I personally wouldn't because that makes me (and maybe a few others) seem desperate. Of course, there's a guy who can't get a girl to save his life that would attempt this in hopes that he can become 'COOL'. That comment probably came off a bit harsh, but I try to keep it real.
Review: GOD OF WAR III
LOL @ Package Art Not Final because this was the Final Box Art. I like Kratos, but I think I went a bit overboard with the image. Someone's gonna have nightmares about Kratos' Evil Eye, I know I did for a few nights at least.
Normally when I do reviews I break the title down with four sections; Gameplay, Graphics, Controls, and Fun Factor. Instead, I wanna try out a positive/negative aspect and also a buy/rent and keep/trade-in for value.
Normally when I do reviews I break the title down with four sections; Gameplay, Graphics, Controls, and Fun Factor. Instead, I wanna try out a positive/negative aspect and also a buy/rent and keep/trade-in for value.
Positives
Hot of the heels of the God of War Collection, a lot of hype was given to God of War 3 and deservedly so. If you've played the Collection or you played God of War II when it was released on PlayStation 2, you saw ***SPOILER FROM GOW2: ***
Kratos and the Titans climbing up Mount Olympus wanting to exact revenge
***END SPOILER FROM GOW2***
It literally picks up from that point and in typical GOW fashion, there's a mini tutorial to get players used to the combat if you never played a GOW title, or even to us veterans of the franchise, because some games button layouts (especially in the Hack-N-Slash genre) are the same. Square for weak attacks, triangle for strong for example. Also in typical GOW fashion, you get thrown into an epic fight. This particular fight is pretty good (not an all time great fight), but the Hydra fight in GOW1 hooked a ton of people to God of War (which was an all time great fight).
There's an old saying, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" largely applies to the combat. It's exactly the same as the previous titles, but one wrinkle is that magic (which used to be selected with the directional pad) is now linked to the weapons you collect. The weapons that Kratos uses this time around are similar with the exception of the Cestus, which was unveiled during the E3 Demo. All the weapons have strengths and weaknesses depending on the enemy that you face.
Other gameplay mechanics that were either added or fixed was the Combat Grapple. I was watching the making of video of God of War 3 (something that I've watched after finishing a God of War title to see the reasoning of particular design choices) and the Combat Grapple was something the team wanted to do in part 2. Kratos throws his blades at an enemy and headbutts an enemy, sending them to Neverland (that's a stretch, but the enemy does fly a good distance). The attacks from the blades have been reworked (you still have the Cyclone of Chaos and Tartarus' Rage but the Combat Grapple replace the L1+O attack) and the Golden Fleece has two new animations.
**Side note: When Kratos does these counters he looks like Akira Yuki from Virtua Fighter. If you don't know who Akira is, you can Google Virtua Fighter, but it's not that important for the review.**
Boss fights for the most part are pretty good, one in particular reminds me of a boss in Super Metroid. To say what boss is from both in GOW3 and SM would ruin the suprise. Most of the fights will stay in your mind for a few weeks, others a few months depending how much you struggled or savored the savage beatdowns.
I was talking to one of my homies on PSN about the graphics and I think they look pretty impressive (especially on a standard definition TV). This game was designed to be showcased on a HDTV. The graphics are TOO realistic, if these creatures ACTUALLY EXISTED. The animations are excellent as well, with a few exceptions. One other thing before I get to the negatives is the sound. I can't put it in the negatives because most of the pieces of fit the theme of the game. There's some grunts and the voice acting is good, not Metal Gear Solid 1 good, but it's better than Resident Evil (PlayStation 1 original not the Director's Cut).
Hot of the heels of the God of War Collection, a lot of hype was given to God of War 3 and deservedly so. If you've played the Collection or you played God of War II when it was released on PlayStation 2, you saw ***SPOILER FROM GOW2: ***
Kratos and the Titans climbing up Mount Olympus wanting to exact revenge
***END SPOILER FROM GOW2***
It literally picks up from that point and in typical GOW fashion, there's a mini tutorial to get players used to the combat if you never played a GOW title, or even to us veterans of the franchise, because some games button layouts (especially in the Hack-N-Slash genre) are the same. Square for weak attacks, triangle for strong for example. Also in typical GOW fashion, you get thrown into an epic fight. This particular fight is pretty good (not an all time great fight), but the Hydra fight in GOW1 hooked a ton of people to God of War (which was an all time great fight).
There's an old saying, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" largely applies to the combat. It's exactly the same as the previous titles, but one wrinkle is that magic (which used to be selected with the directional pad) is now linked to the weapons you collect. The weapons that Kratos uses this time around are similar with the exception of the Cestus, which was unveiled during the E3 Demo. All the weapons have strengths and weaknesses depending on the enemy that you face.
Other gameplay mechanics that were either added or fixed was the Combat Grapple. I was watching the making of video of God of War 3 (something that I've watched after finishing a God of War title to see the reasoning of particular design choices) and the Combat Grapple was something the team wanted to do in part 2. Kratos throws his blades at an enemy and headbutts an enemy, sending them to Neverland (that's a stretch, but the enemy does fly a good distance). The attacks from the blades have been reworked (you still have the Cyclone of Chaos and Tartarus' Rage but the Combat Grapple replace the L1+O attack) and the Golden Fleece has two new animations.
