El Animador

God of War: Kratos Is an A$$hole - PS3 Feature at IGN

2011-09-10T00:50:00.000-07:00

God of War: Kratos Is an A$$hole - PS3 Feature at IGN

With the upcoming release of GOd of War: Origins for PS3 looks like IGN decided to write a little article about our favorite Spartan

God of War Origins on PS3!

2011-06-22T03:14:00.001-07:00

Mortal Kratos!

2011-04-26T17:46:00.000-07:00

MK is finally here and so is Kratos!

Video Games | Mortal Kombat | Kratos In Action Gameplay HD

Xbox 360 | PlayStation 3 | Nintendo Wii | PC Games

Let me know what you guys think!

From MK to GOW to MK...............

2011-03-13T23:09:00.000-07:00

UPDATE!!! KRATOS MK gameplay trailer is here:

Hi everyone. It has been a long time since I have posted here. I haven't forgotten about this blog and all of the people that follow it. It has been a very busy last few months and I know I have missed lots of news in regards to God of War news. I wanted to take some time to give you guys and update and share with you some of experiences I have had in my career in the game industry. First however I wanted to make an announcement in regards to posting at this blog. The ability to post as an anonymous has been removed because the spam was getting out of control. Hope that those of you guys posting as anonymous don't get discouraged from writing your thoughts here.

As many of you probably know Kratos has been announced for the new upcoming Mortal Kombat fighting game for PS3. Here is the announcement trailer for those of you guys that may have missed it:

Video Games Mortal Kombat VGA 10: Extended Kratos Reveal Trailer HD

Xbox 360 PlayStation 3 Nintendo Wii PC Games

As you guys can see, Kratos will be an exclusive guest character in the PS3 version. This is the second time that Kratos has made it into a major fighting game franchise, the first being his guest appearance in the Psp version of Soul Calibur. Working with the legendary Soul Calibur team was a real treat for me since I myself are big fan of the series since the first arcade version of Soul Blade. Well now I had the chance to once again work with the Legendary MK team and Ed Boon. This is not the first time I had a chance to do so since I have been lucky enough to be part of the Mortal Kombat legacy once before.

Mortal Kombat and I go way back since I first saw the shocking arcade machine at the Circus Circus casino in Las Vegas. I was in high school then and I had never seen anything like it. My jaw dropped to the floor when I saw Kano rip his victims heart out of his body. Mortal Kombat became to Street Fighter what Burger King is to McDonald's. Back then I never would have imagined that I would get to contribute to the MK saga. After college I had the opportunity to start my video game career at a small company called Paradox development. At one point we were developing a game for Sony Santa Monica called Monk. It was an action adventure game in the vein of God of War, which was being developed at the same time none the less. It focused around a Shaolin Monk that was the master of several styles of Kung Fu, such as Snake, Crane etc.. This game however was cancelled and never saw the light of day. The demo for this game was taken and shopped around various game companies including Midway, which still excited at the time. This demo impressed Ed Boon and he saw the potential of the game and thus Mortal Kombat: Saholin Monks was born. The main character from Monk was actually split into 2 characters who became Liu Kang and Kung Lao, who are also Shaolin Monks. Many of the remaining moves that they use are actually remnants from that original game.

The opportunity for me to be able to work with Ed Boon and the rest of the MK team to make and actual Mortal Kombat game was beyond my wildest dreams at that time. Many people at Paradox had grown up with Mortal Kombat games and we were all big fan of the franchise. I will admit that when the first live action Mortal Kombat movie came out in the theaters I saw it 5 times. Working on Shaolin Monks was a great experience early in my career and taking the title of Lead animator half ways through the project was a great opportunity. I actually got the chance to some animation for the likes of Lui Kang, Kung Lao, Sub-Zero, Scorpion, among others and even got the chance to come up with some of the fatality ideas for the game.

Video Games MK: Shaolin Monks Trailer 3 HD

Xbox 360 PlayStation 3 Nintendo Wii PC Games

After working on Shaolin Monks I got a chance to go and work at Sony Santa Monica on GOW2 and 3. Being able to animate Kratos was another highlight in my career. Even though God of War has not been around as long as MK it has been great to see this franchise grow in popularity. when I left Midway I never imagined that I would be able to work on anything Mortal Kombat related again. I was really surprised when I received the news that we were in talks with Netherealm studios (The team responsible for the new MK game, and comprised of the original Mortal Kombat team from Midway) to add Kratos as an exclusive character for PS3. I once again had the chance to work on a Mortal Kombat related project and on a character that I have worked on for years. It is really a small industry and it is funny how things work out. Let me know what you guys think about Kratos joining the MK cast. I will go into more detail in regards to getting Kratos into MK once the game comes out. All that I can say is that the MK team really did a great job. I have seen all of his moves and fatalities and they really did a great job of representing Kratos well. I know all of you God of War fans will not be disappointed. Follow this link to read Stig Asmussen's thoughts about Kratos being in MK.

Deimos has arrived.

2010-10-08T10:55:00.000-07:00

He was teased in GOW and it took six entire games to finally find out what happened to Kratos' long lost brother Deimos. It was hard to hold back knowing that this story was going to be told. i have been keeping up with the progress of this new PSP title. I read the early script, played the Alpha and Beta builds, and just could not wait for GOW fans to know that the mysteries of Deimos would be finally revealed. As a bonus we finally get some DLC for GOW3 as well. Yes I know is just a skin, and I wish that we would have released more content after GOW3 shipped but I will say that I got to play Deimos for a while and is really fun to go through the game as him. Most of the cutscenes show really close up shots of Deimos, including the Poseidon firts person kill, so it really feels like you are playing as a new charcter. The character of Deimos was a collaboration between Sony Santa Monica and Ready at Dawn. The GOW3 skin was made here at Sony Sant Monica as well. I am really excited for all GOW fans to get their hands on Ghost of Sparta and the new GOW3 DLC. If you guys demand it there might be more room in this world for Kratos and Deimos in the future.

I have read some comments around the net that Deimos looks like Kratos but just with hair and that he has the same red marks. Well perhaps Kratos actually looks like Deimos instead..........
Ghost of Sparta will explain it all. Don't forget to also check out the new trailer below!

Video Games | God of War: Ghost of Sparta | Origins Trailer

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

New Ghost of Sparta footage is here.

2010-09-14T18:24:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone. It has been a long time since I posted anything. Many things have been going on lately and just haven't had a chance to update this blog. Well the team at Ready at Dawn have been working hard on getting Ghost of Sparta ready for it's november release. I had a chance to play through the Beta version of the game and I think you guys will be happy with the end result. There are some really cool story moments in the game and there is particularly one character that I pesonally wish to once again see someday. Check out some new footage of the demo including Kratos new Spartan Shield and Spear.

Video Games | God of War: Ghost of Sparta | Arms of Sparta Demo Gameplay

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

Here Kratos takes care of King Midas

Video Games | God of War: Ghost of Sparta | Exclusive King Midas Gameplay

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

Remember when you guys asked about Atlantis being in GOW3? well this is why we didn't Add it, because we knew the PSP sequel would take place there.

Video Games | God of War: Ghost of Sparta | Atlantis Demo Gameplay Part I

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

Video Games | God of War: Ghost of Sparta | Atlantis Demo Gameplay Part II

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

Ghost of Sparta is Here!

2010-06-17T14:48:00.001-07:00

E3 is here as well as new info and footge for the newest GOW game, Ghost of Sparta. Enjoy the trailer and footage. Ask me any questions that you may have about the game!

Video Games | God of War: Ghost of Sparta | E3 2010: Debut Trailer HD

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

Video Games | God of War: Ghost of Sparta | E3 2010: Beast Slaying Gameplay (Cam) HD

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

GOW3 Combo video

2010-04-29T11:31:00.000-07:00

This is very well done. My props to the guys that put it together. You made everyone here at Sony Santa Monica very proud. If you guys are interested in a job as a tester please send me a message!!!!

Favorite Boss Fights

2010-04-07T07:48:00.000-07:00

Now that the Trilogy is finished, I wanted to no which is your favorite bossfight in a GOW game! This was inspired by this IGN video:

God of War III at IGN.com

Let me know what you guys think!

