Go back and play God of War Valhalla 

I'm a lil late on talking about this one but weirdly enough I had a lot to say about a short free DLC

My favourite piece of dialogue from the DLC is when Mimir is talking about what he said to upset Sigrun and Kratos replies "If anyone else disparaged you as you have disparaged yourself, I would wish to strike them with an axe."

You really hit the nail on the head about those older games. They were MUCH, much more than the aggro button mashers they were dismissed as at the time. Especially in III, they really started to explore the psyche of Kratos. And it fully explored the idea of Kratos not being without hope. Those games hold up much better than everyone thinks.

My only disappointment was young Kratos not talking

Man could you imagine if they had brought back TC Carson to voice younger Kratos and then there was a Kratos vs. Kratos battle. That woulda been awesome.

The idea of having another God of war act as essentially Kratos' psychiatrist was a stroke of genius. Also Chris Judge continues to be absolutely phenomenal.

The Norse saga has a very special place in my heart; but Valhalla grew that feel even more. I’m amazed at how many life lessons that game can continue to give in such a respectable way.

Big and huge fan of this channel - I'm a (very) amateur audio engineer, which is the ONLY reason I want to point out that: I get some clicks and pops on this video that I don't normally hear on other videos you have uploaded. It sounds like your I/O buffer is set too low for your processor. That's how it works in my world. I could be completely off on the reasoning, but I hear 'em regardless and just wanted to offer the feedback. No pun intended. You're the shit and I watch every upload. Thank you for all that you bring to the gaming community!

If they remake the first Gow (whilst keeping its unique elements). my life would be complete and ill die happy

i loved that they just decided to make an awesome rogue like mode that still furthers the narrative. i used the spear almost exclusively in the base game but barely tapped into its full potential until Valhalla.

Such satisfying story telling. By far the best series in video game history.

You make the best gaming videos on the ole RU-vid. I always feel super relatable, listening to your reviews or outlook on things. Good work. 👌🏼

Thats what I ve been doing lately. Beating the story with young Kratos skin.. no matter how many times I beat this game, I just keep playing this masterpiece all the time

God of war is my favorite franchise ever, ive been playing them since the very first and they've always had a special place in my heart, and as I get older I love seeing kratos getting older and more emotional. The chaos was cool as a kid and now I feel like im growing up with him and his son and I love it so much

I love God of War!! Best franchise ever! Currently replaying GoW III and loving it again! The story, the mythology, the battles, so satisfying! Will play the DLC next! Great video Jake! Thanks for sharing your thoughts on it!

Just finished Valhalla last night and the ending was phenomenal. The shot of Kratos walking out of Valhalla just like the pose in the mural was so memorable

I was so surprised by how good this dlc is. The story beats and Mimir and Kratos conversations are what kept me playing it

Ragnarock was an awesome experience but nothing made me feel the way I did the first time I started up God of War 3 fighting alongside the titans and bringing down Poseidon. It was amazingly epic and nothing in either of the new gow games hit that high for me

Ragnarok was already arguably my favorite game of all time, so the addition of Valhalla sealed it for me. Absolutely loved it!

Draupnir was so OP in the base game.

Great video , I loved this DLC it was a nice surprise for Christmas last year. As a long time fan it was satisfying to see a bit of the old merge with the new , very fun , love the channel ✌️👍

Saturday morning, god of war, and Jake? I’m all in.

Yay finally! Thanks for sharing your thoughts Jake

I am currently playing one of the older titles and it is so much fun. I had forgotten how much I enjoy the old games. They are so epic and cinematic. The music sends chills down my back.

This is definitely one of the best dlcs i have played, especially with it being free. Its just such a good cherry on top of an already mostly perfect game.

Thanks Jake! I’m surprised there have been no attempts at spin off games at this point. Branching into different realms would allow for it. Record of Ragnarok on Netflix would be a great pull for ideas. I would love to see this team handle different fighting styles. Thanks for letting me know you sleep in the last video. I was seriously wondering & slightly worried since you provide heavy happiness.

