godofwar
Latest
'Spider-Man' and 'God of War' highlight Sony's E3 PS4 sale
Sony might not officially have a physical presence at E3 this year, but that isn't stopping it from holding its PlayStation Days of Play sale. Not only is there a limited edition, 1TB PS4 in steel black ($300) and a discount on the jet black PS4 Pro ($350), but you can get $20 off a PS Plus 12-Month membership and $30 off an annual PS Now subscription.
Sony releases its 'God of War' making-of documentary on YouTube
God of War was one of the biggest games of last year. It was among the top ten best-selling titles of 2018 and it scooped up numerous plaudits, including the top prize at the Game Awards and a coveted spot among Engadget's favorite games of the year. Bringing the game to life took an immense effort, and it took Sony's Santa Monica Studio a long time to revamp the action-adventure series for PS4.
Our favorite games of 2018
It didn't take long for us to declare 2017 a pretty great year for games, with a spectacular roster that included Super Mario Odyssey, Wolfenstein: The New Colossus and Assassin's Creed Origins. In our roundup last December we also listed what we were looking forward to in 2018 and, while very few of those titles made our final list this year, we can still confidently declare these past twelve months pretty awesome in the world of gaming. We got a new God of War title and possibly the best Smash Bros. installment yet, while a few indies like Into the Breach and Celeste knocked it out of the park as well. Rather than try to come up with a simple "best of" list, the editorial team here at Engadget proudly presents the games that made the biggest impact on us this year, whether they were technically impressive, emotionally engaging or just flat-out fun.
Watch The Game Awards right here at 9PM ET
We're officially in the thick of awards season, and after the Golden Globes nominations were revealed Thursday morning, it's time to turn our attention to The Game Awards. The ceremony celebrating the best of gaming from the last year takes place tonight in Los Angeles. As always, the entire show will be streaming for your viewing pleasure, and you can watch it below.
The Game Awards nominees include 'God of War,' 'Red Dead Redemption 2'
The Game Awards nominees for 2018 are here, and this year it's very, very obvious who's out front. The short list (disclaimer: we're a judge in the competition) is dominated by God of War and Red Dead Redemption 2, both of which have a whopping eight nominations apiece -- it will surprising if they don't take home at least one award when all is said and done. They will have fierce competition, mind you. Marvel's Spider-Man has seven nominations, while Assassin's Creed Odyssey, the indie platformer Celeste and Fortnite (thanks to its ongoing updates and growing esports status) are in the running with four noms each.
PlayStation Plus members can get 'Destiny 2' for free right now
September is shaping up to be a bumper month for PlayStation Plus members, as they can get their hands on Destiny 2 for free. It's the type of big-name recent release that Sony doesn't often include in its monthly PS Plus giveaways, and while most of the games in the latest batch will be available from September 4th, you can grab Destiny 2 as a freebie right now.
'God of War' gets New Game+ on August 20th
You may want to hold off on replaying God of War for the umpteenth time, at least for the next few days. Sony is rolling out New Game+ on August 20th, giving your next round of mythological father-and-son bonding new elements to make it a bit different than before. One of those elements is something speedrunners and grinders would love: the ability to skip cinematic scenes. You'll even be able to skip cinematics in normal mode after beating the game in New Game+ for the first time.
'God of War' New Game+ makes for difficult parenting
Deep into the first intermission at the Sony PlayStation E3 event today in Los Angeles, Stu Shuman asked President and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment America Shawn Layden about the possibility of New Game+ for God of War. Layden made no bones about it: the mode is coming to the triple A exclusive title.
‘Persona,’ ‘God of War’ named among year’s best concept art
While the E3 show floor might be a loud, raucous place where game publishers flaunt their vast wealth with gigantic booths, the show's Into the Pixel event is something altogether different. It's an intimate gallery-like setting where concept art from titles large and small is given the treatment it deserves before being shrunk down and put into a hastily assembled art book for a game's special edition. This year, Into the Pixel will feature works from titles including God of War, Persona 5, Homo Machina and Afterparty. If you like what you see, the works will be auctioned on eBay next week during the show.
‘God of War’ photo mode lets you apply filters and tweak faces
More video games are getting photo modes these days, but none have likely deserved it more than the recently-released God of War. The fourth game in the franchise is gorgeous, and wherever you land on its story or mechanics, the AAA polish resulted in a beautiful, high-resolution world. With the game's new photo mode, you can capture moments with plenty of customizable features to get just the right stylized or hyper-realistic look.
'God of War' director's video shows the human side of making games
It's easy to forget that real people create games. For them, the eventual launch is as much terrifying as it is exciting -- they've poured years of their life into a project whose success is far from guaranteed. And if you need an illustration of that point, you just have to ask God of War director Cory Barlog. He posted a video of his reaction to early reviews of the PS4 action blockbuster, and it adds a sorely-needed human element to an industry where developers are often reduced to a list of faceless names in the credits.
