God of War: Ascension - Multiplayer Announced (Gameplay Video, Info & Screens)

[Nuvian]

Thanks Darksora
Eurogamer - God of War: Ascension Preview: Introducing the Gods of War

It's a brilliantly executed reveal. The first live demo to the press, I mean. Not the one that happened the previous week when, faced with more holes in its hull than it had PR fingers to poke in them, Sony gave up trying and rush-announced God of War: Ascension to stem the swelling tide of tittle-tattle.

The bit that was always supposed to be the actual reveal, though, taking place in a private theatre in Hollywood - "Welcome to one of the worst kept secrets in the industry!" chortles game director Todd Pappy - opens with a superbly crafted piece of drama.

A brooding warrior, whom we are supposed to think is Kratos, is revealed by a retreating camera to be another muscular, Mardi Gras-attired brute entirely. Soon he's scrapping with a bulging, barmy cyclops and we're in familiar territory: classical hack-and-slash action of murderous beauty.

And then the camera teasingly shifts to the right to capture the entrance of a second warrior, who promptly wades in. The pair now gang up on the fabulously well-animated beast, one leaping onto its writhing shoulders to draw back its head, while the other guts it from waist-to-neck 'til it collapses in a jellied pool of its own spurting innards.

Stills don't do it justice - in motion, Ascension's as stunning as anything in the God of War universe.

Ascension's multiplayer promises to stay faithful to the series' sense of scale.

The duo jog off triumphantly through a door and Pappy calls out: "Give me a taunt to prove it's live!" One of his team, who had up to this point been an unknown presence lurking at the rear of the theatre, promptly obliges as one of the warriors thrusts his sword skywards and they charge on.

That's how you announce multiplayer, God of War-style. And we've barely even started. A few moments later, the area opens up to reveal characters duelling all over. Because this is eight-player multiplayer. A few seconds more and a furious, horned titan, ensnared by chains, fills the screen. Because this is God of War.

And that, in one hugely impressive sequence, is Ascension's multiplayer in a nutshell: classic team-based action, coupled with the series' trademark technical bravura, epic scale and orgiastic celebration of savagery.

As the round rolls on, one of the teams eventually batters the other sufficiently to earn the right to take out the titan in a scene of quite spectacular violence. Having smashed its jaw in half, three of the warriors launch chains at the monster's enormous eyeball. While it strains and swells in the socket, the fourth player leaps towards it, motioning to run it through with a spear sent down from the heavens. A fraction of a second from impact, the demo cuts to black. I catch my breath.

There's no real word on single-player just yet, but it's already be confirmed that it'll be another prequel.

Every combatant in the demo was controlled live by a member of the team, Pappy notes, anticipating queries over how much of what we just saw was staged for effect.


Stills don't do it justice - in motion, Ascension's as stunning as anything in the God of War universe.

Clearly the opening part was a bit, purely for the purposes of a dramatic reveal. But the rest, I am later assured, is a real map that will ship with the final game. It was hard to make sense of it all at first sight without commentary, to be honest, but it turned out we had witnessed a game of domination, with two teams battling to control two points on the map, after which the victor proceeded to the endgame.

The basic premise of multiplayer in Ascension is that the player can "go from an unknown hero to a god, following in the footsteps of Kratos," says Pappy. You must ally yourself with one of four gods: Zeus, Poseidon, Hades or Ares - as in the original God of War when Kratos pledged his allegiance to the latter.

"Based on that selection you'll be able to gain magical abilities, items, different things you get from these unique gods that influence your style of play. In other games it would be considered your classes," says lead combat designer Jason McDonald.

As for the classes: "It's pretty similar to what you'd expect," he adds. "Some are based on damage, some are based on healing and sustaining, some on magical attacks. We don't want to reveal what each god will do just yet but you can expect some key differences.

"It's a team-based multiplayer experience and we want to make sure you're not always going with the same guy, like a game of Street Fighter where everyone picks Ryu."

