Certainly one of the most
anticipated games of the year, God of War 3 is the last entry to the wildly
popular action franchise and the first one to launch on the PS3. The game is
certainly shaping up to be a fine showcase of the PS3’s processing power while
also capitalizing on the fast and frantic action that the series made its name
on. Players will follow Kratos on the final leg of his vendetta mission against
Zeus and the rest of the gods of Olympus. You’ll work your way up the ranks of
your enemies, up to the big man himself, Zeus; think of it like Kill Bill,
except instead of knife-wielding housewives and Yakuza crimelords, you’re facing
off against the Greek pantheon.
At a recent press event held in LA,
GameZone was given some hands on time with the game’s opening moments from the
start screen to the first awesome boss battle. The game isn’t too terribly
removed from the other God of War games, as it controls the same and has the
same brand of intense, gory action as the original. However, there are a few new
bells and whistles on the gameplay front as well as some great new areas and
enemies to explore and eviscerate, respectively.
The final chapter of the God of War
trilogy meets up with Kratos immediately following God of War 2, with the Ghost
of Sparta riding on Gaia’s shoulder as she and several other Titans scale Mt.
Olympus to stage a final battle against the Gods. As Kratos rides up the side of
the mountain, the god of the seas Poseidon deploys a seahorse-crab-snake
creature to drag Gaia down, requiring you to take it down (in a brutal fashion
of course). You’ll continue your ascent of the mountain until you eventually
have to take on Poseidon himself, a battle that ends in a pretty nasty showdown
between the two characters.
Along the way you’ll face off
against the horse creature a couple of different times as he tries to rip the
Titans off of the side of the mountain, as well as some assorted baddies. There
are a few puzzle sequences as well, but for the most part it’s all about
visceral action. As the battles happen mostly on Gaia, you’ll have to deal with
the landscape changing, as Gaia will move her arm as she gets attacked,
requiring you to fight while grabbing onto the side, or even while gripping onto
the ceiling at times. The result is very fluid and fun. You’ll see some new
enemy types in these opening moments, like the Centaur, who dies in a
particularly gnarly fashion when you instigate the finishing QTE (you’ll cut him
open and rip his guts out); this is not a game for the faint of heart.
The QTEs have been changed around a
little bit for this entry to the franchise. Instead of simply appearing on the
screen, the button indicators will appear on the edge that corresponds to the
action, as in the Square button will appear on the left side of the screen, the
Circle on the right and so on. Otherwise, they feel like they have in previous
God of War games.
The game’s controls and gameplay
aren’t terribly far removed from the first two titles. You’ll still be
performing fast-paced combos using quick or heavy attacks from a variety of
weapons, magic (the preview build showcased a cyclone attack that you could use
simply by pressing a shoulder button), Quick-Time Events, as well as block and
dodge your enemies’ attacks by pressing the right thumbstick in a direction to
roll that way. There are some new moves added to the repertoire, like the
Battering Ram, which lets you grab an enemy and then run with them, charging
them into enemies while guiding Kratos wherever you want him to go.
Graphically, God of War 3 has
definitely come a long way since its appearance at E3 last year. The character
models and shadows look even more accurate and detailed, and the animation is
spot on. The environments are dynamic and feel alive, and the superb art
direction definitely makes this a sight to behold. While the framerate has been
slowed down a bit from the PS2 excursions, motion blur and bloom lighting help
add to the cinematic style of the game. All in all, this is sure to be one of
the best looking games on the system.
If the opening moments of the game
are any indication, God of War 3 will definitely be an amazing title that no
gamer will want to miss out on, not to mention a fantastic way to bookend
Kratos’s epic adventure. Look for it at the end of the month.
