goodolvic

It’s kind of… embarrassing for modern AAA game design that I am enjoying Buffy the Vampire Slayer (2002) more than God of War (2018). They are exactly the same type of game–follow corridors in 3rd person view, meet enemies in a combat encounter and brawl ‘em up, move along through another corridor or open space to the next combat encounter and dialog, rinse/repeat. GoW has some more depth in its upgrades and attack abilities, but beyond that it’s just money thrown at scope and polish to make a game that is meant to feel epic but is mechanically identical to the older game. They also share thematic beats such as crumbling environments, demons and the undead, and generally spooky atmosphere. Both games are just plucking the same strings and I’m not vibing with GoW like I am with Buffy.

Not to say Buffy should automatically be worse because it is older or might have had a smaller budget, or automatically better because it’s retro or something. If I had to try and explain why I’m not enjoying GoW as much as the other game, I’d say it’s in the tone and characterization. Dad of War is just so bland and humorless, which has been there from the start on PS2 and may be why I bounced off the second game and never looked back until giving this reboot a shot. I need to hear these characters talk all the time and there’s nothing there to latch onto, unless maybe you’re also a dad working out some stuff. Buffy, on the other hand, brings in the sort of Whedonesque quips you see in any of those 90s and early 00s TV series. It’s tough to get past the burden these shows carry now that Whedon has been outed as another Hollywood abuser, but it does take me back to that sort of campy dialog and lighter tone that tries to make these things fun. Buffy has quips galore as the player fights through the game, and those lines repeat themselves often, but it’s just so much more enjoyable and earnest.

I’m not through either game yet and we’ll see how things shake out after I complete them and have more distance to think about them, but so far, I’m not compelled to move on to the latest GoW that is winning more awards this season. But I am absolutely in for another schlocky action game that blends elements of camp, humor, and spooky vibes.