The launch of God of War Ragnarok was one of the most anticipated games on Steam but it did not go as smoothly as many fans had expected. In days, negative reviews have begun flooding the game and it’s now rated “Mixed.” The primary reason?
The reversal has sparked additional frustration from players given that the Playstation Network (PSN) is still required to play, even if you bought it on PC through the official website and store. This extra step has a number of sides feeling like the process mistreated them.
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Why the Backlash?
So, it is no surprise that PC players are excited to finally have the chance to play PlayStation exclusives. One of the biggest game series ever, God of War Ragnarok, was all but certain to be a monster performer on Steam.
Of course, many players eager to return to the story of Kratos and Atreus were disappointed to see that such a feature was hidden behind an online requirement-even though it is essentially just a single-player experience.
Many gamers simply object to the obnoxious hoops they now have to jump through (e.g. register/create/link a PSN account) in order to play games they bought and paid for that happen to be on PlayStation platforms.
The controversy comes from the fact that all PS4 players already have a PSN account, while many PC gamers are not used to having an account with every game they buy and particularly through Steam. F2P, of course, has always required accounts.
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A Familiar Problem
It has not been that long since a PlayStation game found itself in the firing line of review bombing over this exact issue. It also faced a heavy backlash earlier this year with Helldivers 2 where PlayStation would be required to link your PSN account before you play the game. PlayStation ultimately reversed the mandate for Helldivers 2 after a flood of negative user reviews, though there’s no confirmation that they would follow suit with God of War Ragnarok.
A PSN account for online particularly those with cross-saves seems quite reasonable, but single-player God of War Ragnarok is perhaps less so. In our perspective, this is like making the customer register a loyalty program just to purchase some one-time products. Sure, some are fine with that, for others it ruins the entire purchase transaction experience.
Playing with fire: warranted performance issues
This is not the only things as to why God of War Ragnarok reviews are breaking down and that being a PSN account requirement. Following the PC port of Persona 4 Golden earlier in the week, a sizeable portion also have performance issues on PC, which includes crashes, stuttering and visual glitches.
This hasn’t been something PlayStation has excelled in its PC ports prior, as many of those have suffered from technical issues on day one too.
While by no means the sole reason for the game’s “Mixed” rating, players have vented their frustration about these problems in their reviews. The game has launched to less than great critical responses, with the performance issues being a thing that may have stopped hundreds if not thousands of players from picking up God of War Ragnarok.
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Will Sony Respond?
It’s unclear whether Sony will fix the PSN account requirement or improve God of War Ragnarok on PC. Although the negative reviews and complaints from fans continue to pour down, so far the company has not issued an official response to this mass review bombing on the disappointment of players.
But, as we have seen with their handling of Helldivers 2s and continuous player criticism, Sony is also a master of course correction in situations like this.
Some performance tweaks for the game are expected on the technical side and will probably be postponed. We’ve seen this before with PC ports, updates making for a better experience the longer you wait in some instances. Still, the updates they are referring to have yet to land.
Is It All Bad News?
However, despite the negative reviews and complaints about its gameplay, there is a great deal for fans of God of War Ragnarok to be excited about. The game has officially been confirmed for the Steam Deck, which means you can now embark on Kratos and Atreus’ epic quest while on the go.
To other players, the opportunity to play one of the most visually impressive games at a level comparable to their PC experience might prove worth the downsides.
On top of that, the base gameplay and story have always been very good in God of War Ragnarok. Aside from the PSN hang-up, though – and general technical issues – God of War is still a celebrated game for anyone willing to take on some powerful gods and experience the bond between a coming-to-age would-be god-slayer and his old man.
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The tale is as large as that of a number of the greats in warfare, and mixes extreme motion and deep emotional storytelling.
God of War remains one of the best games around and a must-play for anyone who loves smacking down gods, and experiencing what it takes to raise up a son to surpass you. It reads like a legend of battle and redemption, combining grueling action with something epically human.
Final Thoughts
The Steam review bombing of God of War Ragnarok is just the latest event in the ongoing war between PC gamers and Sony’s method of porting its exclusives to another platform.
Now being forced to a link PSN account may for some represent only a minor annoyance but for many players, this can be an arduous barrier preventing them from enjoying their purchased game. Well, throw the performance hitches in and you have a game facing some negative pushback.
It remains to be seen whether PlayStation will react in the same way with the recent change on Helldivers 2. At the very least, God of War Ragnarok fans will need to weigh in on whether linking their PSN accounts dissuades them from joining PC or if they are down for one more hoop to experience the game.
Either way, it’s still pretty evident Sony needs to learn a thing or two about releasing games on PC.
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