God of War III - PS3

Had the story of God of War III been conceived at another time, it's quite possible that the Epic of Kratos the Spartan would have been told around campfires and in feast halls whenever men of action required an inspirational story or an ideal warrior with whom to compare themselves.

So hush! The story teller is standing to recount the final chapter in the Epic of Kratos. Will this mortal man be capable of taking down the ruling Gods and overthrowing the power of Olympus? Will he finally have his vengeance? Will he manage to redeem himself for the death of his family?

As in the other games in the series, you control Kratos, wield deadly weapons and collect powerful artifacts on your quest of vengeance. The game begins as GoWII ended, with Kratos and the Titans assaulting Mount Olympus as the few remaining Gods that Kratos hasn't killed earlier look on in shock. You must fight off the warriors of Olympus that swarm over the Titan Gaia as she climbs the mountain towards Zeus.

It is during these initial scenes of God of War III that the player is first introduced to - nay, assaulted by - the absolutely amazing scale of the game and the immense size of the Titans. Kratos fights huge creatures on the smallest of areas on Gaia's arm. When she is attacked by the leviathan, Gaia is almost pulled from the face of the mountain and the camera pulls back from Kratos' battle to show the struggle she goes through. This is seamless and smooth and not a cinematic, as the camera returns to show Kratos you realise that you were still controlling him during the interlude.

It is this scale of action and setting that makes GoWIII special. The other games in the series have similar sequences, but they were pre-recorded cinematic movies. Here the game engine enables the very terrain you are fighting over to move as part of an enormous creature that is climbing an immense mountain.The movements of the Titan will affect the landscape, flat plains become towering cliffs or precipitous overhangs at the whim of the living creature you're fighting upon.

However, none of this scale would be of any use if it weren't for the solid and enjoyable game that underpins the impressive visuals. If you've played any of the previous GoW games, even the PSP's Chains of Olympus, you will be familiar with the way this version plays.

Kratos' signature weapons: chain blades, return and most of the abilities and special attacks that you will be used to from GoWII are available to you at the start of the game. However, as in the second game, you are quickly stripped of your enhanced abilities and must level up your blades by collecting red orbs from smashed furniture and defeated foes.

Now, raise your Sixaxis and honour Kratos! more