I read that the "real" Ares was a little bitch who needed daddy Zeus to step in whenever things got hairy. He's not so much the god of war as he is the god of conflict and starting shit he couldn't finish, which is kind of the point really. He's supposed to be a cautionary tale about how boastful bravado and needless conflict can lead to disaster. I hope we get to see this depiction in media one day, instead of the bad ass everything portrays him as.
possibly because when tyr was younger he was exactly like ares. and his dissapointment stems from the fact Tyr overcame his violent nature for a more disciplined matter of conducting war.
Some people have mentioned how ares wanted to make a warrior out of kratos witness the fall of Olympus, but, you can see how well that went. Or.....they say something like that.😅
As someone who's only played the Norse-series, there's something about Ares that makes him feel like a much grander villain than Odin. Maybe it's the fact that he is the one that set **everything** in motion. Understanding his character has given me a new appreciation of the writing and the evolution of the narrative as the series continued, thank you very much for another insightful video!
The Greek GoW are much more straightforward and simplistic story wise than the Norse series. All the bad guys (and gals) are borderline mustache twirling manipulative sinister villains who are all arrogant jerks. Probably a good comparison is the John Wick franchise, the bad guys are definitely bad, all bad, no mistaking it. Basically take all the nuance and introspection of the Norse series and replace it with operatic grandiosity. A typical boss fight in the Greek GoW games is comparable to the final fight in GoW 4 with Baldur as Freya attacks with you with the corpse of a giant.
It's not just that he set everything into motion. It's that he haunts Kratos' mind for his entire life. Think about it: ALL of Kratos' suffering, including his self-loathing that caused him to be so secretive with Atreus... was because of Ares. Ares isn't just the architect of Kratos' suffering... he's Kratos' worst fear. Kratos fears that he'll become just like Ares because in the Greek era, he WAS. (After GOW2, I mean)
I have a curious idea that I came up with... Having Kratos open Pandora's Box was Athena's plan as she wanted to get the hope buried within, perhaps to make Greece as a whole better, perhaps being perfectly well meaning and Ares stomping about gives her a reason. Her expectation is that the darkness and corruption within will latch onto *Kratos,* who she expects to be so evil, heartless and corrupt as to pull it into him... Except he pulls in the Hope and the Darkness latches onto the gods which... well, we've seen the GoW 3 ending... One oversight... and from the Goddess of Wisdom no less.
Maybe he pulled in the hope because it was what he needed most. Kratos was already the worst version of himself, and he had nothing to live for but his revenge. He needed Hope, a reason to carry on and - eventually - become better.
First off, Ares killed Kratos with a stone column, not a piece of wood. Second, it didn't even kill Kratos instantly. Kratos was slowly and painfully dying and lived long enough to see Ares' harpies take Pandora's box. An interesting retrospective look at Ares and how his petty jealousy of Athena was the catalyst for the end of the Olympians.
Funny thing about you mentioning not using the books as in the novelization of the first one, Athena, after witnessing Ares manipulate Kratos into killing his own family, also comes to the conclusion that Ares is insane.
One thing I don’t think gets praised enough in the god of war games is the sheer scale of things around you, ares, the invasion of mount olympis, the dead giant, the world serpent.
@Cathart1c You know whats even cooler? Recognizing the difference between a joke comment and sarcasm. Anyone who knows GoW knows the minotaur boss is the most mid boss in the first game and has no lore or anything really to it, plus if you watched the video he even says his next video will be on GoW 2. Plus even if it were just sarcasm, whos feelings am I hurting? The code that makes up the boss fight?
I’m so glad you pointed out Ares’ motivation. I used to joke with friends that the Greek games all came down to daddy issues, which made the Norse games feel like the cherry on top when they came out.
I think you missed the point in the battle where Ares says "You rejected me, a God! The only path that is left for you is death" I think that echoes about Ares being insecure and fearing rejection
explains a lot actually, he's the heir. And anything he does always gets ignored in favor of praise for Athena's work. So he feels second best to a motherless sibling who acts like she's better than everyone and it upsets him.
@@TheSSBBfan666Yeah if my dad favored his affair baby over me and still had the gall to stay and benefit from his time with my family, I'd be a bit miffed too. Not agreeing with what he did but I understand the anger behind it.
23:24 It always surprises me that people don’t realize the blade you use in this fight is a reskinned Blade of Artemis. It even makes the same sounds. And the Blade of Artemis is good too
The thing that i hated in the boss battle against ares was that we spent the whole game with the blade of chaos and then, in the final part of the battle you change to a clunky big ass sword and the difficult spiked. It sucked
Bro, I NEVER died in a fight right UNTIL THIS VERY MOMENT. When Kratos' moveset changed, I got whooped so hard, I died at least 20 times before beating Ares! It sucked.
