The first playable God of War 3 (GoW3) Demo was shown live at E3 2009. We will review various elements of the GoW3 game like Gameplay, Graphics, Sound, Replay value, etc.
GOD OF WAR 3 GAMEPLAY:
Hit, game review, Start on the PS3 controller and you see Kratos on a narrow path, game review, on a mountainside. The Sun God Helios seems to buzz around on his Sun Chariot, but we, game review, can rip his skull later. More pressing matters are at hand (or blade). You are immediately drawn in the action as the soldiers from the Army of Olympus surround you.
Tapping SQUARE to hack and slash is typical of God of War. However, Kratos can now Grab in different styles using various buttons. Grab enemies using CIRCLE and then you can use different buttons to throw them, use as battering ram, rip it away, etc.
Kratos' sub-weapons are now available on the D-pad and can be switched mid-move. Previous God of War versions had the sub-weapons as, game review, combination, game review, of R1, R2, L1, L2 and SQUARE, TRIANGLE, CIRCLE, game review, and X. Not any more.
In GoW3, simply press the down button for the Cestus, and the right button for the Blades. The Cestus is good, game review, for close-up melee fighting, whereas the Blades are suitable for general attacks.
The Amulet of Fates from God of War 2 has been replaced by (Apollo's?) Fire Bow. Unlike Typhon's Bane, the magic meter for the Fire Bow regenerates automatically. You can make 6 hits to drain out the Fire Bow meter. The meter fills up completely after another 5 seconds. That is useful, considering that you don't have to conserve your Fire, game review, Bow only for boss battles.
A thoughtful innovation has been done with the Quick Time Event buttons. Previous God of War games had the QTE button prompts appear in the middle of the screen. In God of War 3, SQUARE prompt comes on the left side, CIRCLE button on the right, TRIANGLE comes at the top and X comes at the bottom of the screen. L1 and R1 come on the top-left and top-right corners respectively. CIRCLE button mashing comes at the bottom-right corner. This is a commendable addition, game review, to this epic series as, game review, we don't have to stare at the screen during the finishing moves of a boss-battle to see the button prompt.
Just observing towards which side of the screen the prompt comes up, determines which buttons to mash making it just that little bit easy.
GOD OF WAR 3 GRAPHICS:
God of War 1 & 2 had, game review, a varying framerate;,, game review, game review, the same has been continued in GoW3. The framerate varies between 30-60 fps, game review, . Stig Asmussen has followed in the footsteps of Cory Barlog and originally David Jaffe who wanted important, game review, scenes in the game irrespective of the framerate.
However, Stig has reiterated that the framerate will not go below 30 fps.
The vivid art direction comes to the fore, as Kratos makes his way across the picturesque mountainsides to the city of Olympia, bludgeoning and battering the Army of Olympus creatures like undead soldiers, Centaurs, Harpies & Cyclops. A lot of thought has gone in each move. The attention to detail can be judged by the fact that each teeth of Kratos, game review, were separately, game review, modelled.
The processing power of the, game review, Playstation 3 has been used to its maximum.
In God of War 2, we could see only 15 enemies on the screen at a time. This has been beefed, game review, up to 50 in GoW3. Kratos is also now a 20,000 polygons hulk compared to 5000, game review, in GoW2. And we haven't even started talking about the Titans. Stig has said that some of the levels will be on the Titans themselves. (remember the Fear Nothing trailer?). In the Demo, the Fire Titan Perseus is shown in the background; a monstrous living, game review, being made of volcanic rocks and molten lava that flows down his, game review, body.
The Fire Titan Perseus is pitted against the Sun God Helios as an engrossing backdrop while Kratos slashes the undead soldiers in the foreground.
The Demo has a resolution of 720p. The final in-game resolution will be 1080p & 1080i.
GOD OF WAR 3 AUDIO:
After Gerard Marino's amazing score, game review, in GoW2, GoW3 music seems like another hit-to-be. The music really rouses you up. The background music differs depending on the game situation and blends perfectly with the overall tone of the game.
