You are listening to the Introductory Gaming podcast with your host(s) Duke and Yash.

Today, I want to outline our plan for the rest of our episodes. We will be embarking on a 5 episode journey together, so buckle up. For this episode and the next, we will be directing our attention to PlayStation exclusives. For episodes 9 and 10, we will be jumping ship to Xbox exclusives. Then finally, for our final episode, we will be comparing and contrasting the two consoles to finally decide once and for all which one is the best. There are so many great PlayStation exclusives, so it was hard to choose only two, but we finally made the decision. First on our list will be a game that was highly anticipated all year, God of War: Ragnarok. This podcast will detail what the game is about, the fundamentals of how to play, and we will even partake in rounds of trivia. Anish will be back on yet another episode, making him 7 for 7. We also have a familiar face from the last episode, Josh Kohlhepp. Josh will be present for the next 5 episodes so we can get his opinion through the entire discussion. Be sure to check him out on Spotify at Fantasy Football Fanatics.

For our first segment, we'll briefly overview the game God Of War: Ragnarok. The first installment of God of War was released on March 22, 2005. Santa Monica Studios have released 9 installments of the game up until now, with God Of War: Ragnarok being the latest installment. The player primarily controls the character Kratos in combo-based combat and puzzle game elements. Kratos' main weapons are a magical battle axe called the Leviathan Axe, and his signature double-chained blades, the Blades of Chaos. He also has a shield, the original version of which is called the Guardian Shield. I can’t say too much without spoiling the story, so I’m going to pass it on over to Yash who will be talking about the storyline.

---Story Line

• Similar to its predecessor, God Of War: Ragnarok takes place in the world of Norse mythology, 3 years after the previous game. In this new release, you’re able to explore all 9 realms of the Norse world. You are able to visit 3 previously inaccessible realms known as Svartalfheim, Vanaheim, and even Asgard. The story follows the series protagonist Kartos along with his son Atreus and they have to deal with the harsh winter environment. Kratos and Atreus discover the prophecy of Ragnarok in which they are the center of all the events that take place. They must find a way to stop it through a series of quests and challenges. The writers of this game took a lot of time to accurately incorporate Norse mythology into the storyline, and they ended up doing a fantastic job to end up with a really good storyline that engages the player.

In this segment, we will be playing a minigame with our guests. The minigame that is featured in this episode will be trivia. Yash will go through a series of questions, and Anish, Josh, and I will compete to get the correct answers. The person with the most points at the end of this segment will be the winner. The twist is that bonus points will be rewarded through a series of challenges. For the people who are listening, feel free to answer the questions with us and see how extensive your knowledge is about God...