#Gamers god of war ascension series#

The problem is that God of War III raised the bar so high that Ascension can only just make it over. Ascension does a similar job here, with even more stupendous graphics than God of War III and creatures so vast they will boggle your mind, along with some truly incredible scenery. When the first two games were released, they proved the PS2 could still deliver visual splendour to match anything on the next-generation Xbox.

#Gamers god of war ascension series#

The series has always sold itself on epic spectacle, with a combination of Greek myth and heroic fantasy that seemed to forge the missing link between the Charles Schneer/Ray Harryhausen’s Jason and the Argonauts and Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings. That’s all very well and good, but the tale is neither particularly compelling nor as dramatic as those told in God of War I, II and III.

Ascension isn’t quite an origin story, but it does try to fill in some of the early history of the saga. Kratos is still a mortal at this point, albeit one of inhuman strength and power, and while he’s already wielding his signature Blades of Chaos, he’s yet to develop the powers we see in the original God of War. Nearly everything you expect from a God of War game is present and correct, but something vital – some ingredient X – is missing this time around.Īscension takes place before the original God of War, with Kratos up against the three Furies and questioning his oath to his master, Ares. A prequel to the series, taking place before the earlier PSP prequel, Chains of Olympus, it does its best to revitalise the formula with new combat mechanics, some stunning graphics and masses of spectacle, however it doesn’t quite have the magic of its predecessors.

Once you’d clambered up the slopes of Mount Olympus and beaten most of the Greek pantheon to death, what next? It’s a question God of War: Ascension does its best to answer, but without fully succeeding. The only real problem with God of War III is that it didn’t leave the series anywhere to go.