GOW 3 Interview

2010-03-31T05:17:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of updates. I've actually been a bit busy lately. I just came back for New Zealand and Australia to promote God of War 3. It was a great opportunity for me to be able to meet so many fans there. Check out this interview I did there along with Senior Designer Jonathan Hawkins!:

More God of War III News & Previews

GOW3 Launch!!!

2010-03-15T21:57:00.000-07:00

Video Games SpikeTV God of War III: Last Titan Standing Promo

XBox 360 Playstation 3 Nintendo Wii

If you guys can't make it to a midnight launch event then please check out Spike TV for a GOW3 special!

I will be going out to Hollywood tonight for the gamestop event. Maybe I'll meet one of you guys out there! Here is the info:

Gamestop

7100 Santa Monica Blvd

Weat Hollywood

GOW3 reviews,GDC,Entrevista,Vets-Play hard mode!

2010-03-10T13:37:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone, the reviews for GOW3 are in! All of us at Sony Santa Monica worked really hard to give you guys the most Epic experience possible abd I hope you guys enjoy the ride!

I Just wanted to also share that this Friday I will be giving a talk at GDC for any of you guys that may be comming to the event. Here is the info:

Animation Process of God of War IIISpeaker:

Bruno Velazquez (Lead Animator, Sony Santa Monica)

Date/Time: Friday (March 12, 2010)

4:30pm — 5:30pm

Location (room): Room 132, North Hall

Track: Visual Arts

Format: 60-minute Lecture

Experience Level: All

Para los fans de Latino America aqui tienen una entevista en espanol cortesia de Atomix:

Finally I have a word of advice for GOW Vets that are waiting to play GOW3:

On your first playthrough please choose TITAN(hard) mode! I will guarantee that the game will be more fun and challenging and you will enjoy it more. The lenght of the game will also increase a bit since fights will be thougher and more fun!

GOW3 Media Event

2010-03-02T00:00:00.000-08:00

Last week we held a media even in Hollywood CA and I just wanted to share with you guys some video and photos from the event. I was honored to be interviewed by HipHopGamer himself along with some of my colleagues, Cecil Kim (Lead Concept Artist), Max Ancar (Lead FX Artist), and Chris Sutton (Lean Environment Artist). It was fun to meet people from various parts of the world, including Latin America and Japan, that came out to cover the game. We showed the first 20 minutes of the game and the response was great so far. I really can't wait until everyone has a chance to play! In the mean time enjoy the interview and the trest of the photos.

Yours truly with the HipHopGamer!

GT TV GOW3 Episode

2010-02-26T01:13:00.000-08:00

You waited for this moment for quite some time and here it is. Tons of new footage and new reveals. Watch and let me know what you guys think! GOW3 is almost here!

The gates are wide open now!!!! GOW3 on GTTV

2010-02-23T12:03:00.001-08:00

Video Games | GameTrailers TV | Episode 305 Promo

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

GOW 3 Trailer

2010-02-12T17:39:00.001-08:00

Video Games | God of War III | Exclusive Chaos Will Rise Trailer HD

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

Here it is finally, the trailer that you guys have been waiting for. Everything you see is 100% in-game. All camera features, including motion blur, run real time in the cinematics and in-game. For this game we decided to try and blend in the cinematic sequences with the in-game sequences,so all models and assets are used for cinematics and for in-game. The Kratos that you will control will be the same you see in extreme close ups, no smoke and mirrors, no model switching. There is no CG cutscenes like the ones in previous GOW games. What you see in cinematics is what you get in-game, no difference. We didn't want to have any jarring changes in detail between gameplay and story. Both Gaia and Kratos are voiced by the same actors as the previous GOW games so please don't worry about that. We would never change Kratos voice. Please enjoy the trailer!

The wait is almost over! Chaos has arrived...

2010-02-09T15:43:00.000-08:00

Video Games | GameTrailers TV | Episode 303 Promo

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

This is it, the moment you guys have been patiently waiting for. For those of you who don't have access to Spike TV don't worry, the trailer will invade the Internet soon after. I just saw the final trailer and you guys won't be disappointed. The trailer delivers everything you guys want to see without spoiling the story. Even after watching it I realized there is so much more to see in the game that we are not even showing yet. Thanks for your patience and I will check back in on Thursday night/Friday morning to answer some questions.

Chaos Arrives March 16

2010-01-28T11:35:00.000-08:00

It's official, GOW3 will be out in North America on March 16th! Here is the official cover for the game. I know that some of you may not like it but let me offer a little explanation for you guys. This year so far, the action category is packed full of games with games like Bayonetta, Darksiders, and the upcoming Dante's Inferno. Chek out their covers:

As you can see all of these are all very cool covers. They all feature the main character in a cool action pose with tons of detail. Now imagine all of them sitting on the store shelve next each other, they begin to blend in with each other and thus loose their impact. Now imagine a whole shelve of the GOW3 cover box at Gamestop. In my opinion, marketing did a good job in choosing this cover so that it can stand out a little bit more from the standard action game cover box art. I know that this cover does not match the traditional covers of the other GOW games and I'm sure they really kept that in mind. All I am asking you guys to do right now is to go to and get you copies of GOW 1 and 2, open the box and carefully slide out the sheet from the cover and look in the back. As you can see both GOW 1 and 2 have an additional image that can be flipped and used as another cover. Well without saying too much I would suggest that you try the same when you get your copy of GOW3 and you might be surprised. Also, here is a pic of the box for the Ultimate Edition, enjoy!

Unearthing the Legend Trailer

2010-01-15T23:25:00.000-08:00

Video Games God of War III Unearthing the Legend Teaser HD

XBox 360 Playstation 3 Nintendo Wii

Hi everyone. Thanks for your continued interest in God of War and for all the great comments. I want to make it clear that this documentary is different from the usual "making off" documentary. We will also have one of those as well like the ones from GOW 1 and 2. This new documentary is more like the one produced for GOW 2 wich you can watch here.

As far as the screen shots, some of those are newer than others. One thing I can say that is the game does have motion blur, it is just not turned on for these screen shots.

Music of God of War 3

2010-01-07T11:37:00.001-08:00

GOW 3: Ultimate Trilogy Edition

2009-12-18T13:17:00.000-08:00

This is for all you European Fans, we didn't forget about you guys:

Pandora's box packaging
God of War III
God of War: Collection
Unique DLC that includes: GoW Combat Arena, Dominus character skin, Apollo character skin, Phantom of Chaos character skin, Forgotten Warrior character skin.
Exclusive PSN video download content: Unearthing the Legend franchise documentary.
God of War trilogy soundtrack
God of War: Blood and Metal EP
Artbook
Postcards

Hope you guys enjoy!

NY secret event Impresions

2009-12-12T12:32:00.000-08:00

GOW Billboard in Mexico City/IGN Interview

2009-12-08T10:31:00.001-08:00

Check out these Billboards in Mexico City:

The caption says: "Eliminate 7,000 enemies and photos of you mother in law"

Also here is and interview with Stig Asmussen with IGN, enjoy:

God of War III Q&A
Sony Santa Monica fills us in on its progress with Kratos' latest, and maybe final, battle against the gods.
by Chris Roper

December 8, 2009 - The end is beginning. Kratos' god-killing adventure is set to receive its third and final installment (for now) this coming March in God of War III, exclusively for the PlayStation 3. Sony's Santa Monica studio is hard at work on finishing up development on the game, and though we haven't seen anything new from it in some time, that doesn't mean the excitement for Kratos' finale isn't still sky-high. We're just as eager as anyone to know more about the game, so we spoke with the director on the title, Sony Santa Monica's Stig Asmussen, to find out where it is in development, when we'll get our next tease at the game and more. IGN: How far along is the game? Stig Asmussen: We are currently in the final stages of development. The entire game is together from start to finish and we're working our butts off putting on the finishing touches. We've been conducting external playtests and evaluating and addressing the feedback we've received, doing our best to incorporate it into the game. However, there are a couple of parts that still have pretty big question marks left. We have to do our best to work these out. But that is par for the course on God of War. Things always seem to come together at the end.

IGN: It's been a while since we've seen anything new. Are we going to get an updated look at the game before it ships, or are you trying to keep as much secret as possible?

