God of War III
Review
The Ghost of Sparta is Back with a Vengeance
by Kiran Sury
reviewed on PS3
Hotter than Aphrodite
A leap in visuals is expected when you go from the PS2 to the PS3, so it is no secret that God of War III is the best looking game in the franchise. However, it takes it one step further, and may just be the best looking game on the PS3 (or consoles, for that matter) so far. Mythological creatures look like they could be real, and their blood is even more convincing when it splatters all over Kratos. Huge titans are as finely detailed as smaller undead soldiers, but it's only mind-blowing when you fight the soldiers and the titan at the same time, on the same screen (and often on the titan itself). The smaller details, like the fact that Kratos remains bloodstained after his battle, show that Santa Monica did more than make a next-gen God of War.
Sure, the game is as good/better looking than Uncharted 2, but the animations really place it on top. Enemies have fine-tuned move sets, and clipping is an issue of the past. New water and fire effects bring the elements to life. It is a testament to the PS3's hardware that when you fight Poseidon, he truly feels like a creature made up of water and flesh at the same time.
Back to the Kicking Ass Part
Unfortunately, I'm a gamer on a budget. I can't afford to buy that many games this year, so I tend to buy multiplayer games new (because they last longer) and single- player-only games later, when they have dropped down in price and become a Greatest Hit. My thinking is that the single player experience will be the same a year from now as it will be today as long as I stay clear of spoilers, and since the price is lower, I will be able to buy more games. Still, I had a little extra cash in my pocket, and God of War III is one of the PS3's best-known games, so I figured I would drop the 60 and get it new anyway. Ten minutes into the game, and I thought that maybe it was worth it. Thirty minutes, and I knew for sure.
God of War III may only last 8 to 10 hours depending on your skill and the difficulty level, but it is so good, so polished to perfection, so expertly paced and creatively made, that every minute is a joy to play. I consider it the pinnacle of its genre and it is definitely worth your money. Not a year from now, when it is dropped it price, but right now.
When the credits roll, and you have learned the conclusion to Kratos's epic saga, you might be tempted to trade it in and recoup what you can. But after watching some of the videos and trying your hand at the Challenge of the Gods, you can start the game over at a new difficulty setting, or play at the same difficulty and experiment with the different cheats.
If you have tried God of War before and didn't like it, this game isn't for you. It is not as revolutionary as it could be, and won't change your mind about the franchise. However, if you like it just a little bit, you owe it to yourself to try it out. If you know you like it, you should buy it. This is the pinnacle of the God of War franchise, and is one game that should not be missed.
9.5
fun score
Pros
God of War polished to perfection, great combat you love with even more epic boss battles.
Cons
There\'s no new groundbreaking mechanics, story ends a little too mushily.
