Review by: Mitch Dyer

Certain Sony franchises have a bizarre tradition of making incremental improvements over their predecessors while remaining fundamentally identical. The Ratchet & Clank, Gran Turismo, Yakuza and SOCOM games all seem to replicate themselves in a way that feels specifically tailored to their hardcore fan base. God of War is no exception. God of War III is, at its core, exactly what you want out of the next God of War. It’s functionally the same in all the right ways, although its improvements and new ideas let the game truly excel.

The most prominent theme throughout God of War III is perspective. As is series tradition, cinematic camera angles offer an interesting look at each encounter while subtly pointing you in the right direction. However, it goes beyond a cleverly placed point of view. The game tests your perception of the world, forcing you to look at environments in specific ways to solve its clever, satisfying puzzles. In certain combat segments, you’ll see what it looks like to be brutally, bare-handedly murdered by Kratos, the series’ Spartan anti-hero.

Most importantly, God of War III challenges your perception of Kratos, calling his character into question. Shockingly enough, the emotional weight of Kratos’ actions is effective beyond its function as a plot device. Part of this stems from the voice over performances. Rip Torn, whose representation of Hephaestus is outstanding, conveys a genuine sense of regret, torment and loneliness. Similarly impressive is Kevin Sorbo’s Hercules – seriously. (The writing around him is memorable and the guy did a great job). The vast majority of the voice acting is excellent. You know, beyond Kratos screaming a God’s name in anger. This lends more believability than it has in the past, and offers deeper insight into what really matters to the scorned Spartan: Murdering the Gods regardless of consequence.

Kratos’ vengeful path to atonement, fueled by white-hot rage toward the Olympian Pantheon, comes to a head and climaxes immediately. The introduction is explosive, pitting you against a gargantuan Poseidon. Taking him down requires completing obligatory quick time events between kickass combos, and the result, while unforgettably thrilling, is merely a stage-setting sample of things to come. The half-hour fight also gives you a great impression of the humongous sense of scale in God of War III – you feel like a miniscule part of the world as the camera zooms out, showing that you’re a mere spec walking on the back of the titan Gaia.

A few hours later, in the infamous Pit of Tartarus, that feeling of insignificance is completely trounced by one of the most memorable and exciting fight sequences I’ve ever experienced. By comparison, Shadow of the Colossus is puny. Each brawl against the Greek Gods (et al) is creative beyond the predictable patterns that plague most other action games; the boss battles in God of War III are unrivaled in any genre, full stop. Cool touches give the standoffs their own personality as well. One particular standout throws you into a pitch-black cavern against a foe whose purple blades illuminate the walls alongside the red glow of your swords. Another shifts into a profile view, presented like a fighting game. We’ve seen similar ideas in earlier iterations, but everything is executed so expertly here that it’s hard to imagine how these segments could have possibly been better.