Difficulty:

Just Right

Time Spent:

10 to 20 Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Ambitious"

Overall Score: 8.8/10
Time Spent to Date: 10-15 Hours
Difficulty: Just Right
Bottom Line: Ambitious and technical, but not the same caliber when compared to the previous installment

Pros:
+Improved combat, Quick Time Events (QTE's), and weapons
+Gorgeous environments
+Most detailed character models and animations in any game to date
+The "end" of a huge grossing trilogy is actually an end and not an open ended cop-out!!!!
+Story holds true to prior games and follows a tragic hero storyline

Cons:
-Some boss battles prove to be anti-climatic
-Bad flow/progression through environments
-Ending is love/hate in the trilogy finale
-Gods/bosses "bend" legitimacy and almost break ties with historical Greek mythology

As the gods stand atop Mount Olympus, they hear thunder in the distance while the ground trembles and shakes. However, Zeus is standing motionless at their side, gazing over the ledge of Olympus at his world below. This opening scene sets the stage for one of the highest production video games to date: God of War III. From the opening line where Kratos proclaims completion of his vengeance on Zeus to the first splashes of blood that stain the ashy white skin of the Ghost of Sparta, God of War III announces its arrival with bold statements and visuals that will not cease until the end of the trilogy.

The storytelling and twists of fate in the God of War series has always been able to cover up any flaws in gameplay or design, offering gamers a bona fide interactive epic poem. God of War III does not disappoint in this aspect, but this time around the story seems to take a backseat to the combat and engine refinements. While some will claim the combat, action, and gore are the true cornerstones of the series, without the story the game would be another hack-and-slash with a few new bells and whistles the developers have made mainstream. The tragic hero story that is laced with deceit, forsaking, and blind vengeance is what truly allows gamers and mythology aficionados to connect with the franchise and characters.

The manner in which the story unfolds in GoWIII is perhaps not as ideal or linear as gamers expected, but the progression will make sense to individuals familiar with tragic heroes and mythology. The execution of the final third of the trilogy's story seems to be a love or hate relationship with fans of the series, with plenty of opinions on both sides. There are times the story seems so overly predictable, and it is… but seconds after the predictable happens the story takes an unexpected turn, effectively slapping the player in the face and laughing at them. This type of approach is what that makes the game enjoyable, albeit different, from the stories of the previous installments and allows us to finally reach the dramatic dénouement of an epic story.

The delivery of the story includes a number of hieroglyphic, two-tone (only Kratos' red tatoos and blood are red) sequences throughout the game, bringing first time players up to speed and refreshing the story for veterans of the series. In a few minutes, everyone has the story up to the point of the third game. I have not seen this too often in sequels with complex and detailed storylines, and am not a fan of the strategy in general. This is due primarily to the oversimplifying nature of this process, which dilutes and devalues the impact of the story when experienced for the first time. However, due to the overwhelming response and anticipation of the game, it makes good business sense and opens the game up to a new audience. Aside from the good business sense, the strategy was executed in a way that did not deter from the third part of the story but also did not add value in the process – creating a sort of "wash" in the process.

While not directly correlated to the story constituent of the series, the departure from using actual influences of historic and known mythology was one of the most disappointing elements of this game. The inclusion of monsters and demigods being servants of Zeus feels forced and cheap when compared to the overall formula and application of the concept used in the previous two games. Does this make it less exciting or enjoyable? It would depend on how much the gamer connected with the previous games for their loose (but truer) adhesion to the historical mythology. This of course assumes the consumer played the previous two games and realized the wobbly connection of the Greek mythological universe.

The departure from "somewhat mythologically accurate" to "mythology/relationships we totally made up ourselves, just now, because it sounds cool" was not the only component the developers toyed with this time around. They broke the tried-and-true formula of the first two games by making changes to key elements of the prior games. Some of these changes yielded pleasant surprises and improvements on previous versions, such as the useful (and fun) weapons available or the implementation of a new item meter, instead of having items leech the magic bar. This was one of the most welcomed and needed changes to the gameplay of the series, allowing the user to more broadly use the acquired items without fear of draining all their magic before a key battle.

The implementation of this new meter really opens up the possibilities of developing a "styIe" in combat, as it invites players to use the various weapons and items freely and often since the item meter recharges after a short time. You'll find yourself using a variety of the weapons procured through blood and dismemberment of anything that stands in Kratos' way of getting to Zeus. Whether the use of these items and weapons is forced by the developers or based on your own preference, each of them are amusingly utilized to torture your opponents before killing them. Kratos can no longer hack-and-slash his way entirely through the game using only the Blades of Exile (the newest version of Kratos' favorite weapon), but is requires the player to be savvy with a number of armaments this time around.

Not all of the changes turned out for the best. Some of these formulaic changes were questionable decisions at best, such as the aforementioned two-tone hieroglyphic cut-scenes that replaced the previous games' gorgeously rendered and animated scenes. This not only represented a difference in styIe, but also negatively affects the impact of the story from location to location. This was by far the worst decision made in the production of the game, as it really weakens the impact of the storytelling aspect of the.

With all of these changes and depending on the tastes of the gamer undertaking this journey toward utter chaos, expectations should be tempered up front. This gaming experience should not be approached in the naïve nature of a starry-eyed fanboy, expecting perfection and flawless execution as promised by the press and industry. The same combat and controls are still intact and even refined, which is a good thing. The QTE's are even better and more sparsely used than in the previous games. Yet, there are areas that fall short, such as the puzzles in GoWIII. These supposed godly trials feel significantly easier to solve and require no real thought to complete. This shows another change in styIe, and is because the developers have chosen to show you where to go or what to do in a "connect the dots" sort of camera pan whenever you walk into a room or pull a switch where a puzzle resides.

