God of War III Message Board older than one year ago

This one goes up to 11, or Kratos gives up the ghost.

I just bought God of War III yesterday and goddamn is that game epic.

The very first boss battle pits you against Poseidon's giant water horse on top of Gaia, the titan, while climbing up Mount Olympus.

Every single thing about the game is huge and the graphics are better than Uncharted 2.

God of War III is the new Oregon Trail.

Sony's not telling us what the secret site means, so we're pooling our guesses.

The God of War III art team held a panel this past weekend in Alhambra, California, at a place called Gallery Nucleus. In front of an audience packed to capacity, artists (from left to right above) Scott Seeto, Jung Ho Park, Izzy, Andy Park, Cecil Kim, and Andrew Kim spoke and answered questions about how they'd come up with the art designs for Kratos' final story ("as far as I know," Cecil Kim said, "there is no more God of War").

They were first asked about bringing the game into the HD generation, and how that affected their work on the games. Mostly, it just meant more work for them -- they pointed out that even when the camera isn't close-up on Kratos, you can still see the muscles in his back tense as he pulls out his blades. Art designers in HD have to be meticulous about details, and as a result, character development takes about six times longer. The team also said that they were impressed by the PS3 hardware -- on the PS2 versions of the game, the developers knew how far they could push the older console, but on the PS3, "we still don't know what we can do with it."

#paxeast Come hear the tale of how one video game journalist, driven by the love of the Slurpee, overcame tremendous odds to travel one and a half blocks in two hours. More »

Did the latest Kratos killing spree live up to the hype?

#cosplay To mark the official launch of God of War III, Brazil did it in style — complete with Kratos cosplay. More »

Kratos turns left and left and left...

#godofwariii Turns out Kratos wasn't acting out against innocent Best Buy employees because he wanted a copy of God of War III. He was just sick of hanging out in the story reading books, using the restroom, doing... laundry? More »

#ps3 Attaining a platinum medal in the PlayStation 3's God of War III rewards players with the address to mystery web page Spartans Stand Tall, according to multiple Kotaku readers who must have excellent God of War skills. What's it mean? More »

Sony hints at something as players earn God of War III platinum trophy.

Earning a Platinum Trophy in God of War III will give you an elusive reward: a link to a secret page, hidden on the God of War website. The "Spartans Stand Tall" website doesn't feature much right now, other than falling rain and a shield with an upside-down V, possibly a Lambda sign -- wait, does this mean we're finally getting the Half-Life/God of War crossover we've been waiting for?

This could simply be a placeholder website for upcoming God of War DLC. Or, this could be hinting at a new Ready at Dawn-developed PSP game we've heard murmurs about. In fact, Chains of Olympus was revealed in exactly the same way, via a website hidden in God of War II on PS2. Considering the franchise's penchant for announcing new installments alongside the latest releases, we wouldn't be surprised if this ends up being a brand new game in the God of War universe. Stay tuned.

[Thanks, Bryan!]

#screengrab A humorous Photoshop, or a look at how games would be labeled if the government handled ratings? As seen on Joystick Division. More »

It's been over 20 years since Golden Axe, and all they added was combos and cut-scenes?  I just played the GoW III demo and while the cinematics are great, the actual game is disappointing...

• Gameplay consists of button mashing the same enemies, move up a screen, repeat.  *yawn*
• Why have unexplained chests of energy everywhere?  Just auto-heal if you are going to be lazy game designers.
• Enemies disappear instantly after you kill them, so you don't get to appreciate the damage you dealt.
• During the QTEs, you don't get to enjoy the cinematics because you have to stare at the corner to see what button to press.

I have only played the demo, and none of the previous GoW games, so is there something else to this?  Why are games like this (Ninja Gaiden, DMC, etc) so highly acclaimed?  </rant>

Are you working your way to a Platinum in God of War III? You may want to check out this video, which helps you net Hit Man, one of the more challenging Trophies in the game. To get the award, you must perform a 1000 hit combo. Should your fighting skills not be up to snuff, there are two easy (but time consuming) ways of getting the achievement. It can take upwards of 20 minutes of mindless button mashing, but it's a sure-fire way of making sure you get the Bronze Trophy.

Check out the (rather cheap) strategies after the break.

[Via N4G]

#survivalguide With gaming's favorite shirtless Greek, Kratos, now beating up and killing baddies in God of War III, it is time to look at some of the best shirtless guy films. More »

#screengrab Reader ryandesu used paper cutouts to dress up a poster he got with God of War III today. "Since this may be Kratos' last game, he's gotta get a real job, but can't go to interviews in his normal attire." More »

#screengrab As seen at a Best Buy God of War 3 midnight launch. More »

Larger-than-life gameplay, stunning graphics, and legendary storytelling to provide consumers the adventure of a lifetime.

Fellow Spartans!

The wait is finally over! CHAOS has been unleashed nationwide as the highly anticipated God of War III releases on store shelves today. If you didn’t make it to the midnight launch events last night, make sure to call your store and get your copy fast. God of War III is set to take to the stage as the biggest entertainment launch event in PlayStation 3 history and will be remembered as one of the best action adventure titles of 2010. Now is your chance to take down the Gods of Olympus by wreaking havoc and spreading chaos through all of civilization. I’d like to especially thank our Santa Monica Studios for all their time, hard work, and energy in delivering this award winning video game. I’d also like to give a big thank you to all the fans who have stayed loyal throughout Kratos’ journey and continued to support all things God of War.

In celebration of today’s launch, I’d like to share with you our new trailer called “Chaos,” featuring kick-ass footage from the game.