Stig Asmussen: I imagine we will be giving out more information in the next couple of months. This is a tough one because we really want to show what we have been working so hard on, but at the same time, we don't want to give too much away and spoil the experience. We totally understand that there are a lot of fans that want to hear/see more, and we appreciate that immensely. However, the reality is that whenever we spend time on demos, presentations—even something as simple as a screen shot—it takes a measure of time away from the core production of the game. We try to set our standard of quality as high as possible, so whenever we make something public, there is an enormous amount of work that goes into it. So, I wouldn't say we have been consciously trying to keep things secret; we just want to make sure that our primary focus is making the final game the best it can be.

IGN: What have you thought of the feedback you've received for the current demo, and has it impacted anything for the retail release?

Stig Asmussen: It has definitely made an impact on the retail release. As I mentioned before, we do a lot of external playtesting, and there is no better playtest forum than a public demo. We came back from E3 with tons of feedback, and today I continue to read posts on forums. Any observations or feedback is good, and the more critical, the better. I try to focus on the things that people REALLY like or REALLY dislike. These usually turn out to be the areas that we end up spending most of our time on in the final months. Overall though, we have had very positive support on the demo, and it helps reinforce to us that what we are doing is worth it and to keep pushing forward.

IGN: On a similar note, the anticipation for God of War III is immense, and we'd assume that a lot rides on its success (for the franchise and the PS3 as a whole). How are you guys dealing with that pressure? Have you gotten used to it?

Stig Asmussen: I don't think 'getting used to it' really describes how we feel. We are 'aware' of it. The pressure exists. Although I think most of it is internal, meaning, we put it on ourselves. There is so much that we want to show/share and getting it all together in one package can create some pressure. But, we have an opportunity to make something that could potentially reach millions of people and so we want to take advantage of that.

IGN: Can you give us any sort of tease as to where the story is going, or some other gods that we might see?

Stig Asmussen: Unfortunately not. I don't want to spoil anything. However, like I have said before, the game picks up right where God of War II left off, so from that point on you'll have to use your imagination.

IGN: Have you guys worked with David Jaffe or Cory Barlog (directors of God of War I and II, respectively) at any point during the development?

Stig Asmussen: Cory was with the team as Game Director for the first eight months of development, so he has had a major impact on the game. He laid out the original concept/design and a large portion of that is still intact. Since he's moved on there hasn't been any formal collaboration, although I have spoken with him several times and bounced a few ideas off him. Dave has been around the studio a few times and we've spoken as well. On a few occasions we've gone over some high level stuff with him to get his observations and feedback.

IGN: The end is near for you guys, and perhaps Kratos as well. Are you excited to finish the trilogy and maybe move onto something new, or is it going to be a bittersweet end of development for you?

Stig Asmussen: Honestly, I can't answer that question right now. I'm so deep into God of War III that I can't see beyond the next couple of weeks. What I am most excited about right now is getting all of the final pieces of this game in place. We are so very close!

A Post Long Overdue

2009-12-05T21:32:00.000-08:00

This post is long overdue. I’m impressed and flattered that you guys have made over 300 comments in the previous post! Thanks for continuing to check back here often and post your comments and feelings about GOW3.

Let me go ahead and make one thing clear: we have not forgotten about the GOW fans. The last few months the entire team has been putting many late hours working very hard in polishing the game to make it the best possible. The reason why we do this is because we are passionate about making a great game for all you guys out there that are patiently waiting for GOW3.

Second, GOW3 is not delayed and will not be delayed. You guys (in North America at least, I can't comment on when the other regions will get the game yet, but I will comment on it in the future) will be playing GOW3 this March. Every console version of GOW has been released on March and we are not about to break that tradition.

As far as releasing media is concerned I understand your frustration. I myself am a game fan and I really like to see new media of upcoming games, but at the same time I don't like too many spoilers. We, the GOW team, are extremely picky about what we show, when, and how we show it. It is not a lack of confidence on our part as some of you may think; it is more about showing something that we can be proud of. Please be patient new media will be released before comes out. In addition, the amount of media we have shown is very similar to the GOW 2 schedule as one of the comments in the previous post. I understand that next year we will have lots of competition with games like Bayonetta, Darksiders, Dante's Inferno, and Castlevania but we all we can do is worry about making our game good and making it a fitting end to the trilogy. Some of you have mentioned that you want to see allot more details about the story, weapons, bosses etc... I personally like to not know too much about upcoming games until I play them. Do you guys really want to have the game spoiled months ahead? As you well know, GOW 3 has been nominated as the most anticipated game of 2010 at the Spike 2009 VGA show. I ask you guys to please vote for the game and send a loud message to or marketing department if you really want to see more stuff. I want to make it clear to you guys that as far as I know we are not going to be showing anything new at that show however. Let me make it clear that my word is not official and things can change at any moment but I don't want you guys to get your hopes up too much.

I will leave you guys with the fact that currently that game is fully playable form beginning to end and we have had various playtests already with people form the outside. We have already gotten tons of feedback. Every boss battle and every enemy is in the game. We are just focusing on polishing and making adjustments and changes to places that are needed in the game. I want to assure you guys that the game is on track and we cannot wait to get it in your hands next March.

Some Answers!

2009-11-01T23:12:00.000-08:00

Medusa Blades- An idea for a Alternate blade type that would stone enemies
which didn't make it.

GamePro Screens-These screens are from a newer build than E3. To be honest the game
looks better in the current build.

Trailer-Can't say when the new trailer will be out, but there will be a new one when we are
ready to show you guys something cool.

GOW2 Ending gods- Zeus-guy with white beard, Hades- guy with helmet
and horns, Hermes- guy with Flaming head, Poseidon- Brown hair and
facial hair, Helios- the guy with laurels in his head (If you guys looks closely
you will see that the Colossus boss from GOW2 is actually a statue of Helios, the sun god!)

Atlantis/Hades- I cannot talk about details when it comes to locations of the game
but you guys are right about "depths".

Voice casting for GOW3 on IMDB- Voice actors change all the time so nothing on that list is
final or accurate.

Trivium song- Sweet band, awesome song, not in the game. We will stay true to original
GOW soundtrack. The will be a seperate Metal Soundtrack which should be really awesome!

Sixaxis- If it gets used it will be in a manner that makes sense and works for the game.
We will never put it in, or be forced to put it, if it means it will hurt the game in any way.

Making of Documentary- Yes, we are making one. If you bet the GOW3 demo from the Distric 9 bundle you will unlock an exclussive making of GOW3 documentary.

Alpha/Beta stages- Can't say exactly were we are but we are in really good shape as Stig
mentioned.

Enemy Variety- We will have a nice a variety of enemies. We are actually having a hard time getting them all placed around the game.

How does Kratos reach the gods? Sorry you are going to have to wait and find out for yourself!

How long is the game?- About 10 hrs for hradcore gamers, 20 for casual.

Game Cover- None of the game covers shown so far are the final and oficial covers.

Please make some comments on the 2 post below......one is for the Demo Impressions and the other for Th Ultimate Edition. By having seperate posts I can answer more specific questions. Thanks for reading!!

GOW3 Ultimate Edition

2009-11-01T23:08:00.001-08:00

The Ultimate edition is here. Let me know what you guys think!

GOW3 Demo Impressions

2009-11-01T23:05:00.000-08:00

Let me know what ou guys though about the PSN demo!

Gamepro Cover Coming soon! Let the floodgates open!

2009-10-21T02:11:00.000-07:00

Here is a preview to the full story with some interviews with Game Director Stig Asmussen and Design Director Todd Papy (Thanks to Anonymous and EDK1010 for the links). I'll be glad to answer as much as I can about these interviews and any other info that you guys may want to talk about. We have been putting some late hours at the office lately to polish the game so I'll try to respond as often as I can. Like I mentioned before, the gates are opening, and with the upcoming GOW collection and some other upcoming surprises, there will be lots of new Kratos news from now until the game comes out. Enjoy the articles and here are some new pics as well:

Yes, this is an actual screen shot from actual gameplay. Kratos Vs Hades.

The nimble Satyrs return and some new enemies are trying to get the drop on Kratos!

I can't say where this take places yet, but Kratos will be spending some time exploring it's depths.