When you are alone, the score simmers quietly, and drums up forebodingly, when you are about to face baddies, game review, .
GOD OF WAR 3 STORY:
The story is set 3 hours in the actual game. It has been confirmed by Stig that the demo is in-game part and not a separate play-through. We are left to fill in some blanks as to: the whereabouts of the Blade of Olympus, lack of a magic meter, how the sole sub-weapon Cestus was obtained,,, game review, game review, why does the Fire Titan Perseus attack Kratos, etc.
However a few things have been verified by Stig: Kratos will battle 5-10 Gods including the Gods seen on the balcony during the final scene of GoW2. He wont have sex with women; which could mean men (heaven forbid!) or Goddesses (yummy!) The Titan Gaia and the Blade of Olympus left out in the trailers & demo will make a comeback in GoW3.
REVIEW BOTTOMLINE:
Stig Asmussen has declared, "We want this game to show what the Playstation 3 is capable of." That is a pretty strong statement and going by the looks of the Demo, one that is surely living up to the promise.
The background score is awe-inspiring. The Firebow and the QTE positioning are commendable additions to the gameplay. The beautiful graphics use the full power of the PS3.
The bottomline is that the potential, game review, & possibilities in God of War 3 are unlimited. It is like a Chest filled with Magics Orbs waiting to be opened.
This review is provided to you by the God of War 4 Community.
Showing posts with label story. Show all posts
Showing posts with label story. Show all posts
2010/03/04
2010/03/03
The Game Audio Explosion - A Guide to Great Game Sound Part II: Music, FMVs and Audio Planning
V. MUSIC, game review, PRODUCTION
A. THE UNDERSCORE - INTERACTIVE, game review, VS. FILM MUSIC
Until recently, you simply could not compare game music to film, game review, music. Every
aspect involved in their production, from budgets to performance, made it an
impractical comparison. Today, these two media have a working relationship.
Games are created to support movies and movies are made, game review, from successful, game review,
game franchises. Film composers are now writing for games, and some game
composers have made the transition to film.
Hollywood orchestras and
orchestrators are now commonly used for game music scores. Why make this
comparison?, game review, Because even though the considerations, game review, involved in their creation
are different, their effect and function are relatively the same.
B. STORY-DRIVEN/ROLEPLAYING GAMES
As the name suggests, the scores, game review, to story-driven games must primarily tell a
story. To tell a story musically is a sublime art. A composer, game review, must be, game review, well
versed in the work of his predecessors in order to understand what constitutes
successful story telling using the language, game review, of music.
Fortunately, centuries of
music have been written for this purpose, allowing today's composer a
foundation for developing this art. We now associate certain sonorities and
rhythms with specific actions, emotions or locations, game review, . Compositions like
Rossini's 'William Tell', Wagner's 'Tristan' and Holst's 'Planets' have laid the
groundwork for these non-verbal associations. Film and television composers
have since, game review, expanded on these motifs to help express the elements within a
story.
A portion of story telling is to define the environment, both time and place, game review, .
Musically, we draw influence from folk traditions for such a purpose. Through
ethnomusicology we can effectively represent locations and time periods by
incorporating traditional instruments, modes and progressions, game review, into the score, game review, .
For instance, a tabla, tambour or sitar is appropriate for describing an Indian
location. If such instruments are not available,, game review, the music may be orchestrated
in such a way as to mimic, game review, these traditional sounds.
A modern orchestra is
greatly enhanced by the addition of folk elements for the purpose of describing
a specific time and place.
Characters within a story are supported through the development of melodic
themes and motifs associated with each character. Orchestrating, game review, the motifs
throughout various instruments will provide a sense of character development
as the game progresses. In addition, varying the harmonic support of these
themes will reflect the character's physical, mental and emotional states.
