Game Review: God Of War Ascension



Kratos is back this time journeying into his early days in Ascension. Does the God of War continue to excite and amaze with the carnage he creates seeking vengeance or is Kratos starting to show his age after years of battling the gods. Lets find out as we look at his newest adventure God of War Ascension.

Story: So for those familiar with the God of War franchise the last adventure with Kratos in God of War 3 was supposed to be his last and ended as such so the first question was always going to be how exactly is Kratos back for another adventure? Well this time we are going way back to the early days starting at the very beginning of his legacy. Rumor was this game would focus more on the story then previous games that honestly only used story lines to get back to the huge action set pieces the game is known for. Unfortunately after playing the game I felt this story was perhaps one of the worst efforts for the franchise with very familiar themes that don't feel as acceptable at this point in Kratos's timeline. It also hurts that we are dealing with new enemies here called the furies that just don't hold the same special attraction as well known names like Aries and Zeus provided in past games. Sure the idea of three sexy demonic ladies hounding the God of War sounds good on paper but they really don't have any substance in the game and most of the time seem like small annoyances that get in your way from time to time. Beyond that the storyline follows a familiar path of Kratos becoming and enemy of somebody and then proceeding to go out to annihilate anything in his path along the way to vanquishing his foes. In the past this formula has been fine since to be honest its never been the focus of the franchise but at this point when going back to provide more of an origin story for Kratos it is pretty disappointing to see the same usual pattern take place again with even less surprises then games of the past.

5/10 (Nothing new, same familiar feel of a basic storyline that's starting to get tired with less big name characters to carry things along this time and the furies turn out to be rather disappointing antagonists this time around.)



The Furies, mere shadows of former opponents to the God of War

Gameplay: One of the biggest strengths of the franchise always has been the solid gameplay. Especially the combat. This time the system has been tweaked somewhat from the usual formula which has made combat more difficult even for those rather adept at previous games. The flow of combat is still smooth and for the most part it all works but blocking has become harder to accomplish and none of the changes feel like they really enhance the game play so I'm left wondering if there really was any need for changes to the system. As it stands the combat still is tight and responsive and alot of fun especially when battling some of the larger beasts and bosses in the game. The quick time events also return though this is another part of the franchise that over time has become less and less exciting as its not as surprising to completely demolish the enemy with a few correct button presses. There also is a little bit of platforming to be found in the game but its pretty much there just to add meat to the game play between battles and Kratos is rather lurching and heavy to control compared to say Lara Croft was in her new game so all these sequences tended to just make me want to get back to the combat and skip the climbing scenes. The biggest accomplishment that God of War 3 succeeded in that set itself apart from the crowded action genre at the time was some of the stunning action set pieces on top of moving titans where the ground you were running along was also running in the background and very few games since then have managed to accomplish such feats. Unfortunately the sequences like that found in ascension are a step down and none met the epic encounters of the last game. If anything most of those events felt more like scenes from earlier games and almost a step back for the franchise to a simpler format with less wow factor. Suffice to say that wasn't a good thing.

7.5/10 (Still solid combat if not new and improved, the rest of the gameplay is starting to suffer from the same old formula syndrome and in some cases felt like a step backwards)




Yes Kratos you can still fight with the best of them

Graphics: The game is still as gorgeous as usual. The epic environments are rendered beautifully with a real sense of grand exposure to this fantastical places. Even the hallways and caverns you explore have a special feel as the lighting remains top notch and you really feel like your there running alongside Kratos. The creatures are also done top notch with very unique designs that haven't been seen before in previous games and the bloody ways you take them apart while gross, do look beautiful.

9.5/10 (One area that still shines in this game. They get the most out of the ps3 when it comes to designing and showing off the world they have created)



The Beasts are still as beautiful and creative as ever and a highlight of the game

Replayability/Difficulty: One issue that has always plagued these games has been the lack of much to do beyond going through the story. Sure you can play the game on a higher difficulty and there has usually been some kind of combat challenge that unlocks after you beat the game but other then that I found myself moving quickly on to another game. This time a multiplayer mode has been added to try and add depth to the game. Unfortunately while a fun diversion the game is not as smooth when playing against others and even in my brief time playing I found myself growing tired of the modes and I couldn't see myself going back to play it very often. The difficulty felt a little harder then previous games mostly due to combat changes and a few places where your vision cheaply gets taken away artificially making things more difficult and one event in the game was extremely difficult compared to the rest but that has since been patched to fall in line more with the rest of the game so all in all while a challenge on higher levels of difficulty its a fair test and for those that still enjoy the combat you can have some fun slaying beasts for some time. Unfortunately beyond that there is no other challenge modes this time, the game still is rather short as I completed it in less the eight hours not in a rush. The trophy collection is also fairly simple to obtain so if your looking for a game to platinum this might be a good choice as long as you can beat hard mode.

6.5/10 (While multiplayer attempts to add a new dimension to the game if falls flat compared to the main game. The rest of the package is short and more likely to be something you go through on the weekend and then trade back in to your local game store for another game that has more of a lasting appeal)

Audio/Voice Acting: To start there isn't a whole lot of voice acting in the game. Kratos is his usually grunting blunt self which is serviceable, the furies when they get time to taunt Kratos do a decent job but nothing special in the limited engagements that require vocals. The music is another variation on the sweeping score that is classic God of War. Nothing wrong with that since the score is perfect for the action but like most other things about the game at this point its starting to feel a little tired and the familiarity is starting to lose what made this franchise special to begin with.

7/10: (Nothing wrong here but the music is similar to other outings and a bigger problem is the voice acting just isn't given anytime to shine in the game which is a shame given it felt like a missed opportunity when going back to delve into Kratos's past)



The strong silent type, its starting to get old even for someone as cool as Kratos

Overall: So based on the negative tone of much of this review its pretty obvious I was disappointed in the overall package this time out. Now let me first say its still a good game and I had fun jumping back into the familiar bad ass skin of Kratos killing anything that got in his way. Having said that when a franchise builds expectations over time you just expect a higher standard when a new game comes out. In this case I'm left wondering was it really necessary to have this game? Did it add anything new to the God of War franchise that will be remembered long term. Unfortunately the answer is no, this was a missed opportunity to expand the franchise in some new directions. Instead they went with the safe tried and true material and at this point its starting to show its age and I wonder about the future of Kratos and his legacy. Perhaps its time to let the God of War drift into the sunset, satisfied that for many years he was one of the icons on the PlayStation console and provided some of the best action games over the last ten years.

6.5/10 (I wanted to love this game. Kratos has always provided a satisfying gaming experience but the franchise is starting to show its age and while fun for a weekend of gaming the lasting appeal just isn't there for old fans and new fans alike. If your a longtime fan of the series and need your Kratos fix there is some fun to be had and you can always trade the game in after your done seeing the new content. If however your new to the franchise and have been wondering if this is a good time to jump in and see what you've been missing the better option is to go pick up the God of War saga which includes all five full fledged games that came before this one and is a way better value. I will be reviewing that package in the near future so stay tuned.)