I try not to get apopleptic with rage regarding silly internet videos, but I can't help but feel a little PSYCHOTIC over this video's content. It's probably all the violent video games curdling my brain.
I started watching this series because the entertainment value of videos on the Escapist is always high (even when they are completely, insanely Movie-Bob-esque wrong). I can't help but watch this video and imagine that the people writing this series couldn't have missed the point more if they were aiming for it from a different planet.
If video games are supposed to be a new an emergent medium for storytelling, should they not also have new genres to go with their new medium? Why must they be shackled to the genres presented in noninteractive mediums? Parallel to that, why must these stories match said genres EXACTLY? They can't deviate slightly? Would that 'ruin it' somehow?
Over and above all that, I imagine some people like the perspective that Kratos is a completely unredeemable bastard. It's nice to let the id out for awhile, and channel its motivation with some puzzles and whatnot.
Third, how is the story of 2-3 not a tragedy in and of itself? Kratos starts from a high position, but his hubris (the Greeks fucking love them some hubris) results in him being brought low. Rather than blaming himself, he blames someone else and agrees to some pretty shady alliances to get his revenge. It may have required some finesse and a whole lot of persistence, but someone could have swayed Kratos from his path in 2, maybe even in 3. The Last Spartan almost pulled it off in 2 (right before the Kraken fight) before Gaia pulled some deeply underhanded shit to put him back on the path.
The remorse comes in 3, when Kratos is presented with something that is not really a choice, but he interprets it that way, and forces himself to make a decision. With the decision made, there is not much else for him to do but continue with his revenge.
That is some sad storytelling. Maybe not a Greek tragedy, but it sure fits the dictionary's definition of a tragedy. The GOW series is, to me, the tale of a man who despite his excellence, is repeatedly brought low by his emotions and his bad decision making. Had he demonstrated some philosophia (love of wisdom), he might have had the skills necessary to realize he was doing something stupid and stepped back. He never does, however, which also makes his story a good cautionary tale.
I cannot imagine the person who plays through the GOW games and at the end, still says 'I wish I were more like Kratos.' Same way I can't imagine someone would say the same about Hamlet. In a sea of characters whose professionalism, wittiness, and machismo we're supposed to idolize and aspire to, Kratos stands out like a sore thumb. He is fairly original in this respect.
How is his journey a 'failure' of video game storytelling?
All I got was insults and curses. I even criticized the fact that the ending of God Of War 1 was only partially canon to the second game. The first was a great stand-alone experience, but the second ignored parts of the ending and the actual graphic design of the Gods. They also shift Zeus' personality.