It has almost the exact same functionality as the Blade of Artemis, so the final boss really only punishes people who refused to diversify their strategy despite the game giving more options.
When you play the whole Greek saga including the PSP games you can see kratos still had some humanity left by the time of ghost of Sparta then the second game happens, he only had Sparta left when he heard what happened by the last spartan Kratos does have the motivation to save Sparta from Zeus. On his lines in that encounter is "I will not let you destroy Sparta" after the fight and Athena reveals to kratos that he's a son of Zeus, he pauses and then we see him embracing the monster of God of war 3. My take on the boss is him finally connecting all the dots from ghost of Sparta and why Zeus tried to kill him in the first place. Kratos didn't pick a fight with Zeus, Zeus did.
Ares' design is fascinating as well. He has grayish skin and chains around his arms, like a certain Spartan warrior. And of course, he's a son of Zeus and a god of war. The metaphor is a bit heavy-handed, but so cool. In ancient Greece, Ares represented the unsavory aspects of war: violence, bloodshed, pain, destruction, death... In contrast, Athena represented a more noble side of war: strategy, honor, glory, etc. As a result, most of Greece liked Athena but detested Ares, whom the myths portray as kind of a loser. The few myths he appears in portray him in shameful situations, like that time he had an affair with Aphrodite, her husband Hephaestus caught them in the act and trapped them in a magical net before inviting all the other gods to laugh at them. The only ones who loved Ares and saw him as something more than a necessary evil... were the Spartans.
Ares could have made Kratos do anything, but the one thing that sealed his fate and the fates of Olympus, Greece, and the Fates themselves was the decision to have Kratos kill his own wife and daughter Truly a masterclass in video game "I fucked up" moments
I think it's interesting how you describe Ares as "corruption" because in the Norse GoW series, Kratos' ultimate enemy is also a form of embodied corruption - Odin. There's something there about Kratos ultimate enemy being himself.
If we take the philosophy from the norse series-"It is the nature that matters more than its form", Ares' own nature literally forged its own projection and manifested in kratos which was his goal but also his undoing, and i think his final line his him acknowledging this notion "I wanted to make you a fine warrior." "You succeeded."
12:40 I like to think about this and how it affected Hercules specifically. The mythology guy made a video about God Of War 3's mythological inaccuracies (Great video by the way) and in it he said that every reason Hercules had to be jealous of Kratos was not the case since everything he says that happened to kratos also happened to him in myth. I wonder if the writers knew this and did this to show just how far the corruption went in the gods.
That golden sword you use at the final battle has the same move set as the purple blade of Artemis, which kinda slaps if you know how to use it, but nah I understand, the blades of chaos are some of the most iconic and deadly weapons in video game history and Kratos has killed an incomprehensible amount of people and monsters and gods with them.
Young Kratos and Ares: Bloodlusted, Angry part of War. Athena and Tyr: The Smart, Tactical part of war. the wisdom. Old Kratos: The part of war that inspires hope. Hope that you will win, the hope that leads victory.
0:57 Yeah, I believe every gamer has that question when they find out that the villain they're supposed to fight is a giant, scary-looking, and possibly overpowered being.
You should play them when you can. A video is never really going to give you a true, full understanding of a game. It's a game, it's meant to be played imo
@@TheSSBBfan666 That is the truth. Hepeatus is the only one to betray Kratos that Kratos is completely cool with. Protecting his daughter. In Kratos' cold, dark heart can understand that.
Ares' influence really just hangs over the whole story line. He's the God of War who caused or indirectly caused so much shit because of his petty spite and destroyed himself because of it.
There's something comforting about these videos. I absolutely adore GoW, fond memories of my buddy bringing over a Blockbuster Video copy forever ago and playing all night. Loved (nearly) all of them since and deconstructions of characters in them is just fantastic. Oh lord that fight against all the other Kratos' to protect your wife and child, on the hardest difficulty, is still one of the worst boss type fights I've ever done in any game lol. I remember just grabbing them frantically as fast as possible and slamming them down. Took FOREVER.
I absolutely love Ares on GOW1, for one simple reason: He Haunts the Narrative. literally EVERY SINGLE ACTION AND THOUGHT Kratos makes is informed or affected one way or another by Ares and the impact he has had on Kratos. Even as far as the Norse era, Kratos fears he'll becomes just like Ares: A callous, cruel monster. Because, sadly, he DID become just like Ares. Like, COME ON! After the suffering he endured from Chains of Olympus and Ghost of Sparta, he literally became a giant that smashes building filled with helpless mortals, JUST LIKE ARES DID! I respect all the villains of the Norse era as characters, they are very well written. But Ares has had a MUCH bigger impact on Kratos than any of them. Heimdall, Baldur, Magni and Modi, even Odin: They were all just obstacles to be overcome. The only one who came close to having a similar impact and dynamic with Kratos is Thor. At least, that's how I see it.
