God of War III Remastered Review (PS4)
Introduction
This is a remastered edition of God of War III, originally from PlayStation 3. This game has all of the bonus content such as preorder costumes, as well as new Trophy set. This version also boasts 1080p and 60fps.
Storyline
The game takes place directly after God of War II's ending. After bringing the Titans from a different time era, Kratos leads the Titans to bring down Mount Olympus. He will fights various gods along the way, with Poseidon as the first god he killed in the game. However, things did not go well with Kratos, as Zeus attacked both Gaia and Kratos. Kratos grabbed onto Gaia's back, but she refused to help him, letting him fall to Realm of Hades. This makes Kratos feels bitter, and decided to kill anyone who will stop his revenge, gods, titans, humans, or anyone else.
Without giving much spoilers of the game, this game is an epic and satisfying conclusion to Kratos' story. My only gripe is the slow story progression. Only when the game is about coming to an end that the story starts to flesh out fully. There is not much plot twists in this game. It is simple to understand, as long as you can grasp the new revelations in the game.
Kratos personality is the same as the previous God of War games. Vengeful, angry, etc. However, he has decent character development near the end, making his antihero role more sympathetic. Other characters also fit their roles perfectly in the game. Gods like Aphrodite, Poseidon, Hades, Zeus are my favourite gods in this game, as they are compelling to see. The Titans like Gaia also did their job well in getting in the game's storyline.
Gameplay
The core gameplay remains the same as the previous God of War games. Kratos primary weapon is the Blades of Exile, which he uses with godly proficiency to kill the gods. He has all the same Light Attack, Heavy Attack, Grab, Block, Dodge, Jump, etc from the previous games. You also need to kill enemies, clear obstacles, and solve puzzles in order to progress in the game.
This time, Kratos can execute different Grab attacks on an enemy, but this only applies to the weak, humanoid enemies. When grabbing your enemies, pressing Square will allows Kratos to use the enemy as a battering ram. Pressing Triangle allows Kratos to rip apart the enemy. Pressing Circle allows Kratos to stab the enemy mercilessly multiple times on the ground.
However, by using Blades of Exile with other 3 new weapons, he can now use the Grapple move. The Grapple move allows Kratos to get close to an enemy fast and allows him to unleash hell to the enemies quickly. Grapple move is incredibly useful feature, as it allows you to avoid damage, as well as damaging your enemy.
After damaging certain enemies enough, you can control it to clear obstacles, or killing your enemies quicker. That only applies if you have successfully complete the QTE event after Grabbing on it. Once you have completed it, you can use it to kill your enemies faster and clear obstacles for a limited time. They are quite fun to control, as they are quite strong to take down lesser enemies.
As in previous game, Kratos has access to different new weapons. Nemean Cestus is one of the most damaging weapon in the game, Claws of Hades has a variety of Magic attacks that summons the dead from Hades' realm, and Nemesis Whip is a fast weapon that allows Kratos to get multiple hits with one strike. As there are many types of enemies that Kratos will fight in this game, try using different weapons and see which one works best against them.
Upgrading your weapons is a necessity, especially in higher difficulties. By collecting enough Red Orbs, you can upgrade your weapons, such as getting new moves and increasing attack power. It is advised that you upgrade your Blades of Exile and Nemean Cestus, as both weapons are the most useful weapons in the game.
This game's Magic system is different than the previous games' Magic system. Instead of able to choose Magic anytime in gameplay, each weapons have their own Magic attack. For example, Blades of Exile Magic attack is Arm of Sparta, a multi hit magic attack that covers the whole screen. Each Magic attack has varying damage and usefulness, so experiment the Magic attacks to see the effects.
Kratos also has Items that he need to use to complete puzzles, such as Bow of Apollo, Golden Fleece and Hermes Boots. Each also allows Kratos to use it in battle, and most of it are useful in fighting enemies, such as Golden Fleece, which allows Kratos deflects enemy's attacks and counters with a powerful attack.
The Rage mode in this game is called the Rage of Sparta, which he uses the Blade of Olympus as his sole and primary weapon in this form. In this form, Kratos can moves faster, heavily damages enemies, etc. In order to use it, you need to hit enemies to fill out the gauge, where you can activate it anytime. It is best to be used when fighting bosses or difficult enemies.
Boss fights in this game are challenging. Each boss fights are different, varied, tough, and epic. I personally love the boss fight against Poseidon, as it is wickedly awesome to fight. All other bosses fights are well done as well, and like the previous games, you need to complete QTEs (Quick Time Events) to completely finish the boss fights. Most QTEs are well done, and the effects are great after completing it.
Overall gameplay is great. The most polished combat system, the addition of grapple move, great boss fights, many variety of enemies to be fought and good balance of different sections such as combat, platforming, puzzles, and exploration.
