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With great apologies to Kalon Zombie. Come check out and vote in my concurrent Demon's Souls LP, and learn a bit about medieval weaponry and armor! I think we're the bad guy now. Let's play God of War 3!  Oh hey it's that game Hell yeah it is. Released in March, 2010, this game is 4 years old and still looks great. One of the biggest hitters to come to the then-struggling PS3, it was definitely a system-seller for many, and God of War remains Sony's most iconic exclusive franchise, blending pop mythology with combo-driven action, platforming elements, and puzzles. It's a game that has always embraced its ultra-violent source material with great gusto and has managed to become iconic and, dare I say, mythic in its own right. This game has been LP'd before though. What's new here? Glad you asked, Timmy. The name of the game here is mythos, and taking a pointer from Geop's excellent Assassin's Creed LPs, I've decided to make this an informative LP. Each video--or most of the videos--will be interspersed with researched segments about the mythological origins of all the characters and creatures we encounter--how they differ from the source material, and will include some folk stories, readings from antiquity poets, and basically anything else I can find to avoid making this just a live-reading of Wikipedia. You can click the first video and get a pretty good idea of what I mean! Sounds great, but my name's not Timmy. Any thread interaction to be expected? Yep. I'm opening the thread up to suggestions for topics for future videos and supplemental videos, in regards to Grecian mythology and culture. As of now I plan to do a video on all the primary Olympian gods we encounter in this game, as well as the Titans, the writer Hesiod, and some of the monsters too, but that doesn't mean I won't be interested in suggestions beyond those! While this is primarily solo commentary, I may be open to guest commentators if anyone has any particular knowledge, background or passion for Greek myth and history and wants to join in the fun. So, that's about it. Let's dive right in, shall we?  warning on all videos. Lotta naked people.Episode 1: Attack of Titans: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6-xP40JUU8 Episode 2: Poseidon, Poseidon't: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kse1CVG4oco Episode 3: Styx and Stoned: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vz-u51VqPSE Episode 4: We Three Kings: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcJ5kcpHDFI Episode 5: Boat on the River: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bk2Noko_w48 Episode 6: Hades Nuts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPwGAbAfJD8 Episode 7: Blinded by the (sun)Light -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxZ-Cl9g74U Episode 8: Chains (don't) Keep Us Together: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJ-Wsq6x_Nk Episode 9: gently caress Your Butler -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TH_2-aDvZ1c Episode 10: Inspirational Fratricide:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnlvJImibsY In Memoriam  Poseidon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHiFoDA0u78  Hades: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YA_UZDl6Tr4  Helios: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtnowuzCgHw BottledBodhisvata fucked around with this message at 22:53 on Nov 12, 2014 |
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Sep 30, 2014 14:38
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Now where did I put my copy of the Theogony? The real fun in Greek Mythology is realizing that the Theogony is one of three traditions about the birth of the Universe. We get scraps of another in Homer and hints of a third in Herodotus, all of them fairly different from Hesiod's version. Homer, for instance, mentions that everything came from Oceanus, instead of Chaos or Gaia. I'm sorry for not doing big dissertations, but I'm more of a "interesting anecdote" type of guy… Mostly because I always assume people know most of what I consider "Basic" knowledge. Oh, and for laughs, Helios (and it is Helios in GoW3) is a Titan, and never was an Olympian. They'd have been better off using the latter representation of Apollo, which had assimilated the role of Sun God. Delta Green fucked around with this message at 15:37 on Sep 30, 2014 |
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Sep 30, 2014 14:59
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I love how some games have a slow build, introducing characters and building backstory before getting to the action. God of war, on the other hand has you assaulting the mountain of the Gods riding on the back on a Titan murdering hundreds of dudes and fighting bosses literally hundreds of times bigger then you. Any other game that'd be the last level. Here we're just getting warmed up.
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Sep 30, 2014 18:02
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Spalec posted:I love how some games have a slow build, introducing characters and building backstory before getting to the action.
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Sep 30, 2014 18:25
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All previous games are fair game in terms of spoilers, and I may be discussing previous characters and creatures if there's enough interest in them. This game is pretty cool about your abilities though--you keep all the item-based upgrades you earned in God of War 2--the Golden Fleece, the Icarus Wings--but as to whether we'll be keeping our maxed out blades...
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Sep 30, 2014 20:07
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Spalec posted:I love how some games have a slow build, introducing characters and building backstory before getting to the action. The original plot to this game had you curbstomp Zeus and the remaining gods of Olympus in the first half-hour or so. Followed by Kratos going on to wipe out the Norse and Egyptian pantheons and accidentally giving rise to Christianity, the scope of the game scaled back considerably once they got a new lead writer.
