It Doesn't Look Like God Of War Ragnarok Can Beat Elden Ring
The Ghost of Sparta is off to a flying start in challenging Elden Ring for Game of the Year, but according to first reviews, God of War Ragnarok might just fall short of toppling Melania. But hey, what do critics know?
Coming out of the gate hot (well, cold) in 2018, Sony Santa Monica's God of War reinvented the long-running God of War name for a new generation. Although Kratos was never far from our consoles, we hadn't had a mainline series rounded off with God of War III in 2010.
What Are Critics Saying About God Of War Ragnarok?
2018's God of War went on to break records as the best-selling PS4 game, as well as being crowned by many as the best game of all time. With this in mind, all eyes are on Ragnarok to see if it can perform. The good news is that it's been almost unanimously adored by critics already and could be a contender for Game of the Year.
Across the board, there have been war cries that Ragnarok surpasses its predecessor in almost every way. IGN, Game Rant, VG247, and VGC all gave it 100/100. Gene Park of The Washington Post went one step further by saying it's got better side quests than The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, which is quite an achievement. On Metacritic, God of War Ragnarok currently sits with a beefy 94/100 based on 117 critic reviews.
Then again, the likes of Polygon aren't as kind, writing: "It delivers the same pleasant satisfaction that I get from finishing a Marvel movie that lets me run on autopilot." Looking at the bigger picture, Ragnarok is easily the best-scoring PlayStation 5 exclusive but is beaten in general by Elden Ring's 96/100. It's technically bested by the Portal Companion Collection (96) and Pesona 5 Royal (95), but as they're ports of previous titles, Ragnarok is the second-highest-rated new game of 2022.
Will God Of War Ragnarok Be Game Of The Year?
Of course, a numerical system of scoring has long been called out as an inaccurate way of judging a game. There are always sure to be those rogue few (we won't name you here) that pan a game or give a lower score just so they can stand out from the crowd and get you talking - there's no such thing as negative press. The real test will be during awards season. In particular, the cinematics and music of Ragnarok are sure to score big and litter Sony Santa Monica's mantlepiece with trophies.
It's true that Elden Ring broke the mould in terms of the sheer scale of size for the game itself and lore building, but as we ploughed our 100th hour into it, some agreed it had lost its magic. On the other hand, there's a sense of finality to Ragnarok that comes with the fact it's the final game in the Norse saga. Elden Ring was a plucky upstart that's a little brother to the rest of the Souls-likes. We'd like to see if it can hit the dizzying heights of Ragnarok if it's still releasing games 17 years after its first release.