I love your videos. You organize your thoughts like an essay, with a thesis and supporting evidence. I really appreciate that, most people don’t do that and probably got Cs in English lol 😂❤
I was always remember the passage in the Illyiad where Ares and Athena were supporting different sides during a fight at Troy. Athena granted her patron the ability to see and affect Ares or something, they injure Ares. Ares then goes back to Olympus to complain and cry to Zeus about "how dare a moral injure him". Zeus calls Zeus a coward of sorts and sends him away to deal with it. I thought it was hilarious
I remember reading somewhere that Ares had some sort of a curse that made it so that the slightest injury would cause him torturous pain. If he stepped on a tack, it would feel like his leg had been ripped off.
@ i like that game showing that all of Zeus's kids dealign with their own issues as Zeus was not a good father and ignored them. Ares had a pet sepernt which he loved and when it died, he buried it and took time to mourn while keeping that news to himself, not like Zeus was gonna empathize with him
Fun fact, ares relationship with zues is kinda the same in actual myth too because hes seen as the violent and senseless war god, wheras athena was seen as the brillian tactical and honorable war god. In some places at certain times, aphrodite was seen as sorta a mix between them but the issues are most clear between the first two.
I would love to break the 4th wall, hop into the game, and give Atreus and Freya copies of the previous GOW games. Like, "Here, now you both will finally, and truly, understand Kratos."
Wonderful video as always! Can't wait for the next one. The original God of War trilogy wasn't really something I interacted with much when I was younger, and I'm having a grand time listening to you talk about it.
21:10 Not only will it be a game over, but there's a secret cut scene that plays if Kratos fails to protect his family. His fighting spirit is crushed and the doppelgangers brutally slaughtering him without warning, that scene is really disturbing to watch.
...that she make her favorite champion of the week punch. x) Granted, she's not an idiot and she would surely lose in a 1v1 regular fight, but then again, Athena's not seeing a lot of frontline action now, does she?
To my own point of view, I honestly believe that Ares was basically a terrible reflection of what Kratos could become if his lust for power and ruthless nature consumed him, even after killing his family. By killing Ares, it doesn't actually make Kratos a better person. Due to the amount of times he wasn't allowed a moment of peace and by closing his heart after the tragedy his life went through, despite all he's done, he basically gives in to his title of "God Killer" and "Ghost of Sparta".
Fun addition to the lore: the comics depict Kratos searching for Ambrosia, a cure-all from the gods, to save his daughter. He would eventually join a free-for-all for it, who Ares bets on winning, and he does so. But that victory came from overcoming Alrik, the barbarian trying to save his father, which is why the barbarians push all the way to Sparta. Oh, and by the way, Ares is the one who made Kratos's daughter sick, having spread a disease in Sparta to pick out who he will wager will win the Ambrosia. Same thing happened to Alrik, but by Hades. So once again, Ares is the source of everything in the God of War series, and it also greatly supports Kratos immediately turning on his patron after killing his wife and daughter. That comic story proves the depths of love he feels for them, the same thing that would cause him nightmares for his deed. Side note, the marker warrior prophecy is technically in God of War? There is a mural of a warrior charging against Zeus, which the game notes to be a future event. So while it does not say specifically "marked," it is the origin for the marked warrior prophecy.
@FatBrett There is actually one moment similar to the second Ares phase in GOW4 - the flying Helheim boat section, where you have to protect two fires that are keeping you in the air from the swarm of Hel-Walkers that try to extinguish them, and if both fires go out its game over. The only way to restore the flames is with fire of the Blades of Chaos, which you are likely already using to deal with the Hel-Walkers. It's basically a far easier version of the second Ares phase without the boss fight attached.
What's even more impressive is that those column would be composed of a couple marble blocks that would only be held be gravity or a central wooden pilar. Judging by the cutscene, this is not the case. Which means Ares' throw was so perfectly aligned that the 5-6 boulders weighing a couple tons each stayed perfectly in line for a throw more than a hundred kilometres long, all the while having pinpoint accuracy. Such a perfect lance throw truly sets Ares as THE god of war.
I think the only contender for best one liner is at the end of the ancient gods DLC in Doom Eternal where the destroyer asks the Doom Slayer if he wants to say anything to his creator and he just says "no" and stabs him in the heart. Fucking amazing.
I like how Kratos describes Ares to Atreus through stories. Ares is the powerful rider that makes slaves of beasts like Kratos once was, and never lets them go once he has them.
If we’re gonna blame Ares for all the results of Kratos’s actions because he “created” him, we may as well blame Zues because he spawned Kratos and Ares. Ares definitely hadn’t planned all that when he couldn’t even avoid being killed by his own creation. Even getting ahold of Pandora’s box seemed like a serendipitous result of the other gods’ plot against him rather than something he’d orchestrated.
