"God of War 3" is not for children. It's not for some adults, either. It's one of the goriest games I've ever played and would probably make Quentin Tarantino blanch. But, if you think you can handle the graphic violence, fans of the series and fans of video games in general should come out in droves. It's an enormously impressive game that pushes visual standards to new heights.
The Basics
"God of War 3" stars Kratos, the series' go-to protagonist, as he continues his quest for vengeance against the gods of Olympus. The game kicks off where "God of War 2" ended, with Kratos enlisting the help of the titans to take down Zeus and his cronies. Unfortunately, as tends to happen, things do not go as planned and Kratos' climb to the top of Mount Olympus is abruptly ended in the worst way possible. He dies. But that's just the start of his journey.
The Highs
Best. Graphics. Ever.
The previous "Best. Graphics. Ever." holder was another PS3 exclusive, "Uncharted 2." They're extremely different games, as "God of War 3" is much more stylized while "Uncharted 2" is realistic, but "God of War" has the edge thanks to its ridiculous use of scale.
The stuff you'll see in this game…hell, in the first five minutes of this game…will make you want to place the controller down and just marvel at it all. The game kicks off with a battle against Poseidon on the Titan Gaia's back, and the scale is simply remarkable. Kratos is but an ant, a splinter, on Gaia's hand, and yet this is still a playable level that you're traversing. You still have full control of all your moves as Gaia shifts position, opening up new pathways up her earthen body. It's the first of many incredible sights in "God of War 3." And all that without a mandatory install or a significant loading screen! The developers of "God of War 3" set the bar for what can be done on this console.
Gods Damned
The story in "God of War 3" is pretty clear from the get go. You're climbing to the top of Mount Olympus and you're gonna kill anything that gets in your way. That includes a number of gods and familiar mythological tropes. The battles against these famous faces are always memorable and exemplary (except for maybe the last one), and they always end in extraordinarily gruesome fashion, giving a pleasant sense of catharsis after you've been getting your butt handed to you for 15 minutes. The pacing makes each of these battles a treat, never a slog, and they ramp up nicely until the end of your adventure.
Combat Improvements
The combat mechanics of "God of War" have always been stellar, but in "God of War 3," several improvements have been made to the system. Prime among them is an agility meter. Agility is used to fire arrows or stun enemies with a decapitated head. Unlike magic, agility refills automatically after you use it, allowing you to really incorporate your sub-weapons into a battle without having to worry about where the next magic chest is.
Another subtle improvement is the addition of a combat grab, which lets you throw your chains forward to grab enemies at range. This really keeps the combat flowing, letting you boost your combo meter higher than you could in previous games.
The Lows
The More You Know!
Towards the end of the game, "God of War 3" features something of a moral. I appreciate the need to infuse meaning into the chaos, but the moral is so saccharine and cliché that it just felt phoned-in. I'm not going to ruin it for you, but when it happens, you will have a hard time not rolling your eyes. Either that, or I'm dead inside.
The Final Boss
The best part of "God of War 3" occurs about an hour or two before the game actually ends, which makes the final boss fight a pretty big let down. The final battle didn't stand out in any marked way, and ended up feeling extremely redundant with the final boss fight of "God of War 2." There are some intense interactive cutscene moments, but overall it just didn't set itself apart in the way the rest of the game did, and that's a real shame.
Rhythm Mini-game?!?!
This is a really small quibble, but there's a rhythm mini-game puzzle in "God of War 3." It doesn't fit the franchise at all, and it's not remotely fun to complete. Even though it only takes about 10 minutes to get beyond, it was so blatantly out of place that it made me stop and wonder if they had a "Rock Band"-loving intern come in that day demand that beat matching become a part of Kratos' quest for revenge.
The Verdict
Although it may not have ended in a terribly unique or interesting way, the overall package of "God of War 3" is fantastic. If you own a PS3 (and have an iron constitution) you owe it to yourself to pick this one up.