Game music for the story and role genre must highlight the dramatic events in
the story as well as drive the game-play. NIS and FMVs are the primary tools
for, game review, advancing, game review, the storyline and scoring to these videos is generally a
straightforward process. You must consider, however, that game-play is also a
dramatic event that contributes to the overall development of the story. Herein
lies the careful balancing act of supporting the story as well as the action,
without the music sounding repetitious.
Cross fading alternate versions, game review, and
transitions, or layering individual tracks that are programmatically, game review, muted and
un-muted, will secure the musical effectiveness over long periods. The
programming methods of manipulating music within a game are beyond the
intent of this article. Further reading from game development resources such
as 'gamasutra.com' will provide a closer look at some of the programming
methods used in game music playback.
B. ACTION/ARCADE AND SPORTS GAMES
The most basic function of game music is best exhibited in 'arcade' style
games in which the overall gaming experience is enhanced by the addition of
adrenaline-surging music.
The music helps to drive the action, thereby
heightening the intensity of the experience. For this reason, it's very common
for these games to license tracks from well-known, marketable artists with a, game review,
track record of producing music that translates to the listener. The interactive
potential of this music, has thus far been very low. However, as many artists
are also avid gamers, they are beginning to show interest in lending their talent
toward interactive soundtrack design, if, game review, not producing tracks in their entirety.
Generally speaking, the interactivity of the music in arcade-style games rarely
moves beyond loops and stings. In many cases, this is all that is required.
However,, game review, as the complexity of arcade-style games grow, so must the level of
musical interactivity. The music for these games should support any changes in
game-play. Power-ups,, game review, signature moves and multiple damage are all examples
commonly reserved for the sound design to immerse the player in the action,
but are appropriately expressed through music as well.
A deep understanding
of the game-play will reveal to the composer, new areas to interactively
enhance, game review, an otherwise monotonous arcade soundtrack.
VI. FULL MOTION VIDEO (FMV)
Since, game review, the FMV is a controlled environment, it is tempting, game review, for the sound
designer to elaborate on the sound effects. While in some cases, it may be
appropriate to heighten the dramatic impact of the story; great care should be
maintained to be consistent with the in-game sound design.
An incredible-
, game review, sounding FMV is surely a joy to behold, however, if the in-game sounds do not
hold up to the FMVs, the playing experience will be diminished. The purpose of
the FMV is to dramatically move the storyline, and to provide a break in the
action. Since Most FMVs occur after completing a level, there is an inherent
sense of reward when viewing the FMV. The sound design should pay, game review, respect
to this as long as it doesn't stray too far from the in-game sound.
The FMV
should act as a seamless transition into and out of the game play. In my
opinion, it is best to use in-game sounds within the FMV wherever in-game
movements or actions are present.
The second consideration for FMV sound is the mix of all the sound elements.
All dialog, sound effects and music should, game review, be mixed at comparable levels to
the in-game mix, unless there is a dramatic motivation for stressing one over
the other.
VII. SOUND REVIEWS
The Beta date is just around the corner.
Your sound team, game review, has worked, game review, countless
hours, and is nearing the finish line. You might think it's time to examine the
sound for any necessary revisions. Well by this time it's probably too late. As
mentioned earlier, the sound team is generally the last in line to begin creating
their content. Add to this, the fact that all previously missed deadlines
becomes their burden to make-up. Your sound team will likely be delivering
content right up to the last minute.
You will need to have in place a regular
and effective, game review, reviewing mechanism to stay on top of the direction of the game
sound.
Using the, game review, same group of reviewers used for the demo phase (part 1 of article),
create a questionnaire that rates the general aspects of the sound. Rating each
individual sound would be time-consuming, so use categories of sounds and
include room for comments or explanations, game review, . By assembling the various
questionnaires, you will be able to develop a consensus opinion, game review, that will reveal
spots that need further attention.
If this is performed in a timely and periodic
fashion, your sound team will be best able to manage the revisions, as they are
needed.