"ARES! DESTROY MY ENEMIES, AND MY LIFE IS YOURS!" *- Calm and Reasonable Person*
How the hell are you everywhere
@@CottonArsonisthe is truly, spammythehedgehog
"If the moment calls for calm"
@@TJ-ce4kl"I'd say the moment calls for calm."
..........No.
I like how in his notes, Tyr sounds very disappointed in Ares.
I read that the "real" Ares was a little bitch who needed daddy Zeus to step in whenever things got hairy. He's not so much the god of war as he is the god of conflict and starting shit he couldn't finish, which is kind of the point really. He's supposed to be a cautionary tale about how boastful bravado and needless conflict can lead to disaster. I hope we get to see this depiction in media one day, instead of the bad ass everything portrays him as.
I wonder how Tyr and Ares would have interacted. 2 opposite types of war gods
possibly because when tyr was younger he was exactly like ares. and his dissapointment stems from the fact Tyr overcame his violent nature for a more disciplined matter of conducting war.
Tyr has notes on Ares?
also wonder if Brett will do a vid for Tyr?
@@TheSSBBfan666 i dont see why not theres enough bits and piecez of lore about tyr to use and then his role in valhalla
Ayo, that is not a piece of wood
That is a broken stone column, which makes it even more impressive
I was searching for this comment!
Also, did the column shrink down to size? Kratos supposed to be mush when the thing hit, but somehow it just pierce the torso area 🤷
@deliciousmayhem3371 perhaps it got broken down as it went through the air since it moved such a long distance in a few moments at high speeds
"I was trying to make you a great videogame."
"You succeeded."
Ares: I was trying to make you into a calm and reasonable person.
Calm and Reasonable Person: You succeeded.
*sword through chest*
“The moment indeed calls for calm”
hug
Ares created a warrior who not only took his place as the God of War... but to also take down Olympus.
Some people have mentioned how ares wanted to make a warrior out of kratos witness the fall of Olympus, but, you can see how well that went. Or.....they say something like that.😅
I love how poetic it is that Ares won in the end
@@lightmohamed5700Ares basically got hit with a monkey's paw, he wanted Olympus to fall but it had to be at the cost of his own life lol
@MegaMaster1021 yeah and Kratos became everything he ever hoped he would but Kratos outgrew him
As someone who's only played the Norse-series, there's something about Ares that makes him feel like a much grander villain than Odin. Maybe it's the fact that he is the one that set **everything** in motion. Understanding his character has given me a new appreciation of the writing and the evolution of the narrative as the series continued, thank you very much for another insightful video!
The Greek GoW are much more straightforward and simplistic story wise than the Norse series.
All the bad guys (and gals) are borderline mustache twirling manipulative sinister villains who are all arrogant jerks. Probably a good comparison is the John Wick franchise, the bad guys are definitely bad, all bad, no mistaking it.
Basically take all the nuance and introspection of the Norse series and replace it with operatic grandiosity.
A typical boss fight in the Greek GoW games is comparable to the final fight in GoW 4 with Baldur as Freya attacks with you with the corpse of a giant.
It's not just that he set everything into motion. It's that he haunts Kratos' mind for his entire life. Think about it: ALL of Kratos' suffering, including his self-loathing that caused him to be so secretive with Atreus... was because of Ares.
Ares isn't just the architect of Kratos' suffering... he's Kratos' worst fear. Kratos fears that he'll become just like Ares because in the Greek era, he WAS. (After GOW2, I mean)
He’s also the hardest boss in the entire franchise as far my knowledge goes
@@marcussabom2696 Zeus is not one dimensional neither is Athena
@@marcussabom2696Greek games are still more fun. God of War 3 is still the peak of the series
I have a curious idea that I came up with...
Having Kratos open Pandora's Box was Athena's plan as she wanted to get the hope buried within, perhaps to make Greece as a whole better, perhaps being perfectly well meaning and Ares stomping about gives her a reason. Her expectation is that the darkness and corruption within will latch onto *Kratos,* who she expects to be so evil, heartless and corrupt as to pull it into him...
Except he pulls in the Hope and the Darkness latches onto the gods which... well, we've seen the GoW 3 ending... One oversight... and from the Goddess of Wisdom no less.
Maybe he pulled in the hope because it was what he needed most. Kratos was already the worst version of himself, and he had nothing to live for but his revenge. He needed Hope, a reason to carry on and - eventually - become better.
@@quietone2674 There's an idea.
@@quietone2674So you're suggesting that this is the actual moment that allowed Kratos to become what he is in the Norse saga? That tracks.
@@FelisImpurrator I mean, I'm sure it wasn't intended that way, but it has become that as the story's developed.
@quietone2674 I mean... The people writing the new games could have chosen that deliberately and repurposed it.
