There’s no doubt about it: Sony’s award-winning God of War series is about as epic as video games get. From the enticing twist on Greek mythology, the famous choir and orchestral lines as you rip your foes to shreds, and that whole over-the-top bloody wreck of an anti-hero, Kratos; everything you’d want in a blockbuster opus is here.
So how’s God of War III stack up against its weighty predecessors? I’ll give you a hint: Kratos’ final entry in the trilogy will kick you in the balls and crank it to 11 (if you’re not down with the former, I’m sorry). Read on for more overused clichés!
An interesting quip from the included “Making Of” documentary sums up the most immediate draw to God of War III. The artists described how much time a single character needed to come to fruition in GoWII: 5-6 days. God of War III? Over six weeks, and it shows. I caught myself letting Kratos idle because I honestly couldn’t tell the difference between the initial cutscene and the first gameplay section. Visible pores and flexing muscles highlight Kratos’ impressive model and most secondary characters follow the same path. It’s an absolutely gorgeous game and should sit next to Blu-rays of The Dark Knight and Planet Earth in your HD centerpiece section.
Nicely complementing the stunning graphics is the immense scale of the game, and GoWIII doesn’t waste time in showing off that ability. The opening chapter takes place on the back of the Titan, Gaia, as she ascends Mount Olympus. At several points the camera zooms out to encompass the entire creature while still retaining your control over Kratos. While it might not be functional to control an ant-sized Spartan warrior, it’s certainly remarkable.
It’s quite obvious this game was directed by a former art lead, as the game opts for super-stylized flashback videos in the vein of Casino Royale‘s opening credit sequence. Unfortunately, an overt focus on visuals and technical scale within the game levels means fewer avenues for exploration and simplified puzzles when compared to previous iterations.
Boss fights, while still retaining that grand scope, often boil down to button-mashing and there isn’t much use for using any other combos or weapons against the Gods. In fact, two additional weapons are nearly identical to Kratos’ standard blades and I almost never found a use for them. The combat, however, is largely recycled from God of War II, which is great in my book. Slight variations have been introduced, as expected from a sequel, but the biggest change is the exclusive assignment of magic powers to specific weapons. For example, only the Spartan phalanx power can only be activated when Kratos’ blades are equipped. The overall flow of the fighting mechanic has been streamlined thanks to the addition of a ranged grab move, in which Kratos utilizes his iconic blades to pull himself towards an enemy. It makes closing the gap on baddies a lot easier and gave off a Batman: Arkham Asylum vibe.
The sound department at Santa Monica Studios really hit the ball out of the park with their work on God of War III. A solid soundtrack and impressive 5.1 DTS mix cushion the main attraction in the audio field: the voice acting. T.C. Carson reprises his gravelly role as Kratos and he’s actually the weakest of the cast, which ranges from Malcolm McDowell to Rip Torn and all the way to Kevin Sorbo. I haven’t heard such delightful performances from video game voice actors since last year’s Uncharted 2.
Of course, such skilled and talented actors would go to waste without a great story, right? Luckily for us, GoWIII nicely wraps up Kratos’ story in a satisfactory manner, but leans toward Return of the King territory with its multiple opportunities to tie off an ending. The finale doesn’t feel tacked on or forced, and that’s a testament to the God of War series’ solid, cohesive story. It’s a steady, consistent progression from God of War until the final scenes of the latest chapter. It’s an astounding feat in the realm of video games and especially astonishing given the fact each game had different directors.
Besides a few personal gripes about the difficulty (or lack thereof) and relatively simple puzzles, I can’t help but recommend God of War III to any living being on Earth. It would be a total cliché to say that the game has something that everyone will find enjoyment in, whether it’s watching the jaw-dropping visuals on an HD set or performing a gruesome decapitation via a quick-time event, God of War III reeks of style and bleeds awesome. Yeah, I’m really sorry for that last part.
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Things We Liked: “Bone-zone” quality visuals. Satisfying story conclusion. Absolutely disgusting gore. Solid and familiar combat system. Wonderful voice acting.
Things We Disliked: Tendency to simplify puzzles. Button-mashing boss battles. Useless weapons. Absolutely disgusting gore.
Target Audience: God of War fans. Third-person action aficionados. Those who love an epic story. Blood-’n-guts fetishists. High-def enthusiasts.
(God of War III – Developer: SCE Santa Monica Studio. Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment. Available on PlayStation 3. New to CFD!’s reviews? Read our explanation here.)
as someone who enjoyed the first 2 very much i have to disagree with the overall feel of GOW 3 review. it was too easy on the lower difficulties, the story seemed like it was a paper mache house.. only there to prove you could do it.
seriously if GOW2 didnt leave at the whole kratos is pissed and coming for zeus bit would gow3 been even made? possibly but not as well know it you spend the first two games working your way to fight the god of the game, and in the third you barely slow down enough to realize who it is your killing this time..