Reviews// God of War III (PS3)

Had the story been conceived at another time, it's quite possible that the Epic of Kratos the Spartan would have been told around campfires and in feast halls whenever men of action required an inspirational story or an ideal warrior with whom to compare themselves.

Born of a warrior race, raised in combat and made a captain of his people's army, Kratos pledged his life to the God of War, Ares, in exchange for victory in battle. Later, after years of service, he was betrayed and tricked into killing his own family. Kratos rebelled, quested for the box of Pandora and finally used its power to kill Ares and replace him on Mount Olympus.

A restless God like Kratos could not just sit on his throne and watch war made in his name and so he would often join battle on the side of his Spartan warriors, bringing sure victory and angering the other Gods. So he was betrayed again and stripped of his Godhood. In response, Kratos undertook another quest, this time to the Island of Creation in order to confront the Sisters of Fate, alter his own history and take revenge on Zeus, king of the Gods and Kratos' own father.

Now hush, the story teller has regained his breath, quenched his thirst and is standing to recount the final chapter in the Epic of Kratos. Will this mortal man be capable of taking down the ruling Gods and overthrowing the power of Olympus? Will he finally have his vengeance? Will he manage to redeem himself for the death of his family?

That, my friends, is for you to decide. For the story of Kratos is not an epic poem, but an interactive tale that you yourselves will narrate the end of by playing the game God of War III on your Playstation 3 consoles.

As in the other games in the series, you control Kratos, wield deadly weapons and collect powerful artifacts on your quest of vengeance. The game begins as GoWII ended, with Kratos and the Titans assaulting Mount Olympus as the few remaining Gods that Kratos hasn't killed earlier look on in shock. You must fight off the warriors of Olympus that swarm over the Titan Gaia as she climbs the mountain towards Zeus.

Of course, the Gods aren't going to stand around gawping for very long, they defeated the Titans many years earlier and it's only through Kratos stealing the powers of the Sisters of Fate that the Titans are able to threaten Olympus once more. The Gods enter the battle and you soon find yourself fighting a leviathan summoned by Poseidon, God of the sea.

As is traditional in the series, this early part of the game takes the form of a boss battle that would be considered epic enough to end most games, but here only serves to set the scene for the game to come.