First off, Ares killed Kratos with a stone column, not a piece of wood. Second, it didn't even kill Kratos instantly. Kratos was slowly and painfully dying and lived long enough to see Ares' harpies take Pandora's box.
An interesting retrospective look at Ares and how his petty jealousy of Athena was the catalyst for the end of the Olympians.
Funny thing about you mentioning not using the books as in the novelization of the first one, Athena, after witnessing Ares manipulate Kratos into killing his own family, also comes to the conclusion that Ares is insane.
One thing I don’t think gets praised enough in the god of war games is the sheer scale of things around you, ares, the invasion of mount olympis, the dead giant, the world serpent.
For me it was platforming on a titan..... then it was flipping the temple.
Ares's greatest mistake was to admit what he had done to Kratos. If he had blamed Athena or Zeus then Kratos would have remained Ares's servant.
It's hard to believe Ares was defeated by a calm and reasonable person.
The moment didn't call for calm tbh.
Cant wait for the hour long villain deconstruction on the armored Mintoaur in the temple, truly a deep and memorable villain
Wow, being unreasonably sarcastic everytime is so cOoOoOl and funniii
@Cathart1c You know whats even cooler? Recognizing the difference between a joke comment and sarcasm. Anyone who knows GoW knows the minotaur boss is the most mid boss in the first game and has no lore or anything really to it, plus if you watched the video he even says his next video will be on GoW 2. Plus even if it were just sarcasm, whos feelings am I hurting? The code that makes up the boss fight?
@@kwesadilla8121 yes you've pissed off decade old code. Prepare to expire
@@thedoomslayer5863 The code can have me when it earns me
I’m so glad you pointed out Ares’ motivation. I used to joke with friends that the Greek games all came down to daddy issues, which made the Norse games feel like the cherry on top when they came out.
I think you missed the point in the battle where Ares says "You rejected me, a God! The only path that is left for you is death" I think that echoes about Ares being insecure and fearing rejection
like to think deep down Ares hides a lot of issues, and acts the way he does, his family dislikes him
"Who DOES that?!"
*Points at the giant blatantly sociopathic mess that is the greek Pantheon*
When you realize Ares was just jealous because Athena was Zeus's favorite child.
The pettiness defies any sort of chart 😂
explains a lot actually, he's the heir. And anything he does always gets ignored in favor of praise for Athena's work. So he feels second best to a motherless sibling who acts like she's better than everyone and it upsets him.
Very mythos accurate if you ask me. B)
All the more poignant when you learn Kratos is his half-brother, making the whole event a family squabble
@@TheSSBBfan666Yeah if my dad favored his affair baby over me and still had the gall to stay and benefit from his time with my family, I'd be a bit miffed too.
Not agreeing with what he did but I understand the anger behind it.
Im so glad you decided to go back to this series. I cant wait for you to play Ghost of Sparta. Time to enjoy my noodles and chill.
23:24 It always surprises me that people don’t realize the blade you use in this fight is a reskinned Blade of Artemis. It even makes the same sounds. And the Blade of Artemis is good too
Yeah it was really easy kicking Ares' ass cause I loved the blade of Artemis. :D
Guess the guy that made the video got skill issues.
Another banger from the best video game essayist on youtube. Good shit man.
The thing that i hated in the boss battle against ares was that we spent the whole game with the blade of chaos and then, in the final part of the battle you change to a clunky big ass sword and the difficult spiked. It sucked
Bro, I NEVER died in a fight right UNTIL THIS VERY MOMENT. When Kratos' moveset changed, I got whooped so hard, I died at least 20 times before beating Ares! It sucked.
It has almost the exact same functionality as the Blade of Artemis, so the final boss really only punishes people who refused to diversify their strategy despite the game giving more options.
When you play the whole Greek saga including the PSP games you can see kratos still had some humanity left by the time of ghost of Sparta then the second game happens, he only had Sparta left when he heard what happened by the last spartan Kratos does have the motivation to save Sparta from Zeus. On his lines in that encounter is "I will not let you destroy Sparta" after the fight and Athena reveals to kratos that he's a son of Zeus, he pauses and then we see him embracing the monster of God of war 3. My take on the boss is him finally connecting all the dots from ghost of Sparta and why Zeus tried to kill him in the first place. Kratos didn't pick a fight with Zeus, Zeus did.
"ARES! DESTROY MY ENEMIES, AND MY LIFE IS YOURS!" - said Kratos calmly
And reasonably
Ares' design is fascinating as well. He has grayish skin and chains around his arms, like a certain Spartan warrior. And of course, he's a son of Zeus and a god of war. The metaphor is a bit heavy-handed, but so cool.
