The God of War Before God of War | Rygar

Rygar is a ps2 action game that has some of the prettiest color choices for enviornments in the genre. Gets only remembered in the context of god of war, which I understand I am perpetuating with the title of this video so it does well in the algorithm. But hopefully after watching the video you'll come to understand they're two games that have nothing in common besides the fact they feature greek mythology. Also as many have pointed out this video was mostly made before Krafton bought Tango. Left it as is because I didn’t want to go back and change it
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#playstation2 #rygar

[@MayonnaiseOreo]

My grandpa bought me this for Christmas in 2002 and it ended up becoming a beloved game of mine. Once I understood how some of the puzzles worked I was hooked and couldn't put it down. Glad you're showing it some love.

[@starlightrevenant]

Actually face model for the princess in this game is not Britney Spears, it's Isobel 'Izzy' Cooper, who also did the song for this game "Wish", (also Tango Gameworks isn't dead, Krafton bought them and the Hi-Fi Rush IP)

[@lucascoval828]

Thank god. Facts.

[@TrulyyGotIt]

Xbox continously fumbles. As a Xbox player tango will be missed my favorite studio under Bethesda

[@soyalexpop]

The fact that the princess is not Britney blew my mind away because she looks like her and nothing like Izzy

[@om_ikis]

It will be funny if Tango make a new Hi-Fi and not release it on Xbox

[@JozefLucifugeKorzeniowski]

why does chat/the comment section have an infinite library of the most niche knowledge and an infinite appetite for pedantry? it disquiets one's very soul

[@RedzaMalaysianCrossover]

I really love this experimental age of gaming. And also David Jaffe answer for Tactical Bacon Production about "is it God of War rip off Rygar?".

[@killyridols72826]

It bothers me that even Jaffe said DMC1 was an influence to GOW1 but not it's combat system, I always thought the atmosphe in both games were pretty similar but the gameplay is completely different. Combat in GOW1 is way more similar to Rygar's but maybe both of them were inspired by Onimusha's combat?

[@Game-The-System]

Jaffe is full of shit. He essentially copied much of the Rygar formula. Whatever...but then he flatout denies it and says it had no influence on GOW. Uh huh, sure. That would be like Sega claiming that Super Mario Bros. had no influence on Sonic The Hedgehog!

[@killyridols72826]

BUT, there's a slight chance Jaffe is not lying because there's evidence of developers saying they took a lot of influences from Ninja Gaiden (2004) combat, which is casually a hack and slash also developed by Koei Tecmo. Then if you mix the combat of Onimusha, Shinobi and Ninja Gaiden you get exactly the combat system of God of War minus the chained weapons. But anyway, some combos from Rygar are still stupidly similar to Kratos attacks, so even if Jaffe denies the influence it's pretty obvious that the animators really had fun trying to reverse engineer Rygar's movements.

[@Game-The-System]

@@killyridols72826 Developers can *say* all they want and be full of shit too. Based upon jaffe's own words, the team knew about Rygar. There were so many copied mechanics and visuals it's obvious, but... Bottom line is that jaffe and his developers had a vested interest in claiming that Rygar was not an influence so as to avoid any potential for legal claims by Tecmo. Frankly, they were just lucky that Rygar wasn't more successful, which would have given Tecmo more reason to sue jaffe et al. BTW, I don't really care that GOW lifted so many things from Rygar. They got away with it, so more power to them. I just don't like people that lie. Don't spit in my face and tell me it's raining. All jaffe had to do was say that "there were all kinds of influences for GOW" and not say more. Instead he obviously lies and has continued to do so for over 20 years.

[@FoxyPercival714]

You cannot BELIEVE how long I was looking for this. Even the title! All I remember of this was a magazine article of it and the hero wielding that shield with a saw blade. THANK YOU! Kept calling this game Gladious but probably that's a wholly other different game.

[@sambo5402]

I’m 44 years old. I’m not gonna stop playing video games until I can’t lift up a controller. I heard they can enhance cognitive abilities, promote social interactions, and relieve stress. Plus, certain games like puzzle games and brain teasers can improve memory and problem-solving skills.

