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Thirteen uncut, unedited minutes of God of War III's E3 demo

by Andrew Yoon { Jun 19th 2009 at 5:00PM }

You see this guy up here? His name is Kratos, and when you click past the break, you're going to see him kill lots of things ... for 13 minutes. G4 has managed to get a direct-feed capture of the entire God of War III demo from E3. Perhaps now you'll see why we called the game "God of War, in HD." (And no, that's not considered a bad thing.)

Pay attention to some of our favorite new moves: the ability to grab an enemy and use him as a battering ram, and the ability to burst through crowds of enemies. Being able to take control of a cyclops is pretty cool as well. Those of you that watch the video in HD will be able to truly appreciate the gruesome finishing moves the sick, disturbed people at Santa Monica Studios have added to this game. Due to the gore, AOL Legal requires us to remind you this footage is for our audience aged 17 and up. So set your birthday to January 1, 1901 and enjoy the footage after the break.

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Overheard@E3: God of War has money to make

by James Ransom-Wiley { Jun 3rd 2009 at 7:00PM }

"Obviously, there's a lot of money to be made." -- God of War III director Stig Asmussen on the possibility of another PSP God of War game. (Note: Stig's only confirming the obvious.)

Hands-on: God of War III

by Andrew Yoon { Jun 3rd 2009 at 10:15AM }

For the lazy, here's the short preview: it's God of War, in HD.

God of War III is the talk of many here at E3. Why wouldn't it? The solid graphics, the over-the-top gore, the visceral gameplay -- and did I mention the over-the-top gore -- make God of War III one of the most polished and fun games available at the show floor. Yet in spite of its successes, one can't help but think it feels a little too familiar. Perhaps, in many ways, God of War III is playing it a bit too safe, resting on the laurels of its predecessors.

That's not a bad thing per se, but we are an industry that champions innovation. Although God of War III doesn't stray far from the mold, it's still incredible fun and quite possibly the most gut-wretchingly violent game ever created. The creative team behind Kratos' latest are truly sick, devising an endless stream of creative deaths for enemies to suffer. Seeing someone's eye get ripped out may sound cool in SD, but God of War III makes sure you see every gory detail. The camera zooms in, proud to showcase the mutilation of the meticulously modeled and designed characters. There's more than blood that oozes (or explodes) out of these creatures; rather, we see guts and other bodily matter -- all in glorious HD. Kratos will, in the course of one short demo, impale a creature with its own horns, cut a gaping wound into someone's stomach, and rip a man's head off with his bare hands. And we're just scratching the surface.

Gallery: God of War III

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Kratos seeking vengeance in Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny

by Jason Dobson { Jun 3rd 2009 at 9:00AM }

Namco Bandai must have an entire department dedicated to finding new ways and characters to market with its Soulcalibur brand. Following last year's ballet with the Force, the company has announced that God of War's Kratos will be taking out his frustration on the cast of Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny for the PSP.

What with all of his disemboweling and afternoons on the links, we honestly don't know how everyone's favorite Spartan with a chip on his shoulder fits bickering with Soulcalibur brawlers into his busy schedule. Nevertheless, the Ghost of Sparta will appear as a guest character in the miniaturized fighter. We just hope he's on his best behavior while in someone else's house when Broken Destiny ships later this summer.

See the trailer after the break.

Gallery: Kratos in Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny (PSP)

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God of War III out on PlayStation 3 in March 2010

by JC Fletcher { Jun 2nd 2009 at 4:21PM }

Been waiting to tear some mythical creatures apart on your PS3? Of course you have. Unfortunately, you'll have to wait a bit longer -- and by "a bit" we mean "nine months." God of War III will descend upon bloodthirsty masses in March 2010, according to an announcement at the E3 keynote.

Hey, that's one big game that isn't getting smashed into the holiday season! Unless it gets delayed until holiday 2010. Let's not think about that.

Dante's Inferno E3 trailer makes poetry fun again

by Andrew Yoon { Jun 1st 2009 at 10:15PM }

Do you remember those boring poetry classes you had to take in high school English? We do. Thankfully, the fine folks at Visceral Games are reclaiming the time we wasted back then by turning an epic poem into ... God of War. This is a good thing, mind you -- however, the similarities are a bit too striking. The two games seem to feature the same character: angry main male character with giant sharp thing on a quest for lost love. Even some of the trailer's big moments are strangely familiar. Giant boss you climb atop? Check. Main character plummeting off a mountain? Got it. All we need now is the main character to be covered in ashes and we're all set.

Jaffe 'not showing anything' at E3, definitely next year

by Jason Dobson { May 26th 2009 at 9:40AM }

David Jaffe will be roaming the halls at next week's E3. His mysterious new project, however, "absolutely" won't make an appearance. In fact, the Twisted Metal creator noted on his latest video blog that he's "not showing anything" at the big show.

