God of War

Overview

• I've finished all but one of the God of War games twice so I'm a pretty big fan of the franchise and it's unbelievable how good this game is. . 

Good

• Kratos as a character in the past games was really one dimensional.  He was a true anti-hero and basically had one emotion, Anger, that drove him through all of the games.
• In this game they really strove to define Kratos' character through the interactions with his son.  He realizes the anger from the past games was a curse and wants his son to not follow in his footsteps. 
• Kratos' son could have been a hindrance,  but I enjoyed the banter between the characters and the game does a good job of making the father/son dynamic feel natural.   He is also important in combat as you can give him simple commands that can make a difference in battle. 
• The director of the game spent a couple of years away from gaming to work with some well known movie directors and it really shows in the cinematics and the storytelling. Kratos grew up.  
• The whole game is played from a perspective right behind Kratos with no cuts.  In previous games the camera would zoom out and show the massive spectacles of the game world and just how small the character we were playing was.  
• This camera is personal and it feels like you are on this journey with him.  The game world still has those huge vistas and architecture you just get to experience it form a different perspective that reinforces how small yet powerful you are compared to the rest of the world.  
• It's the best looking game I've ever played.  The amount of detail in the world and just on Kratos' beard is amazing. I am playing at 4K with HDR in resolution mode and haven't noticed any frame rate drops and it's just awesome.
• The camera makes combat feel completely different but somehow familiar. 
• Being right behind the main character makes combat feel visceral and intense.  When you perform a takedown of an enemy it's brutal and in your face. 
• You have to be mindful of enemies outside your field of view and the game does a great job of using the characters around you to inform you when you are about to be attacked. It feels natural and very few times have I got hit from behind without knowing it's coming.
• You can tell the influence of Dark Souls, as each combat encounter is meaningful and the strategy of who to take out first is needed in the higher difficulties.  One type of enemy you meet I'm not sure how to take out yet. 
• The animation and sound of throwing your axe is amazing,  it's just fun to throw it and hit different objects to see what happens.
• The story is entertaining and the cast of characters you meet are all fleshed out and you get to know some of the reasons and motivations of the characters and that really helps make the world feel real.  
• The world is huge and each place you visit has secrets and puzzles that have unique solutions that I want to try and solve.  

Bad

• One character uses some foul language a couple of times which I have could have done without.  
• The different enemy types have their own kill animations and I wish there was a bit more variation on those. 

Cool Moments

• Rowing in a boat across this huge lake and taking in the scenery while listening to the lore of the world.  
• When you play the game watch out for some of the small character animations, especially when you are getting in/out of a boat.  These are really cool and may be missed by a lot of gamers.  They are subtle but really add to the game and the world they are creating.