[@K87jk]

😂🤡

[@Bipolaroid90]

Too much video game playing can degrade those same things too. Everything in moderation.

[@JaneTheDoe-id2vx]

as i get older im finding games to get boring

[@godnyx117]

Tons of other activities do the same things, with bigger effects and without having you sit in a room, mess your eyes and participate in an industry that turns to shit, faster than any other.

[@godnyx117]

​@@JaneTheDoe-id2vx Welcome to the party! I recently bought a controller and I am slowly starting to discover emulated games for up to the seventh generation. Modern games are too boring... The majority of them at least...

[@ItsOver9000Productions]

Tactical Bacon introduced this gem to me and i fuckin LOVE it. I cant believe i had never heard of it until 2 years ago

[@whosaidthat84]

4:10 "a whole bunch of sh*t that was too old for any of us to have ever played." Bruh! My old ass had this game on NES 😂 Still have it! You got some geezers here watching.

[@duyle557]

Right? I was playing this game everyday in the arcade during my lunch break when this guy was still swimming around in his dad’s nut sack. Sheesh… kids these days, no respect for their elders. 🤔

[@jedgrahek1426]

Yep me too, it was one of the rare NES games I could reliably beat in a few hours (after knowing exactly what to do of course), the music was amazing, and I've got super deep nostalgia for it. I loved how it took you back to the title screen on game over, but also had all your progress saved if you just pressed start lol.

[@mdstevens0612]

I ended up finding means to play Rygar because of Jeremy Parish. The Metroidvania is my favourite genre so seeing its roots are fascinating, especially since those kinds of games were rare on the NES, outside Castlevania 2 and NES Metroid. Can't say I loved Rygar, but it was definitely memorable.

[@AP90x]

God of war 2 is probably my all time favorite game ever. I played through it at least 5 times

[@KOUTSOKALIGERHS]

Man im so sad i cant try these old games on my ps4 without having to pay a lot of money…

[@LastlPRIME]

​@@KOUTSOKALIGERHSYou can still play them easily in emulators.

[@jheicobguzman6132]

just 5 times(? lmao

[@alirana174]

Thank you so much for continuing to cover this era of gaming Cvit, your videos are amazing and I always look forward to watching them. I hope to see you cover Bungie's Oni one day! One of my favorite games that unfortunately seems to have been forgotten by time.

[@KitkaKurwa]

Rygar on the WII was literally my childhood game, nice video loved it !

[@xxcradleofpainxx]

i actually played the old version of Rygar, yes I'm that old

[@mikelpelaez]

The arcade or the NES version?

[@fangoram29]

Same. Sure it was old but I was 7 I still liked the NES

[@johnhearn7329]

Me too! The NES version and the arcade version!🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@lonewolffang]

​​@mikelpelaez Mainly NES for me and I tried the arcade version at a laundry mat.

[@fvjisinferno207]

what you doing here unc?

[@KnockKnack]

Thank you for reminding me the game that I was in the middle of playing just before my previous PS2's sensor broke. All I remembered about it was the that reddish brown armor and his shield, and just seeing the thumbnail for this vid in my recommended suddenly rushed back long-lost memories of mine.

[@thealantmarismore]

I absolutely love the bit on 6th gen character designs. Love how these games look.

[@myway7367]

For the young 'uns who weren't there: DMC was revolutionary in that it brought the precision of a 2D fighting game to a 3D action/slasher. You truly appreciated this once you played the harder difficulties. by contrast, GOW and co. were sloppy with their floaty, sweeping combat

[@ChadKakashi]

Not even by comparison, early God of War games don't have the deepest combat. They're still lovely to play though.

[@johnhearn7329]

Blood Rayne 1 & 2!! Now there's some floaty combat for you! The early 2000's! The good ole' days!🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@mdstevens0612]

I understand why DMC is so historically significant, but I kinda hate playing it. Honestly, I don't think Devil May Cry really got good until DMC3, and even DMC3 wasn't all it could be until the PC version got the style switching mod, something the Switch version just has built in.

