Here we go again!
Graphics
Like any other game in the series, the graphics are top notch and for the most part, this applies to Ascension. However there were some areas of the game, in the caves especially, where it was quite dark. In one section I had to jump from one spinning plate to another but I could barely see the one I was supposed to jump onto. As a result, I died a few times which was quite frustrating.
Sound
I've always thought the sound in a God of War game, like the orchestral music and the sound effects of the blades of chaos, were always the stand out. However this time around I thought it was quite lackluster. Whereas the sounds of a brawl was always crisp and defined, in here they were somewhat lacking and seemed dulled down. Shortly after I started playing a patch was released to supposedly fix the sound issues but I didn't feel it made much of a difference.
This also has to be the least that Kratos has ever spoken in any of his outings. He gave the odd angry retort every now and then, but for the most part he seemed rather quiet.
Gameplay
After the opening sequence in GoW3 and the subsequent journey that followed, Ascension was never going to beat its predecessor in storyline or action. While the fighting seemed to be more fluid than GoW3, they did make some changes that were a little puzzling.
For instance, you get given all of the different types of magic relatively quickly in this game, but you can't use all of them. In order to use each of them, all tied to a specific version of the blades of chaos, you have to max out the magic first. But why? Why even give this to us in the first place when for at least 2/3's of the game, you don't even have access to all of them. You can use the default one, again, tied to a specific version of the blades of chaos.
The puzzles are an improvement from GoW3, some are quite clever and there's a few head-scratchers.
I thought the story was quite weak, that and the fact that there's flashbacks, so you could be playing a certain part and then you'll realize you've been playing a flashback and lose your way in the story a little.
Final thoughts
This is the first time that I have felt that this series is now a cash cow. All of the other games felt like they belonged and contributed to Kratos's story. This isn't a bad game compared to other games in this genre, but when you compare it to the other games in this series, its clearly the weakest.
Where do you go after Kratos takes down the whole of Olympus? If you can't top the last game with both story and content then don't bother because all you're going to do is witness the decline of the franchise and release a watered down story. Please, let this franchise go.