God of War: Ascension has the best gameplay in the series' history. UPDATE: (Omg, I finished it! 9.3/10)

[Weedlab]

^Personally, which game has the better gameplay style is subjective. I've played all those games you guys mentioned and I find they cater to different groups, and that's why different people like them. I would compare DMC to Bayonetta since they're very similar, but Ninja Gaiden and God of War are different altogether. I personally prefer Ninja Gaiden (well the first 2) and GOW over DMC, but that doesn't suggest I think DMC is inferior - only my preference.