Written by: PlayDevil.com Staff

 

 

 

I am not a connoisseur of the action fighting game genre "God Of War 3" falls into. I have played and enjoyed a number of them, but even those I manage to complete I never felt like I had a good handle on.

 

While I never played the first two God of War I was aware of the acclaim they had received. This combined with the online excitement about the game at trade shows has had me eagerly looking forward to the series’ transition to the Playstation 3.

 

From the moment you start the God of War 3 demo impresses. The title screen sees a close up on the protagonist, Kratos’ face against the backdrop of a baron mountain. Initially this did little to excite me for what was to come, until I pressed ‘start’.

 

Instead of cutting to the usual loading screen or movie, the camera pulled back and panned around Kratos, before going straight in to the action. It was unexpected; especially as the art style created the illusion that the whole environment was more of a static oil painting than an interactive world.

 

Admittedly coming straight off the back of Bayonetta, my expectations for God of War may not have been accurate, but this did nothing to harm my enjoyment of this small slice of the game.

 

Controls were considerably more intuitive than I anticipated they would be, and while combos (or ‘button mashing’ as I call it) played an important role each button press resulted in what I anticipated rather than a random over the top super move. Kratos’ moves are still extravagant, but consistent offering more of a sense of control than similar games I have tried.

 

The demo guides the player through a short section of the game, teaching a number of the game control mechanics in the short twenty minutes it lasts. The camera is usually pulled out from Kratos allowing the action to be framed in a more dramatic manner than the usual third person over the shoulder camera and allows scenes to be framed in a way that shows off environments to their fullest. These environments combined with beautiful lighting effects manage to make the games graphics seem quite soft, emulating more closely the look of a lush matte painting rather than a the crisp look that has become synonymous with high-definition gaming.

 

As the demo builds to its crescendo Kratos is forced to kill Helios to acquire his head. After nabbing this ‘item’ Kratos can use it to reveal secrets and force enemies to illuminate, making them glow for short periods. Because of this the final area of the demo becomes filled with a number of light sources emanating from creatures that independently move around the darkened tunnel. It is remarkably effective, throwing shadows around the rocky corridor as the glowing enemies compete with your own blades for dominance of the light.

 

Clearing this tunnel you are greeted with a shaft heading up. Jumping into this Icarus wings extend from you back and you are borne up on an air current. Dodging beams that fill the shaft, you eventually emerge to the face of a screen filling Titan, which is where the demo teasingly ends.

 

It sets a wonderful tone for what the game promises to be. A beautifully realised world based on Grecian mythology mixed with visceral action. Coming off Bayonetta I am reminded of the frantic nature of play, but this demo convinced me that this will offer something different.

 

A more paced experience that will allow me the time to think about my actions rather than just twitch reactions. Whether I will be ready to jump into it day one I am not sure but this short segment of play has got me excited for the game, and to pick up the recently released God of War Collection.