God of War III
Developer: Santa Monica Studio
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Platform: PS3
Rating: Worth owning
Length: 10+ hours
Style: Intelligent hack and slash
In reflecting back on God of War III, I’ve come to realise it’s pretty hard to fault. Sure, there are occasionally some mindless sections and maybe a few bits could be considered repetitious, but overall it’s very entertaining. Now don’t get me wrong, I am still a bit reluctant to say that, and it’s not just because I’m adverse to saying something positive for once. No, I’m reluctant because I’m new to the God of War series, which means I’m not really sure how this game differs to the previous ones. To put that in context, had I not played Modern Warfare, I probably would have thought the second was the greatest thing since Jesus sliced bread. However, it did exist, I did play it, and as such the second was just more of the same really. However, as they say, ignorance is bliss, so let’s continue praising the shit out of it.
The first thing to love about the game is its combat system. Despite essentially being a hack and slash, the game manages to remain surprisingly fresh throughout. Whereas I thought I would just be continually hit by hoards of mindless minions until my button mashing thumb fell off, instead you encounter a wide variety of enemies, arranged in a series of challenging set pieces, each requiring their own tactical approach to overcome. If you also consider that you’re continually receiving new weapons and abilities, you’ll start to realise why the combat is so enjoyable.
The game also does well in the other key areas. For instance, the graphics are beautiful. On numerous occasions I found myself pausing just to take in the scenery. Likewise, the storyline and acting is top quality. Sure, having not played the previous games I’m not really sure what’s going on, but that doesn’t bog it down. From the very start, you know what Kratos is there to do, so it’s immediately full speed ahead. What’s more, even the difficulties settings are done magnificently well; hard can be brutal, but without feeling overwhelming. Sure, I think Hades probably killed me about 30 times, but it just made tearing his soul out all the sweeter.
Need any more selling? How about gratuitous nudity? Check. A quick-time sex scene? Check! Massively violent deaths? Well, if you consider ripping someone’s head off whilst they’re still alive violent, then hell yes!
So all up the game is great fun to play and as a testament to this, whereas with some titles I’ve struggled to get enough play time in before doing a review, this is one I know I’ll be playing even when I move onto the next title. Oh and if I don’t manage to get my work paper in on time, I’m blaming you Kratos!