'God of War' returns to form with good ol' father-son bonding
By the time 2010's God of War III wrapped up, the bottomless pit of anger at the heart of protagonist / anti-hero Kratos had played itself out. The pantheon of Greek gods was destroyed, and Kratos was either dead or had disappeared -- and it almost didn't matter which. Over the course of three games, he had gone from a flawed, murderous but sympathetic character to rage personified. Without that anger, what was left to say about Kratos? A lot, it turns out. Sony wisely put Kratos' adventures on hold following a disappointing 2013 prequel before showing off a completely re-invented God of War for the PS4, lead by God of War II writer / director Cory Barlog. After spending the last week playing the game's main quest, I can definitively say that developer Santa Monica Studios has successfully brought God of War into the modern gaming era. The game's visuals are stunning, gameplay is varied and engaging, the new combat system and over-the-shoulder point of view add a fresh feel while keeping the fluid action the series is known for. But, most importantly, Kratos is more nuanced and shows more emotion in the game's opening hour than he did in the entire previous trilogy.
Tribeca Games returns with a dive into ‘Shadow of the Tomb Raider’
Last year's Tribeca Film Festival included a companion festival all about gaming and this year sees the return of Tribeca Games. During the 2018 festival, which runs from April 18th through 29th, Tribeca Games will give attendees behind-the-scenes looks at the upcoming Shadow of the Tomb Raider and God of War reboot as well as a League of Legends tournament.
Sony’s latest PS4 Pro bundle is an ode to ‘God of War’
If you were a fan of the original God of War, then chances are you're pretty hyped about the reboot. If you're planning on playing the Sony-exclusive game but haven't picked up a PS4 yet, then you may want to check out the Limited Edition God of War PlayStation Pro bundle. This will launch on the game's release date, April 20th, and retail for $400 in the US and $500 in Canada. You can pre-order it now.
The 'God of War' reboot comes to the PS4 on April 20th
It's been nearly two years since Sony announced it would revitalize the God of War franchise, and now we finally know when Kratos' next adventure will arrive. The next game in the series, simply titled God of War, will be available on April 20th. To go along with the release date, Sony has also detailed some extremely lavish and expensive pre-order bundles and released a new trailer. The latter will likely be more exciting to fans, so let's start there, shall we?
Sony streams PS4 games on PlayStation Now for the first time
Sony's game-streaming service, PlayStation Now, is getting a huge boost today thanks to the addition of 20 PS4 titles. The company announced that, for the first time, subscribers can use its offering to play games like God of War III Remastered, Killzone Shadow Fall, Saints Row IV: Re-Elected, Resogun, Ultimate Street Fighter IV and WWE 2K16, to mention a few. With the newly included PlayStation 4 games, Sony's PS Now digital library has reached more than 500 total. That means if you have a PS4 or Windows PC, now may be a good time to sign up for that seven-day trial and see if the service is worth it.
The next 'God of War' comes to PS4 in early 2018
When Sony teased us with a new God of War game at last year's E3, its presentation was almost perfect. The 10-minute gameplay reveal had almost everything: the return of Kratos, alive and well after the events of God of War III; a beautiful environment; thrilling combat; an epic beard; and, most important, a strong indication of character development. Not only were we getting the Destroyer of Worlds back, but we were seeing a more human side of Kratos. The only thing missing from the reveal was a release window. A year later at E3 2017, we finally have one. God of War for PlayStation 4 will be available in early 2018.
Kratos finds his humanity in the new 'God of War'
It was never in question whether God of War would return. The franchise is one of Sony's most successful exclusives of the past decade, and the main trilogy of games were both critically acclaimed and hugely popular. But the conclusion of God of War III seemed to put a pretty definitive end on the series while the relatively lackluster prequel God of War: Ascension that came a few years later showed that Sony had pretty much run out of ways to continue telling the story of its antihero, Kratos. That is, unless developer Santa Monica Studios made a break from the series' past, changed the gameplay, left Greek mythology behind and, most important, showed us a more human side of Kratos than we'd ever seen before. Judging from the preview of the forthcoming God of War that kicked off Sony's E3 event, that's exactly what's happened, and it completely reinvigorated my interest in a series that felt like it had nothing left to say.
'God of War' is coming to PS4
Kratos is back -- and he brought his ax. Sony kicked off its E3 2016 press conference with a familiar face, just as we're finally getting a new God of War game on PS4. Moving on from last year's God of War III remake, Sony has a game that looks bigger in scale than anything we've seen yet, which is saying something for this series. Kratos took on a giant, and just before the end of the stage we saw ... a dragon? Check after the break to watch the nearly 10-minute gameplay trailer yourself. But don't expect any details like a release date just yet. Follow all the news from E3 2016 here!
'God of War III' is the latest big game to get a PS4 makeover
Yes, developers are still rehashing popular last-generation games in an attempt to pad out a thin current-gen catalog -- meet God of War III Remastered, a PlayStation 4 overhaul of the classic deity-slaying PS3 title. Sony Santa Monica isn't being too specific about what's new, but it's promising prettier, "silky smooth" 1080p brawling (here's hoping that means 60 frames per second) and a new photo mode that lets you capture vicious kills or scenic vistas. The PS4 refresh arrives on July 14th in the US, and July 17th in the UK. It won't make up for the Uncharted 4 delay, but it'll give you something fun (if not strictly new) to play during the usual summer game drought.