**Side note: When Kratos does these counters he looks like Akira Yuki from Virtua Fighter. If you don't know who Akira is, you can Google Virtua Fighter, but it's not that important for the review.**
Boss fights for the most part are pretty good, one in particular reminds me of a boss in Super Metroid. To say what boss is from both in GOW3 and SM would ruin the suprise. Most of the fights will stay in your mind for a few weeks, others a few months depending how much you struggled or savored the savage beatdowns.
I was talking to one of my homies on PSN about the graphics and I think they look pretty impressive (especially on a standard definition TV). This game was designed to be showcased on a HDTV. The graphics are TOO realistic, if these creatures ACTUALLY EXISTED. The animations are excellent as well, with a few exceptions. One other thing before I get to the negatives is the sound. I can't put it in the negatives because most of the pieces of fit the theme of the game. There's some grunts and the voice acting is good, not Metal Gear Solid 1 good, but it's better than Resident Evil (PlayStation 1 original not the Director's Cut).
Negatives
One of my pet peeves about games especially if you buy brand new, is that I better get my money's worth. I don't think that I did. When I bought it from Amazon, I already had $46.25 in Amazon credit (a game trade-in plus buying Bad Company 2 gave me 20 bucks), so in reality I paid the difference between $56.95 and my credit, plus I wanted it day one so tack on 6 bucks shipping. The point that I'm ATTEMPTING to make is if you pay $60 for a game, it better have a New Game+, i.e. the ability to use weapons and abilities earlier than you normally would, or at least some form of multiplayer. God of War 2's NG+ was done well and of course Uncharted 2's single player was among one of the best (I know GOW and UC are two completely different genres, but here me out) UC2's multiplayer is fantastic. Granted I haven't played it since Christmas, it still is a blast to play.
Another complaint is the lack of unlockable costumes after beating the game on higher difficulties. GOW1 & 2 had this feature, but for some idiotic reason (i.e. money-grab as DLC in the future), there's only one costume to get (well okay a second one, IF you pre-ordered the game), but there's no benefits in using the extra costume, unless you played a specialty run for that costume.
The trophies aren't that bad, but one I have issue with is the Hit Man Trophy. I would have made it a silver, but other than that the trophies are fine.
I like some blood and a 'tasteful' gore, but GOW3 for some folks will be annoyed. If FIXED NOISE finds out about GOW3's sex mini game, expect some FAUX outrage. Ripping the eye from a Cyclops was cool in GOW2 (plus you got a costume for ripping 20 out), in GOW3 about a gallon of blood 'squirts' out the 'clops' eye and it becomes a bore, just like fighting Cyclops (if you know HOW to beat them without getting hit). Most of the kills in GOW3 are over the top (I'm not referring to the Sly Stallone movie of the same name), which I enjoy but many people will not.
Two other issues I have were the Magic and the addition and subtraction of some enemies. I mentioned early about how the Magic and weapons were linked, I didn't like the effects of most of the Magic (I almost wrote Mafia). The Claws of (insert non spoilerish name here) were the weakest weapons but it's Magic was useful. Not Army of Hades a.k.a. "OH GOD GET 'EM OFF ME" useful, but it can save you in a crunch. The Magic in GOW3 was uninspiring, with a few exceptions.
The enemies you face-off are diverse, but some enemies I wish they would have included from GOW2. ***I'M GOING GEEK FOR A MOMENT, SO EXCUSE THE TECHNICAL TERMS.***
I miss destroying Beast Lords, especially when they summon Cyclops to do their bidding. Which reminds me, you can ride Cyclops similar to these enemies and do massive damage. I also miss those crazy Berserkers that would be immune (show no effects of damage) to most of your attacks, but I guess a particular enemy replaces them. ***MOMENT OF GEEK OVER.*** I wish certain enemies you faced off appeared more frequently, but when they do appear they're enjoyable. One section near the end of the game will cause frustration, anger, colorful language, controller breaking, television destroying just to name a few things. GOW1 & 2 had a few sections on higher difficulties that induced gamer rage. GOW3 has those moments and these will be burned in my brain until I die or something more ridiculous comes around and replaces it.
If you want me thoughts on the ending, send me a PM on PSN about it. Either voice chat or text doesn't matter to me.
One of my pet peeves about games especially if you buy brand new, is that I better get my money's worth. I don't think that I did. When I bought it from Amazon, I already had $46.25 in Amazon credit (a game trade-in plus buying Bad Company 2 gave me 20 bucks), so in reality I paid the difference between $56.95 and my credit, plus I wanted it day one so tack on 6 bucks shipping. The point that I'm ATTEMPTING to make is if you pay $60 for a game, it better have a New Game+, i.e. the ability to use weapons and abilities earlier than you normally would, or at least some form of multiplayer. God of War 2's NG+ was done well and of course Uncharted 2's single player was among one of the best (I know GOW and UC are two completely different genres, but here me out) UC2's multiplayer is fantastic. Granted I haven't played it since Christmas, it still is a blast to play.