In ancient Greece, Ares represented the unsavory aspects of war: violence, bloodshed, pain, destruction, death... In contrast, Athena represented a more noble side of war: strategy, honor, glory, etc. As a result, most of Greece liked Athena but detested Ares, whom the myths portray as kind of a loser. The few myths he appears in portray him in shameful situations, like that time he had an affair with Aphrodite, her husband Hephaestus caught them in the act and trapped them in a magical net before inviting all the other gods to laugh at them.
The only ones who loved Ares and saw him as something more than a necessary evil... were the Spartans.
Ares could have made Kratos do anything, but the one thing that sealed his fate and the fates of Olympus, Greece, and the Fates themselves was the decision to have Kratos kill his own wife and daughter
Truly a masterclass in video game "I fucked up" moments
Zeus; Thats on me, i take full responsibility for sending this DUMBASS to do a Gods work!
I think it's interesting how you describe Ares as "corruption" because in the Norse GoW series, Kratos' ultimate enemy is also a form of embodied corruption - Odin. There's something there about Kratos ultimate enemy being himself.
If we take the philosophy from the norse series-"It is the nature that matters more than its form", Ares' own nature literally forged its own projection and manifested in kratos which was his goal but also his undoing, and i think his final line his him acknowledging this notion
"I wanted to make you a fine warrior."
"You succeeded."
12:40 I like to think about this and how it affected Hercules specifically. The mythology guy made a video about God Of War 3's mythological inaccuracies (Great video by the way) and in it he said that every reason Hercules had to be jealous of Kratos was not the case since everything he says that happened to kratos also happened to him in myth. I wonder if the writers knew this and did this to show just how far the corruption went in the gods.
That golden sword you use at the final battle has the same move set as the purple blade of Artemis, which kinda slaps if you know how to use it, but nah I understand, the blades of chaos are some of the most iconic and deadly weapons in video game history and Kratos has killed an incomprehensible amount of people and monsters and gods with them.
What I noticed was Ares and Hermes both have fiery hair.
Fire Hair = Olympian Ginger
Hermes and Ares were red-headed step children. That's why Ares feels inadequate and Hermes... is a Fuckin' messenger 😂
Young Kratos and Ares: Bloodlusted, Angry part of War.
Athena and Tyr: The Smart, Tactical part of war. the wisdom.
Old Kratos: The part of war that inspires hope. Hope that you will win, the hope that leads victory.
athena should have her own tier tbh, something like: backstabbing, manipulative, winning no matter who's hurt
0:57 Yeah, I believe every gamer has that question when they find out that the villain they're supposed to fight is a giant, scary-looking, and possibly overpowered being.
Can’t believe Tank Dempsey-I mean Orochimaru-I mean Starscream-I mean Ares made Kratos kill his own family
You're clearly wrong, it was Wolverine! Or was it Spike Spiegel?
@@lazaroskarmaniolas7410you mean Kuai Lang Subzero from mk x?
youre an idiot; if you knew all of that you couldve just told ares to take a juggernog
Loose Lips from Batman Arkham Origins made Kratos kill his family?!!! No way!!!
1:36
That was a broken stone pillar/marble column not a piece of wood.
I didn't even notice that until now. Always thought it was a peice of wood
@@Mike-nd1ooI haven't noticed it for the longest time, but thankfully several years ago I did notice it 😅
I’ve never played the original god of war games, but this video helps me understand the characters that I wouldn’t have known otherwise
You should play them when you can. A video is never really going to give you a true, full understanding of a game. It's a game, it's meant to be played imo
Ares sniping Kratos from Athens is still the most insane thing ever 😂
Can’t wait for his deconstruction of villainy of Zeus
Ares has finally arrived. I hope you do one of these for his brother Hepheatus.
of all the Greek Gods, Kratos regrets killing him the most, alongside Orkos
@@TheSSBBfan666 That is the truth. Hepeatus is the only one to betray Kratos that Kratos is completely cool with. Protecting his daughter. In Kratos' cold, dark heart can understand that.
Imagine if Ares kidnapped Kratos instead of Deimos.
Ares' influence really just hangs over the whole story line. He's the God of War who caused or indirectly caused so much shit because of his petty spite and destroyed himself because of it.
The God that started it all in the series. Thanks For this
27:26 YOU KNOW WHAT ELSE IS MASSIVE
IF YOU SAY YOUR MOM YOURE FIRED
There's something comforting about these videos. I absolutely adore GoW, fond memories of my buddy bringing over a Blockbuster Video copy forever ago and playing all night. Loved (nearly) all of them since and deconstructions of characters in them is just fantastic.
Oh lord that fight against all the other Kratos' to protect your wife and child, on the hardest difficulty, is still one of the worst boss type fights I've ever done in any game lol. I remember just grabbing them frantically as fast as possible and slamming them down. Took FOREVER.
In Greek Mythology, Ares made Zeus forfeit the war and took conquered Olympus.