I still need to finish Valhalla but as an OG GOW super fan man I loved Kratos brutality but the new softer version of kratos, as I age I really see Kratos struggles with his past. I love all the game including the spin offs but for sure in my opinion, God of War 3 is just the perfection of a video game

Never been interested in GoW, but GREAT VIDEO🎉

Just finished it. Great story addendum. I'd only add that Valhalla acts like Catholic Purgatory, moreso than a paradise, which really worked.

"Pulling Mimir out of his ass." 🤣🤣🤣

*ackhually Helios is from Chains of Olympus(the first psp spinoff)

Valhalla was certainly a solid DLC, elevated in large part due to its being free. However, and I know many people have said this online, I think the DLC's only failure is that it focused too much on Tyr. The fact that Older Kratos does not fight a younger version of himself (featuring his iconic weapons) is a wasted opportunity. Instead, we were given three different battles with Tyr... Why? What makes this even more perplexing is that it conflict with the central premise of the story. Valhalla is supposed to be an inner journey. Whereas Tyr is an external entity. Sure, Tyr could be used as a plot device to introduce the player to Valhalla, but beyond that his presence seems superfluous, like the developers were left with a largely forgettable character in the main game, and so they thought this was the opportunity to develop him. Unfortunately, this development came at the cost of Kratos' journey. Which brings me back to the missed opportunity of Kratos' fighting Kratos. Now watching Kratos' soliloquy to his younger self was awesome! But I think it would have been even more impactful if it had come after Kratos had beat himself. Especially since it would have tied into the Main Game's "we must be better" concept. It's one thing for Kratos to show mercy to Thor, but as Nietzsche said, one's greatest enemy is themself. Picture it: Old Kratos has OG Kratos pinned like Heimdall, yet rather than finishing him off he relents and delivers his soliloquy. Through this action the player would have witnessed Kratos coming face to face with the Monster within, yet showing enough maturity and wisdom to truly forgive himself. There is something to be said for a visual representation rather than words. And through such a scene we could have bridged the past and present Kratos showing just how far Kratos has come from the original game almost 2 decades ago. But no, instead we spend the experience getting lectured by Tyr, forced to fight this new character with no real connection to OG Kratos, all as part of some "inner journey"? In sum, there are signs of greatness within the DLC, and it certainly was a good time, but as a long time fan I felt it could have been better.

“Oops, sorry” could not be more on brand lol

Anyone who's been gaming for all the years through this series and has played these from the start will understand why this is incredibly awesome, due to living enough life lol

It makes the new game plus content make sense too. You can beat Valhalla then go back and play through all the old games with the blades and the old Greek armor as well as the axe and new currency and it not be goofy. You can imagine it as kratos still journeying through Valhalla

I still haven’t finished it. Last year had so many huge game releases that I’ll be playing catch up for a while. I’m just finishing FF7 Rebirth, then I have Cyberpunk and Baldur’s Gate 3, and the list just keeps on growing.

Yes!! Thank you for highlighting this amazing DLC and for the studio's free love letter to Kratos

I think, for a free dlc, this everything I could of asked for. Could have given this mega amazing boss fight of young Kratos ? Probably, but I’m still really satisfied with this. And, no matter when you upload or talk about something, I’m always game to watch / hear you talk Jake ! Great video as always

If anyone thinks the original 6 games (1-3, Ascension and the 2 psp games) are just shallow action games, they need to play them or watch the cut scenes at least. Yes, they are great action games and maybe my favorite series ever, I also love the 2018 game but Ragnarok was the first game in the series that I put down before I finished it. I plan to finish it eventually and maybe I will end up loving it but I replay the older games pretty often.

Love hearing the love for the O.G trilogy. Are you hoping for a remaster of those old games?

I'm surprised it was free.

I’d love to see a video from you getting into the OG games!

Young Kratos looked so menacing i prefer Old man Kratos now🙌

I normally hate tacked on rogues like modes that come out way later and tank my trophy or achievement percentage, but this one was actually really good.