God of War Collection Trailer

2009-10-16T15:17:00.001-07:00

Don't worry guys, Japan wont be the only country were you can play the GOW 3 Demo

Video Games | God of War Collection | Remastered Trailer HD

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

The Titans are coming! the Titans are coming!

2009-10-13T14:19:00.000-07:00

Hey Guys, thanks for all the comments. I decided to respond to you guys by just creating a new post. Be sure to check out the comment sections on the last post to know what the heck I'm talking about. Here we go:

GOW Comic- Nothing new to announce but as far as I know it is still being worked on.

GOW3 Media coverage- I understand that info has been very limited and slow but I can tell you guys that in the next few months the flood gates will open. We got GOW Collection coming soon and several new surprises as well. We usually don't like to show anything new until we are sure that the fans will like it.

GOW3 an FPS?: I cannot believe that so many people took this as a serious comment. It was obvious that Ken was joking. Good thing I didn't mention my pitch of making GOw3 into a Kart racer with Kratos riding on a chariot against the other gods!

GOW3 Collector Edition: As far as I know this is still happening and it will be completely separate and different than the GOW Collection as far as I know. You should be able to buy both and not feel as if you got the same thing.

GOW3 Demo: I cannot say with 100% certainty which version of the demo will be out with GOW Collection.

@trilogia_THEEND: I don't think that you were drunk either. Are you from Italy?

@Xcalibur: GamingBolt Article

1. Gameplay: It is true that we will not re invent the wheel when it comes to the gameplay. When we set out to make GOW3 we didn't think of drastically changing how it plays since that is what makes it feel like a GOW game. It would be very difficult to create something completely new without changing the core gameplay and I don't think the fans would want that. We are not going to a FPS or add a cover system just to change things. However I feel that the new abilities and weapons that we are giving Kratos, in addition to ride able creatures and the Icarus Ascent help things feel new and fresh while staying true to the core GOW gmeplay.

2. Boss Battles: I think the writer got his info wrong. Gow had 3 boss battles. GOW 2 had way more than 3 boss battles. As Stig mentioned a while back in one his interviews, GOW 3 will have more battles than GOW but less than GOW2. I guarantee you guys however, the boss battles in GOW 3 will be the most epic fights than any other GOW game up until now.

3. Jaffe: He was hardly involved in GOW2. Cory Barlog was the main driving force behind GOW2. As far as I know he has not been involved in the production of GOW3.

4. Visuals: The art team is working their butts off to make the best looking game possible. You guys have see what the Ps3 can do now with Uncharted 2 so you guys can imagine what may be possible with the final version of GOW3.

5. Brutality and blood: The Helios Head rip is only the beginning...............

6. Music and Plot: The Music will be Epic and up to par to the first 2 games. The Story will be a nice endcap to the trilogy and all loose ends will be tied up.

GOW3 Delayed?: Not a chance in Hades!

Nothing New at TGS, well sort of.......

2009-09-29T01:48:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone thanks for continuing to follow this blog. As you guys may know by now, we did not really show anything new at the 2009 Tokyo Game show. I know that many of you are disappointed and to be honest I wish that we had shown something new as well. In the other hand the team is focusing their time on finishing the rest of the game and sometimes putting together trailers and demos can set us off track. This doesn't mean that new info will not be coming out in the next few months however. There is alot of the game that we have not shown yet and we have many surprises still in the bag. As I was reading some of your posts I noticed that you guys are very observant in regards to the fine details of what we have shown so far. I will go ahead and discuss some of the points brought up by EDK1010 as well as some of you guys

The TGS GOW3 Demo: Even though we did not show a new trailer or a completely new demo in Tokyo we did do some work to localize it for the Japanese audience. We felt that it was important for as many people as possible to be able to try out our game. Some of the changes done to the demo include swapping out civilians for soldiers. We also did some work to make the Helios head rip not as graphic as the E3 demo. No we didn't just place a black censor bar over the screen, the animator that worked on that sequence, Michael Carr, created a new camera that showed less. Apparently the Japanese sensors have some issues with showing certain things, like the civilians dying and Helios being killed in such a graphic manner. By placing soldiers, people who are trained for battle and ready to die in war, instead of helpless civilians, we were able to pass the censors. However the were no issues when we showed them the Chimera, Centaur and Cyclops kills since they are mythological creatures and are depicted as evil monsters. Another thing to note was that Helios was also re-dubbed to scream in the Japanese language. These changes were all done for Japan only. The final game will be like the E3 demo.

GOW3 demo: As you might have heard, the GOW3 demo will be part of the GOW collection package. I will reveal more details about the demo the closer we get to the release date of the collection.

Uncharted 2: I am very happy that our neighbors over at Naughty Dog have created such an amazing game, judging from the incredible Meta critic score it has received so far. Right now it is their time and Uncharted 2 will be in the spotlight. I am looking forward to playing the game and it is only a few weeks away. This is why you guys have seen so much of Uncharted lately. We have many things planned for GOW3 as we get closer to the release date. The hype machine has not fully left the station yet.........

Item Switching: We really can't get anything past you guys can we? When Kratos summons the firebow and the Helios heads, each with their own unique summon animation and "spawning" effect, his blades will remain on his back. These items are magical in nature and will materialize whenever Kratos needs them.

The Photo on this post: We passed this picture around the studio and we were happy with what we saw. Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 was empty, one person was playing Bayonetta, and group of people were gathered around GOW3. Don’t get me wrong, I love the Ninja Gaiden series, even got to meet and shake Itagaki-San’s hand, and I am looking forward to playing Bayonetta, from the creator of the original Devil May Cry and have influenced the creation of GOW, but I have to admit that seeing that photo felt pretty good!

GOW3 on CGtalk

2009-09-10T11:13:00.001-07:00

Follow a link here for the interview. This might be more interesting for those of you that want to find out about game development and what are some of the techniques and process that we use. Check it out and let me know what you think.

GOW Collection Coming Soon

2009-08-31T12:07:00.000-07:00

So the rumors were true. Click here for more info and let me know what you think. I'll answer any questions you guys may have.

New GOW3 screens

2009-08-18T21:51:00.000-07:00

Here are a few new screens that have been released. We have been putting some extra hours lately and I hope you guys enjoy these screens until we can release more info!

REAL Blades of Chaos

2009-07-22T13:56:00.000-07:00

Cheke these out guys:

You can pre-order here

New GOW Stuff Coming Soon

2009-07-17T00:33:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone, I know it's been a while. Lately we have been working some late hours and it has been thought to update you guys. I just want to give you guys thanks for all the support that you gave us during E3. We had some great feedback and we even won some awards from Gametrailers! Feel free to post any comments or questions and I will do my best to get back to you guys as soon as possible. in the mean time here a some cool God of War related things that have been popping up lately around the net:

GOW of War Comic Book coming in October:

Here is one of the covers done by our own Andy Park!

Fan made GOW statue:

GOW novel coming March 2010!

Almost Full Demo with Stig

2009-06-03T01:22:00.000-07:00

SoulCalibur PSP-----Kratos

2009-06-02T22:50:00.001-07:00

This is one that has been hard not to talk about. I am a big fan of the Soul Calibur series and it was a great pleasure to be a ble to work with members the their team. I think they did a great job in getting Darth Vader and Yoda into Soul Calubir 4, all of their moves and animations fit the character very well and now Kratos is no exception. I have been working with Namco to ensure that Kratos moves like Kratos and various other members of the God of War team, especially Stig, have been giving them lots of feedback as well. The game should be out in the near future. In the mean time enjoy the trailer below! Let me know what you guys think about it!

Video Games Soul Calibur: Broken Destiny E3 09: Trailer

XBox 360 Playstation 3 Nintendo Wii

GOW3 E3 New Screens

2009-06-02T22:35:00.001-07:00

IGN Video: God of War III PlayStation 3 Walkthrough - E3 2009: Sony Conference Demo - Part 1

2009-06-02T22:25:00.001-07:00

God of War III at IGN.com

2009-06-02T13:54:00.001-07:00

We have about 20 machines running right now. The line is pretty long and it is around the Sony booth. Hope that people like it.

2009-06-02T13:46:00.001-07:00

Hi guys, well by now you all know that a playable demo was demonstrated at the Sony press conference. It is about 20 min long and it is E3 exclusive.

