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The God of War III on display at E3 may not be the same God of War III you play when it hits the PS3 next March. Throughout our “breakout session,” director Stig Asmussen emphasized that the game’s development is an iterative process. What looks good today may need tweaking tomorrow, so the team is constantly looking for ways give players the best possible experience.
One feature constantly under the microscope is a new harpy-jumping mechanic. As Kratos works his way through levels, he’ll come across chasms that even he can’t jump. Luckily, these areas are natural harpy magnets, which Kratos can ride by jumping (violently) between harpies. The team is still tweaking the sequence.
During the breakout session, the demo driver had no problem clearing the gaps, but when I got a chance to play the game the following day, I could see Asmussen’s point a little clearer. Kratos has three “stabs” he can use to spur a harpy along before it dies. The sequences are functional, but a little stiff and disconnected from the rest of the gameplay due to its “mechanical” feel.
While there are still a few quirks to work out, the core gameplay fits perfectly. Kratos’s war against Zeus and the pantheon of gods brings him right to their doorstep with a group of Titans in tow. The show floor demo featured the original city of Olympus (the current one is a “new” one apparently; the team is having fun with their in-game mythology), and takes place about a third of the way through the actual game.
Kratos’s chained blades feel as good as they ever have while his new Cestus gauntlets, essentially giant metal boxing gloves, offer a completely new way to bore through armies of enemies. The all-too-familiar undead soldiers are back, but now sport a new look. Each undead warrior is randomly generated from a set of pre-built parts. Different armors, weapons, arms, heads…. no two will ever look exactly the same. The undead have also found some leadership in the form of a Centaur who acted as commander. He also made for a great test-subject for the Cestus.
The gauntlets are slow, especially when compared to the lithe blades, but pack a powerful punch. The gloves use the same control scheme as the blades and you even have the option to combo attacks with both weapons by switching them out on the fly. Pressing (L1) with the gloves equipped adds a special attack modifier and emit a massive sonic boom that knocks down any enemies in its path.
The Centaur battle illustrated the game’s visceral brutality. God of War III is an M-rated game in every way and the developers are throwing in as much violent content as possible. After pummeling the Centaur, a quick-time event ended with Kratos gutting the monster, causing his innards to spew out. It’s pretty disturbing the first time you see it, and it isn’t the worst thing I saw during the demo.
After a short battle with the god Helios, Kratos proceeded to rip the god’s head from his shoulders with his bare hands. The camera got really close for the act, allowing the new graphics engine to show each and every painful tear of flesh, muscle and sinew. Surprisingly, the game is still well within ESRB guidelines.
Helios’ demise is Kratos’ gain as he takes the head into possession. The head is one of many upgrades Kratos will earn during his mission. This particular upgrade gives him the “eyes of a god,” allowing him to uncover the secrets of the gods. When in proximity of a treasure, the controller will shake and gold “flakes” will appear in the area (the latter of the indicators is to help players without rumble controllers). Using the head at these moments will reveal any secrets the gods may be hiding in the area. The reveal is also accompanied by a hellish scream, another aspect the team is still not happy with.
Helios’ head also marks a shift in Kratos’ alternate attack methods. Magic is out apparently and replaced with more tool-based gameplay. In addition to the head, which can blind enemies when used in combat, Kratos also has access to a fire bow that can ignite enemies when struck with its missiles.
Another tool is the Icarus Wings, which play a central role in new “Icarus Ascent” gameplay segments. The segments function similar to the Pegasus sections in the last game. Kratos can use streams of hot air to quickly zoom through tight corridors. Asmussen said to expect several of these sections throughout the game.
Even if it needs a little extra massaging in the developer’s eyes, God of War III is shaping out to be everything I wanted from the series’ jump to the PS3 and maybe a little more. God of War III is slated for a March release. A demo is also in the works, but Asmussen revealed that it wouldn’t be the sequence shown on the show floor. |
