God of War III is violent, brutal, beautiful and one of the finest examples of an immersive gaming experience to hit any system in any era. Yes, it’s that good. Kratos and his four game, three system quest for vengeance has continued to improve upon itself time and time again, no matter how good the previous games were. This standard of excellence is one many games look to follow but few have delivered on. What makes this quest so epic, let’s take a look …
Gameplay – Assume the role of Kratos as he picks up where God of War II left off scaling Mount Olympus on the back of Gaia. The basic gameplay involves Kratos running around using a series of weapons, mainly his blades, to hack, slash and kill his way to his father. Environmental and boss puzzles throw themselves into the fray and whole levels can turn upside down, or indeed be living creatures themselves that must be scaled and conquered. While the formula is a third-person action adventure the way each levels changes and comes to life is so unique and superb that gamers will need to sit back and hit pause to understand what they just played. It’s God of War, refined and perfected and if it’s a gamer’s first romp into the franchise then get ready for an experience so familiar yet so truly unique.
Graphics – Does best graphical guts have an awards category? From the epic opening that uses shadows and silhouettes to tell the tale of the first three games to the first person point of view death of a god, GoWIII delivers a visual feast. The level of detail seen in Kratos face from the opening screen does not decline one bit as the game gets underway. The lighting effects, weapons and characters all carry a level of detail only matched by top tier titles such as Uncharted 2. Most games deliver a handful of truly impressive graphical experiences but with GoWIII gamers get hours of visuals that will make most games pale in comparison.
Sound – An epic soundtrack weaves itself around the every moody voice work of Kratos and a cast of characters that deliver grade A quality performances. From the sounds to Titans climbing Mount Olympus to the ripping and tearing of Gods body parts and the splashing of guts, every sound was crafted to offer the most immersive gaming experience possible.
Design – Very linear and filled with puzzles nothing is too frustrating or out of place. Obstacles and their solutions feel natural, feel right. Unique kills and eviscerations are newly designed as are the boss battles. Each new weapon and attack feels useful and well designed and the levels continue to evoke the overall mythic experience established by the first God of War. A few of the platforming pieces offer up cheap deaths, but otherwise gamers can flow through the game with minimal frustration.
Miscellaneous – First Uncharted 2, now God of War III. It’s a shame you rock solid PlayStation 3 games come along so infrequently or else I might have a bit of satisfaction. Besides buttering a quote from my favorite movie the point is this is gaming perfection. An immersive experience that warrants multiple play through and will leave an impression on any gamer that spends the hours playing.
Overall, anyone over the age of 18, sorry it’s Mature, that owns a PlayStation 3 needs to play God of War III. When a movie wins multiple awards, Avatar for example, fans who would not think of seeing it end up going. Kratos final adventure is such a game, one that should and will attract gamers due to the pure perfectness. Kratos story is tragic but dang it’s a great adventure to live with him.