Before even clicking, I open RUclips, saw it and went “Ooooooh” out loud. Gonna be another banger 😎
I absolutely love Ares on GOW1, for one simple reason: He Haunts the Narrative. literally EVERY SINGLE ACTION AND THOUGHT Kratos makes is informed or affected one way or another by Ares and the impact he has had on Kratos. Even as far as the Norse era, Kratos fears he'll becomes just like Ares: A callous, cruel monster. Because, sadly, he DID become just like Ares. Like, COME ON! After the suffering he endured from Chains of Olympus and Ghost of Sparta, he literally became a giant that smashes building filled with helpless mortals, JUST LIKE ARES DID!
I respect all the villains of the Norse era as characters, they are very well written. But Ares has had a MUCH bigger impact on Kratos than any of them. Heimdall, Baldur, Magni and Modi, even Odin: They were all just obstacles to be overcome. The only one who came close to having a similar impact and dynamic with Kratos is Thor.
At least, that's how I see it.
I love your videos. You organize your thoughts like an essay, with a thesis and supporting evidence. I really appreciate that, most people don’t do that and probably got Cs in English lol 😂❤
I was always remember the passage in the Illyiad where Ares and Athena were supporting different sides during a fight at Troy.
Athena granted her patron the ability to see and affect Ares or something, they injure Ares.
Ares then goes back to Olympus to complain and cry to Zeus about "how dare a moral injure him". Zeus calls Zeus a coward of sorts and sends him away to deal with it.
I thought it was hilarious
I remember reading somewhere that Ares had some sort of a curse that made it so that the slightest injury would cause him torturous pain. If he stepped on a tack, it would feel like his leg had been ripped off.
Ares in GOW is probably more intimidating than his mythological counterpart, the ladder who was kind of a chump throughout most of his stories.
Ares in mythology suffers from the Worf effect- he gets stomped by the new, 'biggest threat' to prove that that being actually IS powerful.
Yeah, Ares gets one cool fight with Diomedes in the Iliad, and he still loses it, against a mortal at that. Not even a demigod.
also whenever he's doing something Athena shows up just to go 'your doing it wrong' and humiliate him, dude cant catch a break
And then, he gets turned into a rooster in _Immortals, Phoenix Rising._
Granted, it's _Typhon_ who does that, but still. xD
@ i like that game showing that all of Zeus's kids dealign with their own issues as Zeus was not a good father and ignored them.
Ares had a pet sepernt which he loved and when it died, he buried it and took time to mourn while keeping that news to himself, not like Zeus was gonna empathize with him
The killing of Lysandra, and Calliope would have hit a hell of a lot harder if they didn’t exist just to be immediately fridged.
I appreciate your videos man! Never been this early for an upload.
When Ares went out to make the perfect warrior, he really didn't think through how that'd put his job security in jeopardy.
1:33 man just casually launched the first intercontinental missle
Bro is the first metal gear
Fun fact, ares relationship with zues is kinda the same in actual myth too because hes seen as the violent and senseless war god, wheras athena was seen as the brillian tactical and honorable war god. In some places at certain times, aphrodite was seen as sorta a mix between them but the issues are most clear between the first two.
I would love to break the 4th wall, hop into the game, and give Atreus and Freya copies of the previous GOW games. Like, "Here, now you both will finally, and truly, understand Kratos."
Wonderful video as always! Can't wait for the next one. The original God of War trilogy wasn't really something I interacted with much when I was younger, and I'm having a grand time listening to you talk about it.
FINALLY! I really do hope you do more Resident Evil videos later, more specifically the villains.
I just watched the first God of War retrospective video last night, this is impeccable timing!
You are an incredible analyst and can’t get enough of your videos 💪🏽💖
21:10
Not only will it be a game over, but there's a secret cut scene that plays if Kratos fails to protect his family. His fighting spirit is crushed and the doppelgangers brutally slaughtering him without warning, that scene is really disturbing to watch.
Thank you, Been looking forward to this since December🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
7:49 they don’t get characterized a lot but omg having to push your daughter off you like a quick time event hit hard
Love the consistent uploads!
GoW Ares: Maniacal Mastermind
Greek Mythology Ares: Athena's Punching Bag
...that she make her favorite champion of the week punch. x)
Granted, she's not an idiot and she would surely lose in a 1v1 regular fight, but then again, Athena's not seeing a lot of frontline action now, does she?
@Archon3960 Huh, she has beaten Ares before in 1 on 1 combat before in the myths.
@jamesprice6015 Ah. There is one story I missed then... :/
@@Archon3960 It's fine.