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Sep 30, 2014 21:13
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Can't stop, won't stop. Tonight's episode highlights: Snake women, drunken centaurs, and a very violent wedding party. Also fire. Fire fire fire. Episode 3: Styx and Stoned https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vz-u51VqPSE BottledBodhisvata fucked around with this message at 01:50 on Oct 3, 2014 |
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Oct 1, 2014 02:02
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So I'm putting together the next episode and I'm finding that what I'd intended to be the mythological supplemental portion of it has actually come to a longer run-time than the gameplay portion. Would you rather I seperate the mythology segments into separate videos or would you rather I keep them together as I have been?
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Oct 2, 2014 20:39
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BottledBodhisvata posted:So I'm putting together the next episode and I'm finding that what I'd intended to be the mythological supplemental portion of it has actually come to a longer run-time than the gameplay portion. Would you rather I seperate the mythology segments into separate videos or would you rather I keep them together as I have been? I'd put the myth sections at the end. That way people can watch, say, 15-20 minutes of game and then, if they don't feel like watching the myth stuff, they can tap out there.
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Oct 2, 2014 20:52
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Welp, I found a reach-around for my microphone issues, so here is an update. I...haven't gotten any real feedback, but it's a little weird there's next to no discussion at all in the thread. Are the videos of poor quality? Should I make fancy-looking buttons for my links? I...I don't know how to make those.  Either way, in this episode we go into the Judges of the Underworld, read some Socrates, fight some bull-men, and die a lot. Episode 4: We Three Kings: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcJ5kcpHDFI BottledBodhisvata fucked around with this message at 01:50 on Oct 3, 2014 |
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Oct 3, 2014 01:47
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I don't have much to add for the discussion but your videos are good, both the video/audio quality and your commentary. I'll be watching the rest of the LP.  I do love how much of an rear end in a top hat Kratos is in this game though, burning the dude to death to get the thing he was straight up offering you? That was my 'Man, we really are the bad guy' moment.
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Oct 3, 2014 03:08
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Well, it's gonna be a bit to set up the next episode and segment, especially as I'm working on a second project to go along with this one. Would it perhaps help spur discussion if I provided links to the written works I'm quoting or else posted more images or quotes from therein? I'd hate to get to five updates with only a single page.
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Oct 3, 2014 06:56
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Wait, what was that spin at about 6:10?
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Oct 3, 2014 15:30
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The videos are great and the mythology sessions me remind of Legend of the Hidden Temple. Will Kratos be going to the Shrine of the Silver Monkey next?
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Oct 3, 2014 16:21
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NGDBSS posted:Wait, what was that spin at about 6:10? Kratos is a skilled dancer. God of War 3 is actually a Grecian fable explaining the origins of ballet. Oh and I may as well give you guys an update huh?  Today on Let's Play God of War, we continue into the Underworld, meet one of my favorite gods, and proceed to not talk about him even in the slightest and instead spend twenty minutes talking all about Hades and everything in it. I'll say this without hyperbole, this may be my favorite mythology segment yet, so if you are only going to watch one of these videos, I'd reccomend you watch this one. Episode 5: Boat on the River -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bk2Noko_w48 Drinking game suggestion: Take a shot every time I change how I pronounce "Charon" and mispronounce "flood" to rhyme. To try and spice things up--I want a new page for the next update, which will be very big and feature our first REAL boss fight--I'm going to throw out a few discussion topics to get you crazy kids talkin'. Game related: Which God of War game do you regard as the best, and why? Is Kratos thus far justified in his desire to kill Zeus and, by extension, the Gods of Olympus? Mythology-related: Who is your favorite Greek deity and why? Which Greek fable do you enjoy the most and why? And lastly: What is your favorite Greek food? You can answer any and all of these as it pleases you. Perhaps the answers to SOME of these questions may factor into later updates in some fabulous fashion. BottledBodhisvata fucked around with this message at 00:21 on Oct 7, 2014 |
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Oct 7, 2014 00:16
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In order: Which God of War game do you regard as the best, and why? -Depends on what criteria you'd use for "best", really. I'm only familiar with the mainline games, so out of those I'd say either GoW (for having the most coherent narrative arc) or GoW3 (for having weapons other than the Blades of [~] which weren't afterthoughts). Is Kratos thus far justified in his desire to kill Zeus and, by extension, the Gods of Olympus? -Not really. Neither is the reverse justified, really - the whole conflict was sparked by Zeus and Kratos being thoroughly petulant twats who were unwilling to negotiate from the outset. (There's a SPOILERS reason that tries to explain why, but I'm unsatisfied with it.) At this point there's been so much escalation of commitment on both sides that no one can back down and still survive. We're just here to watch the fireworks. Not that they're bad fireworks by any means - they're very pretty - but given what's happened since GoW2 the narrative is not going to stop until one of the aforementioned warmongers is at the other's feet. Who is your favorite Greek deity and why? -Either Hephaestus or Hades. Neither concerned themselves much with the pettiness of mortal affairs; instead both tended to do their own things to keep the wheels of the universe turning. (Also Hephaestus may or may not have made robots.) Which Greek fable do you enjoy the most and why? Anything involving Thanatos and people trying to overcome him in some way, either with trickery (Sisyphus) or might (Heracles). It's kinda funny to see people think, "alright we've determined the rules on how the Personification of Death works, so what loopholes can we find in this business?"