Demo is live

2009-06-02T13:09:00.000-07:00

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Fw: Gow playable demo about to go live

2009-06-02T12:24:00.000-07:00

Waiting for the doors to open

2009-06-02T11:47:00.000-07:00

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Made it to E3

2009-06-02T11:42:00.000-07:00

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

E3-Live Blog

2009-06-02T09:40:00.001-07:00

9:41 The Sony press conference is almost here and I'm off to E3. I'll be posting photos and comments throughout the day so please keep cheking in for updates. Finally more info will be revealed! This is the day for God of War Fans!

Playstation Magazine Article

2009-06-01T02:03:00.001-07:00

The latest issue of Playstation Magazine features new screens a lots of new info. For everyone that has gotten a copy of the magazine and checked out the article I wanted to open it up for a general discussion on what your thoughts are on all the new info. Some of the things covered include the Hades boss battle, details on Cestus, Firebow, Helios Head, and a peak at the new Satyr. For those still wanting to check the article click here (Thanks to GOW3 Forums).

E3 is almost here!

2009-05-30T02:39:00.000-07:00

Man, it has been a long month. The team has been working very hard towards our presentation at E3. Next week I will be updating this post with as much info as I can. I will be attending E3 so I will also share with you some pics of the event as well as all the screen shots that I can post. Please feel free to comment on anything that you guys see and let me know what you guys are expecting to see. What would kind of info would you guys like to find out from E3? Just post on anything that you are expecting!

Niubie Interview

2009-05-07T00:34:00.001-07:00

I was fortunate enough to be interviewed for a spanish language website similar to Kotaku called Niubie. If you know how to read in spanish and would like to check the interview out then please follow this link. For everyone else I would like to share the interview translated in english. I hope you guys enjoy it:

- Bruno, can you tell us who you are and what is your typical day like being lead in-game animator in Sony?

My name is Bruno Velazquez and I the Lead in-game animator for God of War3. I have always had a passion for animation and video games and I feel lucky to have the chance to be involved in both at the same time. My place of birth was Mexico City and I moved to the United States when I was 12. I’ve been working in the game industry as an animator since 2002 and some of the titles that I’ve worked on include Mortal Kombat Shaolin Monks and God of War 2.

A typical day at Sony is mostly divided into half my day involved in meetings and supervising other animators and the other half doing my actual animation work. It is quite challenging since we have a large group of animators. I am also responsible for animating Kratos so I need to make sure that I do the character justice with my work.

- Describe us the process used to create animations for God of War 3

Usually each animator is responsible for and entire character from beginning to the end. Each animator works closely with a Combat designer and together they come up with ideas of how a character should move and behave with feedback from the Game Director and the Lead Animator. Before we start animation however, we have various meetings to analyze the concept art and to discuss the personality of the character and how they fit into the God of War universe whether he is a simple soldier or Zeus himself. We have a realistic approach to our animations but we always keepin mind that the gameplay comes first.

- What's the advantage of doing animation by hand as opposed to motion-captured animation?

The biggest advantage would have to be that we don’t have to worry about putting a Centaur or a Minotaur into a motion capture suit. No but seriously, there so many mythological creatures in our game that it wouldbe impossible to be done with motion capture. Even though Kratos is human and could potentially be motion captured, I feel that no actor could capture his brutality as well as the animation team. I do feel that motion capture is a valuable tool and we are actually going to use some of it for our cinematics which involve subtle acting and dialogue. All the in game animation however will remain 100% key frame.

- How much of the game's animation has been reworked, and how much is taken from God of War 2?

I would have to say that probably 80% is brand new and about 20% from Godof War 2. However every animation will be polished and reworked to bring it up to the next generation standards. You can also expect to see many brand new abilities and moves for Kratos as well as various new brutal finishing moves.

-What software did you use, and how did you decide what was best for God of War 3?

The software that we are currently using is Maya. This software has been used at Sony Santa Monica since God of War 1 so the team is really familiar with it. We decided to continue with this program since it has worked well for us in the past.

- What major challenges did you encounter in working toward the levelof excellence that God of War fans will expect and how did you address them?

The major challenges comes from some questions that we ask ourselves everyday from each other when working on something new: Does it feel likeGod of War? Is this something Kratos would do and why? Would the Fans like it? If the answer is no to these questions then we go back and work on it some more. We are constantly trying to find ways to make things bigger and better that the previous game and we feel that making the God of War fans happy is the most important thing.

- How has your experience working in games changed over the years, specifically with the current generation?

As far as animation is concerned, things have not changed as much as the other disciplines such as modeling. There have been several advancements such as motion capture and rag-doll physics but the basic principles of good timing and weight are still the key ingredient to making animation great.

- Are there any features of the PlayStation 3 that excite you as an animator?

The features that excite me would have to be the ability to have much more detail on each one of our characters. We can now get much closer with the camera and see much more detail in the movement of the characters. We are also able to include new levels of facial animation which is especially important for Kratos. Now you will be able to see his facial expressions much better as he take his enemies apart. The Kratos character model is also much more detailed that he will be used for both in-game animation and cinematics.

- Any closing words of wisdom for all the aspiring game animators reading this interview?

I would have to say that if you want to be an animator you should start by looking around you and studying life. Look at how people walk and act, analyze the way you dog runs or how your little brother plays soccer. The key to animation comes from observation. Of course I would also recommend taking classes and reading as many animation books as possible. Watch making-of documentaries on how animation was created for Hollywood films and don’t forget to play lots of video games as well!

Thanks for reading!

GOW3 CE Survey

2009-04-19T16:34:00.000-07:00

As some of you may have heard, there is a survey that has been posted at the official Playstation Blog for potential things that could be included in a possible GOW3 Collector's Edition package.
I encourage everyone to go and take the survey to let your voice be heard. I would also like to hear which things you voted for in the survey and why. Here is a list of the things that could be included:

Full game soundtrack
Comic book/Graphic novel
Exclusive packaging
God of War and God of War II on Blu-ray disc
God of War and God of War II cinematic movie compilation
Art book
T-shirt
Collectible items
Access to exclusive downloadable content
Behind-the-scenes/"Making of" featurettes
Developer commentary

So what do you guys want to see? Would you guys even buy a Collector's Edition? Let's hear it!

Magics of God Of War

2009-03-30T20:30:00.000-07:00

Alright everyone, GDC is all over now and the plan was that we were really not going to reveal any additional info.........................until the leaked footage came out that is! The next big event will be E3 and you guys can expect to see more. For now I would like to continue to get feedback from all of you and the topic of this post will be the Magic from previous games. Much like the previous discussion about weapons, I would like to ask you guys which of the Magics from the previous games were your favorite. Which of the Magics did you use the most? What type of magic would you like to see return in GOW3? I look forward to your comments!

GDC 2009

2009-03-26T00:24:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone for all of the links on the previous post, you guys are updating faster than I can! As you probably know GDC is this week and some of my our team members are giving talks there. The first talk was today given by members of our programming team. Check out the link for more info. The second will be held tomorrow and is more closely related to my department, which is animation. The talk will be in regards to how we sut up our characters before they are passed on to animation. As you guys can tell from the previous God of Wra games, we have a wide variety of creatures that vary from in size and shapes. Some have wings, tails, tentacles, multiple legs and heads, etc... This requires very complex and unique set ups for each creature which then requires unique animations for each. This means that we hardly ever share animations between characters. I suppose it would be alot easier to make a bunch of human charcters for Krtaos to fight but what would be the fun in that right? Here is more info on tomorrow's Rigging presentation.

UPDATE:

Here is the first feedback from today's presentation:

SCE Santa Monica developers Jim Tilander and Vassily Fillipov presented a speech on God of War III's technology at GDC today, and as a reward for sitting quietly through the class, the two gave the crowd a peek at some gameplay footage of the anticipated title.
The video showed Kratos approaching a small, rocky area. The camera zoomed in to show a wounded soldier, then smoothly zoomed back to the over-the-shoulder view as a dozen or so spear-wielding enemies leapt down from above.
At one point a giant cyclops lept down to face Kratos, leading the player to jump on top of the beast in a series of timed button presses. What followed was a predictable scene of mayhem, as Kratos rode the cyclops in circles, a kill counter keeping track of his destruction.
Tilander and Fillipov explained that the game will not be locked at 60 frames per second, and will likely drop below that during intense scenes. However, it will never fall below 30 frames per second.
Responding to a question about cloth physics, Tilander also revealed that God of War 3 doesn't actually do any physics processing.
"I guess you might be surprised to hear this, but God of War 3 doesn't have physics," said Tilander. "So does that answer your question?"

