One of the most successful Sony franchises to arise during the Playstation 2 era was God of War. The series, developed by Santa Monica Studios, put players in control of Kratos, a Greek anti-hero on a quest for revenge against the Gods of Olympus. God of War III, which was released last month, finally brings the adventures of Kratos to the current generation of Sony hardware. The God of War games have never had much use for subtlety, so it is only fitting that Kratos' epic mythological trilogy should come to an end in one of the most visceral adventures ever to grace a console.
A brief aside: You don't have to worry about completing God of War I & II before you can enjoy III, but considering that Sony just re-released both games in a $30 PS3 collection with updated visuals, I can't think of any reason not to recommend playing the whole trilogy from the beginning. If you're like me and somehow missed out on playing the first two entries in the series, the collection is just as worthy of your hard-earned cash as anything else currently available.
Now, back to God of War III! So you're a guy named Kratos. What does this mean, you ask? It means that once that controller is grasped firmly between your palms, you take control of the biggest, baddest, testosterone-fueled warrior on the planet. Forget Master Chief. Forget Marcus Fenix. Kratos is so ruthless his motto should be, "Who the hell needs ruth?" Be it eviscerating the flank of a centaur or helping a gorgon's head part ways with her body, God of War III never lets you forget how awesome you are. Most great games are praised for their compelling story, stunning visuals or fluid gameplay mechanics. Yes, God of War III does have all those things in spades, but it's the feeling it gives you while playing that kept me captivated right up to the ending credits.
If that alone isn't enough to sell you on God of War III, allow me to delve a little deeper into those other great elements I mentioned. The story is solid. It's not as deep as, say, Uncharted 2 or Mass Effect, but it keeps the action moving and offers a lot of little details to love for aficionados of Greek mythology. Even if you don't care about the back story, Kratos is an oddly likeable character - even when he's slaughtering innocents by the hundreds.
Visually, God of War III is off the charts. It really showcases what a PS3 exclusive can be capable of. Animations are smooth as silk, and the characters and locations have a level of detail that goes down to every last nook and cranny. The scale of some of the battles you'll encounter is staggering. Even the epic score manages to measure up to the ridiculously high bar set by the visuals.
The gameplay has always been one of the strengths of the franchise, and God of War III is no exception. It blends traditional hack-and-slash combo elements with Quick Time Events that actually feel rewarding to pull off. Quick Time Events, for anyone who was wondering, involve pressing the correct button within a set amount of time during a pre-rendered sequence. They're usually terrible, but in this game the sequences are so deliciously brutal that they're actually a pleasure to complete.
Still, it's true that God of War III isn't perfect. It's only 10-12 hours long and there's not a whole lot of replay value, but boy, is it fun while it lasts. More so than any other game, God of War III makes you feel like a true badass, and you can't put a price on that. Wait - yes, you can: it's $60. Go buy it!
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