Ovewatch Archives 2018 brings new looks for Reaper, Hanzo, and more
Blizzard has launched the latest update for Overwatch. Dubbed Overwatch Archives 2018, it’s effectively this year’s iteration of the Uprising even from 2017. It introduces a variety of new content, but as always the case, the highlight for many are the newly added skins.
A total of eight Legendary skins have been added. Fans of Moira, Reaper, Winston, Hanzo, Mei, Doomfist, Sombra, and Lucio are all in for a treat, as those characters have new attire to equip. These can be obtained through the current loot box, which also contains a total of 60 new items. More than 100 cosmetics from last year’s Uprising event are also available once again and include things like highlight intros, emotes, and more. You can see all of the new skins above, along with some of the other new cosmetics you can now get your hands on.
Another big component of this update is the Retribution Brawl. This new limited-time PvE mode is set eight years before the events of Overwatch. It focuses on a mission involving Genji, McCree, Moira, and Reyes (who ultimately becomes Reaper, hence his new skin), whom you’ll play as in this mode. There’s also another version that lets you play as any character you wish.
Regardless of which character configuration you use, you’ll playing on a new map set in Venice. This is a modified version of a new PvP map called Rialto that’s played in the Escort game type.
If you grow tired of Retribution or just want to dip back into what was available last year, Uprising’s co-op Brawl has also returned. That teams up Tracer, Torbjorn, Reinhardt, and Mercy as they attempt to liberate King’s Row. Those characters all received new skins as part of last year’s event, and they return as part of this new patch for those who haven’t already gotten their hands on them.
The Archives 2018 update is live now on PC, PS4, and Xbox One and runs from April 10-30. You’ll have until then to collect any of the cosmetics you want and take part in the Retribution Brawl.
Some of the best films of all time are those whose different strengths all work in concert to create a unified, engrossing whole. The Shining, The Social Network, and Jaws are all excellent examples of films made up of strong individual parts complementing each other to form a fantastic work of art. That is absolutely true of God of War – its musical score elevates story moments, which flow seamlessly into fantastic action gameplay, which facilitates exploration and puzzles that reward you with a deeper understanding of its characters and its expansive and beautiful world. God of War is a masterful composition of exceptional interlocking parts, deliberate in its design and its foreshadowing, which pays off in unexpected ways in both the gameplay and story.
After months of anticipation, God of War is almost upon us. Join Max Scoville, Brian Altano, and Jonathon Dornbush as they have an impassioned but spoiler-free conversation about their time the latest adventure of PlayStation’s angriest mascot.
Obviously, we didn’t cover everything, so be sure to check out Jonathon’s full God of War review… but it’s pretty safe to say that we’re all quite fond of the game.
The new God of War game for PlayStation 4 is almost here. One of the first things you may notice is that the combat is changed significantly from past entries in series. We spoke with game director Cory Barlog today about these changes and why the developer, after seven games in the series, thought now was the right time to shake things up with something new.
Asked directly why they changed the combat, Barlog replied, “Because we have made seven games with that combat system.”
Barlog said he challenged the developers at Sony Santa Monica to come up with a new and exciting take on combat–not unlike the challenge for God of War 1 more than a decade ago.
“I was looking around at how incredibly talented our systems and combat team was, and I was like, ‘I need them to take on the challenge that we had on God of War 1.’ That challenge of nobody really knows what that system was when I first got there in 2003. Combat was, I don’t want to say a mess, but it was more like they hadn’t found their sea legs with combat.
“Looking at the new God of War, we need a chance to show what we’ve learned over the last decade. So I didn’t want to change it for the sake of changing it, I wanted it to reflect how all of us [at the studio] have grown up. What we play is different. God of War is a reflection of what we play.”
God of War is not the first established franchise to mix things up in a big way as the franchise moved forward. Barlog pointed to Resident Evil 7, with its first-person camera, as an example of a game whose developers were not afraid to stray from the familiar and do something new.
Resident Evil 7 “shows that creators with a very strong vision and a really good team can make these bold decisions and have the audience follow them, even if they are resistant at the beginning,” Barlog said.
Every time something changes in a big way, there will be an element of “natural resistance” from the audience. Barlog anticipates people may feel the same about how the studio changed God of War’s combat. It’s similar to how people get worked up every time a new James Bond actor is announced or when Facebook changes its layout.
One of the biggest changes to God of War’s combat is that Kratos now wields a special weapon: the Leviathan Axe. Forged by the same blacksmith brothers who made Thor’s Mjolnir, the weapon is incredibly powerful and has mystical properties. The brothers created the weapon after seeing the destruction that Thor inflicted on the world with his hammer that they also created and wanted to make up for it. Additionally, Kratos now fights along his son, Atreus, whom Kratos can command to fire arrows.
