Sony Santa Monica

Fly Fu (PlayStation Portable Mini) - I fell in love with this game's graphic style, but it plays like garbage.

While I think my wife is a bigger fan of the series than I am, I certainly enjoyed the last two God of War games. They were pretty close to the top of the PlayStation 2 action genre if you ask me, so I was definitely curious to see where the developers would take it on Sony's new machine. The answer? Nowhere special.

Where Gods go to Die

HIGH: The battle with Hades.

LOW: The underwhelming Labyrinth.

WTF: Kevin Sorbo makes a cameo, but no Lucy Lawless?

Game Description: God of War III is a single player action game, exclusive to the PlayStation 3, and the final installment of the God of War trilogy. Containing signature and addictive God of War gameplay — a combination of over-the-top action combat, exploration and puzzle-solving — along with an engrossing mythologically inspired storyline and a selection of new weapons and a new weapons system, it is a fitting conclusion to the much praised God of War franchise.

In between dissertation writing sessions, I recently managed to eek out enough time to play through God of War III. I purchased my Ultimate Edition copy the day it came out, and I just couldn't hold off any longer. I consider the first two God of War games to be the best action games of their kind and I was dying to see how the series wrapped up.

Be warned, spoilers abound.

God of War II is a fine game, and definitely one of the most polished, playable titles available for the PS2. However, it suffers from the same significant (and possibly unavoidable) problem as its predecessor—an unlikable hero.

When God of War was released on the aging PS2 back in 2005, it was immediately hailed as one of the best action games of all time, going on to win numerous accolades and game-of-the-year awards. But the videogaming landscape has changed significantly in the past two years. The big three (Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft) have released their "next-generation" consoles, and player expectations have risen accordingly. So how could God of War II, designed on the now-ancient PS2 hardware, possibly live up to the expectations of its fans?

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Game Description: God of War II continues that thrilling and bloody tale of Kratos, the mortal warrior who challenged the war god Ares for his throne. He succeeded, but his journey does not end there. In God Of War II he rules over war, far more ruthless than Ares ever was. To end his continued torment, Kratos must journey to the far reaches of the earth and defeat untold horrors and alter that which no mortal, or god has ever changed, his fate. God of War II sets an epic stage for a devastating mythological war to end all wars.

Instantly accessible and consistently thrilling, God of War represents a truly great achievement in action game design—a game that within minutes of pressing the start button has players ripping undead soldiers in half, tearing the wings off harpies, and subduing giant hydras through sheer brute force. Though not a groundbreaking game, it is a visually and aurally exciting one, and stands as arguably the most outstanding example of its kind.

According to the ESRB, this game contains: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language, Sexual Themes