The combat system is built on the same core mechanics as the rest of the series, with the same buttons pretty much doing the same thing. But change has been necessary to accommodate the broader scope of multiplayer. It's "powerful, brutal, kinetic, flashy and responsive," claims Pappy, while retaining the "heart and soul" of God of War.


There's no real word on single-player just yet, but it's already be confirmed that it'll be another prequel.

As indicated by the demo's opening scene, team-based attacks are a big part of the experience, with two-on-one and three-on-one takedowns possible. For the sake of balance, though, if a player is skilled enough he can still escape these situations and even turn them to his advantage.



The dynamic changes again when set-pieces like the titan takedown are considered. "What makes God of War epic?" Pappy muses. "Killing a big guy does. That was the inception idea. How does that work in multiplayer? We're still going through that right now. What you saw today versus what we're going to ship with is going to change.

"For us what's fixed is the base combat. Now it's fleshing out the game modes and seeing what works, what doesn't work, and whether the players understand it.

"In multiplayer games your attention span... you can't have a whole bunch of objectives. So we're constantly focus testing: is this too much, are there too many things going on? Just that iteration process over and over again to find the magic formula."

All the focus for now is on multiplayer, but the team isn't forgetting what made the series a success in the first place.

"We didn't want to sacrifice single-player for multiplayer, neither did we want to tack [the latter] on," says McDonald. "We're definitely going full force with both."

Game director Todd Pappy served as God of War 3's design director.

What we do know is that Ascension single-player serves as a prequel to the series. You'll still be playing as Kratos, but: "It's the youngest you've ever seen him," says Pappy. "We want to show a different side to him, bring more of the humanity back".

Given the demands of crafting a multiplayer experience from scratch, can we really expect single-player to be as substantial as what has gone before? "We're talking just a little bit shorter," Pappy admits. "We've mapped out everything and given time estimates. It'll be pretty damn close."

All the way back to the original, God of War has proved a standard bearer for the graphical prowess of PlayStation platforms. PS2 bowed out in remarkable fashion with God of War II. And 2010's PS3 debut made its intentions clear with an opening sequence of astonishing ambition.

"We always strive to [top ourselves]," says Pappy, bullishly adding: "Personally I think what we've got in the opening 20 minutes of this game will blow people away." Boastful, certainly, but when it looks as good as it does a year from release with eight people playing together, I wouldn't bet against it.

The technical challenges of recreating the visual spectacle of God of War in multiplayer without compromising the frame-rate are, as they say across the pond, not trivial. One advantage is the use of fixed cameras, carried over from single-player, so designers don't have to worry about players suddenly spinning the view around 180-degrees.

On top of that, numerous improvements to the God of War 3 engine have been made. Later on, we visit Sony Santa Monica itself where I see some of the new processes at the point of application.

It's all in the small details. Improved animation and a new collision system mean characters' bare feet now realistically adapt to uneven terrain; meanwhile, the climbing system has been rewritten to make point-to-point movement feel less like you're following a fixed path.

Over in the art department, meanwhile, shelves are lined with books on "Extreme Nature" and Michelangelo, while unsettlingly large anatomical models of the human body stand stiffly atop desks. To make a virtue of the desecration of flesh, one must first know it intimately.

If anything, the change of direction in Ascension seems to have re-energised a team at a time when fatigue and boredom could easily have crept in for what is its fourth massive God of War project on the trot, giving it fresh motivation to keep pushing the art of the possible - as well as the angry.

Sony Press Release:

Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC (SCEA) announced today plans to release God of War: Ascension�, the newest installment of the multi-million unit selling God of War� franchise, exclusively for the PlayStation�3 computer entertainment system. Developed by Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios (SCE WWS) Santa Monica Studio, God of War: Ascension is a prequel that will show Kratos' emotional path of redemption, while detailing the rise of his rage to break free from Ares' bond. Epic cinematic storytelling, visceral battles, and blockbuster moments will all be present, along with various enhancements, including a revamped combat system and a brand new online multiplayer mode that combines the brutal gameplay and large-scale battles that God of War is known for to create a competitive experience like never before.

