God of War III, finest gaming experience till date

For : The most cinematic battles in the history of gaming. Is the best looking game on the planet. Terrific production values. Intense boss battles. Pretty much the best action game ever made.

Against : A bit of backtracking. Feels a bit slow paced in the middle.

In the lead-up to God of War III, various questions and doubts would have come up fans’ minds. Would the game live up to the hype? What insane stuff would this game bring to the table that we haven’t already seen? Then you boot up the first level that will not only blow your mind, your jaw and your jewels away, but will make you realize that this, right here, is what gaming is all about.

In its first hour, God of War III puts more ‘awe’ in awesome than any game in the history of gaming. Yes, that’s a bold statement to make, but no form of media has even come close in eliciting such raw emotion. It leaves no stone unturned in making sure you don’t leave your couch even if your entire house is burning down around you. After the first level, you’ll probably have to put the controller down just to soak in some of the stuff you experienced minutes ago. The reason for gushing over this game like a ten year-old girl is because GoW III can make you feel like an over excited child, who’s thrilled to bits with his/her new toy. And if a game can make a 28 year-old man feel like that, it’s pretty much achieved what it set out to do.

The God of War series has always been appreciated for its powerful plot, and this game is no different. You step into the boots of Kratos once again as he strives to take down Zeus (the King of Gods) and the rest of Mount Olympus. The game takes place immediately after the events of GoW II, which means you’ll start off the game with all the powers from the second game, like the Wings of Icarus, the Golden Fleece etc. You’ll also rather violently obtain various powers and weapons throughout the course of the game that can be upgraded via red orbs dropped by enemies or picked up from crates.

You’ll amass four weapons throughout the game, each best suitable for certain types of enemies. Mix this up with a healthy dose of magic and the ability to juggle between weapons with a touch of a button, and you’re looking at pulling off some insane combos. Quick-time events, something this series pioneered, are a lot more forgiving this time around, which means you’ll have little more than a split second to press the prompts on-screen. Even if you do mess up, don’t worry; it won’t mean immediate death.

Besides tearing Greek mythology a new one, you’ll spend a fair amount of time completing puzzles and platforming. There are definitely fewer puzzles in this game, and most of them are tied to lever and crate-pushing. Still, it’s a pleasant respite from all the stabbing and maiming. Platforming could have been a real problem with the uncontrollable camera, but the programmers at Santa Monica are thankfully really good at their jobs, so it’s rarely an issue.

The GoW series has always been well known for gigantic over-the-top boss fights, and this game takes that ideology, throws it out of the window and dishes out stuff you’ve probably only dreamed of or witnessed in CG. We would really love to talk about some of the boss battles in this game, but you’d much rather discover them for yourself and then proceed to soil your pants much like we did. Nothing, be it videos or screenshots, can mentally prepare you for this game’s boss encounters. As colossal as some of the bosses are in this game, they are still no match for Kratos’ rage, and they all proceed to
get destroyed in some of the most violent and cringe-worthy ways we’ve seen in a game.

As far as presentation is concerned, there’s no game that even comes close to GoW III. If there was any game made to display the graphical prowess of the PlayStation 3, this is it. We loved Uncharted 2 to death, but this game pretty much upped that in every way possible. Character design is flawless and you will be shell-shocked by the amount of detail poured into pivotal characters. Level design is phenomenal, animations are top notch, and creature design is brilliant. Special mention has to be made of the game’s lighting engine that is, once again, pretty much the best in the business. We probably sound like love-struck teens, but we firmly believe in giving the devil his due, and this game deserves it by the truckload.

If we had to sit and nitpick about things we didn’t like, it would have to be the way the game makes you backtrack to older levels, albeit with different powers and weapons. Also, the game feels a bit slow-paced in the middle. Maybe that’s because the game opens with such a bang. Either way, these are minor niggles that don’t detract from the grand experience in the slightest bit.

If you haven’t figured it out by now, God of War III is epic in every sense of the word. It excels in every department, be it visuals, audio, combat, or story. Yes, it’s still a linear game, and yes, there’s no “multi-player”, but you won’t care about any of that once you’ve completed the game. In fact, you may just take a slight sabbatical from gaming, because no other game will come close to offering such an experience for years to come.

Genre-Action