I've enjoyed the entire God of War series. Though the series has featured stunning levels, incredible bosses and really iconic moments throughout its seven adventures, the final game in the series, God of War 3, stands out as its greatest achievement. So it's no real shocker that the game has been remastered for the Playstation 4. However, considering that this “remaster” doesn't exactly offer anything new that the Playstation 3 release didn't already have, is it worth your money?
Developed by SCE Santa Monica Studio and remastered by Wholesale Algorithms and out now on Playstation 4 comes God of War III Remastered, a last-gen game that is better than most current-gen games out there. At the end of God of War 2, Kratos, after finding out that he is the son of Zeus, declares that the reign of the gods is over, and with the mighty Titans as his army, directly attacks Mount Olympus. It was an epic, epic ending, and God of War 3 Remastered thankfully doesn't jerk the player around by breaking away from this action. God of War 3 Remastered starts with the attack of Olympus, as Kratos gives one final push to dethrone the Gods, destroy them and vanquish Zeus. After the deaths of his child and wife, and all the terrible shit that the Gods have done to him since, Kratos is hell bent of toppling the Gods. It's an incredible plot, and God of War 3 Remastered turns all the action up to 11.
God of War 3 Remastered essentially plays the same as God of War 2, and places you in the sandals of Kratos, the demigod that wishes to exact vengeance on the Gods themselves. It's a hack-and-slash at heart, though it does offer up its fair share of exploration and puzzle solving. However, before any of that stuff is explored, combat is the key to this game. Kratos' default weapon are the Blades of Exile, blades which hang from his forearms on chains. These will be your main go-to weapon throughout your time with God of War 3 Remastered, and they offer up fast combat and the ability to dish out all kinds of combos. But the beauty with any God of War game is the fact that they never limit the player in terms of weaponry. In fact, just like every other game in the series, the alternative weapons in God of War 3 Remastered are incredibly different from each other, which in turn offer up gameplay and fighting styles that are vastly different from each other. The other unlockable weapons on offer are the Claws of Hades, Nemesis Whip, and the Nemean Cestus. The Claws of Hades allow Kratos to summon the dead, the Nemean Cestus are gigantic and powerful fist-like gauntlets that smash their way through foes, while the Nemesis Whip is like Kratos' default weapon, but faster, weaker but unleash multiple hits in one swing. Throughout the game you'll find yourself cycling through these weapons pretty regularly, as some enemies will require certain weapons to defeat. Needless to say, God of War 3 Remastered offers you a superb and varied range of weapons to kick ass with.
Though you'll find yourself fighting through hordes of monster and mythical beasts in God of War 3 Remastered, the real meat of the game is in the awesome boss battles. From the opening fight in which you battle Poseidon while trying to climb up Mount Olympus, the terrifying throw down with Hades in the Underworld, to the balls-to-the-wall insane battle with the Titan Cronos, who by the way is legitimately the size of a mountain, easily makes for God of War 3 Remastered having the best bosses of a game ever. No really, EVER. They're stunning in both their scale and design, and all make for truly iconic moments in gaming history. Personally my favourite was the battle with the God of Sun, Helios. After Kratos brutally rips off his head, Helios influence on the world is gone, and the sun vanishes behind dark brooding clouds. This is the moment in which I realised that Kratos wasn't f*cking around. I got goosebumps during every boss battle. It's almost indescribably epic.
Overall God of War 3 Remastered offers a stunningly realised world, fantastic puzzles to solve throughout your epic adventure, a few awesome and wonderfully different weapons to master, hordes of enemies to cut through, and a boss list that is nothing short of outstanding. It's pure exhilarating action, but is also smart, expertly designed and bothy of a few play-through. If you own either God of War 3 or God of War Saga, God of War 3 Remastered isn't essential. It doesn't offer up anything new to the game, but with it now running at 1080p at a steady 60fps, it's the best version of the classic game you'll likely find. If you've never played it before, what are you waiting for? Go kick some Olympian arse!
God of War 3 Remastered is perfect. 5/5.
★★★★★
Denis Murphy
God of War III Remastered at CeX
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