Seeing Kratos's vengeance through to the end is one hell of a ride...
As mentioned above, Zeus got on Kratos's bad side, and if the deaths of approximately 10 bajillion people, centaurs, gods, or what have you are any indication, it's not good to get on Kratos's bad side. The story is a bit uneventful for the first six hours or so of the game. You'll wander around Olympus, and Hades, meeting various mythological figures, and usually end up savagely murdering them. Run-ins with Hephaestus (voiced by Rip Torn), and Hercules rank among the most memorable.
The cat and mouse hunt for Zeus is enough to hold your attention, but it isn't until the final act when God of War III truly shines. While I wouldn't dare give anything away, just know that it's truly memorable stuff, and you'll end up seeing Kratos as much more than the savage brute he seems to be throughout the whole series.
The game's first hour, depicting the initial assault on Mount Olympus, is unforgettable. The knob doesn't stay at 11 for very long, however, as you'll soon be thrust back into the usual God of War formula: combat, puzzles, exploration, platforming. But, as per usual, all this stuff is awesome.
Combat is pretty much perfect at this point. This remain pretty much the same, you'll get tons of moves, weapons, and magical powers which you can use to beat on your enemies until you can horribly dismember them through a quick-time event.
Anyone who's played the previous games will know pretty much exactly what to expect, but there have been subtle refinements. Kratos has a new grapple move that pulls enemies toward him, which is particularly helpful for keeping up a combo. Most importantly though, and a vast improvement on something the God of War games have always struggled with in the past, all the weapons feel useful. Kratos starts off with his trusty Blades of Exile, and he'll acquire three more during his journey. All the weapons feel useful, they each have their own magical attack bound to them, and you can come very close to fully upgrading all of them, so needless to say, the Blades of Chaos (now dubbed Blades of Exile) might not be the go-to armament.
Puzzles have been vastly simplified, and I imagine some may like that, and some might not. Unlike the constant, seamlessly integrated environmental puzzles of the second God of War, God of War III's puzzle rooms are very deliberate, and are presented as tests from the gods. The thing is, most of these puzzles can be completed quite easily. So, for those who just want to get back to chopping up bad guys, this is a welcome change, for those looking for the puzzle integration of God of War II, you'll probably be disappointed.
Disappointingly, the constant barrage of set-piece moments that we're used to seeing in a God of War game is absent. The first hour of gameplay is pretty jaw-dropping, and there's a particular boss fight around the middle of the game that will blow you away, but other than that, God of War III is surprisingly low-key.
God of War III's production values are some of the best the PS3 has ever seen. Models, environments, and effects are all top-notch, and the cutscenes rarely leave the in-game engine. The sound department is equally amazing. Stars like Rip Torn, and Malcolm McDowell are among an awesome voice cast, and the booming orchestral score is great.
God of War III will take about eight hours to complete, but as it's paced pretty much perfectly, it shouldn't be viewed as much of a problem. Besides, the game gives you reasons for further play-throughs (beyond the fact that it's awesome) with Godly Possessions (items hidden throughout the game), and various other unlocks. On top of that you have the Combat Arena, Challenge of the Gods, and a ridiculous amount of making-of videos which are sure to occupy your time. While God of War III may not be as lengthy as it's predecessor, it has a lot more replay value than any other game in the series.
God of War III is an excellent game. With near-perfected combat, truly jaw-dropping moments, amazing productions values, and great replay value, this is a worthy conclusion to the series, marred only by the scarcity of the aforementioned jaw-dropping set-pieces, and some underwhelming puzzles. Still, seeing Kratos's vengeance through to the end is one hell of a ride, and the story truly becomes something special during the last few hours of gameplay. Time to go god hunting