Preview: God Of War III (PS3)

The God of War franchise in only two PlayStation incarnations and just under five years has had a massive impact on the gaming industry since the knockout original release. Least we overlook the PSP Chains of Olympus offering as well, which was a strong entry on the format. Inspiring copycat titles and consistently receiving awards and overwhelmingly high scores. This promises to be Kratos’ debut and swansong on the PlayStation 3 as Santa Monica Studios aim to go out on a high without pulverising his legacy into dust. A fitting conclusion is promised as the team look to move on and thankfully resist temptation to milk further revenue from a series that will go down in gaming history.

The Greek mythology setting has proven to be a virtual Eden of opportunities and as Kratos you will continue on the quest to destroy Olympus in this final part to the trilogy. This epic and mythical journey will take you from the depths of hell to the summit of Mount Olympus, as you seek revenge against the Gods who have used you as a pawn previously. The series has always impressed with its overall design, making use of ancient legends and capturing the essence of an era when men looked to the skies with fear and trepidation. Players who are new to the series should not be concerned about missing out on what has as happened before, as SCEE are set to bring The God of War Collection featuring both previous titles in enhanced form to the PS3 sometime during 2010.

We should not expect Santa Monica to jeopardise the core game play values that have worked so well before. Instead the power of the PlayStation 3 will enable the team to produce a more vivid and epic portrayal of Greek mythology. A new state of art graphics engine has been created for this journey; improving texture resolutions fourfold. Characters promise to be more life-like than before, with fluid animation, dynamic lighting and a new epic perspective. It is a mouth-watering prospect as the original God of War and its sequel were amongst the best-looking PlayStation 2 titles.

Comparing God of War III against God of War II, areas are four times larger with the team also thinking vertically for some levels. You are able to utilise several legendary creatures for your own purposes, whether its puzzle solving or crossing huge chasms. New weapons will be available and Kratos himself will have new techniques including grappling and wall-to-ground attacks.

After the very disappointing high profile Heavenly Sword, Sony is keeping details of God of War III few and far between. Here at Gamestyle we’re confident Santa Monica can deliver another memorable experience and a fitting conclusion.

Words by Jason Julier