In the End, There Will Be Only Chaos….

#ps3 There's a televised God of War trivia competition on Spike tonight. What fun. There is one bright spot emerging from the charade, though: the winner's prize, which is this custom God of War III PlayStation 3 console. More »

Can you say, “Biggest meetup ever?” Because if you made it out to San Francisco on Wednesday, you experienced it first-hand. Not that we didn’t expect an early God of War III hands-on event to draw a mega-crowd. But still, hats off to you guys for making it out in spades. A HUGE thank you to everyone who came out for an entire day’s worth of festivities, culminating in a chance to play God of War III before it hits stores tonight/tomorrow! Thanks also to those who followed along at home — hopefully it will make picking up the game even more exciting!

And you East-coasters that have been asking and asking for us to come to you…well, it’s official. The PlayStation.Blog is coming to New York City and Boston (PAX East) next week! Specific details coming soon.

As for San Francisco, it was a day-long celebration of God of War III. Several of you lined up as early as 5am to secure a spot in our massive tent. (Check out ALL the pictures of our God of War III GDC 2010 Meetup on Flickr!)

At around noon, we unleashed the burrito truck upon the line! Now that spells CHAOS!

Shortly after, we opened the tent “doors” to the masses. Everyone was greeted inside by PlayStation 3s loaded up with God of War Collection, and a special challenged awaited. The test? Complete the God of War II Challenge of the Titans “Blind Fury” the fastest…in one try. You die, you’re out. And the winner would lock down a God of War III Ultimate Edition!

We thought we’d see plenty of quick deaths, but in fact, many of you utterly blitzed this challenge. But only one came through with a time that could arguably last through the ages. 16 seconds! 16 freakin’ seconds! Here’s your winner:

Throughout the day, we raffled off TONS of games, posters and other unique PlayStation goodies. Anyone who brought a PSP took home God of War: Chains of Olympus, but we also gave away MLB 10: The Show PSP, Heavy Rain, Fireteam Bravo 3, Killzone 2 and much more.

The highlight of the meetup was definitely the presence of Stig and the Sony Santa Monica Studio team who stopped by to sign autographs for everyone who came! All attendees also scored a limited-edition God of War III art book!

And finally, there was the chance to take your picture and create a personalized God of War III cover! There are some truly great shots in Flickr, so flip through ‘em!

God of War fans -

The day you’ve all been waiting for has finally arrived. At 12:00 a.m. tonight, Kratos will be invading a retailer near you as the widely anticipated God of War III will be hitting store shelves! For those looking to channel your inner Spartan warrior, check out GTTV Presents God of War III: Last Titan Standing on SPIKE TV at 11:38 p.m. In this 30 minute special, action adventure comes to life as 10 of the biggest God of War fans in America get pushed to the limits, both mentally and physically.

These die-hard disciples of Kratos must shave their heads on the spot to show their allegiance, climb out of the underworld, and know their God of War trivia, as asked by game director Stig Asmussen. And, above all else, prove their physical strength across epic challenges and gameplay ability in a battle against Hades from God of War III. In the end, only one titan will be left standing – the one who best embodies the characteristics of Kratos, the God of War.

Here’s a look at the promo…

Here’s a look at the custom Kratos PS3 that the winner will be receiving…not bad!

And for those of you looking to be the first to get your hands on a copy of God of War III, we’ve teamed up with GameStop to host Midnight Launch Events at locations all around the country. Tonight, more than 3,500 stores nationwide will be welcoming Kratos faithful with various contests, challenges, and giveaways. Most participating GameStop locations will open at 10:00 p.m. local time, however, consumers should contact their local store to confirm the exact time of the event as they may vary by location.

GameCrazy and Best Buy are also holding midnight launch events. Click the corresponding links to find the nearest location.

Below are store GameStop addresses in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York to get you started. To learn more about events near you, visit a local GameStop store or go to www.gamestop.com/kratos.

In the End, There Will Be Only Chaos….

Los Angeles
Game Stop
7100 SANTA MONICA BLVD
WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA 90046
(323) 845-9685

San Francisco
Game Stop
151 POWELL STREET
SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102
(415) 362-7601

New York City
Game Stop
1282 BROADWAY
NEW YORK, NY 10001
(212) 967-9070

Shipments are flowing in now.

#dlc We've heard that God of War III had a pretty involved postscript that had to be trimmed from the game. The game's director explained why to Kotaku Talk Radio, but said if it does come back, it'll be free. More »

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Courtesy of Jeremy Dunham

• Patch Alert: MAG v1.04 and Bonus Armor – New fixes for your favorite 256-player shooter and a special surprise!

See, I told you we’d get him! As you could imagine, God of War III Game Director Stig Asmussen is a very busy man. But as promised, we managed to lock him down for about 10 minutes to bombard him with your questions at the GDC PlayStation.Blog.Lounge (also, check out our chat with Designer Director Todd Papy who filled in for Stig last week). With T-minus four days until Chaos, Stig is looking very relaxed, and so he tackles your inquires with ease. And I promise there are no spoilers here, so no need to worry for those of you that are struggling to stay in the dark.

Can you believe March 16 is just around the corner?

#midnightlaunches GameStop just dropped a list of stores opening at midnight to make sure 24-hour Walmart stores don't steal all of their customers when the game launches. Will you be staying up late to kill the gods? More »

#kotakutalkradio God of War III director Stig Asmussen joined hosts Brian Crecente and Stephen Totilo on Kotaku Talk Radio today, broadcasting from the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco. More »