Regardless, this game still has some issues. Firstly, Kratos has lack of variety in his weapons. Nemesis Whip and Claws of Hades are very similar to Blades of Exile, and I classify them in the class of chainblades weapons, as they have similar designs. The things that only differentiates the 3 weapons are attack power, moves, and Magic attack. Second, God of War games relies heavily on QTEs in order to make it a great game. It can be a hit or miss with other players who like action hack-and-slash games like Devil May Cry games.
Regardless, the game boasts great, bloody, and addicting gameplay for everyone. God of War fans should definitely play this game as it has some cool new features.
Graphics
Needless to say, this game has awesome graphics. Superb looking and detailed characters, beautiful environments, etc are a testament to Santa Monica Studio's effort and developing skills in making of this game. Thanks to this remastered release, this game is now one of the best looking games on PS4. However, the game looks great even back on PS3, players may not feel any graphical differences between this version and the PS3 version. However, this game does boast 60fps, which can be game-changing to some players.
Generally, there are no major graphical issues I have encountered in this game, so this is a good factor for every players. There are very minor bugs, but not gamebreaking and does not stop you from enjoying this game.
Sound
God of War games always have epic music that fits the series perfectly. No complaints there. Every characters are voiced perfectly by their voice actors counterpart. T.C. Carson's role as Kratos is perfect, as always. I could not imagine if someone else voices Kratos, as his voice grows on me. Other voice actors did great job as well in voicing the gods, Titans, etc.
Replay Value
The replay value is moderate. You can collect Godly Possessions, items that allows Kratos to have certain benefits, such as infinite Magic. Please take note that using Godly Possessions will disable you from unlocking Trophies, so be warned. You can play higher difficulties to test your gaming skills, as they are hard and challenging enough. Challenge of Olympus is a set of challenges that you can play. Most of the challenges are tough, but manageable. It is advised that you refer to guides in order to complete the challenges if you are having issues in completing them.
Conclusion
The problem with this remaster is that it is not much of an upgrade compared to the original version of the game. The only reason players should buy this game only if they are hardcore God of War fan or new PS4 owners. This is also a missed opportunity by Sony as well, for not releasing the rest of the God of War games in a remastered bundle for PS4.
In conclusion, this game is a great sequel that provides entertaining gameplay with great music, boss fights, great graphics, etc. However, in terms of gameplay content, this game fall short from God of War II's gameplay content such as variety of weapons. Again, this game is a direct sequel for God of War II, and I greatly prefer if this game is a standalone story like the first God of War game. If you ignore minor flaws in this game, you will like playing this great action game that provides great and epic action experience.
Score
Story - 8/10
Gameplay - 8/10
Graphics - 10/10
Sound - 9/10
Final Score: 35/40 or 8.75/10.0.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Epic storyline.
- Great gameplay with several great additions.
- Many interesting Greek mythological figures appearances, such as Poseidon and Hades.
- Good character development of Kratos.
- Boasts amazing and superb graphics.
- Epic and satisfying conclusion to Kratos's story.
- Epic and fitting soundtrack for the game.
- Grapple move is a great new move that Kratos can use.
- Boss fights are awesome and challenging, especially when the boss fights involve Titans.
- Great voice acting.
Cons
- Miss opportunity of being bundled with the rest of the God of War games.
- Lack of variety of weapons.
- Small and minor glitches.
- Story only develops near the end of the game.
- Questionable use of Quick Time Events.
**Images are from official God of War site.
This is a remastered edition of God of War III, originally from PlayStation 3. This game has all of the bonus content such as preorder costumes, as well as new Trophy set. This version also boasts 1080p and 60fps.
Storyline
Kratos is back to exact his revenge on the gods of Olympus, without mercy.
Without giving much spoilers of the game, this game is an epic and satisfying conclusion to Kratos' story. My only gripe is the slow story progression. Only when the game is about coming to an end that the story starts to flesh out fully. There is not much plot twists in this game. It is simple to understand, as long as you can grasp the new revelations in the game.
Kratos personality is the same as the previous God of War games. Vengeful, angry, etc. However, he has decent character development near the end, making his antihero role more sympathetic. Other characters also fit their roles perfectly in the game. Gods like Aphrodite, Poseidon, Hades, Zeus are my favourite gods in this game, as they are compelling to see. The Titans like Gaia also did their job well in getting in the game's storyline.
Gameplay
Kratos is even deadlier with his new chainblades, Blades of Exile.
This time, Kratos can execute different Grab attacks on an enemy, but this only applies to the weak, humanoid enemies. When grabbing your enemies, pressing Square will allows Kratos to use the enemy as a battering ram. Pressing Triangle allows Kratos to rip apart the enemy. Pressing Circle allows Kratos to stab the enemy mercilessly multiple times on the ground.
However, by using Blades of Exile with other 3 new weapons, he can now use the Grapple move. The Grapple move allows Kratos to get close to an enemy fast and allows him to unleash hell to the enemies quickly. Grapple move is incredibly useful feature, as it allows you to avoid damage, as well as damaging your enemy.