VIII. GOT YOUR SOUND BUDGET? …USE IT!
A. YOUR SIMPLE CHECKLIST
Today's games are competing with each other on every level. Sound is no
exception. You must secure the best resources possible for your sound team.
This will require that you use your budget wisely, and use all of it.
Prior to beginning the sound effects production, ask yourself the following
questions.
1. Is your sound team complete? (i.e. sound designer(s), supervising/Lead
sound designer, composer, audio director and audio programmer)
2. Is each member of the sound team assigned a specific task uncompromised
by additional or overlapping roles?
3. Is your sound team assigned only to, game review, your project?
4. Does your sound team have enough time to complete your project?
, game review, 5. Does your sound team have the adequate resources necessary for your
specific game? These include sonically treated work spaces, equipment,
software and, game review, sound effects libraries that are compatible with the needs of your game.
6. Does your sound team have a demonstrated track record of producing
sound within the style and genre of your project?
If you answered "yes" to all of these questions, your sound design team is
properly equipped, prepared and ready for production. Answering "no" to any
of these questions will tell you where you will need to focus portions of your
budget.
B. OUTSOURCING
If the sound team is incomplete or in any way compromised, you should
consider outsourcing an appropriate amount of the workload to game audio
specialists.
Look for companies and people that have a strong resume of
interactive sound production, and have successfully produced sound for "high
profile" titles. If your game has special stylistic needs, then consider companies
that have a track record of producing sound for similar titles.
C. FOLEY
The overall 'theme' of your game will help dictate where you may need
additional resources. A historically based game will, game review, require authenticity;
therefore consider obtaining fresh recordings of historically accurate weapons
and vehicles.
If your game focuses on destruction, a sizeable Foley session, game review, may
be appropriate to produce original content unencumbered by overused sound
effects libraries. A small but well organized recording session can give your
game a lot of fresh spark without breaking the budget.
IX. MARKETING YOUR SOUND
Game marketing has typically focused on the creator, developer or the voice
actors within the game. In many cases, sound can be used as a marketing tool
as well. For "The Incredible Hulk - Ultimate destruction" we hired some of
Hollywood's, game review, finest sound recordists to coordinate a Foley session that would
produce the raw destruction, game review, sounds we needed to create the sound effects
necessary for this game, game review, .
Our session took place at an auto-dismantling yard in
a southern California desert. A giant forklift and bulldozer were used to drop,
drag and tear apart cars, vans and trailers. Multiple video cameras captured the
session for future use on the "Behind-the-scenes" reel. The added benefit was
the marketability achieved by everyone's dedication to producing the most
destructive sounding game to date. Your ability to market your game's sound
will also help raise any additional finances needed to bring your sound up to
the next level.
Steve Kutay is the co-founder of Radius360, an award-winning audio post
production company, specializing in sound for film and games, located in Los
Angeles, California. You may contact Steve at steve.kutay@radius360.com
A. THE UNDERSCORE - INTERACTIVE, game review, VS. FILM MUSIC
Until recently, you simply could not compare game music to film, game review, music. Every
aspect involved in their production, from budgets to performance, made it an
impractical comparison. Today, these two media have a working relationship.
Games are created to support movies and movies are made, game review, from successful, game review,
game franchises. Film composers are now writing for games, and some game
composers have made the transition to film.
Hollywood orchestras and
orchestrators are now commonly used for game music scores. Why make this
comparison?, game review, Because even though the considerations, game review, involved in their creation
are different, their effect and function are relatively the same.
B. STORY-DRIVEN/ROLEPLAYING GAMES
As the name suggests, the scores, game review, to story-driven games must primarily tell a
story. To tell a story musically is a sublime art. A composer, game review, must be, game review, well
versed in the work of his predecessors in order to understand what constitutes
successful story telling using the language, game review, of music.
Fortunately, centuries of
music have been written for this purpose, allowing today's composer a
foundation for developing this art. We now associate certain sonorities and
rhythms with specific actions, emotions or locations, game review, . Compositions like
Rossini's 'William Tell', Wagner's 'Tristan' and Holst's 'Planets' have laid the
groundwork for these non-verbal associations. Film and television composers
have since, game review, expanded on these motifs to help express the elements within a
story.