There you have it guys. This should answer some of your framerate questions.

GOW3 GT Pop-Block

2009-03-07T15:34:00.000-08:00

Wow, GT keeps rolling out new GOW3 videos! This time they created this cool and informative pop up video. I have to say that all of their info is accurate. There were several things we had to tone down, like the Centaur guts spilling out and the Harpies frontal nudity. One part that they didn't mention was that we also had to change the way Kratos stabs the Cyclops, he originally stabbed him repeatedly on its single eyeball. Looks like we are going to need to provide some new footage soon since this trailer has been used several times alreday! Hats off to the guys at GT once again.

God of War Series Evolution

2009-03-05T01:42:00.000-08:00

I have to give great credit to the guys over at GT. All of the members of the GOW team were very impressed with this video and we are greatly flattered. I just want to set the record straight, all of the GOW 3 footage is rendered with in game assets and on the PS3, not a PC. Kratos and all of the enemies are the actual in-game models.

Revenge of the Titans!

2009-03-04T00:12:00.001-08:00

Here is a look at one of the Titans from the concept stages and all the way into the actual game! Nice work by Cecil Kim.

Rumor: Second God Of War PSP Game In The Works

2009-03-04T00:01:00.000-08:00

Here is the original article from Kotaku

What do you guys think? Would you like to see a new GOW PSP game? If a game is ver made, when should this game take place in the story? The original PSP game was before GOW 1, what do you guys think?

The Hot 100 Game Developers of 2009

2009-03-03T23:56:00.000-08:00

This was recently published on Edge Online:

16. Stig Asmussen
Director
SCE Studios Santa Monica

Asmussen graduated from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh in 1998, moving into an art role at Midway shortly after receiving his degree. After working on Guantlet: Dark Legacy and Dr. Muto Midway shut down its San Jose development house, and Asmussen migrated to Santa Monica—just in time to lead the environment art team on the original God of War. He has worked on that legendary franchise ever since: he was promoted to art director on God of War II, and is now directing the creation of God of War III, which is almost inarguably Sony’s most important in-production PS3 exclusive.

God of War 3 'Titan Trailer Analysis' video HD at 1UP

2009-03-03T23:50:00.000-08:00

I know this video is kinda old but I though I would post it here in case anyone missed it:

God of War 3 'Titan Trailer Analysis' video HD

Very interesting analysis indeed. I like the part about Nathan Drake. It's not supposed to be him.......unless someone didn't tell me about it........hmmm

Full list of GOW3 coverage

2009-02-13T14:56:00.000-08:00

Associated Press
Preview:
1UP
Feature:
Preview:
Trailer:
Interview:
G4TV.com
Preview:
Trailer:
GameDaily.com
Preview:
Trailer:
GameSpot
Preview:
Interview:
Trailer:
GamesPro
Trailer:
Screens:
GameSpy
Preview:
Screens:
Trailer:
GamesRadar
Screens:
Trailer:
GameTrailers
Trailer:
Interview:
GameZone
Preview:
Kotaku
Preview:
Trailer:
GamingAngels.com
Preview:
Interviews 1, 2, 3
Hardcore Gamer Magazine Online
Preview:
Hartford Courant Online
Preview:
IGN:
Preview:
Trailer:
Screens:
Joystiq
Preview:
Interviews 1, 2
MTV.com
Preview:
Screens/Trailer:
411Mania
Trailer:
Arstechnica
Preview:
BostonHerald.com
Preview:
InsideSoCal.com
Screens:
CinemeBlend
Preview:
Trailer:
Wired.com
Screens:
Crispy Gamer
Trailer:
Escapist Magazine Online
Preview:
Kezins.com
Screens/Trailer:
Loot-Ninja
Preview:
Played
Preview:
PSX Extreme
Preview:
San Jose Mercury News Online
Trailer:
Sci-Fi Wire
Preview:
Trailer:
Shacknews
Preview:
Spong
Trailer:
TotalPlayStation.com
Preview:
Screens:
Trailer:
VooDoo Extreme
Trailer:
Screens:
WorthPlaying.com
Preview:
Developer Interview :
Screens & Trailer :
Yahoo! News
Preview:

GOW 3 Trailer (Full Version)

2009-02-13T09:14:00.001-08:00

Here it is the full trailer that was partially shown at the Spike VGA:

Enjoy!

1Up and PSM3 Cover

2009-02-10T01:12:00.000-08:00

Well today is the day for our big Press event in Los Angeles. Lots of new info will be released this week, specially on friday! Be sure to check out the week long feature on 1Up.com

Here is also another great cover by Andy Park featured on PSM3 which is comming out in Europe. The blog post is written in French so check out the translation courtesy of Anonymous below:
"Had some time left the land of the blog, it seems clear now it was for good cause. We were in search of the new god of the PS3. In total exclusivity for Europe and France in front with Game Informer, it is in Santa Monica that we could take the beast in hand. The result is up to our wildest expectations. Plus a game is a real myth is revealed for the first time. For this reason, we decided to reveal some secrets of the Gods preview with bonus exclusive coverage of the next issue. From chaos comes beauty, revenge comes immortality ...As our American friends did not deny to reveal the God of War, so here is the next cover of PSM3 number which will be released on February 21 on newsstands. Go east as hot as the coals can already tell you that the game displays a big fifteen enemies on screen and that the confrontation ahead already a mix of violent défouloir and technical mastery. You may also tremble with the pleasure of taking control of Cyclops in battle for all-practical-and devastate saliva in advance with new types of gameplay a bit more "tactical group". That you can not tell you for now because you will soon find our 10 pages of info in all good butchers near you. Pending: the game may be with you! "

Game Informer

2009-02-06T23:01:00.000-08:00

Here it is, the cover for the upcomming issue of Game Informer featuring more GOW3 info. This cover was created by our very own Andy Park. He has created some great concept art for the God of War series and was the original artis that brought you the first Tomb Raider Comic Books from Image. I really like how the cover turned out. It would not be God of War without a cyclops getting beat up by Kratos. Today I was able to get a sneek peek at the article and the Game Informer guys are doing a great job with it. I hope everyone enjoys checking it out.

GOW 2 HD

2009-02-04T23:29:00.000-08:00

I am a big fan of Gametrailers.com and we often check out all of the content that gets posted over at the office. There are 2 shows that I always make sure I check out, Invisible Walls and Gametrailers TV. In the 2 most recent episodes there is a short discussion about upcoming games and God of War 3 is mentioned. The Editor in Chief for Gametrailers.com, Shane Satterfield, expresses his concerns for the game in both shows. He states that his main concern is that God of War 3 "is just gonna be like the last 2 games" and that he feels nervous that it will end up being a high rez God of War 2.

This got me thinking about the expectations that people have for the game. I wanted to go ahead and hear from you about what your expectations are for God of War 3. What are some of the things that you would like to see included in the game? What are some of the concerns that you may have? What things did you enjoy about part 1 and 2, as well as the PSP version?

Next week will be a big week for us so please stay tuned for more info.

P.S. Mr. Satterfield did mention that God of War 3 is his most anticipated title and that he is keeping his fingers crossed for it to be good....................I really hope we don't disappoint.

Weapons of God of War

2009-01-08T00:29:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone, hope you all had a great holiday. This post is not going to be much of an update as far as God of War 3 news are concerned (Please stay tuned for the near future), however I wanted to start a conversation about the Weapons in the previous games. I would like to hear any comments that you may have in regards to any of the weapons that Kratos has used before. Which of the weapons did you guys enjoy using and why? What L1 Specials did you think were useful? Please post any comments on any of the weapons that you might have. Thank you everyone for continuing to post here.