"The bar has been set quite high for this franchise as each God of War title succeeds in being better than the last," said Todd Papy, Game Director, God of War: Ascension, SCE WWS Santa Monica Studio. "But, unlike previous releases, we're providing a deeper look into Kratos' tormented past and psyche that fans have not seen before. Combined with refined gameplay, jaw-dropping visuals, and a fresh twist on competitive gaming with our new online multiplayer mode, I guarantee that God of War: Ascension will give fans what they have been eagerly waiting for, and much more."

For the first time ever in a God of War game, players can compete in online or offline multiplayer battles that combine the fierce combat and scale of the franchise with a unique gameplay experience. Built off of the heart and soul of the single-player campaign, this brand new option can include up to eight players and offers a variety of different multiplayer modes, along with customizable avatar warriors with a range of weapons, armor, and more.
Utilizing state-of-the-art visual technologies, the Santa Monica Studio team has made significant strides to bring unmistakable realism to the gameplay experience. God of War: Ascension will feature a revamped combat and weapon system, promptless mini-games, and new puzzle challenges, coupled with fluid, life-like characters, dynamic lighting effects, and world-changing scenarios that will truly bring Kratos and the environment around him to life.

Set in the realm of Greek mythology, God of War: Ascension is an epic adventure that allows players to take on the climactic role of the ex-Spartan warrior Kratos as he finds a way to break the blood oath that binds him to the god, Ares. Six months after being tricked into killing his wife and child, a younger Kratos is sentenced to a life of madness with the Furies, caged in a titan sized prison for the living damned. Fighting insanity, his will is tested to the limit as he seeks to break his bond and gain the clarity to seek revenge on Ares for his part in the death of his family. Armed with double-chained blades, Kratos must take on mythology's darkest creatures while solving intricate puzzles throughout his merciless quest for redemption.

God of War: Ascension is an action-adventure game that offers an epic single-player story mode, as well as a deep, innovative multiplayer experience. The title has an ESRB rating of "RP" for Rating Pending. A release date has not been set yet. For more information about the ESRB, visit www.esrb.org. For more information about the God of War franchise, visit www.GodofWar.com.

[MBS D@v!d]

Can't wait.

But I fear they could screw up the game by implementing coop and multiplayer, thus changing the good old GOW formula. If they do that, I'll buy it (because I'm a huge GOW fan and like to collect the games), play it and then never touch it again.

I hope that Santa Monica delivers againg and doesn't destroy what is nearly perfect. I have faith in Santa Monica Studios but not in Sony Computer Entertainment. If Sony says so, they'll make a freaking massive multiplayer GOW game. They would even make a GOW racing game!

Just make a normal GOW experience. Epic, brutal, but this time with a really deep story. Focus on Kratos even more, and his reasons later in the series for doing what he does. Where did all this rage originate from (yes, we know some things like the ending from Ghost Of Sparta, Chains Of Olympus and all the other GOW's, but the most important thing - the killing of his family - hasn't been touched yet!), how did all that shit change him? What happened before he became the Ghost Of Sparta?

I hope they use the GOW3 engine and don't go for some other style (for example celll-shading).

People think that Kratos will be less badass than in the other GOW games, but I don't see that happening. He WILL have his blades in Ascension. Maybe we'll have to play 1-3 levels with a sword, then he gets the blades. I bet that the game will end with Kratos killing his family, thus becoming the Ghost Of Sparta. Would be a great end and they could go for a really deep story that touches the player.

[bigCman123]

Sweet mother of God... Whose idea was it to tease use with the new God of War game during finals? I can't wait to get eyefull of what Sony Santa Monica has been working on.

Edit... Looks awesome, can't wait to beat the hell out of my friends online.