I also just came around playing Valhalla this week! 👍

Your t-shirt says it all bro

Where would you like to see the franchise go? Would you like to see the studio take the character (now older) back to Greece to maybe show Atreus his Greek ancestry? Or have them take on a different mythology?

jake you got some audio pops in this video

I actually went back to Lost Judgement after initially being turned off by it's slow start and i've got to say after it got going, I LOVED IT (and for Ryu Ga Gotoku Studios' first story based DLC, the Kaito Files was solid)

Another thing, when Kratos is sitting on his “throne” at the end, his skin tone isn’t ashen white, almost as if through this journey he’s shed that, become human again - needless to say, I really enjoyed it

I had mixed feelings honestly. It was a cool concept but I don't like the idea of it being the gameplay loop moving forward. I prefer the traditional open world action gameplay of 2018 and Ragnarok.

My wife hated that it was a rogue like. She quit playing and just watched the cutscenes on RU-vid.

Valhalla was amazing. I’m not a big rogue like dude, but I dug the story aspects the most even if it was sprinkles of dialogue.

I miss the old god of war games I just can’t get into these games sadly

Did God teir character development for Kratos that actually redeems him and Tyr and made me love both of them more and then they threw in the blade of Olympus for the fans I would pay 60 for this dlc without a problem I've unlocked everything and I still can't stop playing it when i get a chance

Wonder if these recent job listings are for bringing the OG god of wars back but with the 2018/Ragnarök elements 🤔

I can’t wait for the next game to see more of Kratos in his god of hope era

Kratos had that Wrath of the Lich King ending, but the good version of it... Kinda want to see a bad Kratos again, if only to let players really experience him at his most "unhinged", so-to-speak.

I would love for a video going back to Doom Eternal. I still think it’s the best shooting game ever released.

Yeah, Valhalla was unexpectedly incredible.

I loved this dlc for the little callbacks yo the old games. Only one I didnt like was ascension, controls felt weird and didnt love the multiplayer aspect. Would really like to see where things ho next for this series

🤣🤣🤣 he pulled Mimir out of his ass ?!?!! 😂

NO YOU'RE NOT MY REAL DAD, NO MATTER WHAT MOM SAYS! I actually did not finish Rag since I waited for it to come to PC. Love what Corey did with the story telling and am ready to cry again.

Hope the Rumor of the first 3 games remastered on ps5 is true.

you are definitely not reading into it too much. i think it was very clear the devs were trying to acknowledge the dialogue about the games being mindless, rage fests when kratos and the franchise since day 1 have always had so much more to offer. The first game opens with him trying to commit suicide is something people tend to forget. also the story is not entirely done after you meet young kratos. You have some more dialing and one more cutscene focusing on Mimir and Sigrun. Keep playing! Theres a point where Mimir says theres no more dialogue essentially.

at first i thought keatos would fight fear kratos from GoW3

It was also very cool that after you completed it, you could play as the young Kratos, including his classic armor, in the main game.

I'm still waiting for the PC release to play Ragnarok. Hoping the complete package with Valhalla drops later this year.

love the video, you still owe me pizza though.

10ish hours is small? This is a fantastic DLC and one of the best I've played especially for FREE DUDE the entire DLC is better than Last of Us 2 Remaster.

It was perfect man, free 6 hours more of the best game I’ve ever played.

“Fugg yea! You see that.”

Currently in the middle of playing Elden ring. But after I finish that I’m going straight to Valhalla!

not on pc yet, sadly sony please bring valhalla and bloodborne to pc

I'm going to be honest without the promise of the story I wasn't going to play Valhalla. That's what initially got me interested in the original trilogy. I like their take on Greek mythology. Yes I did praise it for its basic attractions like the gore and the nudity. Kratos tragic life made me root for his revenge story. It was the story of a modern Greek epic I felt especially after the second game of the original trilogy. So I was happy that Valhalla addressed those games and events in between them. Valhalla was for the people who did grow up with it. Just disguised as a rogue-like. After I got used to that mechanic in the DLC it became fun.

