God of War III

Games are at a crossroads between skill-based titles and interactive spectacle, and standing in-between is the God of War series.

With constant transitions from arena combat to interactive cutscenes, God of War is the best of worlds. It’s a testament to the quality of the third entry in the series that recent “me too” titles (Darksiders, Dante’s Inferno) haven’t undermined it instead they have made God of War 3 more impactful on release.

As soon as you start, you continue where you left off in God of War II, climbing up Mt. Olympus on the back of a titan on your journey to kill your father, Zeus. Instead of being treated to a scene of pre-rendered computer graphics, this time you are presented in-game cutscenes that somehow look even better than PS3 standouts Final Fantasy XIII [ファイナルファンタジーXIII] and Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception. Sadly, many of the game’s set pieces aren’t as impressive due to them having some predecessor in previous entries but the improved combat, sleek presentation (the animation sequences done by Imaginary Forces are phenomenal), and refined design make God of War 3 a high-water mark for the series and action games in general. It proves you can make quick-time-events work, you can take camera control away from the player without ending in frustration, and you can make a trilogy that is as focused as any of Hollywood. It’s odd to consider, but the only thing that undermines the game are the entries that came before it, not their next gen imitators.