Not only that, but the pace of combat is changed to feel slower and more dramatic, without sacrificing how brutal it feels. Further still, the game swaps the singular camera angles of its predecessors for a more fluid over-the-shoulder perspective. While it may seem as if this limits your combat opportunities, it actually provides a novel combat system. Similar to Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, God of War translates your point-of-view into an up-close-and-personal school of gameplay.
A lot has changed since Kratos’ days in Greece, but monsters still need killing. God of War releases on PS4 in a few days, so we decided to walk you through the fundamentals of the game’s new axe-swinging combat.
If you’ve watched any number of trailers or previews over the past several years, you probably know the new God of War swaps the singular camera angles of its predecessors for a more fluid over-the-shoulder perspective. While it may seem as if this limits your combat opportunities, it actually provides a novel combat system. Similar to Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, God of War translates your point-of-view into an up-close-and-personal school of gameplay.
In the video above, reviews editor Peter Brown and video producer Mike Mahardy guide you through the basics of God of War’s combat on PS4. They also show a few unlockable skills for Kratos’ axe, shield, and magic attacks, as well as the archery of his son Atreus.
For more on God of War on PS4, read Pete’s full review here. For deeper dives into the world, lore, skill trees, and inspirations behind the series reboot, stay tuned to GameSpot as we approach the game’s April 20 release.
The God of War series has, until now, stuck very close to the standards set in the original 2005 game. More than a decade (and many games) later, it makes sense that Sony would want to mix things up for the aged hack-and-slash series. Like so many popular franchises that have reinvented themselves in recent years, the new God of War dips into the well of open-world RPG tropes. It also shifts its focus to Norse mythology, casting off the iconic Greek gods and legends that provided the basis for every previous game.
These major shifts don’t signal the end of God of War as we know it, rather they allow the series’ DNA to express itself in new ways. There are many reasons why the structural transformations are a good thing, but it’s what’s become of Kratos, the hulking death machine, that leaves a lasting impression. A furious, bloodthirsty icon has transformed into a sensitive father figure. Part of him retains the old violent tendencies that made him a star long ago. However, with his young son Atreus to protect and guide, we also see Kratos take a deep breath and bury his savage instincts in order to set a positive example.
Watching Kratos take care in nurturing his child’s sensibilities does feel a bit jarring at the start, but thanks to the natural writing, fitting voice actors, and flawless animation, it’s easy to get sucked into the duo’s journey and buy into their mutual growth. Though he is a teacher, Kratos carries a mountain of grief and self pity that only the innocence of his son can help him overcome. And Atreus experiences his own ups and downs that might have set him down a very different path if not for Kratos’ guiding hand.
Atreus was raised in isolation from the dangers of the wild world around him, and rightfully fails to grasp his place in it when confronted with the realities of a land protected by and under siege from gods. It’s the death of his mother prior to the start of the game that thrusts Atreus and Kratos outward; her dying wish was to have her ashes spread atop the highest peak in the land. As if wild predators and ghastly fiends weren’t obstacles enough, representatives from the pantheon of Norse mythology arise in an attempt to disrupt their mission, establishing the amplified stakes and the clash of impressive forces that you expect from God of War.
And like its predecessors, God of War is a technical and artistic showcase. It is without a doubt one of the best-looking console games ever released, with every breathtaking environment and mythical character exhibiting impressive attention to detail and beautifying flourishes aplenty. The vision behind all of this is evident in Kratos’ meticulously grizzled physique and weathered equipment, in the atmospheric effects that transform believably rustic environments into the stuff of dreams, and in the overall design and structure of the world itself.
The majority of the journey is set in the realm of Midgard. At its heart lies a wide lake that you can explore by canoe, with a coastline dotted by optional puzzles, formidable opponents, and entrances to the map’s primary regions. Your mission will carry you through to most of these places, and along the way you’ll likely take note of inaccessible pathways and glimpses of sealed treasures. There’s always ample room to explore off the main path and good reasons to give into curiosity regardless, but these teases in particular spur you to re-examine previously visited areas as your capabilities expand.
With the boy fighting by your side, firing arrows or choking unsuspecting enemies, you will team up against corrupted cave trolls, face towering beasts, and fight hundreds of intelligent supernatural warriors during your travels. Kratos prefers to use an axe these days, which functions very differently than the chained Blades of Chaos he’s known for. This comes with the very satisfying and cool ability to magically summon your weapon to your hand (like Thor and his hammer), a move that never gets old.
And really, neither does combat in general. The new over-the-shoulder camera brings you directly into the fray, and consequently limits your view. You can’t see enemies from all angles at once and must be on guard at all times. By default the game provides proximity icons to alert you of incoming attacks, but it’s worth tinkering with the UI for a more immersive experience as you get the hang of how fights flow.
