God of War III Preview

God of War started something massive for Sony, something Sony hasn't experienced since the first Gran Turismo. It is without a doubt the biggest franchise under Sony's belt, in addition to GT, and boy does it get everybody's attention at the slightest mention. By now we've all seen the trailer, we've all seen the gameplay clip, and we were all amazed like we've never been amazed before. God of War III's gameplay is just one of the many massive demonstrations that helped land Sony the win at last week's E3 by a landslide. So what is there to expect out of the third game that'll end the trilogy that God of War sparked on the PlayStation 2?

Well, for starters, you get just that: the story that seals the trilogy up and possibly opens the series up for new installments. Of course, if you've been a God of War devotee like many of us are, you should expect the third game to be the most epic, seeing as how it is going to finally have Kratos meeting eye-to-eye with the Gods that have betrayed him. Gods? Kratos? Mt. Olympus? Exploring Hell? This is going to be absolutely insane.

Of course Kratos will come action-packed with goodies, including his double-chained blades, in addition to various weapons (both new and old), magic attacks, and other abilities to help you get Kratos through the game's most grueling settings and events. A new weapon Sony showed off came as a pair and it's called the Cestus; these massively powerful gauntlets allow Kratos to perform some incredible and devastating attacks that'll surely leave you in awe. Grappling and slamming enemies to the ground will be another one of the many new techniques Kratos will be capable of. And if you're wondering where you get to utilize all of Kratos' mayhem, well wonder no more. Because, like we said, this game is epic. How epic, you ask?

This game is so epic that the environments are four times larger than what they were in God of War II. This game is so epic that some of those environments are actually living, breathing, and moving levels called Titans, that are these absolutely gigantic creatures as large as the Empire State Building. For those not familiar with New York City skycrapers, go Google or Wiki the building, but I suggest a chin-strap to prevent your jaw from slamming on the floor. Yes, it's that f-ing epic.

And hey, if third-person and first-person shooters can have vehicles, than so can Kratos, as he'll be able to forcefully take a ride on creatures, beating them if they refuse. And if they still refuse? Beat them to hell and find another one. The creatures can be used for attacks, as well, as Kratos will be able to inflict them with rage. Furthermore, creatures will come in handy for certain puzzles.

Lastly, expect nothing but the highest quality when it comes down to God of War III's visuals. Running on an all new game engine that is expected to either natively run at 1080p or a consistent 60 frames per second (we're hoping for both!), God of War III is a piece of software that with all of its complexities is only capable on one machine. It's intricate lighting details are so abundant that each stage features thousands of dynamic lights, and the textures boast a resolution that have no equal. The texture detail is so superb that you will see Kratos' muscles flex and animate realistically, all based on the actions he's performing. The game engine is so fantastic and facial animation is so precise that the cut-scenes run using the game engine.

What's there for me to say? Chances are you wouldn't care if I came in here and wrote an article talking about Zanzibar, and asking why they call it Greenland if it's all ice, and Iceland if it's pretty green. Point being, this is God of War III. And that's all that matters. March 2010, kids. March. 2010.