God of War III was announced at E3 2008 and is due for release on March 16, 2010 in North America, March 19, 2010 in Europe, March 18, 2010 in Australia and March 25, 2010 in Japan. It is the fifth and final chapter in the current story chronologically, after God of War: Chains of Olympus, God of War, God of War: Betrayal, and God of War II.
This game Developed exclusively for the PlayStation 3 system and the final instalment of the multi-million unit-selling trilogy. Developed by Sony Computer Entertainment’s Santa Monica Studios, God of War III will bring epic battles to life with stunning graphics and an elaborate plot that puts Kratos at the centre of carnage and destruction as he seeks revenge against the Gods who have betrayed him.
Set in the realm of brutal Greek mythology, God of War III is a single-player game that allows players to take on the climatic role of the ex-Spartan warrior, Kratos, as he scales through the intimidating heights of Mount Olympus and the dark depths of Hell to seek revenge on those who have betrayed him. Armed with double-chained blades, and an array of new weapons and magic for this iteration of the trilogy, Kratos must take on mythology’s darkest creatures while solving intricate puzzles throughout his merciless quest to destroy Olympus.
Utilising a new game engine built from the ground up and state-of-the-art visual technologies, the development team behind God of War III has made standard-setting strides in giving players the realistic feel of actually being on the battlegrounds. With texture resolutions quadrupling since God of War II on PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, God of War III will feature fluid, life-like characters, as well as dynamic lighting effects, a robust weapon system, and world-changing scenarios that will truly bring unmistakable realism to Kratos’ fateful quest. Players will have a chance to join battles on a grand scale that is four times larger than its predecessor.
Key Features:
WITNESS THE POWER OF PlayStation 3 as Kratos ferociously carves through the massive army of Olympus – its Centaur Generals commanding wave after wave of merciless undead soldiers.
GROUNDBREAKING DEPTH OF SCALE – Kratos will explore areas up to 4 times larger than those found in God of War II, as well as carve through entire armies while navigating on the back of Titans – living, moving, breathing levels as tall as the Empire State Building. The epic scale of God of War III reaches heights unseen in the franchise.
STYLISED REALISM – Players will battle in detailed and unique 3D worlds lit by thousands of dynamic lights and textures with quadruple the resolution, which allows for realistic muscle striations, detailed facial expressions, and new heightened levels of brutality and gore.
SIGNATURE GAMEPLAY – Brutal combat, intricate puzzles, exploration of awe-inspiring worlds, and a compelling and satisfying ending to Kratos’ epic story.
SOPHISTICATED STORYLINE – The God of War III storyline is the epic conclusion to the trilogy; the storyline will be told in a way that is true to traditionalist roots in Greek mythology, from moral consequences to brutal battles against the Gods.
RIDEABLE CREATURES – Several of the menacing creatures of Greek mythology in God of War III can now be manipulated against their will, as Kratos uses them to cross chasms, inflict blind rage against enemies, reveal puzzles and secrets, and as tools of complete annihilation..
NEW WEAPONS AND COMBAT SYSTEM – New deadly weapons such as the Cestus – powerful metal gauntlets with devastating strength – and other brutal instruments of war that will allow Kratos to learn ruthless new techniques such as grappling with enemies and launching explosive wall-to-ground attacks.
LIGHTING TECHNOLOGIES – The dynamic lighting solution employed in GOW III is only feasible through the computing power provided by the Cell SPUs. For example, using the High Dynamic Range Lighting (HDRL) technology, the camera – when using Kratos’ sightline – will emulate the human retina, causing players to feel a sharp brightness when Kratos exits a dark area and enters a sunlit area, similar to how the human eye would need to adjust.
While the game was one that was striking due to the scale of the adventure and the battle sequences, it obviously begged the question if the team would go the Killzone 2 route and refuse an install, or have some kind of install to help with the title. Talking to the lead programmer, I found out that there would probably be a small install when players initially started the game for the first time, but everything else from there would stream solely from the disc with a significant amount of SPU balancing to make sure that everything moves seamlessly without any load times or visual hitches. Although they weren’t willing to talk about release dates or even if this level would be a possible demo that fans would be able to see and play (which they did seem willing to consider but weren’t willing to commit to), the design team did state that there would be plenty of news coming about God of War III soon. Personally, I can’t wait, because if it’s even close to what we were shown during the screening, in the end, there might be only chaos, but it could also be one of the best games any system will ever have.
