God of War III Review Explosie

We hebben er lang op moeten wachten, maar eindelijk is het zover: de release vabn God of War III volgende week. Het embargo voor de publicatie van reviews van de game is sinds gisteren verlopen en dus is het tijd voor een God of War III review explosie! Wat vindt de gamepers van deze PS3 exclusive en één van de grootste games van dit voorjaar?

Het aantal reviews dat God of War III beoordeelt met perfecte scores is inmiddels niet meer op twee handen te tellen. Laten we starten met de review van 1UP, waarin God of War III een A als score krijgt:

God of War 3 is the most balanced. It’s not quite as focused as GOW1, nor is it as lengthy and moment-packed as GOW2, but it’s the most consistent and varied of the three, and when it’s at its best the first two can’t touch it.

Ook Games Radar deelt een 10 uit en schrijft in de conclusie van de review het volgende over de game:

While not a huge leap forward for the franchise, God of War III refines its already-fun gameplay to near-perfection while delivering the clever puzzles, high production values and pure, rage-fueled brutality fans expect. Add a memorable cast of characters and buckets of gore, and Kratos’s last adventure is also his best yet.

Game Informer geeft God of War III eveneens een 10 als score. Uit de conclusie van de review:

Kratos’ thirst for revenge is the beating heart of God of War III – thumping faster and louder than we’ve seen or heard before. [...] From the murderous deeds to the towering level designs, creativity runs rampant throughout the entire game. The gameplay still retains the classic God of War charm, but is strengthened with the new weapons, not to mention the over-the-top scale of the boss encounters. As you’ll learn in the bloodiest way possible, an average-sized man can topple a thousand-foot-tall giant. This level in particular is one of the coolest I’ve seen in any game, yet it simply blends with the rest of this adventure. The only blemish on this masterpiece is a puzzle that incorporates the PlayStation icons into Kratos’ world. Outside of this minor misstep, God of War III is a whirlwind of violence that begins with relentless chaos and concludes with the most satisfying punch in video game history.

Videogamer is ook zeer onder de indruk en deelt een perfecte 10 uit. Het slotstuk van de review:

You might have worked out that I like God of War 3 a lot. A game with this much hype always has the potential to disappoint, but Sony and the team at Santa Monica Studio clearly knew what they were doing. This is a video game developed at the very highest level and takes what I thought was possible to new heights. God of War 3 is easily the best PS3 game I’ve played and sits comfortably as one of my favourite games of all time.

We gaan verder met de God of War III review van IGN, waarin de game wordt beoordeeld met een 9.3. De conclusie van de review is als volgt:

God of War III is a great end to Kratos’ console trilogy. It’s not perfect, with some uneven storytelling and progression here and there, but it’s still a fantastic overall package. The combat is stellar once again, it’s bloodier than ever, and it is at times the best looking game ever released. I still think God of War II is the best in the trilogy, but Sony Santa Monica did a great job closing up Kratos’ journey for revenge.

Ook Eurogamer is dik tevreden en geeft de game een 9 als rapportcijfer. Een citaat uit de review:

Everything it does is big – even switching between menus results in a sound that resembles someone taking a blow torch to a brontosaurus – and most of the things it does are surprisingly clever, too, like turning a Titan’s body into an ingenious finishing move or threading complex stages together so tightly that you almost never have to backtrack.

It’s repetition with refinement, in other words – which sounds a lot like mythology, come to think of it. All those ancient stories have probably survived because they kept things simple and delivered what the audience was expecting, focusing on the characters, the emotions, the signature moves and the really huge fights.

God of War III is much the same: a technical marvel, but with all the clever stuff turned towards the aim of very basic gratification. There are no branching paths, no complex decisions, and no multiplayer modes, but this particular game is all the better for it, since the results are rich and focused rather than drawn-out and a little ragged. Ultimately, if you want to revel in old-school pleasures decked out in the very brightest new armour, this is about as good as it gets.

We sluiten af met de review van Gamespot, waarin God of War III een 9 als score krijgt. De conclusie van deze review luidt als volgt:

God of War III sticks to the strengths already established by its predecessors, but what it lacks in innovation it more than makes up for in execution. The combat is simple to pick up, but the added moves and weapons give it more depth than before, and the spectacular visuals make fights even more brutal. But God of War III is so much more than its satisfying combat. The imaginative visual design and moody classical score balance your quest for vengeance with artistic pleasures, and the well-crafted puzzles further tap into your cerebral vein. God of War III is a brilliantly paced, meticulously detailed adventure that thrills and satisfies until the very end.

Momenteel heeft God of War III een gemiddelde score van 94% op Metacritic. De boodschap lijkt dus duidelijk: hou je van action-adventure hack ‘n slash games, dan is God of War III een verplichte aankoop.