Kratos can now control some of the creatures in the game, like Cyclops and Cerberus to his advantage.
After damaging certain enemies enough, you can control it to clear obstacles, or killing your enemies quicker. That only applies if you have successfully complete the QTE event after Grabbing on it. Once you have completed it, you can use it to kill your enemies faster and clear obstacles for a limited time. They are quite fun to control, as they are quite strong to take down lesser enemies.
As in previous game, Kratos has access to different new weapons. Nemean Cestus is one of the most damaging weapon in the game, Claws of Hades has a variety of Magic attacks that summons the dead from Hades' realm, and Nemesis Whip is a fast weapon that allows Kratos to get multiple hits with one strike. As there are many types of enemies that Kratos will fight in this game, try using different weapons and see which one works best against them.
Upgrading your weapons is a necessity, especially in higher difficulties. By collecting enough Red Orbs, you can upgrade your weapons, such as getting new moves and increasing attack power. It is advised that you upgrade your Blades of Exile and Nemean Cestus, as both weapons are the most useful weapons in the game.
This game's Magic system is different than the previous games' Magic system. Instead of able to choose Magic anytime in gameplay, each weapons have their own Magic attack. For example, Blades of Exile Magic attack is Arm of Sparta, a multi hit magic attack that covers the whole screen. Each Magic attack has varying damage and usefulness, so experiment the Magic attacks to see the effects.
Kratos also has Items that he need to use to complete puzzles, such as Bow of Apollo, Golden Fleece and Hermes Boots. Each also allows Kratos to use it in battle, and most of it are useful in fighting enemies, such as Golden Fleece, which allows Kratos deflects enemy's attacks and counters with a powerful attack.
The Rage mode in this game is called the Rage of Sparta, which he uses the Blade of Olympus as his sole and primary weapon in this form. In this form, Kratos can moves faster, heavily damages enemies, etc. In order to use it, you need to hit enemies to fill out the gauge, where you can activate it anytime. It is best to be used when fighting bosses or difficult enemies.
Bosses are fought in epic battles, like Poseidon.
Overall gameplay is great. The most polished combat system, the addition of grapple move, great boss fights, many variety of enemies to be fought and good balance of different sections such as combat, platforming, puzzles, and exploration.
Regardless, this game still has some issues. Firstly, Kratos has lack of variety in his weapons. Nemesis Whip and Claws of Hades are very similar to Blades of Exile, and I classify them in the class of chainblades weapons, as they have similar designs. The things that only differentiates the 3 weapons are attack power, moves, and Magic attack. Second, God of War games relies heavily on QTEs in order to make it a great game. It can be a hit or miss with other players who like action hack-and-slash games like Devil May Cry games.
Regardless, the game boasts great, bloody, and addicting gameplay for everyone. God of War fans should definitely play this game as it has some cool new features.
Graphics
Excellent remastered graphics. One of the best looking games on PS4 at the moment.
Generally, there are no major graphical issues I have encountered in this game, so this is a good factor for every players. There are very minor bugs, but not gamebreaking and does not stop you from enjoying this game.
Sound
Epic music, well voiced characters, and great sound effects.
Replay Value
Collect Godly Possessions, play harder difficulties, or play the Challenge of Olympus.
Conclusion
A missed opportunity for having a complete remastered collection of all God of War games. Regardless, this game is good.
The problem with this remaster is that it is not much of an upgrade compared to the original version of the game. The only reason players should buy this game only if they are hardcore God of War fan or new PS4 owners. This is also a missed opportunity by Sony as well, for not releasing the rest of the God of War games in a remastered bundle for PS4.
In conclusion, this game is a great sequel that provides entertaining gameplay with great music, boss fights, great graphics, etc. However, in terms of gameplay content, this game fall short from God of War II's gameplay content such as variety of weapons. Again, this game is a direct sequel for God of War II, and I greatly prefer if this game is a standalone story like the first God of War game. If you ignore minor flaws in this game, you will like playing this great action game that provides great and epic action experience.
Score
Story - 8/10
Gameplay - 8/10
Graphics - 10/10
Sound - 9/10
Final Score: 35/40 or 8.75/10.0.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Epic storyline.
- Great gameplay with several great additions.
- Many interesting Greek mythological figures appearances, such as Poseidon and Hades.
- Good character development of Kratos.
- Boasts amazing and superb graphics.
- Epic and satisfying conclusion to Kratos's story.
- Epic and fitting soundtrack for the game.
- Grapple move is a great new move that Kratos can use.
- Boss fights are awesome and challenging, especially when the boss fights involve Titans.
- Great voice acting.
Cons
- Miss opportunity of being bundled with the rest of the God of War games.
- Lack of variety of weapons.
- Small and minor glitches.
- Story only develops near the end of the game.
- Questionable use of Quick Time Events.
**Images are from official God of War site.
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