PlayStation 3
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Product Features

Genre
Action and Shooter
Publisher
Sony
Release Date
March 15, 2013
Available Platforms
PlayStation 3

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God of War Ascension

Discover the Origins of Kratos and his never ending fight against the Gods of Olympus in God of War Ascension on PlayStation 3 Epic New Story See how Kratos started his Journey of vengeance in this prequel to God of War! Introducing Multiplayer - God of War Ascension sees you fighting with or against your friends as you go online to prove your dominance. Choose your Allegiance Choose your alias carefully from Zeus, Ares, Poseidon or Hades, as each has much to offer In this prequel to God of War, we see why Kratos becomes the one man army and God of War. It s been six months since Kratos stood over the blood soaked bodies of his family, tricked by the God Ares into killing them. Fuelled by anger and swearing revenge on Ares, Kratos breaks his blood oath that binds him to the God he now loathes....

  • Dave Wallace April 15, 2013 PS3
    ****

    Ah, Kratos, it's good to have you back.

    Anyone with any interest in action-adventure games is sure to be familiar with the God of War series - but just in case you've been living under Mount Olympus for the last few years, let me refresh your memory. Starting with the PS2's God of War and God of War II - and culminating in the PS3 classic God of War III - the series has previously told the story of how the mortal Kratos struck a Faustian deal with the Greek gods and ended up being tricked into the service of Ares, the god of war. Kratos then rose up against his masters, choosing to attack not only Ares but also the rest of the Greek pantheon, declaring war on Olympus and eventually defeating the grandaddy of them all, Zeus.

    So where do you go from there?

    The answer, it seems, is back to the beginning. Because God of War: Ascension serves as a prequel to the entire God of War series so far, giving us a little more information about how the initial skirmish between Kratos and Ares played out and telling a hitherto-untold tale of how their feud began, and of how the sinister Furies were involved. Whilst the prequel setting robs the game's narrative of some of its power - we already know how this story ultimately ends, after all - it still forms a decent framework upon which the game can build the series' traditional mixture of exploration, puzzle-solving, and extreme violence.

    Make no mistake, God of War: Ascension is for adults only, due to the extremely graphic and bloody scenes of combat that it depicts. As with the previous games in the series, Kratos is armed with the Blades of Chaos - a pair of large magical blades on a chain - as well as gradually picking up a number of other supernatural weapons that will aid him in his violent quest. But whichever way you approach the game's fights - of which there are many - the ultimate goal is the same: despatch your enemy in the goriest, most unpleasant way possible, and proceed to the next fight.

    God of War: Ascension never deviates from that basic template, so whilst some gamers may feel they've seen this all before, other fans will appreciate that the latest instalment in the series is giving them exactly what they want and expect. That's not to say that there haven't been a few changes, however. For example, a revised mechanism for Quick Time Events (usually used when you have to finish off a boss creature) allows for a little more spontaneity than simply pressing the buttons you're told to press, when you're told to press them. And a multiplayer mode gives the series a fresh spin, and allows it to stand as more than just the solo experience that it's always been in the past.

    But frankly, it's that solo experience that is still the game's big selling point. And when you have a series that's as downright fun as the God of War series, that's really all you need. Yes, you could argue that the formula is growing over-familiar, but when that formula includes giant action set-pieces, head-scratching puzzles, enormous boss creatures and a visceral, adrenaline-pumping thrill from the constant baddie-slaying, it's hard to complain.

    My only real problem with the game is that some of the story elements are a bit underwhelming compared to the earlier titles - the Furies don't make for quite as impressive or intimidating a villain as Zeus or Ares in the previous games, for example - but that's more a product of the game's 'prequel' status than anything else, and I certainly think it was a wise choice to take that route rather than trying to artificially extend a story that had already reached its natural conclusion in God of War III. And it's nice to see the developers at least try to make things a bit more interesting by playing around with the structure of this story to keep you guessing (the game starts with you having to escape from being held prisoner, before jumping back to show how you were initially captured, and then jumping forwards again to show what happens after you escape).

    The fact that this is already such a well-established franchise makes it pretty easy to write a final recommendation for this game - because if you've played the God of War series before, then you'll definitely know what to expect from Ascension, and whether or not you'll enjoy it enough to make it worth a purchase. Sure, there's very little that's surprising or new here - but you wouldn't want the recipe to change every time you bought a Mars bar, would you?