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The chains of vengeance weigh heavily on the hands of Kratos.

#ps3 The final chapter in Kratos' story of revenge, better known as God of War III, begins precisely at the moment we last saw the very angry Greek, on the back of the Titan Gaia as she climbs Mt. Olympus. More »

John Hight runs Sony's Santa Monica studio and oversees the entire God of War 3 team. He makes sure that everyone is happy, that the game is going to ship on time, and that it's going to be something you'll want to play. Read on to learn more from him about the the future of the franchise, the possibility of multiplayer, the God of War movie and why he hasn't played Dante's Inferno (yet).

As lead combat designer of God of War III, Adam Puhl has the enviable position of creating an arsenal of weapons and abilities fit to take down the gods. I recently spoke with Adam about the design process for such a titanic task and the pressures of surpassing the first two God of War games. Additionally, Adam offered his gameplay reactions to Dante's Inferno and Darksiders, two recent action-adventures that owe a lot to the God of War series.

Read on after the break for the full interview.

We pick up right from the beginning and play through another epic intro.

Senior Producer Steve Caterson gives us a fresh perspective on the God of War trilogy along with new details about the game.

Senior Producer Steve Caterson explains how the God of War storyline evolves with design and varying developers' input.

New combat details revealed in this interview with God of War III Senior Producer Steve Caterson.

"You finally get the chance to see what it's like to be killed by Kratos," Adam Puhl explained to Geoff Keighley in the latest episode of GameTrailers TV. Although described as "first person kills," we'd argue that they should be coined "second person kills" -- you are doing the killing, after all. Regardless of the terminology, these interactive sequences are likely to represent some of the most gruesome moments of the entire franchise. For us, this footage represented the highlight of last night's episode.

The 21-minute special includes a rather comprehensive look at God of War III, but be warned of potential spoilers. You will see some new bosses, and even a new power that enhances the combat rather significantly. It's only a few weeks away until the game's release, so let's find out if you have the willpower not to visit GameTrailers.

Want a taste of the "Blood & Metal" LP included with the God of War III Ultimate Edition? AOL Radio's Metal Mosh Pit station is now carrying six songs from the upcoming Kratos-inspired soundtrack:
Killswitch Engage 'My Obsession' Trivium 'Shattering the Skies Above' Dream Theater 'Raw Dog' Taking Dawn 'This is Madness' Opeth 'The Throat of Winter' Mutiny Within 'The End' The station plays songs randomly, so you may not immediately hear all of these ditties; however, it should give you a good idea of what's included in the $100 premium box you probably already pre-ordered.Listen to God of War III 'Blood & Metal' at AOL Radio

#clips This March, action game God of War III comes roaring on to the PS3. Big bosses and graphic pyrotechnics, the game looks big and bad ass. More »

Yes the rumors floating around the net are true. Everyone is very excited to share the news that God of War III has gone gold and will bring the chaos to stores on March 16.

We also are happy to announce that starting today, the God of War III E3 Demo is now available to download on the PlayStation Store. Just in time before the big release, get your hands on the epic demo that all the fans have been talking about.

And if you just can’t get enough of God of War news today, Geoff Keighley will reveal new gameplay footage tonight during Spike’s GameTrailers TV. Make sure to set your DVR to catch exclusive interviews with the Santa Monica Studio team, behind the scenes footage and new gameplay to top it all off. DIRECTV customers can see it at 9:30 PM EST/PST, and cable customers can watch at 12:30 AM EST/PST.

Thanks again to all the fans for the support. Stay tuned for more announcements in the coming weeks.

We can only imagine that if Kratos were a real person (wait -- he's not?), the idea of having to wait for God of War 3 to install a portion of itself onto the PS3's hard disk wouldn't sit too well with the rage-filled Spartan. Heck, even we don't dig mandatory installs. It's a good thing, then, that God of War 3 won't have one -- this according to Sony Santa Monica director of technology, Christer Ericson.

Ericson stated via Twitter that, "God of War 3 does NOT do a HD install. The 5MB listed on box back is for save game only." This is in stark contrast to other games (yes, we're talking about you, Devil May Cry 4) that require -- nay, demand! -- multi-gigabyte mandatory installations. Of course, for some, the ability to install an entire game to the PS3 hard disk, potentially cutting down on loading time is a welcome option -- but it won't be for GOW3. "No there is no HD install option," Ericson replied when asked if the game will allow for it.

Given that the final back cover of the God of War 3's box only lists the 5MB space requirement, this pretty much rules out the game secretly carving out HDD space for caching data -- data that would eventually translate into images of Kratos carving up enemies on-screen.

[Via Eurogamer]

Source -- Twitter
Source -- Twitter

Kratos gets down and dirty yet again.

Good news, The Tester -- you're off the hook for being the worst idea for a video game-themed game show. Look sharp, Spike TV's recently announced God of War 3 promotion/contest Last Titan Standing -- you're officially on notice.

According to a recent press release announcing the show's casting call, Last Titan Standing (which airs the night before GoW 3's March 16 release) pits players against one another for a chance to play the game "before the rest of the world." Kind of a lackluster prize -- what will they be doing to win it? Well, according to the casting call: "The story, puzzles, and straight-up action in God of War 3 will be recreated and YOU can be standing in the midst of the battles."

Thanks, but no thanks, Last Titan Standing -- all things considered, putting up with pre-order panhandling from our friendly neighborhood GameStop clerk is marginally more bearable than getting our arms ripped off by a minotaur.

