Kratos is back ... with friends - Military Video Games, computer games, games, gaming - Navy Times

Kratos is back ... with friends

The highly anticipated new video game “God of War III,” out for Sony PlayStation 3, is epic in the most traditional meaning of the term: The story concerns the Greek gods and the powerful Titans who ruled before Zeus led a revolt to overthrow them.

And just as in classics such as “The Iliad,” in which the gods routinely take sides in human conflicts, many deities have stuck their noses into the business of “God of War” protagonist Kratos.

It’s the first game in the series to land on the high-definition-capable PS3, and Sony’s Santa Monica, Calif., development studio devoted more than three years to creating an impressive product.

“This is the game that PlayStation fans have been waiting for since the PS3 came out,” said Geoff Keighley of Spike’s GameTrailers TV. “What they are doing with the music and the art, combined with the scale of the combat and the fast-paced action — it really is one of the most engrossing and visceral games I have ever played.”

A primer on Kratos’ back story — as played out in 2005’s “God of War” and the 2007 sequel, as well as “God of War: Chains of Olympus,” a 2008 game for the PlayStation Portable — is covered quickly in the game’s “300”-style introduction: Kratos, a Spartan officer, pledged himself to Ares, the god of war, to help him win a battle. Kratos became a mindless killing machine in the service of Ares, who tricked Kratos into murdering his own wife and child.

After his revenge killing of Ares, Kratos became the new god of war, but later Zeus kills him out of concern for Kratos’ growing strength. Kratos finds a way to cheat death and returns, bringing along the resurrected Titans, seeking vengeance.

In the new game’s first scene, we see Kratos on the shoulders of the Titan Gaia, described by the game’s director, Stig Asmussen, as being as tall as the 110-story Sears/Willis Tower in Chicago. Gaia is dwarfed by Mount Olympus, which she is climbing. “And there are Titans around her and there are gods flying around,” he says. “We shoot for big. We want the player’s jaw to drop on the floor as many times as possible.”

Mission accomplished. “You see the Titan and say, ‘Oh, that looks amazing. It’s too bad the game is not going to be like that,’” Keighley says. “And then you start playing and you realize that ultimately is the game.”

“God of War III” could entice newcomers to the franchise and to the PS3. “It’s the kind of game you’d buy a PS3 to play,” said John Gaudiosi of GamerLive.tv.

Currently, Sony’s PS3 (11.8 million units sold) is behind Microsoft’s Xbox 360 (19.5 million) and Nintendo’s Wii (28 million) in the sales race, according to market tracking firm NPD Group. But the Xbox 360 has been in the market about a year longer, and the Wii sells for $200, compared with $300 for PS3.

Following the success of the PS3-only “Uncharted 2: Among Thieves,” Sony’s system could be hitting its stride. “We expect [‘God of War III’] to be a platform mover,” Sony Computer Entertainment America’s Ron Eagle said.

Alas, Kratos could be the sacrificial offering in return for that prosperity. The plan has been for “God of War III” to be the last in a trilogy.