A portion of story telling is to define the environment, both time and place, game review, .
Musically, we draw influence from folk traditions for such a purpose. Through
ethnomusicology we can effectively represent locations and time periods by
incorporating traditional instruments, modes and progressions, game review, into the score, game review, .
For instance, a tabla, tambour or sitar is appropriate for describing an Indian
location. If such instruments are not available,, game review, the music may be orchestrated
in such a way as to mimic, game review, these traditional sounds.
A modern orchestra is
greatly enhanced by the addition of folk elements for the purpose of describing
a specific time and place.
Characters within a story are supported through the development of melodic
themes and motifs associated with each character. Orchestrating, game review, the motifs
throughout various instruments will provide a sense of character development
as the game progresses. In addition, varying the harmonic support of these
themes will reflect the character's physical, mental and emotional states.
Game music for the story and role genre must highlight the dramatic events in
the story as well as drive the game-play. NIS and FMVs are the primary tools
for, game review, advancing, game review, the storyline and scoring to these videos is generally a
straightforward process. You must consider, however, that game-play is also a
dramatic event that contributes to the overall development of the story. Herein
lies the careful balancing act of supporting the story as well as the action,
without the music sounding repetitious.
Cross fading alternate versions, game review, and
transitions, or layering individual tracks that are programmatically, game review, muted and
un-muted, will secure the musical effectiveness over long periods. The
programming methods of manipulating music within a game are beyond the
intent of this article. Further reading from game development resources such
as 'gamasutra.com' will provide a closer look at some of the programming
methods used in game music playback.
B. ACTION/ARCADE AND SPORTS GAMES
The most basic function of game music is best exhibited in 'arcade' style
games in which the overall gaming experience is enhanced by the addition of
adrenaline-surging music.
The music helps to drive the action, thereby
heightening the intensity of the experience. For this reason, it's very common
for these games to license tracks from well-known, marketable artists with a, game review,
track record of producing music that translates to the listener. The interactive
potential of this music, has thus far been very low. However, as many artists
are also avid gamers, they are beginning to show interest in lending their talent
toward interactive soundtrack design, if, game review, not producing tracks in their entirety.
Generally speaking, the interactivity of the music in arcade-style games rarely
moves beyond loops and stings. In many cases, this is all that is required.
However,, game review, as the complexity of arcade-style games grow, so must the level of
musical interactivity. The music for these games should support any changes in
game-play. Power-ups,, game review, signature moves and multiple damage are all examples
commonly reserved for the sound design to immerse the player in the action,
but are appropriately expressed through music as well.
A deep understanding
of the game-play will reveal to the composer, new areas to interactively
enhance, game review, an otherwise monotonous arcade soundtrack.
VI. FULL MOTION VIDEO (FMV)
Since, game review, the FMV is a controlled environment, it is tempting, game review, for the sound
designer to elaborate on the sound effects. While in some cases, it may be
appropriate to heighten the dramatic impact of the story; great care should be
maintained to be consistent with the in-game sound design.
An incredible-
, game review, sounding FMV is surely a joy to behold, however, if the in-game sounds do not
hold up to the FMVs, the playing experience will be diminished. The purpose of
the FMV is to dramatically move the storyline, and to provide a break in the
action. Since Most FMVs occur after completing a level, there is an inherent
sense of reward when viewing the FMV. The sound design should pay, game review, respect
to this as long as it doesn't stray too far from the in-game sound.
The FMV
should act as a seamless transition into and out of the game play. In my
opinion, it is best to use in-game sounds within the FMV wherever in-game
movements or actions are present.
The second consideration for FMV sound is the mix of all the sound elements.
All dialog, sound effects and music should, game review, be mixed at comparable levels to
the in-game mix, unless there is a dramatic motivation for stressing one over
the other.
