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God of War Ragnarok is getting a free roguelite expansion next week
Sony surprised God of War Ragnarok fans with the announcement of a new Valhalla-themed expansion. Not only that, the DLC is free and you can play it next week.
'God of War: Ragnarok' reportedly lands this November
A leak suggests 'God of War: Ragnarok' could launch this November despite murmurs of a delay to 2023.
Sony details 'God of War: Ragnarok' accessibility features
Among the more than 60 options is a customizable high-contrast mode.
'God of War' heads to PC on January 14th
Nearly four years after debuting on PlayStation 4, Sony's God of War is making its way to PC on January 14th, 2022.
Google's latest Stadia game studio will be run by a 'God of War' veteran
Google is opening another Stadia studio to create originals for its game streaming service, and it's once again tapping big-name talent to boost its chances of success. The company is adding a team in Playa Vista, California that will be run by Shannon Studstill, the former head of God of War developer SIE Santa Monica Studio -- not far away, we'd add.
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.
PlayStation Experience panel topics include God of War, Nathan Drake, PlayStation AMA
The PlayStation Experience will host fans of the PlayStation family next month as they try out recently-released and upcoming games, but about 20 panels are also on the agenda for next month's event in Las Vegas. While an exact schedule hasn't been nailed down, a recent PlayStation Blog post has outlined the topics for each confirmed panel. Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson, voices and animation sources of The Last of Us' respective Joel and Ellie, will be present for a panel on how voice-over and performance capture are integrated into games. Naughty Dog will host two panels, one featuring a video that looks back on the studio's 30 years of existence, the other following the process of character creation (including Nathan Drake's transition to PS4). Santa Monica Studio will offer up a God of War series retrospective, and Sony President Shuhei Yoshida, VP of Publisher Relations Adam Boyes and Software Product Development Head for Sony Worldwide Studios Scott Rohde will also be present for an "Ask Me Anything"-style presentation. A full list of event descriptions can be parsed through on the PS Blog, with additional panels covering N++, Diablo 3: Ultimate Evil Edition, the LittleBigPlanet series and what it's like to work in Japan's gaming industry. If any topics interest you or you just like the idea of playing games before they're released, PlayStation Experience is inviting those 18 and over to Las Vegas for the weekend of December 6. [Image: PlayStation Experience]
Cory Barlog back at Sony Santa Monica, creating something 'huge'
Cory Barlog, who you may know as the BAFTA-winning writer and game director on God of War 2, has returned to Sony Santa Monica after leaving the studio in late 2007. In his half-announcement, half-industry travel diatribe on the PlayStation Blog, Barlog reveals he's already working on a secret project he can't talk about yet - something "freaking huge." "We're putting together a team as I type this, an Ocean's 11 kind of thing," he wrote on the PlayStation Blog. "We are searching the world high and low for the best of the BEST to come and be on the ground floor of this endeavor." Balrog joined Sony's Santa Monica Studios in 2003 as animation director on the original God of War. His most recent work involved directing cinematics on Crystal Dynamics' Tomb Raider reboot.
God of War: Ascension's 'Trial of Archimedes' patch out now
A promised patch to adjust the difficulty found during a late game combat sequence in God of War: Ascension has been deployed. Santa Monica Studio Community Strategist Aaron Kaufman posted on the PlayStation Blog to explained the changes introduced by the game's patch.Found in Chapter 28 of the game's single-player campaign, the 'Trial of Archimedes' pits Kratos against waves of enemies as he ascends a tower toward Ascension's final chapter. The tweak will now provide players across all difficulties with a slew of "green health orbs and a nominal amount of blue magic orbs" after each successive wave, of which there are three."In every God of War game, establishing a well-paced difficulty ramp towards the end of the game is paramount to us. Based on player response, the degree of challenge offered here was short of our goal of being perfectly balanced," Kaufman wrote.The 1.03 patch also adds new, visual multiplayer customization options called "Marks" that players can obtain based on a number of criteria, including selected allegiance. For more details, check the PlayStation Blog.