One more GOW3 update

2008-12-21T00:42:00.000-08:00

The last few posts have generated many comments and questions, please keep them coming and will do my best to answer them as much as I can. On the last post someone posted a link to the playstaion blog that featured an interview with Stig Asmussen, the Game Director of God of War 3. Here is the video for that interview:

It is now official and public that Stig has taken on the directorial duties that have previously been held by David Jaffe and Cory Barlog. I would like to assure you guys that the God of War franchise is in good hands. Stig has been part of the team since the very beginning of the franchise.

There have also been many comments in regards to the gods and why they are not in the trailer. I will just refer you to the description of God of War 3 on the official playstation blog:

"God of War® 3 finds Kratos raining carnage and destruction upon the Gods who have betrayed him and the entire Ancient Greek world. Armed with his deadly double-chained blades, Kratos will take on mythology’s darkest creatures while solving intricate puzzles on his merciless quest to destroy Olympus and the mighty Zeus himself."

Kratos has not forgotten what his goal is............

VGA Trailer Aftermath

2008-12-15T23:34:00.000-08:00

First of all, thanks to everyone for all of your comments on the previews post. Whether you like the trailer or not, I appreciate the fact that you all had something to say about it which means that you guys cared enough to take the time. For anyone that has missed the trailer here it is:

I've been reading all of the various websites for feedback about what everyone thought about the trailer. The comments were definitely very mixed with both positive and negative responses alike.
The number one complaint seems to be the graphics. I noticed that there has been a bit of controversy in regards to David Jaffe’s comments a few weeks ago. What many people have been stating is that he might have hyped the game too much in the graphics department. Well, all I can say is that Jaffe was correct when he said that he has seem more than what has been revealed as he has stated on the following post.

Here are some pics from the trailer along with some comments. Please continue to post some feedback and questions and I’ll do my best to answer. Once again thanks for your posts, keep them coming. Your feedback will only motivate the team to make this game better.

The Centaur makes a comeback from GOW 1 to faceoff with Kratos.

It would not be God of War without a Cyclops

Some new toys for Kratos. Please post some feedback on these.

Spike 2008 VGA, GOW3 Update

2008-12-05T00:20:00.000-08:00

So it seems like some more info about Gow3 is beginning to slowly creep out. First we had Jaffe's comments on his blog as well as on Kotaku and now the Spike Tv 2008 VGA announcement of a exclusive first reveal. Well I can say that Dave Jaffe did indeed check out the game at the office. I never really had too many chances to work directly with him since I joined Sony during GOW2 (by then Cory had taken over as the director of the God of War franchise) but it is good to hear that he had some positive comments in regards to the third game.

In regards to the Spike Tv event, all I can say right now is that I feel pretty good about what we are going to show. I really wish that I can go into more detail but perhaps I can talk about it more after December 14. The flood gates of info are beginning to open..............

Kratos on PS3

2008-08-21T00:59:00.000-07:00

While we are still working hard on bringing Kratos's next adventure, there are some upcoming games that will allow you to play as Kratos on the PS3 sooner: Little big Planet and Hot Shots Golf.

Some time ago I was able to see drawings of Sackboy Kratos around the concept art department and it is nice to be able to talk about it now. I haven't played Little Big Planet yet but I know that my wife and I will enjoy the 2 player mode for sure.

Kratos for Hot shots Golf should be available pretty soon as well. It was pretty cool to have seen all of the animation that was done by the Hot Shots team ahead of time and to have worked with them to make sure that Kratos would move and feel his best. I hope that fans of Kratos can enjoy him on these games until we can bring him to Ps3 as well!

GOW 3 at last!

2008-07-16T09:45:00.000-07:00

Well I can finally say officially that God of War 3 is on it's way to Playstation 3 and I can finally confirm that I'm working on it. All I can say is that we are all very excited about the progress that we have made on the game and we feel that things are coming along nicely. I wish that I could talk about the game more but I am sure that as time goes by we will release more and more info. For now all we have to show is a Teaser trailer that was unveiled at the E3 Sony press conference. As time goes by I will continue to talk as much as I can about how the game is comming along. For now however enjoy the Teaser trailer for Gow3:

Chains of Olympus reviews

2008-03-10T00:24:00.000-07:00

God of War: Chains of Olympus has arrived for the PSP and the reviews are comming in!

Hats of to all the folks at Ready at Dawn and Eric Williams for pulling it off and giving our team at Santa Monica motivation to do well in our next project!

Crimsom Viper

2008-01-14T22:17:00.000-08:00

Here is a pic of the latest and newest member of the King of Fighters...wait, I mean Street Fighter family. That's right, this character looks like it belongs on a KOF game! Don't get me wrong, I really like KOF games, the thing is that there is Street Fighter and then there is KOF, and there there is Mortal Kombat etc.... As of right now this character doesn't seem to fit! There are certain things that make a great Street Fighter character that are not present in this design.
These are the following things that should be evident in a Street Fighter character:

-The character should be representative of a Nation or Country, or at least have some hints of where they came from. The original 12 characters were iconic and their country of origin could be determined or guessed at by a glance at their design.

-A martial Art or fighting style should be a part of their concept and easy to recognize, i.e. the Karate Master from Japan, the Muai Thai fighter from Thailand, the Kung Fu expert from China, the Apache fighter from Mexico.......wait forget about that last one....anyways you get the point.

So far, this character does not exhibit any of these recognizable traits. All I know is that her name is Crimsom Viper and she is "a female detective, who is speedy and have hidden weapons all over her body". I hope that they come up with better charcters in the future but I will wait and pass final judgement when I can see the final version of the character moving in the game.

Street Fighter 4!!!!!!!!!!!

2007-12-30T01:52:00.000-08:00

I'ts been so long but it is finally becoming a reality, Street Fighter 4 is on it's way. I have to say that I like what I see so far. It is good to see tat they are really trying to maintaing that old 2d look and feel even though the game is using 3d models and backgrounds. The fighting looks fast and responsive and you really have to love the new updated look of Ryu's fireball super. I can't wait until this game comes out!!!

Chun-Li Tribute

2007-10-16T21:50:00.000-07:00

In honor of Capcom's upcomming Street Fighter HD remix, I started a series of music videos to pay tribute to some of the most famous charcters in video game history. Street Fighter 2 brings back so many great memories. First up is Chun-Li. Enjoy!

Working as an Animator

2007-09-19T23:03:00.000-07:00

I recently received an e-mail from one of the 1up.com users with some questions regarding what it is like to work as an animator and if I could share some of my experiences as well as what parts of GOW 2 did I work on. Sincethere might be some people that might also be interested in pursuing a career as an animator in the future, I decided to share the questions and the answers and post them. Here are the original questions that were sent to me as well as my responses:

Q: I just finished GoW2 and spotted your name in thecredits. What scenes did you animate?

A: I mainly worked on animations for the main character, Kratos. These include most of his new special moves, Icarus Wing special moves, Titan Mode, Sword of Olympus, Barbarian Hammer, Spear of Destiny, Earth, Wind, Medusa, and Electricity magic moves.

Q: Can you share some of your experiences with me? Is it stifling, "production monkey" type of work or is that just the bitter talk of grumpy burnouts?

A: I definitely cannot speak for any grumpy burnouts that may be out there, but as far as my experience is concerned I can say that being an animator has been fun and anything but stifling. Please keep in mind that my perspective comes from working at video game companies. I cannot speak for the environments and work conditions that are found in TV animation and motion picture FX houses. I have worked on more than 5 game projects and I have never felt like I was a “production Monkey” of any sorts. However, I would be lying if I didn’t mention the fact that there have been many long hours and crunch periods that I had to endure. Hours can be long at times but work can also slow down to almost a halt right after a game is shipped since there is some down time between projects.

Q: How much creative input would a character animator have?

A: As a game animator you have lots of input as to how characters move and act. It is often the case in which a single animator must take charge of several characters in a project and define their movement while closely working with game designers.

Q: How prominent are unions?

A: If your goal is to work for film and television, then it is a safe bet that you will most likely have to be part of a Union. As far as the game industry is concerned however, Unions have not been formed yet. Perhaps this is something that may change in the future as Video Game production is becoming more like film, especially with the rising budgets of next gem games.

Q: Are you always worried about finding stable work?

A: If you plan to work in film or television I would have to say yes since animators are usually hired from project to project. Working in games is different because generally people are hired full time and continue to work form one project to the other, even during the pre production phase. These are all the questions so far.

