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God of War 3 is the final part of Kratos revenge, but hopefully not the last God Of War game. Developed by Sony's Santa Monica Studio, God Of War 3 upped the ante on everything that we knew from God Of War 2. This remaster delivers is all in 1080p 60 frames per second with all the DLC packed in. Let's find out if this God Of War 3 Remastered edition is worth picking up for fans of the series and those who have already played it back on the PS3.
God of War 3 crams in more enemies, more detailed executions, more detailed environments, and even more gruesome moves. It's interesting that Sony chose to remaster God Of War 3 by itself and not God Of War Ascension. But it has always been clear that this game had more favor among fans and critics.
The story takes off with a high impact introduction. Following the ending of God of War II, God of War III picks up directly after this with an opening narration from Zeus discussing the actions of Kratos, who is 'commanding' a small army of Titans rescued from the Great War(using the power of the Fates). The Olympians immediately rush to battle and Kratos engages the God of the Sea and after drawing him into Gaia's grasp manages to knock a weakened Poseidon out of his godly form.
God Of War also knows how to immerse you in the mythological world. The game is set in an alternate version of ancient Greece populated by Olympian Gods. The game is set across several locations on the fictional Mount Olympus, including the Tomb of Ares, the ancient city of Olympia, the Path of Eos, the Labyrinth, several areas of the Palace of the Gods, such as the Forum and Hera's Gardens, and the Underworld and Tartarus.
Gameplay + Fun
God of War 3 is classic action fun. There's always a strong desire among gamers to control a muscular badass and crush all kinds of enemies. But if you want to pinpoint why it's so fun, it's because the game is seamless. There's enough variety and very few interruptions and therefore you never get distracted from the core gameplay. Basic combat flows well making it easy for anyone to chain combos and survive against hordes of enemies. Kratos' main weapon is the Blades Of Exile which is a pair of blades that are attached to chains wrapped around his wrists and forearms which can be swung in a number of attacks. The executions are the most entertaining part of combat, but unfortunately there's only one execution per enemy. That's one area where the game shows it's age. Many modern games have multiple animations for executions to keep the game dynamic. Regardless, the combat works well and it has to, it's the primary focus of the game.
And the puzzle sections, although occasionally annoying, add critical thinking, variety, and pacing to the Story mode . If the game were an all out brawler, it would get very repetitive. There's also many chests which are sometimes out in the open and other times are tough to find.
The best part are the boss battles. Where Kratos takes on larger than life enemies. Quick time events can be a nuisance. We've seen quick time events improve over the last few years with games like Tomb Raider and Hitman Absolution, so this is another area where the game shows its age. But it doesn't ruin the experience.
The scale of everything from the interiors to the exteriors and especially the boss battles is what really sets the game apart. It's a signature of the game, it's impressive, and it's cool. It's the one thing that even movies with today's amazing special effects struggle to mimmick.
And of course, Kratos is an excellent hero. He's an antihero, but not your stereotypical tough guy. He has a larger than life attitude to take on larger than life enemies. Yes, he shouts almost every single line, but how else would you expect a jacked up tough guy to respond?
The score is epic and it matches everything about the action. Even during quieter moments, the music matches the gameplay.
DLC + Remaster Features
Challenge of Exile mode is a set of specific challenges that test your skills developed during the story mode. It's for when you want even more to do in the game beyond the story. It was originally released as DLC, but it's included with the remastered version.
The game also includes all of the DLC costumes. Some will affect the gameplay, but overall this is just a bonus, it's not necessarily a reason to buy the game.
And finally there's the photo mode which isn't all that special but can be cool to mess around with.
Graphics Comparison
The difference between the PS3 and PS4 versions is very slim. Sure it looks more detailed, but that's mainly due to the resolution upgrade. We've seen bigger improvements in older remasters but there's not much to change between the PS3 and PS4. 60Fps is silky smooth and we shouldn't expect anything less from an HD remaster. The graphics still hold up mainly due to the style and visualized scale of the game. Kratos moves between spacious interiors to very open exteriors that highlight the huge size of enemies. It never gets old to watch Kratos battle and climb these huge beasts. If you're still in doubt about the graphics upgrade, I'll link you to a side by side graphics comparison at the end of the video.
Conclusion
So who is the this game for? It's primarily for people who didn't get a chance to play it on the PS3. This game gets our rating of "Play It" The remastered version retails at $40 which is a little high for a game originally released in 2010 for a previous gen console. But God Of War 3 is a great action game. There's no denying the fun in smashing up Kratos' enemies. Although the 1080p 60fps performance is mandatory, it's also very pleasurable to play through. The game is just plain fun and if you haven't played it yet, this is your excuse to jump aboard. Let us know if you enjoy the God of War series and if you're going to pick this game up or wait for a new God Of War sequel. Leave a comment down below with your opinion. And subscribe to the Skilled Youtube channel for more reviews on great action games: http://bit.ly/SkilledSubscribe
Pros:
1080p 60FPS
Challenge Mode
Dominus Skin
High Action Gameplay
Cons:
Price
5 Year Old Game
