Cory Barlog, director of God of War 2, has returned to Sony Santa Monica. After jumping around in Hollywood, trying to get a Mad Max game off the ground, Barlog has returned to the studio that made him famous.
Sony Santa Monica's God of War: Ascension team is finally moving onto a new non-God of War project. And, the mystery unannounced game has a writer: Michael Angeli, best known for his work on Battlestar Galactica, Caprica, and Dark Angel.
While God of War: Ascension didn't exactly light up the sales charts, the multiplayer community is still alive. Sony Santa Monica has released new multiplayer content for the game, and made it free to boot.
The 1.09 title update adds "Bout of Honor," a new 1v1 mode that's free for all players of the game. In this new mode, two players head face-to-face with no chests, fountains, or world weapons. Relics are also disabled, but magic will slowly regenerate, giving players other tactical options beyond punching each other in the face.
Vita is getting a number of new ports from PS3. The HD versions of God of War and God of War 2 will be making its way to Sony's handheld. In addition, Dead Nation will find its way on Sony's handheld.
There are no details on when these ports will arrive, but at least you can watch trailers for these titles after the break.
The second piece of multiplayer downloadable content is hitting God of War: Ascension today. You can purchase new "Primordial Weapons" or just get the free Chimeran Armor. The studio promises more updates to come in the future.
The Elite update for God of War: Ascension is available today, and with it comes a new level cap at 40 instead of the prior 30. That makes for a pretty big chunk of levels to grind through, so Sony has decided to give a leg up with a double XP weekend as it kicks off.
Read more: Change log includes bug fixes, stat and mode tracking »
Two console-exclusive "of War" prequels released last month, as both Microsoft and Sony attempt to milk their biggest franchises one more time before the next generation begins. Critical reception for the two titles have been okay (but not great), but sales are likely to fall short of both franchises' last numbered entries.
God of War: Ascension is getting a large 1.04 update sometime this month, with several gameplay adjustments and bug fixes. Chief among the changes will be new "Elite Levels," which will will raise the cap from level 30 to level 40. The update will also add new items, relics, and ultimate magic to make the extra levels worthwhile.
God of War: Ascension launches today, and Sony has announced its downloadable content plans for the game. If you're looking to save a buck by getting the season pass, though, you better pick up the Collector's Edition. Sony confirmed today that it won't be available otherwise.
God of War: Ascension is a return to Sony Santa Monica's familiar hack-and-slash action series. However, with God of War 3 raising the bar so high and closing the book on Kratos' journey of revenge, Ascension sorely lacks the marvel of the previous games. With little new territory to cover, players are placed in an all-too-familiar journey, with Kratos once again violently dismembering anything in his path.
With only a week left before release, Sony has announced one more surprise in store for God of War: Ascension. Today Sony Santa Monica revealed the "Trial of the Gods" mode, a fourth pillar of the game's multiplayer offerings.
Sony is moving forward with PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale downloadable content, now sans SuperBot. Next month, the game will add two new characters: engineer-turned-badass Isaac Clarke from Dead Space, and god-turned-terrible-father Zeus from God of War (and Greek mythology).
As promised, the single-player demo for God of War: Ascension will be coming today. It will let you see red for a while in advance of the game's March 12 release.
The demo will be coming later today on the PlayStation Store, when it updates. This comes alongside the game's launch trailer, curiously releasing a full two weeks before launch. Kratos just couldn't wait to get his rage on, apparently.
A shirtless, musclebound man sits on the floor of his cell, chained up. Kratos sizes him up--only to have the man crushed to death by the giant hand of a towering beast. This beast picks up the building Kratos is in, causing the Spartan to tumble around. It's yet another one of God of War's signature boss battles. After a rather lengthy battle, this larger-than-life creature finally gets taken down by Kratos' chains. Of course, Kratos was never known for his good luck. An even larger mountain-sized behemoth grabs the carcass of your downed foe, carrying Kratos along for the ride.
Whoa. It's hard not to get impressed by the awesome scale represented by God of War: Ascension. While Santa Monica Studio's latest is a prequel, it manages to match the epic nature of Kratos' final adventure.
This Sunday, you'll probably be watching large men crush each other on the figurative field of battle for your entertainment. Sony figures if you like seeing angry men devastating everything in their path, God of War: Ascension is right up your alley. To that end, it's produced a new live-action trailer for the game.
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