God of War 3 review: A Titanic Masterpiece
The Graphics
Without question, Uncharted 2 was unanimously known as the best looking console game (Crysis still standing supreme overall)…up until now. God of War 3 graphically blows every other console game out of the water. The wide, sweeping vistas and landscapes of an ancient Greece slowly falling apart form the best possible background for Kratos to jump in and commence with the butchery. Kratos himself looks shockingly realistic with the flexing skin and a heaving chest. Equal love is given to all the enemies and the bosses who while rooted in fantasy, look bloody darn convincing. The art team at Sony Santa Monica have outdone themselves once again as the environments resemble painted tapestry come to life. You know you have something special when a gloomy, hellish area like the Pits of Tartarus is introduced to you through huge gates opening slowly, as the light filters through slowly, revealing the hellish but majestic landscape.
The amazing technology which powers the lighting engine of God of War 3 could arguably have only been done on the Playstation 3. No matter how detailed a character model is, or how rich the textures are, they all would be pointless if the lighting was not upto the mark. This can be witnessed at the menu screen itself as a pissed Kratos is staring right at you, while the lightning sears across his face, showing minute details like the pores on his face.
When people look at the screenshots of God of War 3, they will praise the drop dead gorgeous visuals and when they actually get to play it they will notice the brutal combat and huge sense of scale. What many people will miss though, is the actual star of the show; the reason why God of War 3 is exceptionally special – the camera. The camera is still not controlled by the player and will show you what the developers think you should be seeing. But I cannot stress how crucial the camera is to God of War 3. Having no control over the camera may lead to some of the people calling it a static camera…which cannot be further from the truth. The camera moves in and out of the action giving players the best possible angle to witness genocide from.
The Sound
The amazing orchestral score from the previous games returns in God of War 3, only this time it has been enhanced to justify the epic scale of everything taking place around Kratos. As Kratos enters battle, the music rises and soars magnificently, only to stop when Kratos is the last man standing. Few developers realize what an important role music plays and I’m thankful that Sony Santa Monica are among those developers. The music conducted for the game was already brilliant but the developers proved they are one of the best in the business by using the great music at opportune moments to truly assault all our senses at once.
The writing for the game is strong and the Hollywood level of voice-acting helps make it believable. T.C. Carson reprises his role as Kratos and summons great rage and anger to give Kratos the spark that he needs. This is a big budget game with high quality production values; so expect the best of the best.
Next Page – Final Thoughts and Verdict