[AaronSOLDIER]

Its Sony Santa Monica - I'd buy it even without seeing any gameplay (so long as I had a slight description of its genre - if it was an FPS GoW I'd stay away lol)

[THUGGEDOUT]

Can't wait to see this footage when it is released, God Of War III is still the best game I have played on the PS3 so far....

[Two4DaMoney]

I can't wait to see this. I haven't been let down by a god of war title yet. I doubt this one will disappoint me.

[Kauldron]

Can't wait....Seriously excited.

[MBS D@v!d]

http://www.gametrailers.com/video/fi...-of-war/729678


http://www.gametrailers.com/video/mu...-of-war/729680



Here we go... The screens look pretty good, and I can see that working well. I hope that graphics won't suffer because of coop/multiplayer/whatever this "multiplayer" is. I hope they squeeze everything out of the PS3 and go even further... lol they should write code that overclocks the PS3 and switches up the fan to 100% ^^ I WANT EVERYTHING!!! Even if my PS3 WON'T SEE THE END OF THIS DAY!!!

[Nuvian]

Updated the main post with the Eurogamer article.



Eurogamer - God of War: Ascension Preview: Introducing the Gods of War

It's a brilliantly executed reveal. The first live demo to the press, I mean. Not the one that happened the previous week when, faced with more holes in its hull than it had PR fingers to poke in them, Sony gave up trying and rush-announced God of War: Ascension to stem the swelling tide of tittle-tattle.

The bit that was always supposed to be the actual reveal, though, taking place in a private theatre in Hollywood - "Welcome to one of the worst kept secrets in the industry!" chortles game director Todd Pappy - opens with a superbly crafted piece of drama.

A brooding warrior, whom we are supposed to think is Kratos, is revealed by a retreating camera to be another muscular, Mardi Gras-attired brute entirely. Soon he's scrapping with a bulging, barmy cyclops and we're in familiar territory: classical hack-and-slash action of murderous beauty.

And then the camera teasingly shifts to the right to capture the entrance of a second warrior, who promptly wades in. The pair now gang up on the fabulously well-animated beast, one leaping onto its writhing shoulders to draw back its head, while the other guts it from waist-to-neck 'til it collapses in a jellied pool of its own spurting innards.

Stills don't do it justice - in motion, Ascension's as stunning as anything in the God of War universe.

Ascension's multiplayer promises to stay faithful to the series' sense of scale.

The duo jog off triumphantly through a door and Pappy calls out: "Give me a taunt to prove it's live!" One of his team, who had up to this point been an unknown presence lurking at the rear of the theatre, promptly obliges as one of the warriors thrusts his sword skywards and they charge on.

That's how you announce multiplayer, God of War-style. And we've barely even started. A few moments later, the area opens up to reveal characters duelling all over. Because this is eight-player multiplayer. A few seconds more and a furious, horned titan, ensnared by chains, fills the screen. Because this is God of War.

And that, in one hugely impressive sequence, is Ascension's multiplayer in a nutshell: classic team-based action, coupled with the series' trademark technical bravura, epic scale and orgiastic celebration of savagery.

As the round rolls on, one of the teams eventually batters the other sufficiently to earn the right to take out the titan in a scene of quite spectacular violence. Having smashed its jaw in half, three of the warriors launch chains at the monster's enormous eyeball. While it strains and swells in the socket, the fourth player leaps towards it, motioning to run it through with a spear sent down from the heavens. A fraction of a second from impact, the demo cuts to black. I catch my breath.

There's no real word on single-player just yet, but it's already be confirmed that it'll be another prequel.

Every combatant in the demo was controlled live by a member of the team, Pappy notes, anticipating queries over how much of what we just saw was staged for effect.


Stills don't do it justice - in motion, Ascension's as stunning as anything in the God of War universe.

Clearly the opening part was a bit, purely for the purposes of a dramatic reveal. But the rest, I am later assured, is a real map that will ship with the final game. It was hard to make sense of it all at first sight without commentary, to be honest, but it turned out we had witnessed a game of domination, with two teams battling to control two points on the map, after which the victor proceeded to the endgame.

