This game took me 12 and a half hours to beat on titan difficulty (which should have been default since it makes the combat system alot better) and another 5 hours to get all the trophies.
Coming from a hardcore Ninja Gaiden and DMC fan, the combat and gameplay tops just about every game in both series when being played on titan mode. Every enemy brings something different to the table and the AI never feels "cheap." There's more strategy involved than skill, which is good since you can just pick up the controller and feel comfortable.
I haven't played bayonetta yet, but GOW3 does things that most other action (hack and slash) games can't even begin to dream of. Things like, great level design, puzzles, platforming, excellent pacing and story elements.
The set pieces in this game is even better than Uncharted 2, and that's saying a lot.
There's no reason to skip out on this game. If you're one of those guys that think the combat isn't as good as titles like NG2 and DMC3, play the game a harder difficulty and you'll see the depth that GOW3 offers.
Oh yeah, and the graphics are top notch, best so far in this generation.
