VITALS
Game: God of War 3
Developer: Sony (Santa Monica Studio)
Released: March 16, 2010
Platform: PlayStation 3
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I’ll start by saying that I, Aaron Kirchhoff, am a God of War fanboy. I, without even owning a PS2 at the time, purchased and played the original God of War on a friend’s console. I have played through both the first and second game to their entire-ties on the hardest difficulties. I have smashed every pot, opened every chest, and slit every throat. And I have loved every extremely violent, unnecessarily gory minute. Hell, one of the only reasons I even considered purchasing a PS3 was for God of War III. So, needless to say, I was just a tad excited for the series’ third (numbered) entry.
Well, Tuesday, March 16th rolled around. It was my Spring Break and I finally held the finale of Kratos’ quest for vengeance in my sweaty mitts. I popped the Blu-ray disc into the slot and spent the next 48 hours (minus time taken for work and sleep) living the dream.
At least, I thought it would be a dream. God of War III looked like I imagined it would. It played like it too. So what was missing?
Feeling. That’s what it was — or maybe emotion. Drive. Some genuine impetus to make the player connect with the protagonist.
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In previous entries, there has been an overarching story of revenge; Kratos gets screwed over by some greater being and reacts by bustin’ skulls. Unsurprisingly, God of War III continues this tradition. The opening moments pick up exactly where no. 2 left you: the titans are climbing Mount Olympus with Kratos in tow to remove the gods from their seats of power. And naturally, the gods try to stop Kratos and company, forcing them to fight back. This extravagantly beautiful opening sequence results in the death of one of the pesky Olympians, the beginning of a forced betrayal/vengeance subplot (more on that in a minute), and the slightly tired “lose all of your powers and go back to square one” event (didn’t we already do this one in God of War II?).
The next 8 to 10 hours will see Kratos regaining his strength, earning new weapons and abilities, and trudging back to Mount Olympus to face Zeus (or ZZZEEWWWWCCCEEEE!!!! as Kratos calls him). On the way, you’ll be witness to some incredibly beautiful set pieces and stunning character models. You’ll also see every scratch and flaw in Kratos’ face — and, damn, he is one ugly dude. I will say, without a doubt, that God of War III is one of the most beautiful games I have ever played. Even the plainest scene is leaps and bounds beyond the impressive CGI cutscenes of the previous entries.
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The gameplay is no slouch either. Yes, many of the series staples are back — the quick time events, the Ο button finishers, and, of course, [] [] Δ – but there are improvements as well. Kratos now has the ability to grab distant foes and reel them in (a great help against the always-out-of-reach gorgons and harpies). The QTEs have also been streamlined with prompts moved to the edges of the screen (Δ is up, X is down, etc.), allowing you to focus on the action instead of worrying about what button to hit next. And then there are the puzzles. Yes, block puzzles are back, but there are also some fairly clever (or at least different) sequences including an M.C. Escher-inspired stairway and some Guitar Hero-esque string plucking.
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At this point, you may be asking your computer screen, “But, Aaron, what about the most important part?”. Oh, I’m getting to that. If there is one thing God of War does right, it’s boss battles. In that department, I’m happy to say that God of War III does not disappoint. Eyes gouged out, heads ripped from necks, faces turned into bloody craters — with each slaying more brutal than the last, even the most bloodthirsty should be satisfied with Kratos’ method of dealing with those who stand against him. And, once again, the series shows how to do QTEs the right way. But as I pressed in L3 + R3 to drive Kratos’ thumbs into an opponent’s eye sockets or hammered Ο to headbutt a foe into a shapeless pile of Ragu, I often found myself wondering why.
Why exactly was Kratos murdering these characters? This wasn’t some kind of philosophical question; I was genuinely confused about his motives. Sure, Zeus betrayed him and now he’s angry. I get it. And, as expected, some of the gods will attempt to stop him and his plans for revenge, forcing Kratos to remove them from his way. I’d do the same. But what about the (mostly) innocent bystanders? Here’s how Kratos’ mind seems to work: “That one didn’t help me when I needed it. Dead. That one called me a name. Dead. That one drank milk straight from the carton. Dead.” (OK, I may have made that last one up.) Perhaps Kratos has reached a level of rage I can’t comprehend, but a good number of his actions seem to be completely unwarranted.
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And then there’s the fatherly side of Kratos that’s awkwardly shoehorned into the plot. In case anyone has yet to play the first God of War (and you should), I’ll stay away from spoilers, but basically Kratos has a daughter (or did) and a character in God of War III strongly resembles her. This similarity sparks a previously unseen compassion in the bloodthirsty Spartan that feels just as insincere as it sounds. All of a sudden, this character, who we barely know, becomes the apple of Kratos’ eye. The game even goes so far as to present the possibility that Kratos might abandon his quest for revenge to save said character. Hooey. And then there’s the character-redeeming ending that, although strikingly beautiful, just left me feeling … dissatisfied.
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FINAL THOUGHTS
Narrative issues aside, I love God of War III. It looks like my dream, plays like my dream (though jumping is still a nightmare), and for the most part, completely fulfills my lofty expectations. I believe it to be well worth the $60 I payed to play it, though many may opt for a rental or sale due to its brevity. Yes, the game is a little on the short side (8-10 hours for one story playthrough), but any longer and it would have worn out its welcome. Besides, there are trophies, higher difficulties, and challenge rooms to pad your purchase.
Everyone 17 and older (wink-wink) who owns a PS3 should play God of War III. What’s that? You didn’t play the first two? Well, luckily, a terrible person like yourself can still enjoy the events of the third entry since all of the important details are summed up in the opening credits.
There. Now you have no excuse. Go play it.
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This review is based on a retail copy of the game purchased by the reviewer. The story mode was completed in about 9 hours with all but three trophies earned. Images courtesy of Sony.
And be sure to stick around for …
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And now I get to the most important part of any game, the achievements trophies.
Most of the trophies in God of War III shouldn’t give you too much of a headache as the majority are earned by simply completing the game. The only slightly frustrating ones I came across were Hit Man and Maxed Out, but as long as you are following this video and keeping an eye out for the fireflies indicating a hidden chest, you should be fine. I have yet to complete all of the challenges or finish the game on Titan difficulty, but those are in the works and don’t seem nearly as difficult as the previous two games. Oh, and you might want to bump it down to easy for the aMAZEd trophy by dying a few times just before you start the maze. Trust me, it’ll save a lot of hair pulling.
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