The Official God of War III Thread - In the end, there will only be chaos !

Platform - PLAYSTATION 3

Resolution - 720p with 1080p upscaled

Developer - SCE Santa Monica Studios

Publisher - Sony Computer Entertainment

Genre - Hack 'n Slash, Action-adventure

Release Date - March 16, 2010

TROPHIES | 1 Platinum, X Gold, X Silver, XX Bronze (I will add the trophies once the game is out for about a month due to spoilers)
METACRITIC | 92 (82 reviews - click the M logo to view reviews)

Developed exclusively for the PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™) system, God of War®III is the final installment of the multi-million unit-selling trilogy. Developed by Sony Computer Entertainment’s Santa Monica Studios, God of War III will bring epic battles to life with stunning graphics and an elaborate plot that puts Kratos at the center of carnage and destruction as he seeks revenge against the Gods who have betrayed him.

Set in the realm of brutal Greek mythology, God of War III is a single-player game that allows players to take on the climatic role of the ex-Spartan warrior, Kratos, as he scales through the intimidating heights of Mt. Olympus and the dark depths of Hell to seek revenge on those who have betrayed him. Armed with double-chained blades, and an array of new weapons and magic for this iteration of the trilogy, Kratos must take on mythology’s darkest creatures while solving intricate puzzles throughout his merciless quest to destroy Olympus.

Utilizing a new game engine built from the ground up and state-of-the-art visual technologies, the development team behind God of War III has made standard-setting strides in giving players the realistic feel of actually being on the battlegrounds. With texture resolutions quadrupling since God of War II on PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, God of War III, in its debut on PS3, will feature fluid, life-like characters, as well as dynamic lighting effects, a robust weapon system, and world-changing scenarios that will truly bring unmistakable realism to Kratos’ fateful quest. Players will have a chance to join battles on a grand scale that is four times larger than its predecessor.

KEY FEATURES

ONLY ON PS3 - The award-winning development team leverages the processing power and technology of PLAYSTATION 3 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.

GROUNDBREAKING DEPTH OF SCALE - 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.

STYLIZED REALISM - 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.

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

SOPHISTICATED STORYLINE - 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.

RIDEABLE CREATURES - 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 WEAPONS AND COMBAT SYSTEM - 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.

LIGHTING TECHNOLOGIES - 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.

God of War III takes place immediately after the events of God of War II. Kratos must take his quest for vengeance to the stronghold of Zeus. As the Army of Olympus surges out to meet him in battle and the chaos of the Great War is reignited, Kratos must scale the summit of Mount Olympus on the back of the Titan Gaia, leading his new colossal allies in an all out assault on the Olympians.

God of War III is expected to feature gameplay similar to that of previous installments.

In addition to the Blades of Athena, Kratos wields the Cestus, a pair of fist gauntlets shaped like lion heads. Kratos can switch to the Cestus on the fly to attack his enemies. Kratos also possesses the Fire Bow, used for ranged attacks.

The Golden fleece and Icarus wings are also set to return, although the whereabouts of the Blade of Olympus is still not known.

In the E3 Demo, Kratos is seen tearing off the head of the God Helios. In the game his head can be used in a similar fashion to those of Medusa and Euryale from the previous games. Although where their powers revolved around stone, Helios's stems from light. Its functions include distracting undead soldiers, and as a lantern in dark areas.

SCE Santa Monica have stated that more weapons will be announced and they will be more fun-to-use than the sub-weapons from previous titles. Combos from previous titles will also make a return in addition to new ones, such as using a grabbed enemy as a battering ram and grapple attacks.

The maximum number of enemies on-screen has been increased to 50 as opposed to the maximum of 15 in previous God of War installments.

New abilities include using enemies as battering rams and riding creatures such as Cyclops' and Harpies. It has also been confirmed that Kratos has the ability to run on walls using the boots of Hermes, the messenger of the Gods.

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EIII Demo Screens

God of War Collection is a digitally remastered port of God of War and God of War II for the PlayStation 3, and is set to be released in North America on November 17, 2009, according to IGN. SCEE are currently looking into options to bring the port to PS3 consumers in Europe, however, it will not be possible to release it in 2009.The port will be $39.99 USD, $20 cheaper than a new PS3 game. The games are being ported by Bluepoint Games and will use the features of the PlayStation 3, including high-definition resolutions (720p), anti-aliasedgraphics locked in at 60 frames per second and Trophies. The port was derived from feedback of fans of the series in anticipation for God of War III's release, and is seen as a way to introduce new players to the series prior to that game's release.In a PlayStation Blog post on September 23, it was announced the God of War III game demo from E3 2009 will be included.The official gameplay trailer was unveiled on the 16th October.

TROPHIES | 2 Platinum, 10 Gold, 21 Silver, 38 Bronze

God of War Collection : God of War | 1 Platinum, 5 Gold, 10 Silver, 20 Bronze

God of War Collection : God of War II | 1 Platinum, 5 Gold, 11 Silver, 18 Bronze

METACRITIC | 91 (Click the metacritic logo to view all reviews)