Controversial God of War: Ascension trophy altered in upcoming patch
In a statement sent to Joystiq, developer Sony Santa Monica has confirmed it will change the name of a controversial God of War: Ascension trophy in a patch that should be available alongside the game on Tuesday. Once the patch is applied, the name of the trophy will be "Bros Before Foes."Originally named "Bros Before Hos" (as seen above), the trophy pops up soon after you help God of War's anti-hero, Kratos, brutally pummel a Fury, one of a trio of female antagonists in the game. (Though it's not a spoiler in light of the fact that Kratos beats everyone up, we've omitted the trophy description.) The change comes after negative reaction from early reviews to the jarring scene on and the attached award, which is perceived as misogynistic."We have created and will soon push out a patch for God of War: Ascension that alters the title of one of the game Trophies. The text was offensive to some members of our community and impacted their enjoyment of the game," Sony Santa Monica's statement noted. "We are endlessly committed to ensuring that our community can fully enjoy the experiences the team has created. As such, we've addressed the feedback and amended the Trophy in question."Players will be instructed to download the update once God of War: Ascension has been inserted into an internet-connected PlayStation 3. No other aspect of the game is affected by the patch.God of War: Ascension launches exclusively for the PlayStation 3 on March 12, 2013. For more on the game, check out Joystiq's review.
God of War: Ascension review: Spectacle slipstream
In the race for spectacle, Sony Santa Monica's God of War franchise is constantly attempting to lap itself. From striking down a god to tearing down giants, it would seem there are few bodies – human, mythical being, god or behemoth – left for Kratos to shatter. In response to the angry protagonist's bloody evolution, Santa Monica has ventured to the only place left for Kratos to wage war: the past.God of War: Ascension tells the story of Kratos before the events of his all-out war against Ares, the Greek God of War. But the narrative fabric woven throughout the franchise has begun to split, and Ascension's thinly constructed premise does little to enhance its characters in any meaningful way.Its narrative issues aside, Ascension provides the distinct God of War flair required to eradicate all that stands in Kratos' way. Wielding a familiar set of chained blades, the popular anti-hero fluidly works his murder-pinwheel magic to perfection. The combat system, however, is less complicated than before, abandoning an arsenal of collected weaponry in favor of sticking with Kratos' trusty, sharp sidekicks. It's Kratos at his least materialistic, eschewing the pack-rat mentality of previous entries in favor of simplicity. %Gallery-181288%
PlayStation All-Stars: Battle Royale review: Smashing
Nintendo's presence looms large in the fledgling category of game mascot fighters. For years, the company has had a monopoly on the concept with its Smash Bros. series, essentially making it a genre of one. Sony may be the only other publisher with a large enough bench to support such a concept, and as a result PlayStation All-Stars: Battle Royale has been subject to many comparisons with Nintendo's beloved franchise (not all of them favorable).All-Stars certainly wears its influences on its sleeve, but thanks to some clever ideas, it also earns its keep. This isn't just a carbon copy, but a well-designed game that could go toe-to-toe with Nintendo's fighters.%Gallery-171477%
God of War: Ascension Collector's Edition isn't angry enough
Remember the God of War: Ascension Collector's Edition that popped up earlier this year? Sony has officially unveiled it, and the $80 package includes some lovely God of War goodies. First and foremost is a statue of the god-killer himself, Kratos, looking much less angry than usual. He looks almost introspective, really, perhaps pondering the meaning of life or, more likely, precisely how to rip open the skull of the nearest elephant man.The collector's edition also includes a copy of the game in a Steelbook case, a soundtrack, multiplayer double XP unlock, a "pass for future DLC content" a dynamic theme and an avatar pack. The package will be available on God of War: Ascension's launch date, March 12, 2013, and is available for pre-order now.Speaking of which, pre-ordering the collector's or standard edition will net you the "Mythological Heroes Multiplayer Pack," which includes four characters: Perseus, Achilles, Odysseus, and Orion.
Watch the first God of War: Ascension gameplay right here
Wondering what that just-announced multiplayer focus will look like in God of War: Ascension? The game's creative lead, Todd Papy, is currently setting up shop with the US PlayStation Blog's Jeff Rubenstein and will be broadcasting footage of the game across the interwebs any minute now.What's that, you wanna ask questions too? Thanks to the power of the internet, you can do just that via Twitter with Sony's synergistic hashtag, "#GodofWarAscension."But don't ask if Kratos is still gonna be super upset in this one. We've got that news for you right here: he totally will be.
