Today, I realized that I'm excited for God of War III. Heck, I'm excited as hell. What I don't know is why. 
 
See, God of War: Chains of Olympus, my introduction to the series, was an absolute joy to play. The combat was simple yet immensely satisfying; the boss fights were spectacular; the story somehow managed to use Greek mythology in ways more epic than actual Greek mythology; the graphics were incredible, both technically and artistically; and the controls were perfect. It was a bit on the short side, but I've replayed it several times and could certainly see myself going back to it again. 
 
My second and as of this time latest visit to the God of War games' brutal world, God of War II, wasn't nearly as enjoyable. The graphics were, at moments, stunning but for the most part they looked gray and lifeless. The combat wasn't as good as I had hoped either; the secondary weapons were practically useless, forcing me to play through the entire game with the Blades of Athena(which, granted, are awesome, but the Gauntlet of Zeus was just so good), and the dodging mechanic felt really wonky now that I had to do it with the right analogue stick. The sequences that deviated from the core gameplay -- namely the pegasus riding and the part where you had to protect the scholar -- suffered from poor design, as did most of the game's boss fights. Then there was the story... suffice to say it almost approached Gears of War 2's in terms of stupidity.
 
While I haven't actually played God of War III's demo, what I've seen and heard has given me the impression that the game will be a lot closer to God of War II than Chains of Olympus in terms of design philosophy; and yet, I'm so goddamn excited. I just can't understand why. 
Is it the mouth-wateringly delicious Ultimate Trilogy Edition, the one that comes with the God of War Collection, exclusive gameplay content, skins and behind-the-scenes videos, the series' excellent soundtrack, a heavy metal homage to the series' excellent soundtrack, an artbook and some postcards, all neatly packed in an absolutely gorgeous replica of Pandora's Box? Maybe. Is it the fact that the soon-to-be-released Bayonetta -- which I suspect, no, make that expect, will surpass anything and everything in the genre -- and Dante's Inferno have revitalized my interest in the genre? Maybe. Is it that I, somewhere deep inside of me, have a suspicion that God of War III will completely blow away not only its predecessor, but also better games like Chains of Olympus and Devil May Cry 4(I can understand why people dislike DMC4, but there are few action games I've enjoyed as much)? Maybe. 
 
The only thing I know for certain is that I'm excited, and that I plan to pre-order the Ultimate Trilogy Edition as soon as possible.
 
So, what about you? Are you excited for God of War III? Why, or why not? Do you, like me, not really know why you are or aren't excited, or do you know exactly why your level of hype is the way it is?

I was usually always excited for the God of War games since, well I had played and loved both predecessors in the franchise. But funnily enough it was the interview in G4TV (the last place you look eh?) that really just made me go "Dude, what?! I am SO playing this game!!". The key parts that stuck out were:

• the titans you were fighting on were actual AI instead of just normal scripted fighting arenas so the field can change from a normal battle field to a wall to a ceiling (skeptical but sounds really awesome)
•  the new Cestus weapons which I can't wait to get my hands on, since I never played Chains of Olympus, where you can chain combos with the blades so you can mix em up if you please
• and that you can ride the beasts by which doing so will cause some crazy carnage.

• the titans you were fighting on were actual AI instead of just normal scripted fighting arenas so the field can change from a normal battle field to a wall to a ceiling (skeptical but sounds really awesome)

I've gotten my hands of the demo now -- a dude at the game's Gamespot board had a spare that he was kind enough to hand out -- and it only served to reinforce my excitement. The core gameplay is even better than in the previous God of Wars, the scale of what's going on is amazing, and the game looks stunning. David Jaffe was right; at points, the game really does look like a painting come alive. Incredible. And that was just an early build... the demo is what, seven months old now? I can't even begin to imagine how good the final build is going to look. 
 
I think I know why I'm excited now: While I love more complex action games like Bayonetta and Devil May Cry, there are times I just want to sit back, mash some buttons and watch spectacular things happen on the screen, and no games that do that experience quite as well as the God of War games. God of War III's release is perfectly timed; after playing Bayonetta(can't wait for the game's European release on Friday) to the point where I'm completely burnt out, it's gonna feel great to play something a little bit slower, simpler and more testosterone-filled. I'm looking forward to March.

GoWIII will be Epic.. Enough said =)

pretty simple really..
 
gow 1 was a good game
gow 2 was a good game
 
gow 3 is likely to be a good game following that logic and not only that but it's revamped for the current gen instead of previous gen.
 
problem solved.

GoW was good but GoW2 took that formal and made it look good and play better I have to say I disagree with you about GoW2 I thought it was the best of the bunch so far (Until 3)

Here is what keeps me up at night, I loved god of war 1 and 2 but i just cant seem to muster any excitement for god of war 3? maybe the formula has just worn off on me?

It's pretty baffling to me that you liked Chains of Olympus but not GoW 2, given that the latter is a far better game in every possible way.

I really like God Of War 2 (love CoO and the original too) and the way the plot is shaping up, there's absolutely no way III can be anything less than unbelievable.
 
I'm so stoked.

"It's pretty baffling to me that you liked Chains of Olympus but not GoW 2, given that the latter is a far better game in every possible way."

i cant wait fow gow3, but i kinda doubt its gonna be better than gow2,cause gow2 did almost everything perfectly!