[@randyortonsbulge]

@@mdstevens0612very true. Devil may cry fans think the are a dime a dozen but I don’t know many devil may cry fans.

[@reih2f380]

@@randyortonsbulge you piggy backing his thoughts by saying it’s not a lot of fans when literally dmc 5 sold tens of millions in its first year is crazy. A lot of people that don’t like dmc but like god of war think qte is more approachable. My opinion is the god of war games have been boring until 4-5 with the new difficulty and complex fighting

[@bbcmeatwad9097]

Beenbgettin hit with the retro game vids all day, I'm here for all of it

[@gemini1700banana]

I really appreciate that someone is covering this slice of gaming history. I do wish that you talked about this game's history a little more than mentioning the "franchises" origin. Either way, great job.

[@sionyde2345]

Can someone list the names of all the games before the review (up until 3:00)

[@jedgrahek1426]

I'm old enough to have had and loved the NES Rygar as a kid, and so I was super happy to see this in the store back in the PS2 days. I don't recall having that much frustration with the bosses, but it was 20 years ago (dear god...) so who knows. Yeah not exactly a masterpiece, but also waaay better than one would expect from a low-profile PS2 action game, I'm really glad I played it.

[@rachmil3638]

I was looking for this legendary title that i forgot ❤️ My dad brought it to me and i spent a lot of time on this it, really a lot of good memories thanks a lot

[@killyridols72826]

The fact is God of War control scheme is absurdly similar to Castlevania Lament of Innocence, Ninja Gaiden (2004), Prince of Persia Sands of Time (and Warrior Within), Rygar, Onimusha Warlords and Soul Reaver 2. That combination of L1/R1 for blocking, square for light attack and triangle for heavy/special attack, plus another button for magic attacks and the ability to do grabs/finishers is another style of hack and slash game that's older and completely different to Devil May Cry's control scheme. Games from ps1 like Soul Reaver already had that control scheme. I mean, DMC1 revolutionized hack and slash combat and created it's own subgenre, but it wasn't the first hack and slash to ever exist, and GOW's control scheme is way more reminiscent to Onimusha, Soul Reaver 2, Rygar (all from 2001) and Shinobi (2002) than it is to Devil May Cry (2001). The only thing similar in both DMC1 and GOW1 combat was the "keep pressing down triangle to do an uppercut slash" which DMC also took from Onimusha. That's why GOW play style is completely different to DMC, because they're both completely different kinds of hack and slash games, DMC combat is risk/reward for slashing enemies and making long combos to get higher scores as long as you can avoid getting hit, that combat system comes from Strider (another hack and slash made by Capcom) and that's the real "Character Action Game" gameplay that Hideki Kamiya used for Platinum Games design. GOW's combat is based on crowd control were you have to block and punish or defense/counter, basically what Onimusha and Soul Reaver 2 were doing exactly the same year Devil May Cry came out. And no, God of War is not fully a Character action game because it doesn't keep a score nor it does push you to make better combos, that's completely optional because you can block everything. The problem is that most people only played GOW or DMC and those are their only references to what a hack and slash is. But there's like 6 different kinds of hack and slash games, including Diablo (hack and slash ARPG), Dynasty Warriors (hack and slash RTS), Golden Axe (2D beat and slash), 2D Ninja Gaiden (sidescrolling "run and slash"), Onimusha ("Traditional" 3D hack and slash) and Devil May Cry (Character action game) And in case you wonder no. Not every Souls-like game is a hack and slash because most of them have a stamina bar.

[@slorenz5626]

I've heard that the Dreamcast's Berserk game was very influential in action games

[@killyridols72826]

​@@slorenz5626absolutely, Berserk and Shenmue on Dreamcast was the reason a lot of PS2 games had QTEs in the first place

[@Guh991]

the britney part singing made me lose my insanity and laughed uncontrollably

[@derekkeller5160]

I played and loved the original Rygar and played this one when it came out. It is cool and fun. I remember drawing comparisons when GOW came out later. It is nice to see a video covering this game.

