Note: This post was originally written sometime around March, 2011.
Kratos has been many things. A loving husband. A caring father. A fearless general. He has been called the Ghost of Sparta, and he was once the God of War. But there is one thing that has eluded Kratos for years. Peace. And Kratos can not be in peace until he has brought vengeance on those that took everything from him. He can not rest until all his enemies lay dead at his feet.
Now Kratos has returned to Mount Olympus with an army of titans, led by Gaia, to kill it’s lordly gods. His chief target: his father, Zeus, the Master of Sky and Thunder. Upon the mountain waits Kratos’ greatest foes, and , perhaps, an ally, who may lead him to salvation.
The story of the God of War trilogy can only be descried as epic. This saga, focusing on one man’s self-imposed quest for redemption, has risen so far above other video game franchises with the end of God of War II that there was seemingly no way to top it. Well, Sony Santa Monica tried, and they just might have succeeded.
This game picks up mere seconds after the previous game’s end, and it draws players back in fairly quickly. I hadn’t played a God of War game since 2008, and yet I was back on the edge of my seat within minutes of starting a new game. The story starts fast, and never loses momentum, so though it took me around fifteen to twenty hours to finish, it felt more like two or three.
The plot is very satisfying. I remember finishing God of War II with my father, brother, and a family friend looking on, and we all agreed that the only way the next game could top that one was if it was a constant battle against the gods, with multiple god boss fights. God of War III did just that, and more. You even get to fight a couple of titans in this game! And that’s not just a few command-prompts in a cinema, these are actual full-fledged bosses, with grunts attacking you while the big guys try to crush you, and little Kratos rolling all over the screen, just trying to survive!
If there’s one complaint I have about the story, it’s that all the gods treat Kratos as if they haven’t seen him in years, and he betrayed Olympus long ago. In actuality, it’s been only a day since Zeus stripped him of his godhood (yeah, apparently he can just do that) and he killed Athena. Now, that is a reason to be pissed off, but that doesn’t change the fact that it seems like these characters haven’t spoke in forever*. Another complaint I have is I knew how the game ended before I played it, so I wasn’t as surprised at the ending as I might’ve been (though I did call it back when I played the first game, so maybe not). That’s not the game’s fault though, it’s some douche named Luis who I used to have classes with. F’ you, Luis!
*Also, when did Kratos kill Persophene? I don’t remember that. Did it happen in the PSP game or something?
Television, Tea, and Moo Shu Pork 