Game Details

• Title: God of War III
• Format: PS3
• Players: 1
• Genre: 3rd Person Action
• Price: £39.99 RRP
• Reviewer: Alex Wilmot

'If it aint broke, then dont fix it!' A statement I'd defend to the bitter end when looking at some of my more cherished gaming franchises and thankfully, something which Sony's Santa Monica studio obviously echoes with the most recent entry into the God of War Series.

God of War III sees a return to ancient greece for the final part in the current Trilogy. Kratos, having been wronged firstly by Aries and more recently by Zeus himself, is again on the path for vengeance after being rescued from Hades by Gaia and the other remaining Titans.

GOWIII starts exactly where the second game finishes; with Athenas death and the assault on Mount Olympus. Relatively quickly the increased processing potential afforded by the change in platform is noticeable; with not only the increased detail in Sonys rendering of Ancient Greece, but also in the scale of what is being represented.

Rather than starting players with an weakened Kratos posessing very little by way of health, magic or skills to speak of, he begins this episode with all of the abilities he had at the end of the second game. The subsequent loss of these abilities and Kratos' overall strength are tied into the wider storyline and yet another betrayal explains why players will need to complete the obligatory slog to rearm before the final encounter. Like I said - if it aint broke, then dont fix it!!!

Santa Monica Studios have instead decided to refine and add to Kratos' already extensive repetoire of offensive options by offering alternate primary weapons, supplementary secondary items and a whole host of new context sensitive kills. The most widely discussed of these new features is introduced fairly rapidly and involves a stylishly done First Person (from the eyes of the victim) QTE driven beating. God of War has never been squeemish with its use of blood or graphic dismemberment but the high definition adds a new and somewhat gratifying result to a mainstay of the series whilst the excellent camerawork really drives Kratos' relentless brutality home.

With such a grand storyline it was crucial that Sony managed to capture the same sense of quality throughout and thankfully, it's apparant from the first jump to the last punch that great care has been taken over Kratos' first outing on the pS3. GOWIII is literally Epic, with each Boss battle closing its respective act spectacularly enough but without either drawing out the story further than required or closing it off quickly just to get in another brutal finishing move.

Not only does GOWIII look the part, it also now feels right. The sound and animation will leave players literally shaking and quivering as they struggle to climb out of the mouth of a giant scorpion, or straining as Kratos' twists the neck of another mythical enemy. Muscles strain and legs tense up as Kratos delivers massive strikes to his opponents with a welcome lashing of gore as the strikes hit home and limbs are strewn across the landscape.

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