[@StyleshStorm]

Cvit our 2000s nostalgia guy has returned to us.

[@snesfan8935]

Rygar was my one of the first games on PS2. I remember going through a lot of it, but then the disk had a glitch and I went on from there.

[@domovoi_0]

Cvit the legendary youtuber. Love and blessings!

[@corvid_lenore]

idk if youll see this but. i happened upon your channel earlier in the year (idr what video) and im absolutely in love with your videos. Your whole channel makes me wish i was more caught up with my backlog so i can watch the yakuza, nier, bayonetta vids 😭. The effort abd kinda “no bullshit” vibe is really nice. its clear that you’re passionate about the things you talk about and that only makes it all the more enjoyable. thank you for making my year a little easier

[@theburningone354]

This is rough man im glad you could make it to the end i could never get very far

[@jackgerhardt3243]

Love your videos man, you deserve far more attention

[@kangtheconqueror4787]

Played this on PS2 and was too young and disinterested to finish. You clearly work very hard to do all these games…I hope life is going well for you!

[@rustyshackleford2605]

"Illidan shows up and smites Rygar down while taking Brittany Spears" is not a line I was prepared for

[@cloudover9kxboxapexlegends411]

Holy. Shit. This... I think of this game daily and how as a kid I played stuck in the first level on my dad's Playstation. Thank you.

[@chavesa5]

This is one of those games which I really enjoyed as a kid, but no one else I ever knew even knew about it.

[@SilentiumCivis]

Fixed camera angles need to comeback, the cinematic experience you get is unmatched; Can you imagine the insane set pieces we could get when entering new zones with UE5? My god

[@Rabbitlord108]

9:04 reminds me that in SpongeBob Cosmic Shake there's a new move you learn in every world. So you can't get everything in them until you're able to fight the final boss.

[@heavysaur]

ah man, i spend tons of hours playing this game and had a blast. I notice how the camera was your worst enemy sometimes but because i play so much i knew all the dead angles. Also that was the first game i play on a HD flat TV at the time so my brain just blew on how much the colors flash in front of you. I miss theses days.

[@noahmcnose1041]

Hey CVit, just want to comment saying I love the videos. I haven't seen anything on Rygar in years. I love your channel because sometimes I know the games you talk about and sometimes you introduce me to something that has me saying, "how tf did I not know about this!?!' Anyway Yes much appreciation and keep it up

[@Michael_Wave18]

I remember playing this back in the day when i was younger good times

[@CSSoda]

I never thought that I would see another Rygar video! So Nostalgic! It was one of those games where you get sucked into the environment. Those who haven't played it, give it a try!

[@brixferera8938]

I loved this game back in the day. Hope they bring it back in some form.

[@dreemingAlex]

I remember I played this game because my Uncle was a huge fan of the NES game, he rented it and I played through most of it. We rented it a few times til we beat the game haha

[@D1smantle]

The funny story is that I once came across this Rygar game but I had to make a decision of whether I want Rygar of DMC (2, I think). Because my dad was only gonna get me one of the two... God, I miss the time when all I had to do was my dad for a game and I dont have to worry about anything else... I'm 29 now btw

[@Salerias]

I remember playing this game back in the days and liked it. I never was able to do the last boss run. I failed each time on the last boss.

[@alexandreturcotte6411]

This game walked so Ninja Gaiden for the Xbox could run. (even if Rygar PS2 wasn't made by Team Ninja specifically, as far as I know) 2:13 Was it written before or after Tango Gameworks getting bought by the PUBG people? Still not excusing Bethesda stabbing Tango though. Hehe... The "Enviorment" typo 🙂 Firstly knew of the game via the Tactical Bacon Productions video on it. Cool to see you covering it.

[@xytanvadum109]

This was definitely a very fun game, wish I still had it

[@Ramysunray]

I had this game on the back of my mind for almost 20 years no one in my circule could remamber otr know what it is or whats its neame, I played Rygar back in 2004 and forgot its name I could not find it till I had a long conversation with chatgpt, and to find a new video dedicated to the game is just icing on the cake. 😁

[@Ixxmantisxxl]

I played the originals, the reboot and the wii lost game, i really wish it had been kept around man. It was so fun.

