Kratos has serious parental issues. After being killed by his father, Zeus, at the start of GOW II, Kratos has spent every waking hour trying to return the favor. His quest for vengeance is unwavering and deadly.
The majority of the cutscenes are centered on angry exchanges between Kratos and an opponent who is cut down mercilessly. No matter how powerful his enemy is, Kratos' wrath will rip him to shreds in time.
The motivation that pushes Kratos forward is easy to understand, but the repetition of his uncanny fury dulls the impact after a while. It's hard to relate to his actions after he gruesomely disposes of yet another mythical opponent with the same wicked scowl plastered on his face. For much of the game, the story hits just this one note. But things open up late in the quest, giving the game the heart it so desperately needs. When Kratos reveals a side beyond violent retribution, it makes his character more empathetic and gives the story much more weight.
Ultimately freed from its overreliance on cold-blooded vengeance, Kratos' story becomes powerful and moving in unexpected ways, peaking in a thrilling conclusion that successfully touches on many different emotions and provides closure for this epic tale.
GOW III begins right where you left off in GOW II. Kratos urges Gaia and her fellow Titans to climb Mount Olympus and strike down the gods once and for all. This incredible scene follows the trend set by the previous games in the series, kicking off your journey with a jaw-dropping experience that will immediately suck you into this epic adventure. The defining characteristic of your plight as you climb this sacred mountain is a breathtaking sense of scale. The Titans you are traveling with are gigantic. Kratos is but a mere speck on their colossal bodies, and the camera zooms and pans so you can fully appreciate the size disparity of these reluctant allies.
The very ground you run across is part of a living creature, flexing and swaying as you dispatch the enemies who dare stand in your way. The game seamlessly shifts from a bird's-eye view of this epic climb to an extreme close-up of Kratos in combat, and it's simply stunning that there are no dropped frames or other graphical oddities to lessen this effect. The feeling that you're riding a towering giant is conveyed brilliantly, and the journey only gets better from there.
The amazing conclusion to this fantastic sequence is one of the most violent deaths ever seen in the series. Kratos is no stranger to blood, but the stunning visuals in God of War III make his penchant for beheadings and disembowelments so much more gruesome. By initiating a quick-time event on a wounded foe, you can rip out the entrails of a centaur, de-wing a harpy, and tear the eyeball from a Cyclops, complete with optic-nerve snapping. Some of these death animations have been recycled from previous games in the series, but seeing them re-created here in meticulous detail will elicit equal doses of nausea and sadistic joy.
The one and only downside to these horrific death sequences is that there is only one way to mutilate each type of enemy, even though you have four weapons in your arsenal. So while it is amazing to slit a gorgon's neck the first time, it loses its impact after a dozen or so identical viewings. Even with the repetition, the brutality of combat is one of the most satisfying aspects of God of War III.
Much like previous GOWs, combat involves button mashing till the enemy is severely weakened followed by a dramatic execution blow. Should the blow be missed, more button mashing is required:) The combat in God of War III hasn't changed significantly from its predecessors, but new moves and a few control tweaks make it even more fun to slice up your enemies. It's no longer a problem when cowardly adversaries keep their distance from Kratos' whirring blades.
The simply amazing bow you acquire early on isn't tied to your magic meter anymore, making it a handy option when a lumbering Cyclops is using his deadly reach to his advantage. If you charge your shot first, you ignite the arrow, and keeping a few enemies alight while you whale away on closer foes is a sadistic distraction during large-scale battles. You can also latch on to enemies and propel yourself toward them with a shoulder charge, and this painful technique is instrumental in stringing together long combos. Planting yourself in the middle of a swarming mass of undead may seem like a bad idea, but you can just grab on to any grunt and carry him around the battlefield like a battering ram, smashing into other enemies until his mushy body loses its usefulness.
One of my favorite updates in GOW III are the alternatives to the Blades of Exile. You unlock four unique tools of death by the end of the game, and though their basic move sets don't differ significantly, they feel so distinct that it's a blast to use them all. You can now switch between every weapon at the touch of a button, and it's incredibly satisfying to swap out your long-reaching Blades of Exile for bludgeoning cestuses and pound your enemies into a bloody pulp.
The very real, very physical pain your enemies are feeling is communicated beautifully. Every hit you dole out feels as though an angry man-god is behind the action, and the bone-cracking impact makes it a joy just to hack and slash your way around the arena with malicious intent. Defense is also more fun this time around because countering not only provides a devastating retaliatory blow, but is far more consistent as well.
The insane timing needed to deflect an attack is much more forgiving now, so luring your enemies into attempting the first swing and then slamming them back in the face is always fun. Super-precise controls provide the perfect backbone for your actions. Whether you're peppering a harpy with arrows, deftly rolling away from a fire-breathing Cerberus, or countering a sword strike from an undead skeleton, every single response is deadly and fulfilling.
All in all, Kratos contines to reign majestic death from above, if only you'll let him for $64.99 at your local store:P
Owning a PS3 has never been so fun!
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