God of War: Ascension

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“A decent, but forgettable step back for the God of War franchise”

God of War goes back to its roots for the latest outing in the series. The roots of its Spartan antihero Kratos, to be precise. Set years before the first God of War game, Ascension opens with the ever-hostile Kratos a tortured prisoner of the Greek gods and follows his escape and subsequent quest for angry vengeance. Long-term fans will lap up the details of the warrior’s backstory – but let’s face it, God of War isn’t Jackanory and this game’s real appeal lies in its ultra-violent take on Greek mythology.

Unfortunately it’s a criticism that can be aimed at Ascension as a whole – it’s an enjoyable game, but one that doesn’t quite live up to the pedigree of its predecessors. The story, which promised so much by revealing a more emotional side to Kratos, stumbles along and is so flimsy it’s almost incidental. The combat has been refined and is therefore as satisfying as ever, but the lack of any really memorable set-pieces – combined with its tiresome reliance on carbon copy battles against waves of exactly the same enemy – result in a game that is at times spectacular but all too often forgettabl...

God of War: Ascension is a marvel to look at, but less exciting to play. While we would have certainly liked to see the gameplay evolve more on the single player side of things, we'll take the hefty compensation from multiplayer in its place.

A lacking campaign is made up for by a fresh multiplayer take on the franchise.

[NOTE: There are massive audio problems with the game for players using a home theater set-up. Sound effects fail to register, audio syncing is off, and occasionally the audio will drop out altogether. Sony is working on a patch that should be out some time next week, but it's worth mentioning the audio issues as they were wholly distracting and actually detracted from the experience]

Sometimes it's better to end early, rather than try and force an encore.

There is also a mode called Trials of the Gods. In this mode players pair up in a team of two. Players face five waves of mythological monsters, followed by a boss fight. Every map in the multiplayer modes features special powers awarded by the gods which keeps the gameplay fresh and different from other multiplayer games.