Post by Bytor on Dec 4, 2010 11:30:40 GMT -5
-Visuals- 9.5/10
To say the visuals are not at times awe inspiring is to do the game an injustice. This is, also, my biggest complaint about the graphics, while at times the scope is awesome, as in the Titans, at other times it seems to make Kratos so small as to , at least to me, seem insignificant. This is not a huge detraction but I felt that it did take away from the overall aspect of Kratos power and strength, I know it's nit picky but still it is the feeling I got. The rendering of some, not even most, just some, of the various entities was also not up to the standard of others. For instance, I found Hermes to be delightful but Hera to simply look awful, of course she was quite drunk, lol. The backgrounds and scenery are also extremely well done, the various dungeons and especially the palaces were great contrasts in lighting and color usage. No doubt overall one of the best games out visually for the PS3.
-Sound- 9.0/10
The battle sounds were wonderful. Kratos as always sounds as if he's ready any minute to explode with rage, wait...he is, lol. The soundtrack itself is also well done, not great, but more than adequate. The only issue is some of the voice overs aren't as strong as they could have been (Aphrodite should have been more sensuous sounding for instance). But still, overall an excellent job.
-Gameplay- 9.5/10
With a couple of notable, and wonderful exceptions the gameplay is identical to the first two installments. So, I'm not going to delve into too much detail as to what is essentially the same. Push a certain button for a certain attack/block/movement or any combination of two or three for more complex actions. What is changed is now not only do you have various weapons, which for a change actually will provide different results (I loved the Cestus) but switching is remarkably simple (use the d-pad) and you can even switch in mid battle, which I did often simply for the fun and challenge. Each weapon also has it's own associated "magic power" and these are also great ways to fight and control the battles. The boss battles are as par of GOW games, epic and tons of fun, being challenging without being overly complicated, although as per my usual a couple of them did get on my nerves in the sense that you were required to attack in a certain way in order to actually accomplish anything, I guess I simply prefer a more free form battle system in action games, I'm fine with required techniques in RPG's though, weird huh.
-Story- 9.0/10
The continuing story of Kratos, the average guy who gets mad at the Gods of Olympus, lol. Seriously, it's a great storyline if you are a fan of mythology. This version isn't as cohesive or as full of angst as the previous two but it does still have a great continuation and it brings an end to the story...perhaps...
-Overall- 9.5/10
A really, really fun game. To be honest I found it easier than the first two installments, which is not necessarily a bad thing. In my opinion God of War II I felt the puzzles took away from the gameplay while in this one they meshed wonderfully. The battle system is vastly improved and the graphics are top notch as well. My only complaint is the time consumed, I finished the game in a tad over 10 hours, way, way too short for such a fun trip!
PS It IS rated M for a good reason, be warned!