Creating the world of Starhawk with music
What do an orchestra, heavy metal guitars, harmonicas, Chinese flutes and dobros have in common? The Starhawk soundtrack, of course!
God of War: Ascension officially revealed [update: director is Todd Papy]
After the teaser trailer leaked last night, Sony has officially announced God of War Ascension. Unfortunately, we don't have much more info beyond the teaser trailer (above), though Sony will be hosting a live streaming event on PlayStation Blog on Monday, April 30 at 8am Pacific (11am Eastern) that promises "a glimpse of what's in store."In the meantime, the PlayStation Twitter account will accept questions about the game – using the hashtag #godofwarascension – until this Friday at 3pm Pacific. Those whose questions are chosen for the live stream will receive a signed God of War Ascension poster. Poster or not, we'll definitely be watching the stream and reporting any news as soon as we get it.Update: Ascension's director is Todd Papy, who previously served as design director for God of War 3.
Composer confirms work on 'God of War IV' [update]
The man behind the orchestral arrangements for Valve's upcoming Dota 2, as well as orchestration in films like the recent remake of Halloween, claims to be working on the music for "God of War IV." Timothy Williams lists the unannounced God of War entry in his resume under "Video Games," and he denotes it as an "upcoming" title. This isn't the first time we've seen news of another God of War title popping up; this development follows a pair of job listings calling for talent to work on an unannounced God of War title at Sony's Santa Monica studios. The word on the street - yes, we're from the streets - is that the next, still unannounced God of War entry will arrive in time for fall 2012. Sony, meanwhile, hasn't said a peep, though we've reached out for comment once more all the same. Update: Sony tells us, "We do not comment on rumors or speculation about our products." Update 2: Timothy Williams confirmed the listing as accurate to Joystiq and explained that he is, "working on it in the capacity of orchestrations and some additional music," but wanted to note that Tyler Bates is the "main composer" and should be listed as such. Bates had yet to return request for comment as of this update.
God of War Master Collection 'currently' only for Germany
As much as we love writing about video games here at Joystiq, it pales in comparison to our real hobby: crushing hopes and dreams. If you were looking forward to playing through every single God of War game in the God of War Master Collection that was spotted on Amazon's German site, and you don't actually live in Germany, you're out of luck. When asked about the listing, Sony informed Joystiq that the Master Collection is "currently only slated for the German market." It seems a bit unlikely that such a collection would be exclusive to a single region, so we wouldn't be surprised to see it announced for other regions as well. Of course, we'll take all the dream crushing we can get, even if it is only temporary.
God of War 2's lost Atlantis level pulled from the abyss
When God of War 3 director Stig Asmussen recently revealed that "we cut less" from the PS3 game than from its PS2 predecessors, he wasn't kidding! As PlayStation Blog has unearthed, God of War 2 has the entire "lost" city of Atlantis buried in its design history. In the video after the break, level creator Jonathan Hawkins guides us through the blueprint. This was his first "big chance," recalls Hawkins, who says "knowing what i know now, it cracks me up how all out I went." He reckons three to four months were spent on the intricate Atlantis level before it was eventually scrapped as the game's story evolution went in a different direction. (Kratos does take care of unfinished Atlantis business in the new Ghost of Sparta PSP game.) "As a designer you have to have tough chops and, you know, roll with the punches," Hawkins warns with a chuckle about the unsentimental creative process. "I wish you guys could have played it."
Have a look at what God of War 3 left on the cutting room floor
Few would describe God of War 3 as an abridged action-adventure. "I would say we cut less" compared to the previous games, director Stig Asmussen told 1UP in a video interview covering the topic of the game's "deleted scenes." Still, cut they did. "There were a couple of big moments that we lost," Asmussen recounted. "We had a [water-based] puzzle with this guy named Ixion [...] He was a really cool character. The inspiration was -- I don't remember his name -- but he was the flying guy from The Road Warrior." The objective, of course, was to drown Ixion. "The big cut," Asmussen then revealed, "was the end of the game" -- an unpolished, three-way rumble between Gaia, Zeus and Kratos (pictured). "It was a tough cut, but it's something that needed to be done." Hear more from Asmussen and producer Steve Caterson and see alpha footage of the deleted scenes in the video embedded after the break.
