PSA: God of War III reviews go live at 5pm GMT


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Pumped for God of War III? Tonight's a big one for you, then: the embargo for all reviews is at 5pm GMT this evening.

Earlier last month, OPM UK gave the game a 9, while a leaked screengrab from the actioner's IGN page suggested it could become the first game in nearly two years to get a ten from the site.

Tune in at 9am PST/12pm EST/5pm GMT. We'll have a round-up ready to go once the flood hits.

If you're in San Francisco for GDC this week, you can go hands-on with the game and meet director Stig Asmussen.

God of War III is due for release next Tuesday in the US and next Friday in the UK for PS3.

Source: http://www.vg247.com...ive-at-5pm-gmt/

Review thread separate from official as GameTrailers for one usually spoils half the game.... I'll post the reviews as and when they hit if I'm home, if not someone else can. Apparently some already leaked @ 10/10.

The official embargo for God Of War 3 reviews is 5pm GMT today - so you won't be able to get CVG's verdict until then. And we thoroughly recommend that you do.

However, some early God Of war 3 review scores have already begun trickling out - and they're full of praise for Sony's game. Like, 10/10 praise.

<br clear="all"> Leaked scans from Game Informer in the US show that the magazine's God Of War 3 review awards a 10/10 score. The magazine says players can 'finish the God Of War tale in an unbelievably epic way'.

Online blog NextGN.com's God Of War 3 review also gives the title 10/10. It says the game: 'God of War III is perfect for what it is and king of it's gameplay genre: the slasher.'

Meanwhile, a 'leaked' screen from IGN seems to show that the website's God Of War 3 review is also set to grant the game 10/10, calling it 'Masterful'. Although we can't vouch for the validity, it certainly looks pretty genuine.

Then there's a five star review from The Official PlayStation Magazine in the US, which calls the game 'an unforgettable conclusion to a legendary series'.

And, finally, the

God Of War 3 review from the UK's own Official PlayStation Magazine is the only non-perfect one here. But 9/10 ain't exactly a disaster - especially when it says the game 'is on a scale PS3 has never known'.

Roll on 5pm...

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Well IGN hasn't given a 10...only 9.3 and 9.4 from US and UK reviewers :p

Edit: everywhere seems to be 9 or above.

This game sounds incredible...really need to get GoW1 and 2. Best place to import?

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theres already a GoW 3 official thread, why not just post this in there and all the reviews? just more threads for no reason...

thread spam for no reason...

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theres already a GoW 3 official thread, why not just post this in there and all the reviews? just more threads for no reason...

thread spam for no reason...

Lots of reviews have spoilers in them.

My posting habbits come from NeoGAF, a thread for all the reviews, an official thread for you know, gameplay talk. Hard to find reviews in an 80 page topic on gameplay.

I'm not really listening to any official topic whine any more, in the past it was stop making them as we miss things when they get trampled under 80 pages, now it's put everything and the kitchen sink in them so the Neowin servers don't +1 another topic and cause insane strain!!1111 sleeping.gif

Here the one I usually enjoy most, GameTrailers Review.

IGN video review as well - http://uk.ps3.ign.com/dor/objects/886158/god-of-war-iii/videos/gow3_vdr_030510.html

Video reviews for this are fun to watch :)

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Looking forward to this :D also got GoW 1 and 2 collection coming with my Parents, they are back from USA tomorrow :D

Nice :)

I'm going to pick that up when I'm over in may :)

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Kotaku gives it a great review as well.

Loved

The First 10 Minutes: The first minutes of Half-Life 2 intrigue. The first minutes of Super Metroid unnerve. The first minutes of Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Bros. may represent two facets of perfect fun. The opening playable sequence of God of War III is equally wowing, perhaps the most impressive controlled combat sequence to ever start a game. Extraordinarily, this sequence, worth experiencing fresh if you haven't heard about it already, is surpassed later in the game.

Titanic Struggles: God of War III's main innovation is the animation of some of its terrain. Some levels that would seem to take place in a forest or on a massive bridge actually are occurring on the backs and limbs of Titans, the largest characters I've ever seen in a game. They are sometimes our terrain, terrain the flexes and moves and turns our world upside down. They are sometimes, amazingly, background players, monsters in the distance that reach into the foreground to mess with us. They are also the best justification for owning a large and high-resolution a TV as possible. Witnessing spectacle at this scale is a reminder of how massive the mountains of reality and our imagination can be and how quaint the virtual worlds we've played in have been so far.

