God Of War 3 Review - The Unfortunate Experience

Poor Helios. If Only He Pressed The Diplomacy Button During The Quick time Event He'd Still Have His Head Attached.

 

Santa Monica Studios' God Of War 3 was released earlier this year amidst, arguably, one of the best video game line-ups in the history of our gaming culture. Unfortunately, when those precious "game of the year" awards are doles out via major gaming media outlets -- God Of War 3 deserves to be overlooked. Though the technical achievements are plentiful, the experience far out-weighed the game. And due to the current state of gaming, this God Of War experience may not be a negative one, but it was for me. If God Of War 3 signifies a grand evolution in the fidelity of gaming then I have to ask: what are games evolving into?

Make no mistake, Sony's prized pig of a franchise bears a high degree of visual quality. The cut scenes are well executed, and yes even I can't believe I'm applauding an aspect of games that typically pulls players out of the game. Most of the cut scenes are shown in-game and those that aren't have such a rich and smooth presentation; this puts an obvious rubber stamp on validating the player's progress -- well that and Kratos' incessant yelling.

Protip: Everything Is Stabbable In God Of War 3. Touting Some Of The Best Weapon Balance In Any God Of War You'll Be Stabbing Griffin's Until The Cerebuses Come Home!

 

The voice acting boasts some of the best theater and voice-over actors in the business [with the exception of Hercules whose voiced by Kevin Sorbo]. Having talent like Linda Hung, Rip Torn, Malcolm McDowell and, of course, the voice of Kratos, Living Single's very own, T. C. Carson.

The sights and sounds of God Of War 3 are what make it a superficially recommendable game. "Did you like the other God Of War games? Would you like a bigger, prettier and more drawn out version?" I use the term "game" loosely, because there are still aspects of this God Of War experience that persistently annoy since the first installment. However, in this iteration the problems are more pronounced. The difficulty balance ranges from hand holding-ly easy and cartoony combat to facing a boss that could kill you within three hits. Odd error considering, on a very basic level, the combat is very accessible in regards to being purely offensive. Pressing square and triangle while button mashing your way to a bloody victory has never felt smoother.

The Biggest Compliment I Could Give GOW3 Is With As Many Moving Parts And Plenty Of Chef's In The Kitchen, The Game Maintains Its Larger Than Life Appeal.

The oft cumbersome and accepted trademark of God Of War 3's quick time events have been made less obtrusive. The player is now allowed to see their video game play out like oh so many big budget science fiction scenes. You can breath easy knowing the character development of Kratos illogically changes from a raging murdering psychopath to a caring father-figure for no reason whatsoever. Making your journey through the various death rooms feel even more worthless, the ending hints at Kratos' story possibly continuing. In true Hollywood format, we can never let a franchise die -- there is just too much money that could be made.

Like many games of this era, God Of War 3 lends itself well to the catch phrase "a cinematic experience" rather than a great video game. From tedious puzzles to one of the most inconsistent plat-forming mechanics, the gaming elements can make the player feel like an accidental hero much less than a god. Example: jumping from one platform to the next may require Kratos to use the double jump mechanic where his Icarus wings would allow him to glide to land. What happens is a result of programming an invisible barrier between the two pieces of land. If Kratos' feet past pass this barrier your double jump is canceled. A small nitpicky element, but after you've jumped to your doom unprovoked eight or nine times...it sticks with you.

Protip; If Your PS3 Phat Model Overheats At The Title Screen. Don't Fret, Go Out And Get A PS3 Slim. A Sony Sales Rep Told Me That.

Judging by the rave reviews on Metacritic and the sales, we can [hopefully] expect to see more games emphasize a polished grand experience. I guess it makes sense. Looking at God Of War 3 and a game like Bayonetta [which I admit I had more fun with] it's clear the crafting of the big picture of God Of War took more precedence. A smaller title like Bayonetta can focus on the nuanced elements of what makes yet another game staring "sexy avatar A" stand out. This explains why Bayonetta's combat showed more experimental variety and why God Of War 3's combat was merely an improvement on an old concept [a great concept by the by].

Much like how the plotting action slows to a halt in God Of War 3, this could be parodied with the direction of the franchise. You can only keep this aimless rage-filled wave of momentum going for so long. Eventually the gaming audience will tire of Kratos' yelling at Mount Olympus for answers. When you take the fun out of a game like God Of War 3 to compromise the size and scope of the story; you are left with a game without the soul it started with. God Of War 3 reaches in so many directions and is forcing 3D games of its ilk to evolve. Its a shame the game is so one-dimensional.

I Give God Of War 3

Because Let's Be Honest, The Game Is Just Plain 'Good Enough'.

The "Stuart Smalley" Award