1:38 that was a marble column from a temple or statehouse, not a piece of wood
When Ares threw that column of wood, I was inssanely impressed about how long it traveled and how it was able to impale Kratos
Define aura
Kratos saying "You succeeded" right before killing Ares, the God of War
Man, you really cooked good here *chef kiss*
Also, 25:04, best thing you ever made here
The God that Started it all. Thanks For this! HUGE fan of your channel
I found your channel when you started the Gow ragnorok vids and you haven’t disappointed since
To my own point of view, I honestly believe that Ares was basically a terrible reflection of what Kratos could become if his lust for power and ruthless nature consumed him, even after killing his family. By killing Ares, it doesn't actually make Kratos a better person. Due to the amount of times he wasn't allowed a moment of peace and by closing his heart after the tragedy his life went through, despite all he's done, he basically gives in to his title of "God Killer" and "Ghost of Sparta".
You could say that by the end of GoW 3, Kratos became a worse person than Ares ever was.
Things would be much different if Ares ignored Kratos' prayer.
Ayeee! Brett back at it with another gem!
Fun addition to the lore: the comics depict Kratos searching for Ambrosia, a cure-all from the gods, to save his daughter. He would eventually join a free-for-all for it, who Ares bets on winning, and he does so. But that victory came from overcoming Alrik, the barbarian trying to save his father, which is why the barbarians push all the way to Sparta. Oh, and by the way, Ares is the one who made Kratos's daughter sick, having spread a disease in Sparta to pick out who he will wager will win the Ambrosia. Same thing happened to Alrik, but by Hades. So once again, Ares is the source of everything in the God of War series, and it also greatly supports Kratos immediately turning on his patron after killing his wife and daughter. That comic story proves the depths of love he feels for them, the same thing that would cause him nightmares for his deed.
Side note, the marker warrior prophecy is technically in God of War? There is a mural of a warrior charging against Zeus, which the game notes to be a future event. So while it does not say specifically "marked," it is the origin for the marked warrior prophecy.
Great vid as always, waiting on a video on the Furys tho
I would love for him to cover furries!
Furies*
@@SapunManFurries*
This inability to control the monster one has created reminds me a lot of billionaires with AI.
Been waiting for these baby 😭
god of war 2 is the first video game i ever played as a kid, looking forward to your retrospective!
Banger outro music. Very nostalgic.
My biggest take away from this video is that I don't have to feel bad about struggling against Ares. Thank you for this
@FatBrett There is actually one moment similar to the second Ares phase in GOW4 - the flying Helheim boat section, where you have to protect two fires that are keeping you in the air from the swarm of Hel-Walkers that try to extinguish them, and if both fires go out its game over. The only way to restore the flames is with fire of the Blades of Chaos, which you are likely already using to deal with the Hel-Walkers. It's basically a far easier version of the second Ares phase without the boss fight attached.
I've been looking forward to this.
1:45. That's a column. Like a stone column.
What's even more impressive is that those column would be composed of a couple marble blocks that would only be held be gravity or a central wooden pilar. Judging by the cutscene, this is not the case. Which means Ares' throw was so perfectly aligned that the 5-6 boulders weighing a couple tons each stayed perfectly in line for a throw more than a hundred kilometres long, all the while having pinpoint accuracy. Such a perfect lance throw truly sets Ares as THE god of war.
Yeah I noticed that too
The best way to start off my Saturday before work. Let's do it
Ares character design was amazing 🤩 completely shocked me how good it looked
Yo! Im early! LOVE YOUR VIDEOS! HAVE WATCHED THEM MULTIPLE TIMES! KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK!
W upload you made my day ❤
26:11 I think that’s what the Valhalla DLC was probably trying to replicate honestly now that you point it out.
great vid brett
GOW 2 and GOW 2018 are highlights of the entire franchise and both directed by Cory Barlog, the dude knows how to make amazing games
I appreciate the Metroid Prime trilogy mention. Id love to see more videos on Metroid or maybe some playthrough leading up to Prime 4
Even in the beginning of the franchise, those who attempt to avoid prophecy end up falling victim to it.
This guy needs to do stuff on the red dead redemption series
I once heard somewhere that 'Ares' could potentially mean 'Ruin' (as in destruction). very fitting this version of him
THE GOAT IS BACK
I think the only contender for best one liner is at the end of the ancient gods DLC in Doom Eternal where the destroyer asks the Doom Slayer if he wants to say anything to his creator and he just says "no" and stabs him in the heart. Fucking amazing.
I like how Kratos describes Ares to Atreus through stories. Ares is the powerful rider that makes slaves of beasts like Kratos once was, and never lets them go once he has them.
Another great video! Just realized I was not subscribed despite how many videos I've watched. I've fixed that! 👍
If we’re gonna blame Ares for all the results of Kratos’s actions because he “created” him, we may as well blame Zues because he spawned Kratos and Ares. Ares definitely hadn’t planned all that when he couldn’t even avoid being killed by his own creation. Even getting ahold of Pandora’s box seemed like a serendipitous result of the other gods’ plot against him rather than something he’d orchestrated.