[Review] - God of War 3

[spawn622]

God of War 3

Developed by: Santa Monica Studio

Published by: Sony Computer Entertainment

Platform: PS3

Players: 1

Rated M by the ESRB

The Breakdown

Kratos has been on a mission of vengeance for the death of his family for over 5 years. Gods, Titans, and a bestiary full of monsters have stood in his way, but not even death could stop Kratos’ quest for the revenge he so desperately desires. Using a narrative that ties together every single game in the series, including God of War: Chains of Olympus on the PSP, the death of Zeus is finally within Kratos' grasp in this, the final game, in God of War series.

The Important Stuff

Picking up right where God of War 2 left off, Kratos is on the back of the mother of the Titans, Gaia, as they ascend Mount Olympus. Gaia and Kratos are soon attacked by Poseidon. Both Gaia and Poseidon utterly dwarf Kratos. During the battle you are forced to make your way across the back, arms, and hands of Gaia to make your way to the eventual face-off with Poseidon. This opening sequence of the game is one in a laundry list of incredible set pieces that really give you a sense of the grand scale the game is trying to achieve. And achieve this goal it does. On his way to the final battle with Zeus, Kratos is forced to face lesser gods, such as the aforementioned battle with Poseidon, a battle with Helios (Which is different than the demo we were given, which was surprising.), and a chase with Hermes.

The controls are fairly typical of the series thus far, but there are enough tweaks to make this installment feel new and different enough. The ability to swap between weapons mid combo is a very welcome addition. Also, this time around, the other weapons you are given actually have a place. You won’t just be using the Blades of Athena throughout the entire game. Each weapon feels different enough and you may even find a favorite other than the standard blades. Upgrading the weapons is the same as before, you collect red orbs and upgrade the weapons as you like. Again, just like the other games in the series, you have no control over the camera, which may cause some rolling around more while trying to adjust the camera. After a little while playing though, you get back in to the swing of things and realize the camera control isn’t really necessary. I never found a place where the camera felt like it was working against me.

Graphically the game is super impressive. I’d go out on a limb and say this is the best looking PS3 game to date. As you play though the graphics seem to get better and better. It’s not just the cut scenes that are truly impressive either, as Kratos kills more and more enemies he will become drenched in blood, in real time. There are also so many subtle details that really impress, such as the scaled skin on the Gorgons. As I said, this truly is one of the more impressive PS3 games to date.

The ending is very satisfying for fans of the series, but may irritate some. The final battles are epic in scale and you get a real adrenaline rush when you realize you are getting close to the end and start going through those last few quick time events. As with the previous games, most of the finales of the fights are played out through quick time events. The subtle change to these is very helpful. Instead of the button presses being randomly distributed on the screen throughout the fights, they coincide with the actual layout of the controller. Meaning, if you have to press the “O” button, it will always be on the right hand side of the screen, “X” is on the left, etc. There is one section of the game that may take you out of the action by incorporating the actual Playstation buttons in to the game. While small, this may bother some players.

Tips and Tricks

- Certain enemies require specific weapons to defeat.

- Learn each weapon’s strengths and weaknesses.

- Be sure to look for upgrades where you see lingering gold dust.

- Use magic wisely. In the right situation it can deal tons of damage.

- Utilize your roll to get out of the way quickly and keep from being cornered.

Reaction

I thoroughly enjoyed every single minute of the game. The controls are tight and responsive. There were also enough changes made for everything to feel fresh and new again, while still being a God of War game. The game is a graphical powerhouse and is easily the best looking PS3 game to date. The overall story was very well tied up at the end and is filled with just the right amount of twists and turns that will keep you riveted and wanting more. Kratos’ journey for revenge has been a long time in the making and really is one of the best series in gaming today. While I am sad to see it come to an end, if this is how it was meant to go out from the start, I am glad to see things went out with a very big bang. While most long running series tend to lose something in their sequels, this one stayed the course and got better and better. I would highly recommend not only this game, but the entire series to anyone.

Spawn gives this one 10 out of 10

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