God of War 3 - The Review

God Of War 3
Released - 3/16/2010
Developer - Santa Monica Studio
Publisher - SCE
Platform - Playstation 3
ESRB Rating - M+


Review by - Mike (Game Zombie)

The brilliant minds behind the God of War series already created two masterpieces in the first two God of War games. Their last entry in this trilogy has garnered both critical and consumer praise as one of the best games on PS3 to date. All of the good scores and acclaim are typically good indicators of the quality of a game, but the only opinion that ever matters is your own and the only way to find out is to pick up a copy and play it yourself. While all the hype and previews and such told my senses this game looked good I still was holding out for various reasons (primarily because I did not have a PS3) and I hadn't kept up with the development much. It wasn't until my wife surprised me with a PS3 last month that I found myself controlling Kratos again. Here is where my review starts....

The Good

God of War 3 is one of the best games I have ever played. The team at Santa Monica Studio has clearly perfected the formula and firmly placed Kratos and the God of War franchise in the top echelons of gamedom. To be clear, I am not discounting the two previous installations as anything less than masterful, but with such pedigree preceding this one it's not typical for developers to match such effort repeatedly or exceed it for that matter. Let me also say that fans of the series will certainly see similarities between all three titles and for some of us that lack of "change" will weigh heavily on your opinion of a sequel(s). That being said, I can honestly say that with this game the refinement of an already stellar gameplay formula and the details added to the combat, weapons, and level design was more than what was needed. For all intents and purposes Sony could have have just taken GOW2 slapped a new label on it and it would have sold many copies. Instead they took what wasn't broke and applied a level polish that has to be seen.

***Spoilers Ahead****

Ok so enough ranting. You want details right? At the beginning of GOW3 we pick up where we left off with Kratos hitching a ride on the back of the Titan Gaia as she scales the side of Mt. Olympus seeking the death of Zeus and the end of Olympian rule. In the first 30 minutes you will be in awe of the scale of your battlegrounds. Kratos fights off enemies while clinging to Gaia's arms and back. Even as Gaia loses her grip on the mountain Kratos uses his blades to hang upside down on her massive arm. In this first act you will go up against the God Poseidon whose mastery of the sea unleashes a gigantic water-horse-crab thing upon Gaia. She pleads for Kratos' help and the first boss battle ensues. As you chop away at Poseidon's attack you eventually reduce the battle to just him and Kratos. After beating back Poseidon's onslaught he is reduced to a battered human form and what follows sets the tone for the rest of the game's boss battles. He beats the god to a bloody pulp in a brutal manner. So brutal, I actually winced a few times.

While I am on the topic of brutality, God of War 3 personifies the term and takes it a step further. While progressing through the game you will fight boss battles with absolutely horrific endings for said bosses. For example, the sun-god Helios eventually crosses your path and Kratos is none too kind to his radiant cranium. During a circle-button mashing frenzy Kratos will rip Helios' head right off his body as he screams in shear agony. It's one of the sickest and coolest moments in gaming lore. The best part is that Helios' head still packs a bunch of sun shining power in it and being the resourceful spartan warrior that he is, Kratos artfully takes it with him on his journey. It proves useful for lighting his way in dark caves, blinding your enemies with a flash of light, and revealing hidden objects and doorways. Who knew!? Kratos is certainly a head of the game. Sorry I couldn't resist.

Bad-ass brutal boss battles (say 5 times fast) are a staple of the series as is the excellent combat system. The developers at Santa Monica Studio have refined the combat system to include some truly awesome and satisfying combos for Kratos to utilize. This can especially be seen with the new weapons Kratos acquires. In the previous titles Kratos could switch weapons and magic with the d-pad and ONLY the d-pad. Now the system allows for switching weapons on the fly via the L1+X button combo. Using this new feature Kratos will automatically cycle through his new weapons and can unleash devastating combos. What's more is that how you use magic in the game is much simpler and fits this same flow. Each weapon has an associated powerful magic ability and as you switch weapons on the fly you also switch to the corresponding magic. The system works so well that at certain points in the game I was pulling off 170 hit combos on multiple enemies! Insane fun! All of the weapons in God of War 3 can be upgraded as you go and each upgrade will unlock increased damage and new moves. By the end of the game, you can absolutely wreck shop on most enemies. The last weapon you receive in the game is by far my favorite and the most powerful. I won't spoil it for you, but it makes all the difference later in the game when fighting hordes of enemies. The developers did a fairly good job of making use of the unique abilities by making some levels and enemy types require them. For instance, Kratos acquires The Cestus, which is a pair of evil looking gauntlets that can break bones, bash heads in, and break certain objects. Some enemies will have blue shields that can only be broken by the Cestus gauntlets, and some levels require them in order to proceed. Hell towards the end of the game I was still using Helios' decapitated head for revealing enemies. It all helps to change up the action and add some strategy to the combat.

Let's switch gears for second and talk about the level design. In short, I thought every level was a challenge on normal difficulty and well laid out. While not particularly known for its platforming per se, God of War has got a few areas where platforming comes in and puzzles give us a change of pace from the mostly battle heavy journey. One thing is certain, the graphics are a jaw-dropping 10 with Kratos taking center stage along with the gods and titans. Astounding to say the least. Most likely the best graphics on PS3 to date. Another thing to mention is the excellent camera work. Not one time did I notice a hitch in frame rate either. At one point in the game I actually sat and marveled at the epic scale and graphic spectacle that was the titan Kronos.

Before I conclude my review, I would be crazy for not mentioning Kratos's encounter with the goddess of love Aphrodite. Needless to say the topless Aphrodite is a hungry woman with no couth. Upon sight of Kratos she literally throws herself at him. This is where the obligatory sex mini-game comes in. The whole scene is very well played up with Aphrodite moaning and groaning while you push the right button (no pun intended) as her well-endowed (also topless) hand maidens watch and comment on your virtual prowess. On top of that you eventually learn that all the while her husband is essentially next door. Not like he could have done anything about it anyway. How many times will you shag the goddess of love? It's up to you. I wanted to be thorough for this review, but I lost count. I can tell you that you are basically wasting your time if do it more than twice. That's all I'm saying about that.

The bad

Is there anything bad? No. Nothing major. Two minor things that are hardly worth mentioning are: 1) You will die. Alot. Majority of the time its your own fault. But some of the deaths are cheap, but that's because timing can kill. Although some have complained about button response during jumps. Be prepared to fight the same battle more than few times. 2) The other small complaint is how easy the puzzles are. GOW never had head-banging puzzles in it, but if its in there, make it something worthy of the rest of the game right?

Conclusion - 9.8

So does Kratos get his revenge and kill his father Zeus the King of the Gods? That should go without saying. While not a mind-shattering ending, it was certainly an enjoyable and satisfying one. There isn't a whole lot of replay value besides maybe going through and using certain items you found after you beat the game or going for trophies (achievements). Nevertheless this is one kick-ass ride you shouldn't miss. God of War 3 is the pinnacle of a series that is awash in praise. This is as good as it gets.