God of War dev slates Mario Galaxy, Assassin’s Creed

Cory Barlog, of God of War fame, has slated a number of recent high profile games, including Assassin’s Creed and Super Mario Galaxy, but has praised Mass Effect.

Speaking in an update on his blog, the developer, who recently left Sony Computer Entertainment Santa Monica to pursue unannounced projects (he said he is “cooking up several things”), said hugely successful stealth sandbox Assassin’s Creed “disappointed” him and criticised the critically lauded Super Mario Galaxy for having a “vapid” story (that’s lacking intelligence or imagination to you and me).

However, BioWare’s sci-fi RPG/action shooter hybrid Mass Effect escaped Barlog’s cutting remarks unscathed, with him saying: “I had a lot of moments while playing this game that remind me why I love the medium.”

Here are some choice quotes from the man himself:

Barlog on Super Mario Galaxy: “Mario Galaxy. Hmmm… this was a tough one for me. There is some great stuff in this game, though it took me a while to really get into it. Even after I got quite a ways in I was till not totally engaged in the game. It is great design. Great levels, some of the best art on the Wii, and pretty awesome sound and music…but it just never really got me totally hooked. I think it is because I just don’t care about the why. I mean, the freaking princess is abducted…again. I have to go after her captor, Bowser, again. You think with a franchise this big they would at least put a little effort in the why. I mean, think of how much it would pay off right?

Oh wait…the game sells millions even with the vapid story. As it has been pointed out to me every time I say it, the game is not about the story. It is about the platforming and crazy new mechanics and worlds. But c’mon, at least give me a compelling reason to care about pushing on through the adventure. Besides the collection of stars that is. Maybe that is just me though, since almost every other designer I talk to thinks this game is the second coming. Still in the end, they are all kind of right. It is an extremely well put together game with a hell of a lot of creativity in it. I have to give props to the team for that!”

Barlog on Assassin’s Creed: “I got to play Assassin’s Creed which kind of disappointed me. There is some great work in there, great work. The art is fantastic…the levels in that game are huge. The free running things works really well and feels great to control, though after awhile the joy and awe kind of wares off. I hated the story…the whole setting kind of frustrated me. I was so completely looking forward to playing as an assassin during the Crusades. When I first heard the concept for the game and awe the screenshots I was pretty jazzed. That excitement was quickly smothered when I found out I was a descendant of Altair and I was in a simulation. Great…a game within a game. That really kind of spoiled the whole thing for me. I played about halfway through the game before I completely stopped. I think the sequel that is inevitably going to get made will be pretty good…though I think they have kind f locked themselves into the whole genetic memory story thread. There is some really great stuff in that game, but the story, and combat really kind of killed it for me. The combat is still not that great of an improvement over the POP stuff. It is decent, but it feels like it could be so much better if they would just give the player more control over the character.”

Barlog on Mass Effect: “I have been slowly chiseling away at Mass Effect as well. Every time I play Bio-ware games I am amazed. That is one freaking talented group of people over there. It took a bit for me to really find a groove in that game, but it has really impressed me. I loved KOTOR, but to me the lack of control in the combat really took away from being in the moment. I felt like I was just putting in a lunch order during the fights. I still played the hell out of the game, but it left me wanting more. So in comes Jade Empire, with more control over the combat. It was pretty good, though it still didn’t feel as good as their story and RPG elements. WIth Mass Effect I finally feel in control of my character, which in turn makes me forget how long it is I have been playing. The work they did in this game is nothing short of mind blowing to me. The sheer scale of the game and the complexity of making the various choices within the story not only work, but actually be compelling, is amazing. I had a lot of moments while playing this game that remind me why I love the medium.”