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Oct 7, 2014 05:23
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Which God of War game do you regard as the best, and why? Definitely GoW2. It's got the best set pieces and most interesting locations. GoW3 also has a lot to recommend. I think it's the prettiest looking, it's got some really cool and unique locations as well (I'm thinking especially of Hera's Garden and the Labyrinth), some stunning-looking bosses--though the final one overstays its welcome considerably--and the most fun/satisfying weapon in the entire series. Is Kratos thus far justified in his desire to kill Zeus and, by extension, the Gods of Olympus? I think so, at least as far as Ares and Zeus are concerned. Everyone else is just kind of collateral damage for standing in Kratos's way. I do like that the gods have essentially created the monster that eventually destroys them, but this is why it's a very bad idea to double-cross someone you've already double-crossed once, especially if you're going to give him godlike powers in the interim. Then again, outside of Athena, nobody said the Greek gods were brilliant. Who is your favorite Greek deity and why? I like Athena, for the most part. Working in the education field as I do, I have to be a fan of intelligence and wisdom. Dionysus is also an interesting and deceptively powerful character. Which Greek fable do you enjoy the most and why? Anything involving Daedalus. The stories of the labyrinth and Daedalus/Icarus are among the most enjoyable to me.
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Oct 7, 2014 07:10
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Goddamn, that final poem. "The House of the Dead itself was stupefied, and innermost Tartarus, and the Furies, with dark snakes twined in their hair, and Cerberus held his three mouths gaping wide, and the whirling of Ixion’s wheel stopped in the wind." Vergil knew how to write a  goddamn poem. Up until now I had been enjoying this lets play, albeit silently, but now I've gotta say, it's probably one of my favorites going on right now. Greek myth is a fine and dandy thing, and the other God of War LP going on right now has that going for it, but there's really nothing like old poetry, and hearing about these things from their source is not only really, really super cool, but also super refreshing. I know it probably takes a lot of effort to crank out an episode and research all the poetry and myth, but I'm enjoying the hell out of it, and I hope I can enjoy the ride all the way to the end. And since you asked, my favorite greek food is lamb souvlaki.  I would totally murder for some right now, that and spanakoepeta.
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Oct 7, 2014 07:44
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Well with praise like that, I should give you guys something special--so have our very first supplemental video, all about the late, great Poseidon. In Memoriam Poseidon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHiFoDA0u78 The opening prayer is one of the Homeric Hymns. There's a bunch of them, to every principle god or goddess. As I won't be editing them in, here are the hymns for the mythical figures we've already covered: Homer posted:TO EARTH THE MOTHER OF ALL Homer posted:TO ARES Homey posted:TO ATHENA As a follow-up to the ramble I throw in at the end, one should take note that Poseidon is the god who creates horses. Athena creates the horse bridle. Poseidon creates water. Athena creates the ladle. In every aspect, Athena surpasses the raw fury of the Sea. I apologize for a lack of more direct accounts or poetry in this interlude, I had some trouble finding primary sources that'd make for good reading this time around. I'll be adding this to the first post as well. The next video may not have a mythology section built-in, but that's only because there will be another supplemental In Memoriam to follow it. Still, there's a bit of free period in regards to mythological figures. At the moment I have three ideas: 1. A video on Hesiod and the other authors we've quoted 2. A video on Tiresias, the prophet. 3. A video on Cerberus and Greek monsters we've encountered So, I'll put it up to you guys to vote. I intend to do all three at some point, but vote for a preference of order and whenever I have downtime without a clear topic to discuss, I'll throw these in based on the thread's choice. BottledBodhisvata fucked around with this message at 03:54 on Oct 8, 2014 |
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Oct 8, 2014 03:48
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Hm? What? Are you not entertained? Then fine, have another update! No mythology section this time--but instead a big juicy boss fight. Episode 6: Hades Nuts http://youtu.be/iPwGAbAfJD8 If we get five more posts in this thread, I'll work into the night and get a Hades supplemental video up for tomorrow. Otherwise, a few days or so until the next proper update, I'm gonna build a back-log of footage. BottledBodhisvata fucked around with this message at 21:51 on Oct 8, 2014 |
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Oct 8, 2014 17:51
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I would love to see the Hades Myth video.