[@aymenboudjelida9925]

Finally someone talk about this master piece ❤

[@XeroCool420]

I had absolutely no idea they made a remake of rygar

[@s.ksharma8759]

In the comparison of god of war and devil may cry people really forgot of prince of persia

[@xyAKMxy]

Hey have you heard of "Gladiator: sword of vengeance"? It's a ps2 action game where combat takes place in rooms or areas which are locked once you enter them and are unlocked once you beat all of the enemies (or solve the puzzles). It has a few "godly powers" of sorts which use a violence/blood meter as fuel (which you refuel by hitting enemies, duh). It's set in ancient Rome, you're a gladiator but emperor Trajan gets assassinated before you're freed and the usurper has you killed in the arena. You go to the elysian fields and are tasked by Romulus and Remus to retrieve certain relics from forgotten places around the world, to restore the power of Rome.

[@superfurball89onyoutube52]

I dont care what anybody says about dante's inferno but that game was a masterpiece to me. The religion/ history put in this game made me interested in a rabbit hole truth behind this game. Im grateful for the creation of dante's inferno and without it i would never seen literature like never before.

[@hamburglar710]

This game is such an early gem to me im so happy you made a video about it!

[@TheRustyHooker999]

This was my first game before GOW. I use to love the water shield 🛡️🌊

[@brendenstyre4784]

Dante’s inferno is hands down the best game that even comes close to the god of war series ❤️❤️

[@user-um1yl9pj1b]

Imo Ninja Gaiden Devil May Cry, and God of War is the gold standard and textbook example of what the genre can be.

[@BladeCuttervita]

I still have this game on PS2. Never knew they had a Wii version

[@dopy6801]

Okay but like.. Now we definetly need a GoW retrospective Series dude😂

[@aike7976]

Actually regarding on the boss Icarus you should use a different shield according to its color aura. Red block hades, blue block siren and etc

[@RickTheRook]

rygar finally getting some love

[@JasonAllen]

Rygar May Cry

[@Jackal9923]

Holy crap I’ve been looking for this game, i remember it from a trailer on a jam pak i think with legend of Kai!

[@spoonmcduck1185]

I knew this game was real! I didn't play the PS2 version, but rather the wii release more than a decade ago. Great video! This brings back wonderful memories! I will definitely try the PS2 version now!

[@secredeath]

This looks better than that $10 game i picked up as a kid at gamecrazy back in 05. Gladiator sword of vengeance

[@IvanGarcia-xy7bf]

Rygar feels like if Captain America and God of war kratos had a Baby 😂

[@DARTH__REVAN]

I dont know why exactly but this game and king kong gave me headaches after a while of playing them

[@AllRightPinguinoRodriguez]

04:10 You know you can play old games without being old yourself, right?

[@theerealatm]

Yeah but you've gotta kinda research older games. Cause theres so much shovelware you can't just pop anything into your emulator and enjoy it. You kinda have to have an affinity for older games and the will to do some research. A quick top 100 list per console usually gets you there.

[@oldneonstudio]

I think it's too hard for him 😅

[@Mr.Ditkovich.]

I did play this game a few months ago to see how similar it was to God of War. The most obvious similarities were the setting and combat (including the main weapon and some movesets), but Rygar itself felt like the lovechild of Devil May Cry and Onimusha. The most blatant rip-off was the secret 'Necromandio Cave Challenge' level, which was so similar to the Dark/Phantom Realms from the Onimusha games. You even fight 2 final bosses in a row without a save point between them, just like Onimusha 2.

[@royasturias1784]

Rygar was definitely missing in the Warriors All Stars game as a Tecmo rep... Disk Armour fighting goes well against hordes of enemies... and Lü Bu. Koei Tecmo Games with their billions of yen should consider revitalising Rygar to new generations of gamers.

[@Bouja_Family]

i love your review

[@gamerb0y135]

This game is still fun to this day

[@Benjamin-n3r]

Dante's Inferno was badass.

