The epic series finally comes to a close and what a great conclusion it is. God of War 3 is not only for action junkies or fans but all gamers looking for a journey that defines the word ‘epic’. The game lives up to its hype and delivers a thrilling experiences that is not only combat filled but story driven, containing amazing set pieces and well thought out bosses, the game exceeds its predecessors in almost every way.
As we all know, the game looks truly amazing, I’m not going to start comparing to Uncharted 2 or Killzone 2 but its definitely up there in the best looking game on a console debate. The environments are highly detailed, the game has a nice habit of showing you what Kratos is actually destroying, due to the manipulation of camera angles, there are many “Wow” moments. The character models are just as good as well, Kratos is full of life, his animations are spot on along with his whole build. This doesn’t just stop at Kratos, all the Gods and Titans look extremely fleshed out, the attention to detail makes watching cut scenes a pleasure to watch. The voice acting is also spot on, I specifically enjoy the voice of Kratos. His voice is perfect for the character and he nails it. However the greatest visual aspect of the game is its lighting, the game’s lighting is unmatched to other games on the market, it may be obvious to see in screenshots but in motion its a different story. The satisfaction of flailing your blades in a dark room, lighting up the room in a moody red while buckets of blood is flying everywhere was very satisfying to say the least.
As a conclusion, the game is bigger and badder than its predecessors, straight from the get go like in God Of War 2, you are thrown in the middle of action. The game starts off strong and only gains more momentum, however one of the biggest problems I have with the game is that the action dies down near the end. For about a two hour period, the action falls to a minimum and puzzles and platforming are replaced, I don’t mind this as the series has a reputation for great puzzles and this installment is no different. However, with the insane action previously experienced contrasting to 2 hours straight of little action was a bit strange, I would have hoped to have an even balance which the other two games managed to nail. Its a minor setback as great dialogue and extremely well designed puzzles keep you occupied during that time.
While criticized for its combat, I think Santa Monica has pulled out more from the combat system than I could imagine. The games combat system has definitely peaked, with that said the combat is this game is anything but shallow. With 4 different weapons in your arsenal to choose from, new moves, new items and small tweaks the game manages to keep combat fresh and as satisfying as ever. The fluency is the gameplay is to be commended, weapons can be switched in the midst of combat along with items. Another point ‘d like to make clear is that the game is not ‘button mashy’, with the amount of different weapons and combos you really should not be going through the game using the blades basic combo of square square triangle. Its more of what you make of it and to reinforce this, the game is not easy, playing on normal I found myself trying a couple of segments numerous times testing different strategies.
One thing I admire about God Of War 3 is the variety in, well almost everything it does. The game isn’t afraid to make you watch some lengthy cutscenes or test your wits in some puzzles but its not only that, there are multiple types of gameplay objectives. These include flying segments, chase scenes and escort missions. Its clear Santa Monica tried to include as much gameplay variety as possible and they succeeded.
Being a conclusion the game ends really well, without spoilers, I thought the end was fitting for the trilogy bringing closure to the story. Another great thing is that you can take as much from the story as you want, there are parchments and books around the environments which can be read giving inside to characters and the world itself. The story is easy to get into with the well written dialogue and unique story, it’s not very often that you play a character who’s only goal is revenge and as shallow as it sounds, it definitely is not. Its take on Greek Mythology is portrayed through amazing architectural design in buildings and carvings, the artistic style in God of War has always been praised.
As for replayability, there are multiple things to do once you beat the game. Challenges make a return, however they are much too easy and there are not enough of them, there is also the addition of a combat arena which lets you fight what you want making your own customizable battles, a good feature. Skins also return but one thing to note, using them disables trophies so you may want to get the platinum trophy before you test them out, minor setback but it stops people from abusing their cool powers. There is also reason to play it again, beating the game unlocks a difficulty, there are treasures to collect, weapons to max out and gorgon eyes to sacrifice.
The Lowdown
9.5
Final Thoughts
how we score
I had so much fun with God of War 3 that I was thinking about my second playthrough while playing it the first time. This game is definitely one of my favorites this generation and is a must buy for all Playstation 3 owners. Being able to balance intense action with great story, the game is a pleasure to play.