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Oct 8, 2014 18:51
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Is YouTube giving you crap at all for the NWS stuff? I'm at work, so I can't watch but curious if you censored or are just going off of what other people have done.
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Oct 8, 2014 18:53
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Pretty much anything I've ever seen Tiresias do or get involved in ends up being mythology/comedy gold, but all my sources are second or thirdhand memory, so of those three I'd like to see him first.
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Oct 8, 2014 19:15
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Shotaro posted:Pretty much anything I've ever seen Tiresias do or get involved in ends up being mythology/comedy gold, but all my sources are second or thirdhand memory, so of those three I'd like to see him first.
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Oct 8, 2014 19:46
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You should always properly source any authors you quote.
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Oct 8, 2014 22:36
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slowbeef posted:Is YouTube giving you crap at all for the NWS stuff? I'm at work, so I can't watch but curious if you censored or are just going off of what other people have done. I haven't gotten any flags thus far, so maybe they give God of War a pass. Classical art is full of dicks and nips though. Anyway, five replies later and I am a man of my word. Let's talk Hades! In Memoriam Hades: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YA_UZDl6Tr4
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Oct 9, 2014 16:00
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Okay, what was with the emphasis on Persephone's "slim ankles"? Was that a standard of ancient Greek beauty, or something the author was into?
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Oct 9, 2014 19:44
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From what I remember from a college class on Greek mythology, and some light digging, ankles were a Greek beauty thing.
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Oct 9, 2014 21:42
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A discussion question to get us to a second page: What is your opinion on the Greek view of the afterlife? Do you feel it is more depressing/less depressing that the Christian view? The atheistic view? What do you think the Grecian view on life or death says about their culture? Do you think there is any way their attitude towards death might benefit modern society and how? Do you see Hades as a sympathetic figure or a villainous one, and why? Bonus points for comparing and contrasting Poseidon and Hades as characters, entities, and ideas. The best responses may get featured in an upcoming video, so feel free to get wordy if you feel the Muses upon your breast.
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Oct 10, 2014 00:55
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Which God of War game do you regard as the best, and why? 3 probably had the best improvements to the gameplay and engine while giving the fewest backslides, with 2 at a close second. Ascension punishes poor play far too harshly and the PSP games aren't as good though the second has an excellent story. Is Kratos thus far justified in his desire to kill Zeus and, by extension, the Gods of Olympus? Given what we learn in Chains of Olympus, Ghost of Sparta, and Ascension? Very much yes. Kratos has literally given up heaven in the service of the gods and has had every single moment of his life manipulated and twisted until he literally has nothing left but rage and an ability to kill. It's honestly somewhat amazing that Kratos didn't snap sooner, like before God of War 1. Even when he tried to end his suffering and kill himself, which surely would have damned him to a very dark place in Hades, Athena intervened and made him immortal. They rewarded him by turning a suicidal kill monster into a god and are surprised when he turns his sights upon them. And yet when it comes down to it he still knows how and when to do the right thing Who is your favorite Greek deity and why? Hephaestus, I love forge gods and he's one of the best. What is your opinion on the Greek view of the afterlife? The classical Hades was mostly benevolent to passive, it was his job to watch over the dead and the afterlife. Hell as it was, was one of the mortals own making. The fear of him and of the afterlife is why he was demonized, no one wanted to die, and thus their idea of hades the realm turned into one of darkness and suffering. They created the idea of elysium as a counterbalance to that. Look, a magical realm where all the heroes and those favored by the gods go when they die, and I'm surely favored by the gods so I have nothing to worry about! As far as Hades and Poseidon and their characterization in this game vs their portrayal in the myths. I'd say that Hades probably has the best justification to be legitimately angry with Kratos, seeing as how he killed Persephone. Though Hades does leave out the part where the reason Persephone was killed was because she was trying to destroy all of existence. Poseidon by contrast doesn't really have much characterization at all, he's not so much a character as he is the primary content of the first level. Though his portrayal in this game is perhaps more in line with the classical myths, considering that Poseidon is kind of a dickhole. Poseidon is the god that the mortals feared and placated, the sea was both source of food and means of transport. Without the sea they would starve, and without the sea they could not get home from travel. If you didn't keep Poseidon happy you could starve, or get stranded, or any number of other fates. Hades is the god that the mortals tried to ignore, because acknowledging him was to acknowledge their own mortality and imminent death. It's said that when they were worshiping at the shrines of Hades the mortals would avert their gaze so that Hades could not tell who they are and pay attention to them, thus accelerating their demise.