Extra Weapons: There is little surplus in Kratos' latest war of gods. This game presents a massive scale, but it has neither massive playtime other games may have nor the wasteful distractions its predecessor did. Kratos' journey sends him up and down the strata of Greek mythology, down to Hades and up to the palace of Zeus. On that journey, even when areas are returned to, little time feels wasted. Everywhere, Kratos is tasked with something new and interesting to do, one challenge at a time. Kratos is also armed with an expanding arsenal of powers and weapons, all of which feel relevant to the fiction and interesting to use. Most action games that offer a large arsenal assume players will specialize and allow a gamer to neglect the variety offered. God of War III expects and justifies the player's use of every last thing offered in the game, each square foot and each new blade or power worth experiencing.

Those God of War Cliches: It's a God of War, so Kratos will be growling a lot. He'll have extraordinary off-camera, semi-interactive sex. He'll have context-sensitive super-kills, doors that only open when the player mashes a button and experience points to gain and then spend leveling up weapons and abilities. I am not a fan of series cliches — trappings, as they can fittingly be called. God of War III adds far less to the series formula than it replicates. But, this time, it was hard to mind, because everything controls so well and passes so quickly. Plus, if you activate the sex scene for a second time (that's what pro reviewers do, you know), someone involved in the scene makes an ESRB (games rating board) joke. Fourth-wall-breaking, sure, but I can stand a game that acknowledges which buttons it is re-pressing and moves on.

Stuff That Shouldn't Have Worked, Worked: Maybe video game design progress was another failed myth. Forget player-controlled cameras, God of War still doesn't have one. This is a game with invisible walls that block Kratos from jumping and dashing to places it looks like he should go (but the designers don't want you to take him to). In an era of immersive games, this game risks embarrassment for retaining the series' use of the illusion-shattering appearance of button-prompts. Many millions spent on rendering Greek mythology, so convincingly that you think you can smell Hercules' armpits, are potentially ruined by the appearance of PS3 thumbsticks on the TV. They are there to let you know it's time to press them or twirl them, probably to provoke some brutal beast-killing move. Theoretically they and the lack of camera control and the invisible walls should be the archaic ruin of this game. No. They instead make the case that following the developers' mandates, proceeding on the prescribed path and doing what one is told, can make for the most exciting of thrill rides. Choice and progress be damned to Hades.

Subtle Touches: Once in a while the God of War III developers get so experimental you might think their artsy neighbors who made poetry-game Flower snuck in and added some grace to the grunt of this production. But let's give the God of War III folks the benefit of the doubt that they are responsible for the game's spare but impressive experiments with perspective and control. To give one vague example, there is a moment when Kratos needs to walk toward a blinding light. The game's camera suddenly closes in tightly on Kratos' back, one of his arms extended, palm spread, to block the light. The player will soon realize that the only way to make Kratos advance is to use a PS3 control stick to keep Kratos hand in front of the light. The controls of the game have been changed for this one sequence, the struggle redefined. Other, smarter moments like these appear just often enough to signal that God of War III isn't just a game for manly men, but for manly men who can appreciate a dash of subtle artistry.

The Best Bosses: I've not battled and bulldozed a more interesting set of bosses since I cleared Metal Gear Solid 3. Each of God of War III's bosses, until its disappointing final one, are imaginative and impressive spectacles. Some are a test of combat strategy and endurance; others are semi-interactive cut-scenes. Most are superb and like little else you've played before.

Something About Yourself: How angry are you? By the end of God of War III, you will know.

Hated

Reading: Occasionally, Kratos can stop and read. Why? To teach the player about where in the mythology he is. In these moments, the game's voice-acting is replaced with text-reading and the player is finally given camera control, but only on a swivel so a vista can be observed from beyond a book where Kratos has stopped to read. These should be the vista moments, the time to stop the car, get out, stretch legs and smell the mountain air. Instead, they are the clunky moments that are begun and ended with unintuitive button prompts and turn our hero from a convincing man of wrath to a dull tourist. God of War III has much that is magnificent to look at; it is unfortunate that the designers couldn't find a better way to compel gamers to pause and take it all in.

Decline Of The God: God of War III peaks, but after an amazing ante-upping sequence of excellent action and puzzle-based levels, it leaves its best moments behind. The game, as svelte as it is and as clear of time-wasting tedium as it should be praised for being, nevertheless glides through a less interesting final third. Be prepared to be amazed by this game, but be prepared to be left a little hungry at the end.

SO psyched for next week.