The basic premise of multiplayer in Ascension is that the player can "go from an unknown hero to a god, following in the footsteps of Kratos," says Pappy. You must ally yourself with one of four gods: Zeus, Poseidon, Hades or Ares - as in the original God of War when Kratos pledged his allegiance to the latter.

"Based on that selection you'll be able to gain magical abilities, items, different things you get from these unique gods that influence your style of play. In other games it would be considered your classes," says lead combat designer Jason McDonald.

As for the classes: "It's pretty similar to what you'd expect," he adds. "Some are based on damage, some are based on healing and sustaining, some on magical attacks. We don't want to reveal what each god will do just yet but you can expect some key differences.

"It's a team-based multiplayer experience and we want to make sure you're not always going with the same guy, like a game of Street Fighter where everyone picks Ryu."

The combat system is built on the same core mechanics as the rest of the series, with the same buttons pretty much doing the same thing. But change has been necessary to accommodate the broader scope of multiplayer. It's "powerful, brutal, kinetic, flashy and responsive," claims Pappy, while retaining the "heart and soul" of God of War.


There's no real word on single-player just yet, but it's already be confirmed that it'll be another prequel.

As indicated by the demo's opening scene, team-based attacks are a big part of the experience, with two-on-one and three-on-one takedowns possible. For the sake of balance, though, if a player is skilled enough he can still escape these situations and even turn them to his advantage.

The dynamic changes again when set-pieces like the titan takedown are considered. "What makes God of War epic?" Pappy muses. "Killing a big guy does. That was the inception idea. How does that work in multiplayer? We're still going through that right now. What you saw today versus what we're going to ship with is going to change.

"For us what's fixed is the base combat. Now it's fleshing out the game modes and seeing what works, what doesn't work, and whether the players understand it.

"In multiplayer games your attention span... you can't have a whole bunch of objectives. So we're constantly focus testing: is this too much, are there too many things going on? Just that iteration process over and over again to find the magic formula."

All the focus for now is on multiplayer, but the team isn't forgetting what made the series a success in the first place.

"We didn't want to sacrifice single-player for multiplayer, neither did we want to tack [the latter] on," says McDonald. "We're definitely going full force with both."

Game director Todd Pappy served as God of War 3's design director.

What we do know is that Ascension single-player serves as a prequel to the series. You'll still be playing as Kratos, but: "It's the youngest you've ever seen him," says Pappy. "We want to show a different side to him, bring more of the humanity back".

Given the demands of crafting a multiplayer experience from scratch, can we really expect single-player to be as substantial as what has gone before? "We're talking just a little bit shorter," Pappy admits. "We've mapped out everything and given time estimates. It'll be pretty damn close."

All the way back to the original, God of War has proved a standard bearer for the graphical prowess of PlayStation platforms. PS2 bowed out in remarkable fashion with God of War II. And 2010's PS3 debut made its intentions clear with an opening sequence of astonishing ambition.

"We always strive to [top ourselves]," says Pappy, bullishly adding: "Personally I think what we've got in the opening 20 minutes of this game will blow people away." Boastful, certainly, but when it looks as good as it does a year from release with eight people playing together, I wouldn't bet against it.

The technical challenges of recreating the visual spectacle of God of War in multiplayer without compromising the frame-rate are, as they say across the pond, not trivial. One advantage is the use of fixed cameras, carried over from single-player, so designers don't have to worry about players suddenly spinning the view around 180-degrees.

On top of that, numerous improvements to the God of War 3 engine have been made. Later on, we visit Sony Santa Monica itself where I see some of the new processes at the point of application.

It's all in the small details. Improved animation and a new collision system mean characters' bare feet now realistically adapt to uneven terrain; meanwhile, the climbing system has been rewritten to make point-to-point movement feel less like you're following a fixed path.

