A visual gobstopper that shows off impeccable level design along with its tried-and-true combat mechanics.
The truth is, I had to force myself to finally sit down and finally play through God of War III. Within the first few minutes of gameplay, that God-of-War feeling instantly sets in and you know what you're in store for. The PS3 debut is an absolute visual stunner, so that certainly might amp you up more for what's to come, but the mechanics are, for better or worse, extremely familiar (aka identical) to what you've come to love about the series. Combat is still fun and controls are pitch-perfect, but it also feels very repetitive if you've already been through previous entries.
But hang in there a couple hours after the inital fatigue and the game really starts to open up. The pace between combat and platforming is very balanced and moves quickly, so you rarely feel like you're endlessly bashing your way through fight after fight after fight. Instead, GoW III really puts the spotlight on its magnificent level designs with a sense of titanic scale and terrific platforming segments that wind you through tons of turns, tiers and tunnels, only to end where you began. An amazing highlight comes toward the final third of the game, where one segment ingeniously plays off of the overhead isometric perspective made famous in PC RPGs and used to brilliant effect for puzzle-solving here. It's a real joy to explore these environments, as nearly every level is filled to the brim with epic scenery to gawk at.
Combat even livens up as you acquire new weapons and magic with unique properties that really give the mechanics some fresh air. While the trusty Blades of Chaos will still probably be your default weapon for most of the game, the other three weapons are just as serviceable and tons of fun to play around with.
Storywise, this is probably the weaker of the GoW games I've played. The story beats begin in an overly familiar fashion with Kratos pissed off yet again at Zeus and slicing every Greek or Roman myth figure who comes his way. Eventually you'll meet a young character who tries to give Kratos some resolution over his tortured past with his own family, but it never really sinks in so don't expect any unexpected emotional finales, despite the game's best intentions.
Even if the God of War franchise is getting overly familiar at this point in its lifespan, you certainly can't fault the developers of GoW III for trying to give it a fresh coat of paint without losing the core gameplay that makes it what it is. If anything, the series really needs some new characters and settings outside of the Kratos/Zeus conflict, but that's hard when the entire franchise is based so closely on Greek mythology, so who knows where it goes next.