God of War III

'God Of War III (2010)' picks up directly where it's predecessor left off and sees Kratos continue his quest to kill... well, everything in Olympus. I mean, this guy literally kills everyone. He's an angry, vicious warrior capable of tearing off a head with his bare hands. Jumping to the PS3 doesn't just allow the title to look and feel better, it also allows it to double down on its gore. Of course, violence is - and has always been - a part of the franchise. Here, though, you can actually feel it, especially when the game puts you in the POV of one of Kratos' victims. This entry is really where the storytelling starts to do some bold things with character. Essentially, Kratos is a villain. While you're playing, you're constantly wishing he would stop his quest for revenge. However, the only way that could happen is if you stopped playing and the thing is just too darn good to do that. The narrative goes out of its way to portray the negative consequences of violence - and vengeance, in particular - which begins to elevate it from pure hack 'n' slash entertainment. It does get caught on some of its own trappings, though. It kind of escalates the franchises' prior poor treatment of women and feels icky whenever it does. This is a small issue but it does have an impact. The gameplay, once again, consists of combat and puzzles. Both feel more refined than before, essentially the same but tweaked just enough to feel distinct. Your abilities build throughout the title - after an obligatory 'reset', of course - and it's very satsfying to master new techniques. The enemies provide a decent challenge and the bosses are all distinct. The end-game, in particular, is epic. A lot of the title is, though, as you clamber up walking mountains and defeat foes even larger than that. It's brilliant. It also has a tragic feel to it, bolstered by a ballsy and unexpected ending. The relentless killing of its gameplay mirrors the 'train wreck in slow motion' nature of its story, each justifying the other. It's a holistic, impressive and enjoyable affair throughout. 10/10

I remember the day I bought this, I don't remember why I wanted it, just that I needed something new, and it definitely was something new and worth while. This was the first game in the series that I played, it was relatively easy to learn and get used to. From there on in it was the most exhilarating and grand game I have ever played. It got to the point where I was obsessed with it, I couldn't get enough. I ended up buying it twice, just to get the collectors edition, it was worth it for the art book. The first two games weren't as good in my opinion, and ascension was fairly good.

The Game: The first thing you will notice is the impressive graphics engine. The scale of this game is the best and biggest I have ever seen, nothing can compare to it. The game play was very easy on normal difficulty, hard difficulty makes you a little more cautious of offencive style game play. I have played through the story twice. I also enjoyed loading an old save just to fight the boss's again. The Poseidon boss was a great way to open a game. The hades boss had a lot of cool combat moves, such as when hades tries to take your soul or when you lodge your blades into his head and bash his face into the ceiling, it was great. The real boss that stands out is the Cronos battle, it is the grandest moment of the game, it is a testament to the graphics engine. Of course there is the usual sex mini game, this time with Aphrodite, it shows how life like video game characters can look. Let me tell you the character models from Kratos to the chimera or the titans, is visually impressive and realistic. Overall the presentation is as high quality as it gets, maybe not on par with Uncharted, but still great.

The game play: The combat feels and looks the best out of the base games in the franchise. The blades of exile will be your best friends throughout the game, the rest have little purpose other than variety. The animations on the monsters are incredible. I would look forward to every time I could see the Cerberus or chimera. This may very well be the most bloody and graphic video game ever made. Organs are spilled in great detail, eyes are ripped from Cyclops's heads. Legs are severed and heads are ripped screaming from bodies. The quick time events on the mini boss's are always great to see. The chimera takes the most punishment, he has three forms. The first one you cut off his tail, the second you stab and rip his eyes out, and the last you break his horn off and ram it through his skull. It holds nothing back.

This is by far my favourite game on the ps3, and will remain there since this console generation is starting to close up. Highly recommended.

My only serious complaint was that it was almost too manly, and my PS3 leaked testosterone every time I played for more than a few hours at a time. Aside from that, the story is interesting, the puzzles were fun despite being easier than those of GOW2, the combat was solid (despite rage of the titans being completely useless), the boss battles were epic and boner inducing, and the environment and character design were straight up eye candy. Kratos is probably the best character you can't relate to. He's such a kill happy douche that you can't really feel sorry for him, and at times i feel like I'm playing as the villain. He's such a badass though that it's forgivable :)

The latest issue of the Official PlayStation Magazine is in, and it's got the first review of God of War 3, giving Kratos' third outing a 9/10.

Is it better than the recent rip-off (but pretty bloody good) Dante's Inferno? Yes, says the review in issue 43 of OPM, and it even destroys the first two GoW games too.

"They fall a long way short of the series' long-awaited PS3 debut. Like, a really, really long way - this is on a scale PS3 has never known. It makes not only its predecessors seem small, but the competition too. Darksiders and even the very decent Dante's Inferno have nothing to compare with Kratos' almighty comeback," it reads.

So why a 9 and not a 10? "The game is inches from scoring 10/10, and it's only the familiarity of the core gameplay (standing on the shoulders of giants) that makes it feel less than the very, very best. But it's definitely the biggest, and if this is the finale (and the corpses littering the stage by the end of the game suggest it might be), then God Of War III gives PlayStation's toughest hero the send-off he deserves," says the review.

Pros:

• Kratos is a BADASS
• Great fast-paced Gameplay
• Great graphics
• Creative level designs
• Amazing boss fights

Cons:

• Story is kinda light (but who gives an f)
• Extreme cinematic zoom-outs in levels can be abit annoying

Verdict: While playing this game feels awesome and satisfyingly brutal and gory. Filled with colossal levels and larger than life boss fights, this game is a must play.

8.5/10.