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Read the CheapAssGamer review. They liked it. :D

http://www.cheapassgamer.com/?f=1939

The ever-vengeful Kratos returns to even the score against the Olympians in the final installment of the God of War trilogy. From the moment I first seized control of Kratos, I knew I was in for another fantastic adventure. The game begins as you climb about every known angle atop a skyscraper-sized Titan who is in turn scaling Mount Olympus. All the while the both of you are engaged in a blood-gushing battle against the enormous horse-tentacled Sea God, Poseidon. It?s stunning, it?s gruesome, it?s epic, and it?s a blast to play. Yup, it?s another tremendous God of War game and I?m willing to say that the trilogy?s culmination is the best one yet.

Let me be clear about this: God of War III doesn?t introduce many innovations to the proven formula, but it excels at executing the hallmarks that have distinguished the series in the past. The combat is fluid, allowing for seemingly endless combinations of launching enemies into the air, countering, dodging, seamlessly switching between weapons, casting magical spells, and utilizing action skills. Of course, being God of War, all of this is done in the most brutally stylistic manner imaginable. The gore is most evident in the gnarly quick-time finishing moves that strew about all manner of entrails, limbs, vital organs, and any other bits and pieces that living creatures prefer remaining intact. It?s wonderfully disgusting to watch, made even more so during the scenes in which Kratos? wrath is viewed through the eyes of the individuals struggling dearly to keep said eyes from being ripped from their sockets. It?s intense.

That?s just one example of the game?s consistently great cinematic elements and expertly utilized camera angles. Besides some stylistic animated pieces (which are very well done), all the cinematics in God of War III are in-game and are stunningly incorporated. The sense of scale is fantastic. At times Kratos fills the screen slaying human-sized foes then seconds later is dwarfed down to almost a speck as he runs along the arms of Titans. Through it all, it?s extremely rare that the camera doesn?t frame the action perfectly and the manner in which the views nudge you towards your next objective shows off the intricacies buried in the massive levels. As new abilities are gained, Kratos will briefly revisit locales to reach previously unattainable areas. Rather than feeling repetitive, though, returning to these environments really hammers home the feeling of interconnectivity all the way from the depths of Hades to the peak of Mount Olympus.

In fact, nothing about God of War III feels the slightest bit repetitive thanks to excellent pacing and frequent but flawless transitions in gameplay. Seldom did I feel like I was just clearing a room full of enemies so that I could progress to the next room of enemies then rinse and repeat. Rather, the combat is just a portion of the game that flows nicely into the platforming and environmental puzzle solving elements that Kratos must traverse in his journey. While the majority of switch-pulling, crate-pushing brain teasers aren?t Mensa caliber, they?re the right level of depth to feel satisfying yet keep the game moving along briskly to the next visceral encounter. Even the bosses seem interwoven into the journey, rarely feeling like traditional caged-in arena battles, but still providing the level of thrill experienced the first time you eviscerated the Hydra in the original God of War.

Story-wise, God of War III really pulls everything together from the first two games into one comprehensive narrative. One of the aspects I?ve always appreciated about Kratos is that there?s no doubt about his character?s motivations. He?s an extremely ****ed off dude with little regard to the wake of bodies he leaves in his vengeance towards the gods. Not surprisingly, that wake is more of a Tsunami of corpses in God of War III, as familiar faces from the earlier games all get their chance at disfigurement. It?s an extremely enjoyable ride and one I felt left me with a satisfying closure.

God of War III does have minor flaws, but only one I feel is substantial enough to mention. This may seem trivial to some and like user-error to others, but three-quarters of my deaths were due to ill-fated jumps. Not unlike its predecessors, gauging the distance of jumps is sometimes a tricky matter and the unconventional double-jump controls (hitting the button twice at the onset, rather than at the peak of the first jump) lead to some lame deaths that detract from Kratos? overall bad-assery.

All in all, while God of War III plays awfully similarly to the previous iterations, there?s a reason: those games were excellent. Why mess with a good thing? The level of sophistication evident within the game is what you?d expect from the third component of an exceptional franchise. Thus, this is the most refined God of War to date, and fittingly ends the trilogy with a myriad of memorable moments that will delight the faithful who have followed Kratos along his journey of redemption.

Outstanding

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Shouldn't this be merged with the other GoW3 thread?

Not IMO, I like separate threads for reviews and gameplay for two reasons

a) Reviews have spoilers

b) People get easy links to reviews - A lot of official topic posters don't update topic one at all, so you have the reviews scattered over 80 pages.

DL didn't combine them, so as far as I can see he see's no problem.

I wish people would just report if they think it should instead of clutter it up with moaning, someone already mentioned this above Minifig.

As I said above no matter what we do with official topics around here someone is always complaining whether it's topic started too early, can't find information, page 1 of the official topic sucks, I miss information when it's all clumped together, etc.