Over in the art department, meanwhile, shelves are lined with books on "Extreme Nature" and Michelangelo, while unsettlingly large anatomical models of the human body stand stiffly atop desks. To make a virtue of the desecration of flesh, one must first know it intimately.

If anything, the change of direction in Ascension seems to have re-energised a team at a time when fatigue and boredom could easily have crept in for what is its fourth massive God of War project on the trot, giving it fresh motivation to keep pushing the art of the possible - as well as the angry.

[mickice]

Only on PS3.

[Kuro]

those shots look good can't wait to see more of the gameplay love the series

[Mo-green28]

Sony did it again lol. I'm really burnt out on GOW series... But this sounds like crazy fun, now I want it.... Darn you sony lol.

[Rapture]

This is unexpected, but also welcome if they can pull it off.

[Fijiandoce]

how does a Hack-n-slash game do multiplayer???
co-op i can see, but competitive fast paced button mashing.....
im a bit skeptical.

[Lethal_NFS]

This is unexpected, but also welcome if they can pull it off.

Santa Monica is no chump developer. They would not even attempt it if they could not do it. I have 100% faith that this game will kick complete ass. Just really sucks we will not see this game till 2013.

If Dead Rising can do co-op and multiplayer then I think God of War can do it lol.

[darksora]

heres gameplay footage, did a quick scan of thread and didnt see it posted

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUHtt9sUtw4

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUHtt9sUtw4" target="_blank">

[Nuvian]

heres gameplay footage, did a quick scan of thread and didnt see it posted

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUHtt9sUtw4

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUHtt9sUtw4" target="_blank">

Didn't think it was out yet, thanks for the video, added it to the OP.

[Fijiandoce]

oooooo!
i hadn't seen the video before.
haven't seen a multiplayer component like that before either
im somewhat impressed

[Nuvian]

I was a bit worried, i didnt see a need for MP in the GoW franchise, but the 4 on 4 battles with map goals seems like an awesome way to do it.


The game will feature:

4 vs 4 online play
4 different online modes

For the first time ever in a God of War game, players can compete in online or offline multiplayer battles that combine the fierce combat and scale of the franchise with a unique gameplay experience. Built off of the heart and soul of the single-player campaign, this brand new option can include up to eight players and offers a variety of different multiplayer modes, along with customizable avatar warriors with a range of weapons, armor, and more.

Single Player:

Set in the realm of Greek mythology, God of War: Ascension is an epic adventure that allows players to take on the climactic role of the ex-Spartan warrior Kratos as he finds a way to break the blood oath that binds him to the god, Ares. Six months after being tricked into killing his wife and child, a younger Kratos is sentenced to a life of madness with the Furies, caged in a titan sized prison for the living damned. Fighting insanity, his will is tested to the limit as he seeks to break his bond and gain the clarity to seek revenge on Ares for his part in the death of his family. Armed with double-chained blades, Kratos must take on mythology’s darkest creatures while solving intricate puzzles throughout his merciless quest for redemption.

[Fon]

It's similar to powerstone's gameplay which I welcome!.

[darksora]

It's similar to powerstone's gameplay which I welcome!.

Thats an awesome way of putting it

[Fijiandoce]

I was a bit worried, i didnt see a need for MP in the GoW franchise, but the 4 on 4 battles with map goals seems like an awesome way to do it.


The game will feature:

4 vs 4 online play
4 different online modes


Single Player:

i thought so too. gow has never seemed like a "multiplayer" type of game. though the current setup looks promising.

[mystarke]

This is unexpected, but also welcome if they can pull it off.

I completely agree. Very unexpected, however, if they can pull it off, if will be great! Loved the GOW series since the very first one and still love them to this day. Just really hope ,with the implementation of multi-player, that they stay true to the story and not heavily focus more on the multi than they do the single

[Two4DaMoney]

Looks great in motion. I may try my hand in mp.

[TekkenLord]

this is gettin me pump. GOW is one of the best hack n' slash games. dying to see who kratos going to fk up this time.

Here is the live stream

http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/22247396