Presentation:
The boost in presentation will be the most significant
change that is noticed in the new God of
War III. The presentation is nothing short of gripping. Within the first
fifteen minutes of game play you get a sense of what type of scale this battle
is waged on. As you make your assent up Mount Olympus everything carries its
weight well. The climb is grueling. Gyia provides an interesting vessel as you
make your way around her rocky exterior to fight off numerous combatants. Where
God of War 3 really sets the tone is
with the first god that you face. Epic only begins to explain the size and type
of this battle. This feeling is not only consistent throughout the game, but
only grows the deeper into the playing experience you get.
Graphics/SFX:
While there was some worry that God of War III would only be playable in 720p I am happy to say
that statement is not true. The game can be viewed on a glorious 1080i scale.
That is truly where the beauty of this game lies. It was stated that God of War III only used 50% of the PS3’s power, and I can say
without question that this is graphically the most beautiful game I have seen.
Kratos has never looked more defined, every detail has been looked over with a
fine comb to make sure that the player feels deeply entrenched with the
character. The set pieces are also beautiful, but during some of the
transitional phases from one set piece to the next I felt like I was looking at
subpar texturing to the point I was having PS2 flashbacks.
The Sound FX in God of
War III are spot on. The cracking of bones, ripping of flesh, and scream of
burning victims is nothing short of authentic. The FX accompanied by the
orchestral backdrops during large scale battle makes you feel like you are in
the center of a large budget motion picture. The voice acting is over the top,
which in this genre can be expected.
Gameplay:
As much of a cliché the line, “if it’s not broke don’t fix
it” is, there is really no other way to describe it. Instead of looking to take
other routes with the fighting system or completely trying to overhaul it Santa Monica Studios took what they had
and shaped it to be an even smoother fighting/action experience. Now different
magic is linked to the different weapons, making for a more fluid transition
between using the two. A gripe I have is the difference in the weapons. The
core weapons come off as being almost identical to the “Blades of Exile”. They
have very little aesthetic difference and play very similar to one another. The
most notable difference of course is the Cestus (two lion heads). A nice thing
about the weapons is the ability to change them “on the fly”. In the midst of
battle you can change from on blade to the next seamlessly, creating a symphony
of blood in which you are the conductor.
Kratos also has learned a few new tricks. The addition of
being able to pick up an enemy and barrel through dozens of others is a gimmick
that does not grow old. This linked with the multiple ways to mutilate a body
will leave you giddy with joy on how you will take apart your next victim. The
QTE, (Quick Time Events) are still a large stable in God of War III. This time they have been taken to a new level and
made a bit too easy for my liking. Instead of the buttons showing up near the
action on the screen, they show up in the areas of the screen where the button
is located on the controller (Square appears on the left side, circle on the
right, ect.) making it rather easy for anyone who is even slightly familiar
with a Playstation 3 controller to pull off these incredible feats. Overall you
are getting what you expect and a little extra from the game play in God of War III.
Value:
The Value is, and always has been the story campaign. Making
your way through the tragedy that is typical of Greek plays is what’s to be
expected. This is a story about loss, pain, suffering, and revenge, all through
the eyes of a man who became a god, and now again reduced to mortality. If you
can’t appreciate the direction that this franchise is taking then I question
why you picked up the second one of the series. The story telling is not as
crisp at times with God of War III,
but it doesn’t ever fall to the point of not being comprehendible. Don’t be
surprised if the ending leaves you wanting more.
VERDICT
In Closing…
I didn’t want to like this game as much as I did. I
constantly asked myself, “How in the world could this game live up to the
hype?” My questions were answered no sooner than fifteen minutes into the game.
The rest of the journey became more enjoyable as I progressed and I strongly
recommend God of War III for your
Playstation 3 collection. Giving depth to a “button masher” is difficult, but Santa Monica Studios has prevailed.
No comments:
Post a Comment