If the mods want to stamp down official rules of official topics I'd like them to do so, otherwise I'll continue posting as I see fit. Maybe it's best they do so we stop arguing over what should and shouldn't be in an official topic to sort this out for once and all, I have no issue following protocol, but right now there isn't really any other than the rule me and DM had "no official topic till 1~2 weeks before release to avoid clutter". He hardly makes topics any more and I've lost a lot of will too as well as people just moan all the time in the GH I'd rather avoid the wrath.

On NeoGAF it's something like 1~2 weeks before release for the official topic, it must be kept updated and a reviews thread is allowed prior to it as reviews sometimes hit weeks/up to a month before release, plus video reviews like GT always tend to spoil chunks of the game.

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As I said above no matter what we do with official topics around here someone is always complaining whether it's topic started too early, can't find information, page 1 of the official topic sucks, I miss information when it's all clumped together, etc.

Don't paddle that boat, you and Andy single-handedly veered the Halo: Reach thread completely off-topic with that BS and

it's ALWAYS the same 2-3 members WINK WINK who thread craps with that nonsense. Most people around here are quite positive

towards official threads.

I totally respect making separate threads but don't wipe that exact argument off in the sleeves of others when

you started it yourself and is pretty much one of the few who does it.

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Don't paddle that boat, you and Andy single-handedly veered the Halo: Reach thread completely off-topic with that BS and

it's ALWAYS the same 2-3 members WINK WINK who thread craps with that nonsense. Most people around here are quite positive

towards official threads.

Was that even necessary to post? I don't know what it is with you Sethos but you're like Jekyll and Hide on this forum, one day you're fine with me, next it's all out war. Last time you blamed your work for a stressful day, what is it this time?

That's just my feelings, there's no argument to be made, moderators can make the decisions they want for this section, I will carry on posting how I see fit for the good of the forum/sections and helping people find info. There is no defined rules for official topics, unless moderators take it upon themselves to lay them out the members will just keep arguing about them. I have IMO issues with topics being made months early, cluttering up with garbage and not being kept up to date, but again personal issues, there are no rules.

All I did here was try to keep the reviews together and it's being hit with more criticism, some of you just do not care about people who spend their own personal time posting news around here for your own good. rajputwarrior calling it thread spam I'm telling everyone when reviews lift and posting them? Yeah okay dude, why don't you get off your ass and contribute some content then see how it feels when people **** all over your topics constantly.

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Yes, it's necessary when you start blaming others for the monster you helped create and is one of the very few who constantly keep it alive. Just say you don't want official threads or even official threads created early for the reasons you listed, don't blame it on other members and make it sound like a high-horse remark - That gets to me.

As I said, I'm more or less neutral in the Official threads debate because I don't care whether they are early, late

or split up into 200 different threads, make little to no difference in my world.

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theres already a GoW 3 official thread, why not just post this in there and all the reviews? just more threads for no reason...

thread spam for no reason...

...Most people around here are quite positive towards official threads...

I with these guys. We don't need or want hundreds of threads for one game. That's why we have one official game topic.

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Yes, it's necessary when you start blaming others for the monster you helped create and is one of the very few who constantly keep it alive. Just say you don't want official threads or even official threads created early for the reasons you listed, don't blame it on other members and make it sound like a high-horse remark - That gets to me.

As I said, I'm more or less neutral in the Official threads debate because I don't care whether they are early, late

or split up into 200 different threads, make little to no difference in my world.

I mentioned no names, so I don't even know why you're taking this upon yourself to try and control?

If it makes no difference to you, just stop pestering me then about it and carry on.

I with these guys. We don't need or want hundreds of threads for one game. That's why we have one official game topic.

Yes hundreds of threads, 2 on the first page, one official and one for reviews.

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I view the forum on a daily basis so don't care about the amount of topics posted :D

IMO I prefer the individual thread approach that is aimed at certain aspects so you can keep track of where the discussion should be going and not wonder who or what a reply was to.

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thanks AB for the thread, I'd rather have a review thread so I can just skim through it and find the scores, rather then looking through the official thread..

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Official Threads were made to help avoid 10,000 singular threads on one specific game, but they are not a rule so to speak, they are more appreciated by the community so if it is something that could have easily gone in the Official thread, people suggest they do and I will usually enforce so to speak. If there is a single thread that makes sense, such as IMO this one, it can stay for awhile I think. Worse case scenario is I merge them.

There is no official rule so to speak, you guys are the rule makers here. I see about half want this in the official thread, about half do not care. I also tend to agree with AB, having a separate thread for reviews is nice, but that is just my own personal preference.

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It's not easy to find something within a thread because of this, pages pages of nonsense arguing always by the same guys :rolleyes: but o well, back on topic:

ARS

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