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Oct 10, 2014 05:31
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Well alright, who is ready for a fat update? Episode 7: Blinded by the (sun)Light -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxZ-Cl9g74U And as part of today's mythology section, please enjoy (and do watch at least the first twenty minutes or so) a rather lurid staging of Sophocles's Oedipus Rex, complete with traditional Greek theater masks. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZUCgq8LfhY quote:Illustrations of theatrical masks from 5th century display helmet-like masks, covering the entire face and head, with holes for the eyes and a small aperture for the mouth, as well as an integrated wig. These paintings never show actual masks on the actors in performance; they are most often shown being handled by the actors before or after a performance, that liminal space between the audience and the stage, between myth and reality.[14] This demonstrates the way in which the mask was to ‘melt’ into the face and allow the actor to vanish into the role.[16] Effectively, the mask transformed the actor as much as memorization of the text. Therefore, performance in ancient Greece did not distinguish the masked actor from the theatrical character. We even get a special guest. BottledBodhisvata fucked around with this message at 16:58 on Oct 11, 2014 |
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Oct 11, 2014 15:58
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Hoplites? But they have no shields! And the cyclops wore Sandals. That's a weird design choice. Also that Valkyrie Profile music fits a lot better than you think. Something about the content and the hamminess you put on just is great. And that dog moment  .Pets for lifetime achievement in LP Co-commentating. Rigged Death Trap fucked around with this message at 17:55 on Oct 11, 2014 |
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Oct 11, 2014 17:46
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Do you fight any hekatonkheir in these games? 'Cause I'd love to see tiny Kratos against some giant thing with fifty heads and hundred arms.
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Oct 11, 2014 18:18
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Not in this game, there's one in Ascension. Speaking of did you still want someone to go over the plots of Ascension and the PSP games?
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Oct 11, 2014 18:23
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It really is a shame that they continued the trend in GoW 3 for just making things more tedious with enemies becoming masses of health and greater damage with the harder difficulties---better tactics, more enemies in volume, and/or new content outright would've suited the game so much better. Especially for this game, in this series, which should be at very nearly the pinnacle in terms of being over the top in fine fashion on a grand scale considering the plot and whatnot.
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Oct 12, 2014 13:20
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Love the use of Illusion of Gaia music when talking about Gaia. These games never really appealed to me but watching you play through it is very entertaining, keep it up!
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Oct 12, 2014 18:09
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There's nothing quite like edutainment This is great so far.
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Oct 13, 2014 11:24
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Here comes the Sun. In Memoriam Helios: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtnowuzCgHw
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Oct 13, 2014 23:04
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Well, gee whizz, it's been awful quiet up in here. Well I suppose it isn't much but maybe you'd like a mothafuckin' update!? Episode 8: Chains (don't) Keep Us Together: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJ-Wsq6x_Nk Today's mythology segment tackles the four primary authors we've been sourcing--Hesiod, Homer, Ovid and Virgil, as well as a few rambling thoughts of my own. I think it came out well, although like I said in the video, practically anything I say about these men is going to be woefully inadequate, and there's vast histories and commentaries on them all that I simply don't have the time to go through or produce into a video. Still, I think I at least get a few interesting facts, and I urge and encourage you all to pursue knowledge on these matters in your own time. To help with that, I'll provide the primary source I've been using to collect these classical writings and read them: http://www.theoi.com/Text/OvidMetamorphoses1.html This site is pretty incredible, and I love the way it organizes the writings, it has been an invaluable resource in the making of this LP so I encourage you all to visit and give it some hits if it pleases you.
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Oct 17, 2014 00:24
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You asked if anyone now could be as well known in 2000 years. Part of what you aren't accounting for is that these might have just been the lucky ones. There might have been 3000 people who got their stuff written down. And since it was found again the people who found it might have thought that it must have been great if it survived long enough for me to find. Imagine that in 300 years people excavating a land fill to better understand those who came before start finding music CDs. They might find reprints of the Beatles, Johnny cash, Elvis, and Miley Cyrus. Will they think that all of those are wonderful purely because of how many they find? If you think there will still be good records of now because "internet" keep this in mind, back around 200 B.C. it took around 60 years for a legend of the event to start to change from historical. Now, it takes ~15 minutes for a story to take on a life of it's own to the point that the people involved in the event are called liars for telling the truth.
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Oct 17, 2014 04:14
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