The difficulty of the previous game puzzles was almost perfect, and there were not enough tests of patience to prevent the gamer from fully enjoying them as some hack-and-slash games do. This was one aspect of the game that was well constructed and not overbearing in the previous games. The puzzles in the third installment feel like afterthoughts or mere bolt-on features to claim they haven't been left out of the game. One new feature of the puzzle system that works very well is Kratos can now run while pushing blocks, and after a second or two of laboring he will break into a trot while pushing. This allows you to move quickly through the puzzles, and would have been a welcome addition in the previous games. All of the puzzle locations, environments, and animations look spectacular, but that may be the only fulfilling part of the experience, as the heart and soul of the previous games' puzzles has been lost.

In game graphics for the game cannot be described as anything other than a monumental achievement. The detail of the environments, character models, and lighting is superb and never creates any tearing or frame loss throughout the game. Pop-up buildings and enemies don't exist in the world of gods, and transitions from environment to environment usually only require a short loading time (if any). The only grievance relating to the environments is the awkward feel of constantly ascending and descending Mount Olympus along the Chain of Balance, which amounts to basically backtracking through the environments. This trek occurs numerous times throughout the game, and while being exciting and novel at first… the task becomes tiresome and tedious after the initial excitement of the first sequence wears off.

The animations and reactions of the models in the game are so realistic you may actually mistake the game for real life… if you assault Mount Olympus and its dwelling gods on a weekly basis. When players lamented about the weak animations in the previous games, the developer listened and budgeted the time and effort to address these complaints. The best example of this is when Kratos becomes more tensely challenged during QTE's. As he is required to use more strength you will see his physique bulge, the chains tether tightly on his forearms, and muscles tense as he strains to overcome the various trials throughout the game. These events also show off Kratos' new acrobatic movements as he adjusts himself to exploit environmental leverage or gain an upper hand on a sizeable enemy through repositioning as they attempt to swat him like a fly.

Animation improvements also provide more fluid movement throughout the game for all characters and the camera, instead of the jerking camera and movements of the previous games it seems to smoothly pan throughout this game. This minor adjustment solved the issues that frequently resulted in confusion, untimely platforming deaths, and missed memorable moments in the other games. As stated previously he smoothing of animation is present in every aspect of the game. The stretching and tearing of flesh when limbs and extremities are detached instead of just "snapping off" was also another animation issue that was fixed from the previous games. These small details that have been addressed create a more realistic and nauseating experience as the visceral dismemberments become exponentially more brutal as the game moves on. These somewhat minor animation improvements really show the labor and love the animation team has for the game, and still adds so much value to the overall production and polish of the game. These are things that could have been forgotten and left out due to budget or time constraints, but the details are truly what make GoWIII as impressive as it is.

Despite the graphics being the most touted feature of the game, GoWIII is a treat for both the eyes AND the ears. The audio is nearly on par with the stunning graphics in this masterpiece. Another volume of fine compositions graces this entry by esteemed composers such as Gerard Marino, Ron Fish, Cris Velasco, Mike Reagan, and Jeff Rona. For the first time in this series, the score is not the highlight of the audio offering.

While the voice acting prowess does not disappoint, the ambient sounds and detail to environmental sounds have been refined to perfection. From the eerie hissing/moan of Helios when Kratos makes use of his recently torn off head to light the way to the exhausted noises and heavy breathing of Kratos and his foe while wrestling around in QTE's, it is the multi-faceted approach of the audio that vaulted the God of War series into the spotlight of video games audio and sound effects nirvana. The environment also creates a soundtrack of noises depending on the location and what is going on around it, sometimes giving you clues as to where to go next or what may be lingering in the next area.

Of all the great audio throughout the game, the most powerful audio moment takes place in the first ten minutes of the game. The opening scene shows off a lot of technical prowess by the development team and pure power of the console both graphically and audibly. The scene boasts amazing sounds to accompany a constant barrage of attacks, falling debris, and a constantly moving environment. While most players will not even notice the tracks playing in the background throughout the duration of the scene, the score takes a well-suited backseat to the sound effects. This method of audio layering creates a more engaging experience in the game and elevates the opening scene to one of the best ever created.

The trophy pack shows the developer embracing one of the plagiarized features of the console, and will offer a varying level of difficulty depending on the trophies desired. All of the standard difficulty trophies are available as well as some secret and skill based ones. Once you have played through the game once and gotten the story and trophies desired a near impossible difficulty is unlocked as well as a challenge arena. These features will offer a range of replay value to each gamer, but will not compete with the stellar replay value of games featuring a stellar competitive online mode (i.e. - Uncharted 2).

The overall value of the game is similar to the previous two games in almost every respect. A gamer who believed the previous two games to be a good value will see the same value in GoWIII. However, if the player did not feel they got their money's worth, then they may want to wait for the inevitable release of the "Greatest Hits" version. Impressions and conclusions drawn from the previous games should be used to gauge how the gamer will most likely feel about this game. Regardless of the timeline, every gamer should buy, rent, steal, or borrow God of War III. Even with some glaring faults in schematics and execution, they ultimately do not hinder the game or deface the series enough to warrant complete avoidance of this title.

GoWIII is not destined to be the best game of 2010 or even the best game in the trilogy. However, the relevance of this game cannot be ignored for the current console generation and for developers to reflect on in general with regard to production value. The absolute influence of God of War III's production and polish make the game worthy of a full price purchase and a single playthrough. Not many games can define a generation and the capabilities/capacity of a console, but even with the flaws it has, God of War III appears to have done just that. If this game does nothing else for consumers and the industry in general it will provide gamers of all ages, preferences, and loyalties the ability to experience what games CAN be. That alone is what makes God of War III worth price of admission.