God of Bore 3
The opening sequence of God Of War 3 really sets the scene for the most visually stunning and techically astounding game of this generation. Sadly however this is the only area in the game of such scale and genuine innovation as the game quickly falls into the same formula of it's predecessors, which was fine for two incredibly polished and hardware pushing PS2 title but for the third time round on some much more powerful hardware, one can't help but feel a little dissapointed at what the game actually manages to achieve.
The graphics are easily some of the best on the system but ultimately the gameplay has become so tired and familiar at this point that it just doesn't seem to be enough to push you through the game, having said that if you are new to the series there is a great combat engine beneath that glorious coat of paint but even after 8 hours you are still likely to see the holes within.
Whilst God of War 2's traditional "bigger and badder" approach was much appluaded on the PS2, you can't help but feel that this game could have and should have been something more than just a by the numbers sequel. Everything about the gameplay outside of the combat just feels tired and done better elsewhere. The phenomenal presentation and camera angles of Uncharted 2 showed that the divide between video games and Hollywood style cinematics can be nearly closed completely and yet this game somehow manages to make it's transiations and camera angles seem extremely mechanical and at times quite problematic.
If the trial and error nature of the games many puzzles doesn't frustrate you, then the switchy and at times unresponsive controls likely will, many a time the second press of the X button would result in Kratos falling to his death rather than initiating a double jump. Worth mentioning however is that the controls only ever come into contention as an issue during the platforming sequence and the combat is as tight and responsive as ever.
New to the series are several "Kratos falls down a long hole sequence" in which the game gives you control of it's protagonist with some somewhat questionably inverted "flight" controls... newsflash : Kratos is not a plane. These sequences are splendid to look at but ultimately frustrate more than anything else.
God of War 3 has become a critics favourite and for the life of me (outside of it's visuals) I cannot understand why, if you loved the series because of it's violent combat and great graphics then dive on in, the water is just as you remembered it. However if you are looking for a new and innovative entry to the series, I suggest you wait until God of War 4... and yes you know it's coming.
