God of War III – Review

Certain older Totally readers will remember the stop-motion animation of one Ray Harryhausen. Using painstakingly fiddly animation techniques, this genius of special effects could breathe life into the most terrifying creatures of myth and legend. Films like Jason and the Argonauts, or Clash of the Titans showed his genius at producing believable monsters to menace lantern-jawed heroes.

One thing the God of War games have always been fantastic at is pulling the same trick, using bang-up-to-date technology to pit the shambling forces of evil against Kratos, a powerful Spartan warrior with more than a few bones to pick with the Gods of Olympus.

The ash-covered “Ghost of Sparta” is back for a third game (officially fourth if you count the excellent PSP title) and Sony’s Santa Monica Studios have squeezed the innards of the PS3 until they’ve bled forth the goriest killfest of the year.

The game’s visuals are jaw-dropping right from the opening sequence featuring Kratos’ initial assault on Mount Olympus, allied with the gigantic Titans . During the opening moments where you finally take control, and the cut scenes merge seamlessly with the in-game action, you’ll marvel at the spectacle. Unashamedly and unapologetically an 18-rated game, God of War III does not hold back and you’ll be ripping out spleens, painting walls with giblets and generally doing a lot of very horrible things to a huge variety of enemies called forth by Zeus, the king of the gods. Those unfamiliar with the God of War story arc might feel like they’re dropped in to the action at the deep end with little explanation, but as the game progresses you’ll learn a lot more about the back story and why Kratos has fallen out so spectacularly with the Gods and his father – so don’t be put off if this is the first time you’ve encountered the series.

The series’ trademark gameplay is still relatively unchanged. The melee combat is what you’re here for, and it’s as fluid and satisfyingly solid as it has always been. You start with a fairly basic array of weapons, and will eventually extend your armoury to ever-more powerful mythical items, as well as several side arms and magical powers that will prove invaluable to your quest.

In your first skirmish with Zeus’ forces, there’s gigantic satisfaction in pummelling, lancing and eviscerating baddies using Kratos’ signature weapons, the Blades of Exile. Like the chained weapons in GOW 1 and 2, these babies can be used in a variety of ways. Quick hits using the square button will get you out of trouble but using the triangle button for more powerful strikes can wipe out an advancing group of enemies with one blow, particularly when you start spending souls (the in-game currency) on upgrades.

Melee combat is only one half of the story and you will also find a particularly useful ranged weapon early on in the game. The rest? I’ll leave you to find out for yourself but you’ll certainly find a favourite amongst the various types.

The game virtually explodes with detail, and though gamers this year may feel a bit overwhelmed with a selection of very similar titles (like Darksiders, Dante’s Inferno and even to some extents Bayonetta) God of War III is the daddy and shows exactly how games in this genre should be done.

As the quest progresses, the designers throw absolutely everything including the kitchen sink at you. Physical puzzles, gigantic battles and brain-melting visual trickery all contribute to the game’s (approx) 10 hour lifespan and that’s before you leap back in and play other difficulty levels and the extra challenges you unlock once the game’s completed. There’s no multiplayer but God of War III doesn’t need it, never has.

In this third episode it feels like the player grows to understand Kratos’ plight a little more, and the sheer hopelessness of what he’s trying to achieve at such a massive cost to himself and to the populace but most players won’t want to sit and analyse the storyline too closely. After all, what’s the point when the action is this much fun.

Although it’s nigh-on perfect, and a real showcase for the Playstation 3, the game’s let down by using the same horrible old quick-time events, button mashing and annoying analogue stick gestural stuff that have, to be fair, been stock in trade of the series since game one. It just feels a little disappointing that for a game this utterly fantastic, the developers couldn’t come up with a better way of delivering the set-piece action that’s so vital to the title’s success.

That said, I’ve never liked QTEs or button-mashing in any game and in God of War III the designers have at least towed the line and made QTE sequences follow the same pattern every time. It’s still jarring and immersion-breaking stuff for me, but other players might feel that removing them altogether would’ve taken too much of the game’s trademarks away. Still, if you can sit through one utterly awful “Guitar Hero-esque” puzzle with a straight face (or without cracking out your guitar controller for a quick swap around to help you get through it) you’re a better man than I.

Moans and niggles aside, God of War III does not disappoint. It’s a beautifully produced title full of polish and playability. Every encounter from the weakling undead minions to the gigantic boss monsters will make you work for your victories, and will really put Kratos (and you) through the mill. Load times are nippy (considering the game doesn’t install anything or at least does it all very sneakily while you watch the extended unskippable movie-like intro at the start) and save / checkpoints are plentiful ensuring that the action and flow is not disrupted when you finally quit through sheer exhaustion at 3 in the morning.

God of War III is another essential exclusive for the Playstation 3, and shows exactly what the machine is capable of in the right hands. If you’ve loved the previous games then you owe it to yourself to pawn your grandmother in order to get a PS3 and this. If you’ve never experienced the series before, this is a fantastic introduction to Kratos’ world .

Our rating

10/10