Great game, tons of fun, long lasting story.
Let's start off by saying, the God of War series is one of the main reasons I went PS3 over XBOX 360. And it delivers in every way! The game play in God of War is hands down the best mix of fun, puzzles, story, and difficulty I have ever played in any action game. It is strategic at times while just plain hack-n-slash at others. Sometimes you can just cut loose and maul down hordes of minions without a second thought to what is going on around you, and other times you have to plan out the fights carefully; blocking or dodging at just the right time, a skill every player needs to develop early on, to take down a single mob. It can be downright exhilarating, and other times very frustrating, but all in all, it's just damn fun.
Let's start out with the story. I played this game blind. It was not what I expect at all. It was fulfilling from the start to the finish. I felt sorry for the protagonist, and at the time I felt like he got what he deserved. I feel the designers did the right things by letting him not forget what had happened, let's face it, what you go through is what makes you what you are in the end. The story delivered at every cut-scene, it was what I was hoping for. It made me want to keep playing, to find out what happens next or to seek vengeance or retribution… I wanted to kill Ares in the end, not for Kratos' sake, but for mine.
The level design was top notch. Every place felt unique and really well thought out. The puzzles were not over difficult to figure out, while still challenging enough to make a player stop and think for a couple. Some of them were annoying; the spike room was surprisingly enraging. I did it perfect each time, just each time I seemed to come up 1-2 seconds short. While this doesn't bother me, and I kept with it until I completed it, it was still blood curdling at times. The sense of accomplishment at the end was worth it, but maybe I shaved off a couple years of my life through the boiling? The game's linear path was well thought out and kept me engaged the entire time. I felt as if I was really doing it. I was in the maze, I was in the water, and I was fighting my way through to the end. Engaging to say the least.
From the cut scenes, to the epic battles, to the awesome score; I wasn't let down at all. The music and effects were brilliant through my speakers. My wife didn't even mind them, which is saying something.
As I said earlier, it wasn't terribly difficult for a noob like me on normal. I found it to be just a matter of learning what happens in a given situation and adapting. The puzzles while taking a moment to read into weren't impossible and sometimes a bit too easy.
I couldn't recommend this game to fans of the genre more. It was awesome, and while I found some of the issues annoying (such as the spike room), they didn't overwhelm me by at means. The game play is as good now as I would assume it was then. The story is excellent and I can imagine only gets better with the next one. I would recommend this game to anyone who likes action style game play, or perhaps wants to get into it but doesn't know which game to get first. Ares boss fight, epic.
I plan on playing this again on Easy for some achievements and then on Hard for the ultimate. I believe this will be the first game I "Platinum" (as they say on the forums). I am excited about playing it again, but I will give myself time to hopefully have it be fresh when I do come back.
Good: Great story; excellent game play, fun puzzles, beautiful environments, terrific boss fights.
Bad: Some puzzles too easy; other puzzles took controller skill perfection to accomplish.