Do your living quarters need more art installations featuring massive, ashen dudes wielding massive, angry blades? You're in luck -- a recent PlayStation.Blog post has revealed that folks who pre-order God of War III at GameStop will not only gain access to an exclusive "Phantom of Chaos" in-game costume, they'll also snag a 17 x 24 poster of Kratos, signed by the game's concept artist, Andy Park.

To catch a glimpse of the poster, check out the full scan after the jump. It's going to look a lot like that, only without the words "FOR DISPLAY ONLY" plastered proudly across its midsection. (We hope!)

There will be blood.

There will be blood.

Kratos starts a war that will bring the World to its knees in the third installment of the epic God of War series.

Sony discusses the creation of a new titan for God of War III.

Sony Europe has released an image of the European box for the God of War III Ultimate Trilogy Edition -- which, like the American God of War III Ultimate Edition, contains another box within. The European packaging is much more colorful (at least much more red) than the North American box, though, and features an all-important acetate window, through which shoppers can gaze upon the majesty of the replica Pandora's Box that comes with the set.

Aside from the colors and the view, the European set also includes one other thing that the American bundle doesn't: the God of War Collection, which features HD remakes of God of War and God of War II for PS3, and plenty of logos.

Wait, you're telling us you still haven't played that demo for God of War III which we got our hands on like, eight months ago? What, did you not get one of the download codes that came bundled with District 9 and the God of War Collection? We're trying not to be too condescending, it's just ... look, we're already playing the demo for God of War IV. If you don't make the effort to catch up, then what are we even doing here? Consider this your last chance: According to a recent Playstation.Blog post, the next episode of Qore will land on the PSN alongside a God of War III demo, which will be available to the program's subscribers. Why not pick it up, and attempt to close the ever-widening gap between us, dear readers? We miss you.

Fill your cup with some mythic gorguts.

When playing the God of War games, we've often wondered, "If Kratos' unflagging rage could be assigned a flavor, what flavor would it be?" Finally, that question will be answered by Mountain Dew and 7-Eleven, which are collaborating on the next advancement in frozen sugar-drink technology: The Kratos Fury Slurpee. We know that seems like the kind of thing we'd make up for comedic effect, but we assure you, it's berry real. You can pick up a tall, refreshing cup of Fury (which includes nonconsumable codes for DLC armor) starting February 1, at which point you'll learn that Kratos' anger actually tastes like a pleasant mix of blackberries and lime. And the blood of a freshly-slain Gorgon. But, yeah, mostly just blackberries and lime.

click to titan-size Sony has announced (via PlayStation.Blog) that God of War III will launch domestically on March 16. That's just 47 days away (which is exactly 47 days too many). In addition to firming up the date, SCEA released the final box art (it's rated M!) and revealed that a new trailer for the game -- hopefully showcasing the considerable upgrades it has received since the playable demo hit -- will debut on February 11. A box shot of the Ultimate Edition has also been released -- a package within which ultimate collectors will find a replica Pandora's Box containing the game (shocking, we know) along with collectibles and DLC (it's digital and physical!). Personally, we find a paltry cardboard box rather unbefitting of such a powerful artifact, so we'll be holding out for a "Supreme Ultimate Edition," which will obviously come in a replica Pandora's Temple on the back of a replica Cronos. You can see the current, less "Grr! Extreme!" packaging after the break.

"By the gods, what have I become?"

Battle the beasts of Olympus and Hades amidst the presence of the Titan Gaia.

While God of War III will conclude the trilogy, it won't spell the end of the franchise, Sony Santa Monica's John Hight revealed in a recent interview with Joystiq. With the third game "capping off what we started with God of War," Hight says we should expect more God of War games to follow, but the decision on where to take the franchise after the initial trilogy (and portable prequel) won't be taken lightly. "We're going to be really careful about what we do next," he assures. The full interview can be viewed in its entirety above. Select portions of the interview can be read in the following transcription: Can you explain the new technology that you're showing off today? So what we've kept under wraps until this time is dynamic environments. It means we can take literally anything in the game, including creatures and in this case, extremely large thousand foot plus creatures, and turn them into an environment that Kratos can now navigate, battle on, engage other creatures on, find treasures, you name it. Even since the very first God of War, we keep a running list of features that we'd like to have. So you're in the middle of making something ... some of them make it into the game, and some of them get moved to the next game. And this was the case of definitely a feature that the team has thought about for a while, but God of War 3 and the technology of PS3 enabled us to actually build it.

You should probably click this image. I summed up the E3 demo of God of War III with this opener: "God of War, in HD." That's not a "bad" thing per se, but for a franchise that's been known for pushing the graphical envelope, it simply wasn't enough. Thankfully, my concerns were obliterated last month when I got to play the latest build of the game. It only took a minute or so before I was able to say "this is God of War III -- and what it was always meant to be." The demo was incredibly short, perhaps two or three minutes long. But that's all Santa Monica Studios needed to effectively demonstrate the scope of their vision. The graphical improvements were immediately noticeable: motion blur, depth of field, better lighting and special effects. However, it was the cinematic camera work and the incredibly inspired level design that really left an impression. Once again, this demo takes place on the Titan, making his way to the top of Mount Olympus. What the VGA trailer failed to capture effectively, though, is how dynamic battles will feel atop a moving giant. Remember how impressive Uncharted 2's dynamic set pieces were? Imagine scenes like Uncharted's collapsing building and train, and remove the scene of "reality" that Nathan Drake has to adhere to.

Sony gives us a taste of Kratos, but we're thirsty for more.