God of War III Hands-On Preview for PlayStation 3 (PS3)

System: PS3	Review Rating Legend
Dev: SONY Santa Monica	1.0 - 1.9 = Avoid	4.0 - 4.4 = Great
Pub: SONY	2.0 - 2.4 = Poor	4.5 - 4.9 = Must Buy
Release: Mar. 16, 2010	2.5 - 2.9 = Average	5.0 = The Best
Players: 1	3.0 - 3.4 = Fair
ESRB Rating: Mature	3.5 - 3.9 = Good

There’s also some Icarus-style gameplay. Wearing the Icarus wings, Kratos jumps into a whirlwind that shoots you up into a tunnel. Here, all you have to do is avoid the obstacles and get through all the way to the other side. There will also be some flight sequences in the game, like the Pegasus portions in God of War II. QTE prompts will be present as well, though this time around each button prompt is displayed on a different side of the screen, serving as a reminder of where the button is located, which might be very helpful for those less familiar with the PS3 controller.

God of War III screenshot

Although the gameplay remains seemingly unchanged, there’s a lot more than meets the eye to this new God of War. In combat, you’ll have to use different strategies against the enemies and perform different combos, magic, and secondary attacks. The developers also promise a nice blend of puzzles, platforming, boss fights, etc. They also mentioned climbing on titans is big in the game, and they’re still trying to decide if veteran players get to keep their badass abilities obtained in God of War II, although it seems like it might handicap newcomers if things are too complex right off the bat, so it’s still an ongoing debate for the team.

God of War III will mark the end of the God of War trilogy. The devs all agree in that the series needs closure, and they’d be happy to move on to the next thing. Of course, if Sony were to force them to make another one, whether it’s a prequel or whatever it may be, they would have to do it, but there are no plans whatsoever (as of right now) to make a new God of War. The game is now about 75% complete, and they plan to release it in March of 2010. It’s quite a while, but with games like Prototype and inFAMOUS, I think we’ll survive. On another note, there’s no word about a new PSP version of God of War, but since there’s money to be made, it’s definitely a possibility. Keep your fingers crossed!

By Maria Montoro
CCC Site Director

Game Features:

The award-winning development team leverages the processing power and technology of PlayStation 3 system to make God of War III one of the most-graphically advanced next gen titles available, with even the dramatic cut screens running off the in-game engine.

Kratos will explore areas up to 4 times larger than those found in God of War II, as well as carve through entire armies while navigating on the back of Titans - living, moving, breathing levels as tall as the Empire State Building.

Players will battle in detailed and unique 3D worlds lit by thousands of dynamic lights and textures with quadruple the resolution, which allows for realistic muscle striations, detailed facial expressions, and new heightened levels of brutality and gore.

Brutal combat, intricate puzzles, exploration of awe-inspiring worlds, and a compelling and satisfying ending to Kratos’ epic story.

The God of War III storyline is the epic conclusion to the trilogy; the storyline will be told in a way that is true to traditionalist roots in Greek mythology, from moral consequences to brutal battles against the Gods.

Several of the menacing creatures of Greek mythology in God of War III can now be manipulated against their will, as Kratos uses them to cross chasms, inflict blind rage against enemies, reveal puzzles and secrets, and as tools of complete annihilation.

New deadly weapons such as the Cestus -- powerful metal gauntlets with devastating strength -- and other brutal instruments of war that will allow Kratos to learn ruthless new techniques such as grappling with enemies and launching explosive wall-to-ground attacks.

The dynamic lighting solution employed in GOW III is only feasible through the computing power provided by the Cell SPUs. For example, using the High Dynamic Range Lighting (HDRL) technology, the camera – when using Krato’s sightline - will emulate the human retina, causing players to feel a sharp brightness when Kratos exits a dark area and enters a sunlit area, similar to how the human eye would need to adjust.