VII. SOUND REVIEWS
The Beta date is just around the corner.
Your sound team, game review, has worked, game review, countless
hours, and is nearing the finish line. You might think it's time to examine the
sound for any necessary revisions. Well by this time it's probably too late. As
mentioned earlier, the sound team is generally the last in line to begin creating
their content. Add to this, the fact that all previously missed deadlines
becomes their burden to make-up. Your sound team will likely be delivering
content right up to the last minute.
You will need to have in place a regular
and effective, game review, reviewing mechanism to stay on top of the direction of the game
sound.
Using the, game review, same group of reviewers used for the demo phase (part 1 of article),
create a questionnaire that rates the general aspects of the sound. Rating each
individual sound would be time-consuming, so use categories of sounds and
include room for comments or explanations, game review, . By assembling the various
questionnaires, you will be able to develop a consensus opinion, game review, that will reveal
spots that need further attention.
If this is performed in a timely and periodic
fashion, your sound team will be best able to manage the revisions, as they are
needed.
VIII. GOT YOUR SOUND BUDGET? …USE IT!
A. YOUR SIMPLE CHECKLIST
Today's games are competing with each other on every level. Sound is no
exception. You must secure the best resources possible for your sound team.
This will require that you use your budget wisely, and use all of it.
Prior to beginning the sound effects production, ask yourself the following
questions.
1. Is your sound team complete? (i.e. sound designer(s), supervising/Lead
sound designer, composer, audio director and audio programmer)
2. Is each member of the sound team assigned a specific task uncompromised
by additional or overlapping roles?
3. Is your sound team assigned only to, game review, your project?
4. Does your sound team have enough time to complete your project?
, game review, 5. Does your sound team have the adequate resources necessary for your
specific game? These include sonically treated work spaces, equipment,
software and, game review, sound effects libraries that are compatible with the needs of your game.
6. Does your sound team have a demonstrated track record of producing
sound within the style and genre of your project?
If you answered "yes" to all of these questions, your sound design team is
properly equipped, prepared and ready for production. Answering "no" to any
of these questions will tell you where you will need to focus portions of your
budget.
B. OUTSOURCING
If the sound team is incomplete or in any way compromised, you should
consider outsourcing an appropriate amount of the workload to game audio
specialists.
Look for companies and people that have a strong resume of
interactive sound production, and have successfully produced sound for "high
profile" titles. If your game has special stylistic needs, then consider companies
that have a track record of producing sound for similar titles.
C. FOLEY
The overall 'theme' of your game will help dictate where you may need
additional resources. A historically based game will, game review, require authenticity;
therefore consider obtaining fresh recordings of historically accurate weapons
and vehicles.
If your game focuses on destruction, a sizeable Foley session, game review, may
be appropriate to produce original content unencumbered by overused sound
effects libraries. A small but well organized recording session can give your
game a lot of fresh spark without breaking the budget.
IX. MARKETING YOUR SOUND
Game marketing has typically focused on the creator, developer or the voice
actors within the game. In many cases, sound can be used as a marketing tool
as well. For "The Incredible Hulk - Ultimate destruction" we hired some of
Hollywood's, game review, finest sound recordists to coordinate a Foley session that would
produce the raw destruction, game review, sounds we needed to create the sound effects
necessary for this game, game review, .
Our session took place at an auto-dismantling yard in
a southern California desert. A giant forklift and bulldozer were used to drop,
drag and tear apart cars, vans and trailers. Multiple video cameras captured the
session for future use on the "Behind-the-scenes" reel. The added benefit was
the marketability achieved by everyone's dedication to producing the most
destructive sounding game to date. Your ability to market your game's sound
will also help raise any additional finances needed to bring your sound up to
the next level.
Steve Kutay is the co-founder of Radius360, an award-winning audio post
production company, specializing in sound for film and games, located in Los
Angeles, California. You may contact Steve at steve.kutay@radius360.com
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