It’s rare that you can actually spam combos without putting yourself at risk, and this emphasis on mindfulness solidifies God of War’s graduation from the traditional hack-and-slash doldrums. The realities of fighting with an axe also makes skirting away from harm an exacting process. But when variables align and you get to lay into an enemy, Kratos’ dexterous axe handling allow him to hit hard, and give you the opportunity to flex his might with a bit of style.
The basic set of close-range combos and weapon behaviors can be expanded by pouring experience points into a skill tree and by activating magical rune abilities that bind to your two attack inputs. There are a lot of options to consider and tactics to learn, including skill trees for fighting empty-handed. There’s a wonderful rhythm to be found when switching from axe to fists, and then into Kratos’ satisfyingly brutal execution moves, all the while ducking and rolling out of harm’s way.
God of War’s combat is already great at the start, but it gets better as it steadily introduces one new layer after another. You can absolutely stumble into incredibly punishing enemies that are made easier with adept timing and mastery of every available skill, but you can also succeed at any level so long as you’ve mastered the art of parrying and dodging incoming attacks.
Atreus can’t be configured to the same extent that Kratos can, but there are still a lot of ways to tailor his capabilities to your liking. The arrows he fires can be laced with different types of magic, with multiple elemental and functionality upgrades, and he eventually gains the ability to summon spectral animals that can harm and distract enemies, or collect items. Thanks to the smart button layout, it’s actually very easy to both attack and defend as Kratos while also commanding Atreus. God of War gives you plenty to do in any given moment and makes you feel like an experienced warrior in the process.
The armor that Kratos and Atreus wear can influence a range of character stats, elemental affinities, and may include slots for enchantments that grant further bonuses. Armor can be purchased or crafted using the few resources scattered about the world, and can be upgraded by the game’s two blacksmiths: two dwarven brothers constantly at odds with each other. There’s Brok, the foul-mouthed blue dwarf, and Sindri, a far more gentle yet tragically germophobic fellow–a gag that is usually funny, though occasionally pushed a bit too hard.
As enjoyable as those two can be, it’s Mimir that ultimately steals the show. The horned, one-eyed sage accompanies you and Atreus for the majority of the game, serving as your guide to Midgard, and an inside source into the ins and outs of Norse politics. Mimir and the blacksmiths have strong individual personalities, as with every other character you meet during the course of the game. We’re keeping other identities vague in general to avoid spoilers, but regardless of who you bump into, God of War’s cast is strong, convincing, and oddly enchanting. But the real accomplishment is how, even though there are just a handful of characters to interact with, their big personalities color your adventure with tantalizing anecdotes that draw you into the world and imbue the land with a tangible sense of history.
If there’s any piece of the overarching mission that feels like a letdown, it’s the final battle against the primary antagonist. He’s great from a narrative standpoint, unraveling in a manner that changes your perspective, but it’s the fight itself that leaves you wanting. There are plenty of big boss battles and tests of skill throughout the course of the game, yet this fight doesn’t reach the same heights, and feels like it was played a little safe. It could be an effect of configuring Kratos and Atreus just so, or it may just be too easy to begin with. Thankfully, that’s not all the game has up its sleeve.
Two optional areas in particular seem designed with the endgame in mind. The first, Muspelheim, offers a series of battles in arenas surrounded by lava flows and scorched earth. Some trials are merely fights against strong enemies, while others require you to defeat waves in quick succession–if even one enemy remains alive, it only takes a few seconds for others to resurrect automatically. The other realm, Niflheim, is randomly generated every time you visit, but it’s always filled with poisonous gas. The goal there is to survive for as long as possible while racking up kills and collecting treasure, and escape before the poison takes hold. Both locations offer tense and rewarding pursuits that are only accessible if you play at your best.
And odds are that you’ll be so hooked by the story’s pacing and procession of events that there will be plenty of other side activities left in Midgard after the credits roll. God of War isn’t set in a massive open world, but it is stuffed with secrets and quests. Where most games with long and diverse quest opportunities tend to run a bit stale by the end, God of War has the opposite effect. It’s far longer than it needs to be, though you hope you never run out of things to do.
In many ways God of War is what the series has always been. It’s a spectacular action game with epic set pieces, big-budget production values, and hard-hitting combat that grows more feverish and impressive as you progress. What may surprise you is how mature its storytelling has become. Like Kratos, God of War recalls the past while acknowledging the need to improve. Everything new it does is for the better, and everything it holds onto benefits as a result. Kratos is no longer a predictable brute. God of War is no longer an old-fashioned action series. With this reboot, it confidently walks a new path that will hopefully lead to more exciting adventures to come.
