E3 2009: God of War III
Kratos--still cranky.
If there's one thing the semibeleaguered PlayStation needs, it's more high-profile exclusive games that can drive system sales. After all: brand loyalty aside, it's the actual games that sell systems, and a big hit (such as Microsoft's Halo) can add considerably to a console's fan base.
God of War (and its sequel) were both big hits for the PlayStation 2, and the franchise's appearance on the PS3 has been eagerly awaited since that system's launch. We got a glimpse of the game-in-progress back at the Game Developer's Conference earlier in 2009, and at E3, it's one of Sony's main pushes.
Those expecting a major departure (aside from greatly improved graphics) obviously are not familiar with the addictive charms of angry Greek demi-god Kratos. The series is basically Bulfinche's Mythology filtered through the UFC. Guide your bald-headed killing machine through ancient Greece and the underworld, slicing and dicing pretty much everyone you run into, from foot soldiers to giant Clash-of-the-Titans-style beasts.
If finding a successful formula and repeating it works for Hollywood, there's no reason game makers can't follow suit. The main differences we found in the PS3 version of God of War is a somewhat smarter camera system, bigger, more-detailed environments, and some new oversize monsters (and cool classic beasts such as a minotaur).
The most surprising thing about God of War III is that it's going to miss the all-important holiday selling season, having been scheduled for March 2010. That takes a major contender out of Sony's holiday arsenal, making other exclusives such as Uncharted 2 (also very impressive-looking) even more critical.
It's as close to a guaranteed hit as the video game industry gets, but make no mistake: this is interactive junk food (not that there's anything wrong with that). The only real question is who will play our chrome-domed anti-hero in the inevitable movie spin-off, Duane "The Rock" Johnson or Vin Diesel.
New York native Dan Ackerman, a former radio DJ turned journalist, has written about technology and music for publications including Spin, Blender, The Hollywood Reporter, and USA Today. He hosts the weekly Digital City podcast and the New York edition of Editors' Office Hours. Dan's new album, Tales Out of Night School, is available now. E-mail Dan. 
Then the Rock could come up with his dual flaming swords and scarred face and chop him to little bits. Wait... I don't think this sounds like all that great of a movie. Remember "Doom"? Remember how they couldn't stick to even the most basic of storylines?
I have to admit... this game looks beautiful, however I'm still holding out for Diablo III. Hack-and-slash might be great for my ADHD younger brother, but I need something with substance. Minute storyline and lack of strategic gameplay doesn't do it for me. If they want me to play, they'd better have at LEAST twice as many puzzles and boss battles.
Just playing man.......
God of War looks sick!!!!!
- by Dan_Ackerman June 7, 2009 1:58 PM PDT
- It does look really good -- but my only issue is that it really seems to be exactly the same game as the first two...
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