigste and innovation in this part, because it acts simple and also still spectacular in my eyes.
- Also weak are the felt ten million climbs that are totally undemanding not only, but 99% also only the set the scene are the scenes.
- What I have really missed are really cool weapon beside the blades, such as the "Nemeiischen lions" of Part 3. Of this remains nothing or no new ideas were stoked because Ascension's a prequel. Nope, you only get one after the four skills for the blades donated, and it's opponents anyway does not matter which one carries them to the afterlife. Personally, I'm always running around with fire and it was never the ability to switch from emergencies. Technically fight Ascension is the time, therefore even a little repetitive in my opinion.
- The Greeks got NEN other German voice actors. With so many game series in my eyes an absolute no-go and also very unfortunate because the old speaker as Kratos Faust fitted onto Gods Eye.
- Every now and then occur to skip. Something just does not belong in a finished game!
- In addition to the audio interruptions the makers packed even some Kamerabugs into play where Kratos had suddenly disappeared from the screen and the camera simply had no desire to follow him. Silly if you just NEN abyss was just hopped down. Here a chapter restart was then that always needed, because I have not seen Kratos.
--- OTHERS ---
- 4 levels of difficulty (the last "Titan" has to be enabled)
- The degree of difficulty can not be changed once the game starts
- No splitscreen
CONCLUSION:
Ascension is a good game and makes a lot of fun, no question. It has its (mainly optical) moments, looks graphically superb and provides a strong opponent design and again really big boss fights. Nevertheless, it shows - apart from the whole optical Kram times - this is the air out somehow. Because no single point ranges Ascension in my eyes to the magnificent third part approach, not to mention that it also tops this in only one area. Do not get me wrong, but as a God of War game and considering its predecessors (which must put up with it now even as part of a Saga and what I rate as a player in the saga) and working (I think three years) a so experienced Studios, the final product is still sobering. I definitely expected a lot more, which is not so far-fetched, because the parts increased steadily from time to time and were always Bigger and Bigger. Well, this time not, because unfortunately rowed the makers to perceived three courses back. This begins with the pale characters and quite lean, though pretty backdrop variety, takes place on the playful little existing for my taste variety and ends at boring storytelling that comes along without major highlights and stresses. Pity is that has been dispensed with new weapons, and to place its rather comical stuff like the slides found their way into the game. Added to join then even sometimes more and sometimes less frequent bugs, so just do not belong in a finished game. Knappe 4 stars