Smart. Sounds like the Freelancer mode in the Hitman series. Quite a lot of content without mayor cost to the developer and little story.

I know people are sick of remakes but damn the first God of War needs a facelift. Don’t change the combat just a graphical upgrade.

Gonna play valhalla next and replay ragnarok ng+ with young kraits skin

we STILL DONT KNOW who blew the horn in 2018. its literally the greatest GOW mystery!

The first game was really good!

That shit was fire cant lie

It was fun to go back, but Tyr using modern therapy talk in a calm therapy voice seemed so out of place in this world.

I absolutely hated Kratos by GoW 3 because he just sounded like a whiny A-hole who was just killing everything for no reason at that point, so older Kratos really redeemed him in a way that I didn’t think was possible

Sea captain is iconic

The difficulty in Ragnarok is pretty damn hard going from Balanced to No mercy. I don't remember this much of a difficulty spike in the original. No Mercy was way easier in GOW 2018

You're a good guy Jake. I'll be over for a slice.

Man its sad to say but i still need to go back and finish base ragnarok 😅

in terms of the story being "slight" so it makes sense its free I disagree, they did full blown motion and facial capture and soooo much more dialogue I honestly think they could have gotten away with a 20 dollar price tag and people would say that's fair. I just don't think we should downplay how insanely rare it is for us to get THIS level of quality for a completely free dlc. also if you power through the story yeah it like 6 hours but there's so much more to unlock and more narrative to see if you carry on playing. ive already got an extra 20 hours in this.

I actually got bored with the Ragnarok DLC and quit about halfway through. I'm glad I didn't pay for it.

I've played all the games post PS4, tried GoW 2018 and just could not do it after about two hours. I don't know why, but the game just does't click with me. Haven't touched it since, nor the sequel (obviously since it is a sequel and more of the same).

All of god of war is great story. Including ghost and chains. (Even accession*chokes half to death) Why 2018 & ranarok hit so hard and much is because of the old games. I've recently played all of em chronologically and came to really realize that people dont give the previous stories not too much credit. Because they get past the testosterone angry guy archetype. But that the thing..this guy is really madd as hell and has reason too. So like they gow 1 opens on the deck and him talking Athena before sh*t hits the fam with de hydra. He already was their play pet for 10 years. That right there is chains of Olympus (and chok*ascension *burp) And just before that he lost his wife and kid. This man is walking arround with heavy trauma and ptsd. So cut to 2018 and him opening up the flow and get the blades.. i know i know.. surface level people cheered and said YESSS the blades!!! Me.... my reaction was the same as Kratos. Beijg choked up and get all the pain back of everything that has past. Oke i actually cried seeing that. Ballin my eyees out. BUT. All in good reason. Those moments in 2018 Ragnarok en Valhalla makes the game way better and much more appreciative Because of the older games. As this guy has come from far. Everybody is like yeah this is better and more real because he isnsofter and more human.. Yess yess very true. Because he a-hole before!! But with good reason that the whole point! Hell i wrote a book. Sorry ya'll. I just.. i reakly love this franchise! Oke carry on.. hhaha love.

im still trying to beat this dlc i keep dying whenever i do play it lol

Hoping this comes to deck. I just can't stand sitting in front of a TV anymore...

Hope

DLC’s story was better than the base game imo🤷🏼‍♂️ Had a good few gripes with Ragnarök’s story sadly…

It’d be cool to see a Borderlands 2 video on GR. Thats all I play, I know it’s an oldie but it’s a goodie

I kinda hope they go back and make another hack'n'slash entry. Be it as kratos or another character. Gimme Santa Monica's gory, visceral verison of Devil May Cry 5 pls

They should've had both Kratos kiss each other and make up

What is your thoughts on "stop killing games" by Accursed Farms? There is a short and a long form video

Settle this for me... Is it rogue-lite or rogue-like? People who are using this term are switching back and forth