Review – God of War 3
Here it is. What should have been a launch title for the PS3 in some form is now upon us. Though, what made the first three so special besides the great combat, was the epic set pieces. Yes, the PSP still did a good job with that. Naturally, I wouldn’t review this and instead just post some quick impressions telling you to get it immediatley. But honestly, God of War 3 didn’t turn out like I thought it would.
I thought the E3 demo was garbage. It just looked like a pixelated mess. Considering PS3 games aren’t required to have some sort of Anti-Aliasing, I figured it just went that route. Uncharted 2 did a good job with the AA, Killzone 2, not so much. But fortunatley, the final, full-retail product, looked a smooth as can be. This, coupled with amazing graphical effects that give a sense of depth and scope, I will probably crown this as best looking console game (Crysis still owns them all). There is a neat focus effect depending on the foreground/background that help you get into the game, or just down-right make this feel like a movie.
And that goes hand-in-hand with the set pieces. The action sequence in this game is unbelievable. It pulls you in, gives you freedom of gameplay, but also varies that gameplay according to what actions are present. Again, it’s amazing. But then, the rest of the game happens. From here, it’s not as epic. Maybe a reel-in tactic? Whatever the case may be, the rest is a let-down. Now, there are a couple more sequences that are of epic proportions as well, but it being a small fraction of the game, doesn’t help the game be the ultimate experience. There is moreof an emphasis on many enemies and using your power to destroy them. The most powerful attacks are really all you need. I got to a point where all I did was press triangle to attack, because it was so powerful I didn’t need anything else. Though there still are a few instances where you’ll come across some down-right dirty enemies, requiring strategic dodging and countering. But there’s not enough. I even finished the game with all treasures found and all weapons upgraded. Because of this I really have no need to play again. Also, these epic set pieces seem to be a one-time thing. Once you know how it goes down and when you need to press a button, it’s just Heavy Rain set in Greek Mythology.
There were some control issues that were actually common knowledge, so it wasn’t just me. I vaguely remember this from GoW2, and other people on the net have confirmed this with the GoW Collection. When double-jumping, sometimes the game will register it wrong and you will be shot straight down to your death. I died more this way than from enemies. It’s pretty sick. With all the complaints I’m seeing, I’m surprised this is still a apart of the game. In short, GoW doesn’t do real double-jumping like every other game.
Conclusion: If you’re on the fence, just hold off. Even as a GoW fan you might not be happy with a $60 purchase. It’s just not as epic as the others, and when not awing you with epic sequences, the fighting is very basic. Even with new weapons and magic, everything can be maxed during the first play-through. For instance, I recognize how much more epic GoW is compared to Dante’s Inferno, yet, I had the drive to go through DI four times. Rent if you’re not working on a backlog, otherwise, save it for the summer drought…if that even occurs this year. But remember this: The game is not bad. It’s just that it feels like it could have been put out a few years ago, and the focus here became epic sequences rather than awesome combat.