[@blaquenoise]

I played Rygar on the NES and still have it.

[@daudiochero]

Rygar...now that's a,name I haven't heard in a long time

[@bloody4558]

I had access to this game before I had access to a memory card. You can probably understand my pain and the reason why I avoided it for a long time.

[@shinobutakumirebirth7004]

Finally, I found the game I used to watch my brother play Also have you heard of project minerva?

[@henryshaw296]

I’ve waited for someone who could handle this game with some respect and with a competent amount of script writing and critical analysis skills and I’m glad to see it was you. This game was a great experience for me not too long ago, would love to see them revisit this franchise.

[@johnhearn7329]

I played Rygar about a year before I played God of War but they never seemed the same to me! Maybe there are some similarities but there is enough of a difference where as I would not get either game confused with the other.

[@Mustafa_9628]

One of the best games I have played on the ps2 It’s so good I still regret being unable to beat it bc of that multi headed baby hydra monster abomination that denied me the conclusion To me, I don’t think it’s god of war it’s more like ominmusha with the exception being each boss is its own puzzle meaning the game has normal exploration paths and the only challenging thing you face is the bosses as each one has a different way to beat And don’t let me started on the disc armor, I love those things Damn, this video was nostalgic as hell to and kinda wish it gets a remake one day

[@smorshemallow]

Played this on Ps2 love every bit of it

[@smorshemallow]

I probably can't clear this game now unlike when I have all the time I may ever need for it

[@J4ckL33R1pp3r]

Rygar amazing game it was. Even all the way back on NES lol. Darksiders series was great also well until the last two which I feel was not the true visions of 3 or Genesis. As for Dante's Inferno Underrated imo. But damn ouch with the Jab cause I played Rygar back then lol that's why when this one came out I freaked and rented it from Blockbuster seeing as I was Friends with my local one. They would just re-rent the game so I didn't have to bring it in or call with no late fees. Still wish I had a Copy to play it again.

[@mozax8118]

Have you covered Tekken: Death by Degrees?

[@evilpatman9288]

This game was giving me hardcore prototype soulslike vibes more than god of war with the level design if I'm completely honest.

[@theclassroom2]

I have played the original side scrolling rygar, I never knew that there was a ps3 reboot

[@kareemabdulwahhab6919]

Man this takes me the fuck back.

[@13lood13ath]

Max Payne 1 used face scans.

[@nagolbot6227]

i miss this game

[@விஷ்ணு_கார்த்திக்]

11:46 unexpected Super Castlevania 4 inspiration.

[@KhunShawn]

At this point gotta start putting the name of the games in the corner during your edits so people know, thank you for your hard work!

[@arisxatz5312]

Spartan: Total Warrior is also similar to Rygar and God of War.

[@ebenezerstooge]

That one game when Britney Spears was in an action adventure game lol

[@bennorrell6411]

I feel personally attacked.😂😂 I’m old enough that I owned the original Rygar on NES.

[@princeami7344]

You are doing a great service playing these old games before they are lost to the tides of time

[@BarTetel]

15:22 Bro... You're supposed to change the Diskarmor equipped to hit him, he becomes invincible to the diskarmor that matches the color of his Aura. (Red for Hades, Golden for Heavenly, Blue for Sea)

[@jurtheorc8117]

Stuff like this is why i read the comments. People that are more familiar with particular obscure games can shed light on stuff that the video maker may have missed.

[@RickyIcecubes]

This game needs a remaster.

[@lirolo8343]

Legend of dragoon looking aahhhh

[@sitrep123able]

60fps babyyyy!

[@gaboxtlof]

now we know were come the inspiration

[@mortezarazavi8347]

Man your my favorite content creator ❤ too bad because of the country I'm in i can't support you with money but i will support you with all i can Thanks for your great point of view and ambitious finding these lost gems❤

[@MasonNothingElseCutsIt]

Rygar was a dope PS2 game

[@brooklynboiprod]

I played the heck outta the original Rygar on the NES