When God of War 3 was released for PlayStation 3 back in 2010, it set the standard by which other hack ‘n slash titles would be judged on. From the gameplay mechanics to the graphics, the technical achievement accomplished by Sony Santa Monica Studio was unparalleled. Seeing as how God of War 3 is the epic conclusion of Kratos’ three-part story, it may seem like a weird place for Sony to start with the remastering; however, given the critical acclaim it received, I’m not too surprised this is the game they chose to introduce to the PS4.
As I mentioned, God of War 3 is the conclusion to the console trilogy. As such, newcomers to the series might be a bit lost as it picks up right where God of War 2’s cliffhanger ending left off. Though there’s a brief recap video to attempt to fill you in, it’s not nearly enough for those who have never played either of the two games before. Of course, the enjoyment you’ll get from actually playing the game is more than worth the bit of research you might have to do to fill in some of the story details.
Story aside, God of War 3 is known for two things primarily: it’s fast and fluid combat, and it’s breathtaking visuals. On PS3, the game already looked and ran incredibly well. It was a masterpiece. God of War 3 Remastered ups the ante with the addition of 1080p resolution, a steady frame rate around 60 frames per second, and high-definition textures and lighting.
The stunning visual presentation as you stylishly perform a variety of brutal attacks attacks is still there. What’s different this time is that it’s all happening with the standard already set. The difference with this game when it release on PS3 is that it was defining the standard. Now, we’ve seen it all, so technically it’s not as impressive the second go around. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a great playthrough. Veterans and newcomers alike will still appreciate the fine-tuned mechanics; but, the improvements aren’t as noticeable with this game as they are, say, with an older title being remastered.
The only real new addition to the game is the Photo Mode, which we’ve seen utilized on a few PlayStation 4 games now. Similar to The Last of Us Remastered, this feature allows you to pause the game and take a screenshot of the gorgeous action unfolding. Though the limited camera movement is a bit restrictive, you can still take some awesome screenshots with enough camera tweaking and a filter on top.
God of War 3 Remastered on PS4 is all the fun you had with God of War 3 on PS3, but with slight improvements. With no backwards compatibility offered on the PS4, it’s worth a pickup if you’re a fan of the game looking to relive some pretty epic moments. For newcomers, regardless of story, you’ll appreciate the graphical fidelity and fast-fluid combat God of War 3 offers.