Another complaint is the lack of unlockable costumes after beating the game on higher difficulties. GOW1 & 2 had this feature, but for some idiotic reason (i.e. money-grab as DLC in the future), there's only one costume to get (well okay a second one, IF you pre-ordered the game), but there's no benefits in using the extra costume, unless you played a specialty run for that costume.
The trophies aren't that bad, but one I have issue with is the Hit Man Trophy. I would have made it a silver, but other than that the trophies are fine.
I like some blood and a 'tasteful' gore, but GOW3 for some folks will be annoyed. If FIXED NOISE finds out about GOW3's sex mini game, expect some FAUX outrage. Ripping the eye from a Cyclops was cool in GOW2 (plus you got a costume for ripping 20 out), in GOW3 about a gallon of blood 'squirts' out the 'clops' eye and it becomes a bore, just like fighting Cyclops (if you know HOW to beat them without getting hit). Most of the kills in GOW3 are over the top (I'm not referring to the Sly Stallone movie of the same name), which I enjoy but many people will not.
Two other issues I have were the Magic and the addition and subtraction of some enemies. I mentioned early about how the Magic and weapons were linked, I didn't like the effects of most of the Magic (I almost wrote Mafia). The Claws of (insert non spoilerish name here) were the weakest weapons but it's Magic was useful. Not Army of Hades a.k.a. "OH GOD GET 'EM OFF ME" useful, but it can save you in a crunch. The Magic in GOW3 was uninspiring, with a few exceptions.
The enemies you face-off are diverse, but some enemies I wish they would have included from GOW2. ***I'M GOING GEEK FOR A MOMENT, SO EXCUSE THE TECHNICAL TERMS.***
I miss destroying Beast Lords, especially when they summon Cyclops to do their bidding. Which reminds me, you can ride Cyclops similar to these enemies and do massive damage. I also miss those crazy Berserkers that would be immune (show no effects of damage) to most of your attacks, but I guess a particular enemy replaces them. ***MOMENT OF GEEK OVER.*** I wish certain enemies you faced off appeared more frequently, but when they do appear they're enjoyable. One section near the end of the game will cause frustration, anger, colorful language, controller breaking, television destroying just to name a few things. GOW1 & 2 had a few sections on higher difficulties that induced gamer rage. GOW3 has those moments and these will be burned in my brain until I die or something more ridiculous comes around and replaces it.
If you want me thoughts on the ending, send me a PM on PSN about it. Either voice chat or text doesn't matter to me.
The Verdict
If your a fan of God of War, which I am, but I'm not a fanboy who gets defensive and gives the people in a voice chat room a headache if anyone disagrees with me or completely trashes something that others like, then you've already beaten it and played or is playing a chaos no upgrade run. Others, I recommend that you rent it (especially if you're a trophy whore). In terms of keep or trade-in, depends on whether your a fan of the franchise.
FOR FANS: BUY/KEEP because of the DLC possibility
NON FANS: RENT IT from GameFly/Blockbuster/Movie Gallery
TRADE IN VALUE: From Amazon as of March 30 2:43 PM Central Standard Time: $32.50.
FINAL SCORE: 9.0. While not the best in the franchise, it is certainly a must play for anyone who has a PS3, a fan of the franchise, or played Dante's Inferno.
ONE LAST POINT: One thing I commend Sony Santa Monica for doing is NO MANDATORY INSTALL for GOW3 and the fact that they did it with a Dual-Layer Blu-Ray Disc. The downside is no skippable cutscenes. This is annoying for specialty runs and if you die a lot, but again NO INSTALL, so I can forgive them.
Kennedy (I mean Mr. Anderson) signing off. Check in tomorrow as I review Bad Company 2 and 'HOPEFULLY' the new map packs. Speaking of BC2, I'm gonna hop on and kill me some people. PEACE!!!
If your a fan of God of War, which I am, but I'm not a fanboy who gets defensive and gives the people in a voice chat room a headache if anyone disagrees with me or completely trashes something that others like, then you've already beaten it and played or is playing a chaos no upgrade run. Others, I recommend that you rent it (especially if you're a trophy whore). In terms of keep or trade-in, depends on whether your a fan of the franchise.
FOR FANS: BUY/KEEP because of the DLC possibility
NON FANS: RENT IT from GameFly/Blockbuster/Movie Gallery
TRADE IN VALUE: From Amazon as of March 30 2:43 PM Central Standard Time: $32.50.
FINAL SCORE: 9.0. While not the best in the franchise, it is certainly a must play for anyone who has a PS3, a fan of the franchise, or played Dante's Inferno.
ONE LAST POINT: One thing I commend Sony Santa Monica for doing is NO MANDATORY INSTALL for GOW3 and the fact that they did it with a Dual-Layer Blu-Ray Disc. The downside is no skippable cutscenes. This is annoying for specialty runs and if you die a lot, but again NO INSTALL, so I can forgive them.
Kennedy (I mean Mr. Anderson) signing off. Check in tomorrow as I review Bad Company 2 and 'HOPEFULLY' the new map packs. Speaking of BC2, I'm gonna hop on and kill me some people. PEACE!!!