If anyone else has any more questions regarding this topic I would be more than happy to answer as best as I can. Thanks for the questions and thanks for reading.

PSP God of War Mod

2007-07-25T12:52:00.000-07:00

This PSP Mod looks pretty cool and it is being sold for charity! Check out the link for more info. This would be perfect to play the upcomig PSP game. Click here for more info.

Chains of Olympus Update

2007-07-14T11:25:00.000-07:00

It's E3 and there is lots of new info comming out about many games including the upcoming GOW: Chains of Olympus. Check it out:

and then there were 4......

2007-07-10T12:36:00.000-07:00

After impressive victories in all of the quarter final matches in the Copa America 2007, there are now 4 teams left: Uruguay, Brazil, Argentina, and Mexico. Today, Urugauy vs Brazil. Tomorrow, MEXICO vs Argentina. I would be lying if I didn't admit that the loss during the 2006 World Cup to Argentina didn't leave a sting, so tomorrow I will be hopeful in expecting a little payback. In the meantime, enjoy the highlights form the incredible Mexico win over Paraguay, 6-0!!!!!

The Dramatic Look

2007-07-10T12:34:00.000-07:00

Just too Funny.

2 Days, 2 Wins

2007-07-03T12:37:00.000-07:00

I know I'm going overboard with the Soccer posts but I just can't help it! First, Mexico won on Sunday in the Copa America in Venezuela vs Ecuador:

The next day, in the Sub-20 World Cup held in Canada, Mexico emerged victorious over Gambia:

Viva Mexico!

U-20 Fifa World Cup

2007-07-02T14:38:00.000-07:00

The U20-Fifa World Cup kicked off this past Saturday in Canada. Mexico is currently facing off againts Gambia. There are so many games going on lasft few days is hard to keep up! Check out Fifa's web site here:

http://www.fifa.com/u20worldcup/index.html

Fifa is kind enough to have free video coverage of all the goals for every game. Godd luck to all the teams playing.

Mexico 2 - Brazil 0

2007-06-29T16:12:00.000-07:00

I'm really enjoying this moment, specially after the loss to the US in the Gold Cup final.

Felicidades Tri!

God of War: Betrayal

2007-06-29T10:39:00.001-07:00

Congratulations to all that worked on this game. IGN has given it a score of 9 out of 10!! It is nice to see that the franchise is growing and expanding while keeping true to the quality standards of the original. Check out the review here:

http://wireless.ign.com/articles/799/799811p1.html

Up next is God of War: Chains of Olympus for PSP and who knows what might come next..........

A Good Time for Soccer

2007-06-27T17:03:00.000-07:00

I finally made a post about soccer and is mostly due to the fact that right now is a really nice time to be a soccer fan. The last few weeks have been filled with international games. The Gold Cup 2007, held in the US, just ended (Congratulations to the US for winning the championship) and yesterday was the beginning of the 2007 Copa America in Venezuela and the sub-20 World Cup will begin soon in Canada. So many games so little time, and I'm not even metioning the games going on in Europe and Asia! Tonight Mexico will face off againts Brazil which should be a very challenging game (Even if Brazil will not have their best players on the field).
Here is a link to the current standings so far:

http://copaamericavenezuela2007.terra.com.br/default.asp?pag=grupos

Vamos Mexico! Si se puede!

Art in Paris_Part 1

2007-06-19T21:53:00.000-07:00

Wow, it has been almost 2 months since I have posted anything here. There have been many things that I wanted to talk about but I just quite haven't had enough time to do so. I am now geeting started on a new project at work and I feel pretty energized due to the fact that I had a chance to take a trip to Paris with my Wife. I would like to take some time to post some of the great artwork that I was lucky to see. Enjoy!

Modern Art from Centre Georges Pompidou

I Am 8-Bit Art Show

2007-04-22T22:19:00.000-07:00

This is a little bit late but it is worth posting up. A great looking art show inspired by video game classics and charcters opened on May 17th and will be going on until May 12th. Here is the gallery info:

http://www.nineteeneightyeight.com/home.html

I found a these few pieces from the show so enjoy and make sure you get out there and support those artists.

God of War 2 Art Show

2007-04-12T01:12:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to post this announcement of an upcomming event that will be held at gallery Nucleus on May 12th. It has been a pleasure to have worked with these talented guys and I encourage everyone to attend and check out all the great concept art they have created for God of War 2.

Animation Mentor Student Showcase: Winter 2007

2007-03-26T22:08:00.000-07:00

I came across this in CGtalk.com. Really impressive stuff:

Animation Mentor Student Showcase: Winter 2007

This program is training some really good animators all across the globe!

La Lune

2007-03-21T01:45:00.000-07:00

Currently, my wife Kyung Hee is working very hard on a short film project called La Lune. She has had this story planned out for some time and is having the opportunity to make it come to life. I would like to share with you a few screen shots of her current progress.

Her first completion deadline is comming up soon, but she is making good progress. To see more about La Lune please follow the link on the right

IGN: The New Generation of Animation

2007-03-16T17:04:00.000-07:00

I came across an interesting article on IGN talking about Nex-Gen animation techniques. Check it out:

IGN: The New Generation of Animation

This article is interesting because it brings up the point of how visual elements in games are advancing rapidly and how animation must keep up. However the article mainly focuses on animation of realistic humanoid characters,which goes in hand with the new trend of high realism that many Nex-Gen games are aiming for. I feel that some of these tools will be very valuable for realistic games and of course sports games. I have been very impressed by the motion capture techniques displayed in recent games such as the latest Fifa Soccer and Madden Football. It is obvious that motion capture and real-time, physic driven reactions are perfect to capture the realism of the sports that these games are emulating.

My main concern however, is how these tools will work and be implemented (if they are even used) into future instalments of games such as Devil May Cry, Zelda, and God of War, which feature many characters that are not humanoid and can often have a cast of bizarre creatures and Monsters that are not bipeds. How would these techniques and tools enhance a stylized game such as Ratchet and Clank or Okami? How will their implementation enhance or hinder the gameplay experience? We shall soon see.
Honestly I have yet to see a game in which Rag-Doll physics looks better than Canned reactions.

The Road To Mithril Hall

2007-03-13T02:25:00.000-07:00

Not too long ago my friend Ben Dai found out that someone posted up our student film on YouTube.com. After searching around I was surprised that it has actually been posted 4 to 5 times already by different users. I was also surprised that people have posted many positive comments. It also seems that some people had some questions about this film, so I decided to use this blog to post some facts about it:

-Made by Ben Dai and Bruno Velazquez during the 2000-2001 Fall Semester at California Institute of the Arts in Valencia CA.
-The film was inspired by charcters found in novels written by R.A. Salvatore which include Drizzt(Dark Elf),Bruenor (Dwarf), Wulfgar (Barbarian), and Entreri (Assasin).
-As many of the Drzzt fans have noticed, we took several artistc freedoms in the portayal of the charcters as well as with the actual events as compared to the novels.
-The film was originally posted on Motionzoo.com
-This is a traditional 2-D film and was put together using Pothoshop and After Effects
- Ben Dai works for Blizzard entertainment and is part of the Cinematics team. I just completed work on God or War 2 for Sony Computer Entertainment.
- This film helped my break in to the game industry.

We really appreciate the comments made by everyone regarding our film and if there is more interest we would like to someday team up again and perhaps make a 3-D version this time. Please feel free to post some questions here and I will be happy to answer them.

The End Begins

2007-03-13T01:20:00.000-07:00

Since it seems that everyone and their Grandma now has a blog I decided that I should start one. Actually the real reason behind it is the fact that writing and reading blogs seems to be lots of fun. Now I am gonna take a crack at it and I hope that anyone that stumbles upon this blog can enjoy it!

Today is March 13th and after lots of hard work God of War 2 is finally out! Working on video games can be very trying but can also be very rewarding and exciting, specially during the time when the game finally comes out! I hope that everyone that owns a Ps2 will give the game a try. Many people worked very long and very hard to finish it and would greatly appreciate it if people can just forget about all their troubles for a bit and take an adventure with Kratos.

Well I don't want to go on for to long on my very first post ever so I better keep it short. I'll keep adding lots of stuff as I go along.