After Killzone 2, we look forward, inevitably and tirelessly, to the next big cog of the Sony franchise machine (get it? Sony? Cog?). And what bigger franchise edition could there be than God of War 3, the climatic capitulation of the action-adventure/platform epic of the 21st century. SCE Studios Santa Monica, in collaboration with Insomniac and Naughty Dog, has done an extraordinary job producing a scale that should do justice to the franchise.

But is that enough? Is it simply alright for God of War 3 to be just as good, maybe even better than God of War 2? We wouldn’t mind one bit if it could live up to a fraction of the hype that’s been generated but then, that’s us. If Killzone 2 has demonstrated anything about big-name titles, it’s that a mountain of hype can eventually become an avalanche that engulfs a game. The smallest nags are picked out, debated and criticized by some one or the other who feels the need to voice some opinion or the other. The game doesn’t have a 1080p resolution and a constant frame-rate as promised for about one second? The game doesn’t run at 60 frames per second? The game doesn’t evolve the God of War formula enough? It doesn’t make us salivate like the “Fear Nothing” trailer had, one year later? It won’t sell well because it’s a console-exclusive? Instant failure, by whatever standards used to denounce failures as such (“rational ethics conforming to reasonable survival” sounds nice). Another fanboy war one.

And then, as with any franchises, come the accusations: God of War is overrated. Sony is milking the franchise. David Jaffe is a jerk, a joke and uses rude language (forget that none of that has anything to do with the game, or for that matter, whether he’s on the team or not). As stated before, hype can be utilized by any company in a 100 different ways – and turned against them in a 1000 more.

We know it’s still a long time before the hype train has properly traveled its distance but now seems as good a time as any to say that God of War 3 is not Killzone 2. Besides being two completely different games, Sony and SCE Studios Santa Monica are extremely careful about what’s displayed to the public, not over-saturating the publicity nor completely shutting us out with ominous predictions or delays. For our part, as gamers, we should simply stop for a minute and wait until the game comes out. Take everything you hear with a pinch of salt, as you do with any blockbuster title to be released. After you play the game, ask yourself – no one else – if you had fun. And then, whether you’re a detractor or a supporter or David Jaffe’s ex, leave it at that. For now, keep your eyes open, your ears cleaned and let the development team impress you. If they can. And they will.

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hmm....I don't agree with the article.....what about you?

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