Video Game Reviews: God of War III (PS3)

The last part of an epic action trilogy, and the first to be released on the Playstation 3, God of War III was a rather highly anticipated sequel that was well on its way to establish Kratos as another member of the video game legend pantheon; this would seem fitting, since it was him who, indeed, dared to wage war on Zeus and the other Olympian gods for their betrayal.

With the player controlling Kratos as he seeks to finally confront his darkest fears and soak in some monumentally impressive visuals along the way, God of War III jumps right into cinematic mastery with a large-scale scene depicting Kratos ascending Mount Olympus toward his goal, and having to deal with enormous Titans along the way. This is only the beginning, but serves as an appropriate precursor of what is to come in a thoroughly excellent example of video gaming.

Gameplay

Wisely, God of War III keeps the play-control scheme from its predecessors intact, allowing the player to access many of the same classic combos in combat, in addition to some new weapons in the arsenal; including literal additions, as three additions arm-attached items of warfare are acquired throughout the extensive storyline.

Otherwise, other trademark traits are kept intact as well, such as the more mature elements of the franchise, whether in a sexual or violent connotation. One notable addition for this time around is some of the boss-battle sequences, which feature characters sometimes the size of skyscrapers, outright dwarfing entire levels of competing games.

Graphics

Speaking of enormous monsters on lush scenery, it is no small accolade, nor hyperbole, to say that God of War III sports some of the most impressive visuals ever assembled for a single game. The development team had been promising some epically glorious looks ever since its demo appeared at the E3 show, and they delivered, with both scenery and characters that look as good, or better, than any other title in existence.

Sound

With an orchestral score undertone throughout, an effectively established dark-and-brooding mood, and bloodily violent effects, the soundtrack for God of War III shines through as a true highlight, one that handily complements the pitch-perfect gameplay.

Creativity & Innovation

The game, admittedly, is working off the established protocol of its previous two iterations; however, it does still form a great original presentation of its story, in addition to introducing some new key elements. Some of these may seem minor and unnoticeable, but do add to the pleasure of the experience; for example, some of the QuickTime events now have the button prompts placed to the sides of the screen, in your peripheral vision, rather than directly overlapping with the action you are supposed to enjoy.

But with all the same fantastic features of the previous few games come the identical flaws as well, such as the remaining inability to control the camera, and a lack of true, groundbreaking variety in the arsenal available. However, all issues aside, God of War III is one of the best out there, and forms a fitting conclusion to a definitively epic trilogy, deserving of its near-perfect score of four and a half stars out of five.