God of War III golden

It has been three years since Kratos last waged war with the gods on consoles, and the ghost of Sparta is finally ready to defy (and potentially decapitate) deities once more. Sony has confirmed that God of War III has gone gold and will be in stores in time for its announced March 16 release date.

The game will be available in both a $59.99 standard edition and a $99.99 God of War III Ultimate Edition. In addition to the game and decorative Pandora's box packaging, players of the Ultimate Edition will receive an art book as well as access to downloadable content and in-game bonuses. Gamers will also get a feature-length retrospective on the franchise, the trilogy soundtrack, and a selection of heavy metal tracks inspired by God of War.

Those unsure about a purchase can also check out the E3 2009 demo for the game, which is now available to download for all PlayStation Network users. The demo has previously been made available to gamers who purchased a Blu-ray copy of the sci-fi hit District 9, or last year's God of War Collection for PS3.

God of War III marks the conclusion of Kratos' current story arc to bring about the fall of Olympus. As in previous installments, the visceral gameplay sees Kratos dismembering, decapitating, eviscerating, mutilating, and otherwise doing grievous bodily harm to a variety of mythological beasts. For this installment, gameplay will emphasize fighting on monolithic Titans and mounting enemies, as well as gaining new weapons and additional attacks.

For more on God of War III, check out GameSpot's previous coverage.