Commented Jaffe, "Part of me would love to announce at E3, and so you walk into the Sony booth and bam -- there's our game." Next year, however, is another story. The Eat Sleep Play co-founder says that he "fully expects" the presumably car-heavy game to be on the show floor in 2010. Certainly no later than that.

Sony: Survey not a guarantee of Blu-ray release of PS2 God of War games

by Griffin McElroy { Apr 19th 2009 at 1:00PM }

Based on the 220 comments which materialized on last week's post about a survey which hinted at the possibility of Blu-ray re-releases of the first two God of War games on the God of War III collector's edition, we're guessing there's a fair amount of interest in seeing a revival of these two classic god-murdering sims. However, Sony representatives recently made a statement that will likely send your hopes crashing to the ground faster than a brutally de-winged Icarus.

Speaking to Kotaku, SCEA representatives attempted to lower the expectations of their fanbase, stating, "It is simply a marketing survey. The goal of it is to do focus group testing." They added, "if that was the number one requested thing, that would be something they would need to see if that was most technically feasible," but explained that they've yet to see God of War II run off of a Blu-ray disc. We sure hope they figure it out -- we're already drowning in collectible keychains and statuettes over here.

Sony asking if God of War III CE should include first two games

by Randy Nelson { Apr 15th 2009 at 8:31PM }

It's no surprise that God of War III will most likely be receiving collector's edition treatment. What's surprising is one of the bonus items Sony is considering: a Blu-ray disc containing -- it would seem -- PS3 compatible versions of God of War and God of War II.

In a survey sent to registered PlayStation 3 owners, Sony asks recipients to rate their interest in several possible bonus items on a scale of 1-10. Among the standard fare of "full game soundtrack" and "art book" is "God of War and God of War II on Blu-ray disc." That's a "10" in our book, not to mention a great way to make these games available to those who either never played them on PS2 or no longer have the system and whose PS3's lack backwards-compatibility.

Now we'll take a survey. Would this bonus be of interest to you? Let us know in comments. You can find a full list of the proposed collector's edition extras after the break.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

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Survey mentions God of War ports for GoWIII collector's edition

by Andrew Yoon { Apr 15th 2009 at 8:30PM }

What would make you buy a God of War III Collector's Edition? That's what Sony wants to know, and they've sent out a survey to find out exactly that. Various Joystiq readers have received a questionnaire regarding potential bonuses included in the premium GoW pack:

Full game soundtrack
Comic book/graphic novel
Exclusive packaging
God of War and God of War II on Blu-ray disc
God of War and God of War II cinematic compilation
Art book
T-shirt
Collectible items
Access to exclusive downloadable content
Behind-the-scenes/"Making of" featurettes
Developer commentary

Of the options, the Blu-ray compilation of the first two GoW games has us most intrigued. It would be terrific to see all three GoW console games in one collection -- especially for those that don't have a backwards-compatible PS3. If Sony could do a Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection style HD upgrade, then this CE will be a no-brainer.

[Thanks to everyone that sent this in!]

Gallery: God of War III

God of War dev hopes Dante's Inferno offers worthy competition

by Alexander Sliwinski { Apr 15th 2009 at 2:00PM }

God of War III Game Director Stig Asmussen welcomes the challenge from EA's Dante's Inferno. In fact, he hopes it's a threat to The Ghost of Sparta, telling CVG that he expects a "fantastic game that serves as good competition."

Asmussen explains that "some of the guys" who worked on God of War are now working on Inferno. Allow us to provide the tagline for any potential franchise crossover: Hell's full ... but it's about to get Spartan.

Gallery: God of War III

Sony targets collectors with licensing agreement

by David Hinkle { Apr 7th 2009 at 4:02PM }

Sony is looking to extract some more money from European wallets through a new deal inked with Target Entertainment, who will now be the consumer product licensing agent for all PlayStation software IP. This means you could have a nice 6" tall Kratos watching over your cubicle whenever you go to refill that mug of coffee, or your own cuddly, huge Sackboy to snuggle up with every night while in bed. Really, the possibilities for merchandise are near endless here.

SCEE's licensing and peripherals manager Stephanie Freeman says Sony wants "consumers to have the ability to interact with our brands and characters in ways other than just on screen. We feel Target Entertainment Group has the vibrancy and experience to help us do this successfully." No word on when these products will be making their way to market, but you should be able to stock up on Helghast target dummies and Ratchet and Clank ratchet sets soon.

April Fools: Chains of Olympus contains hidden 'Cube of War' mode

by Randy Nelson { Apr 1st 2009 at 8:05PM }

Hot off its "Best Handheld Game" win at the 2009 Game Developer Choice Awards, Ready at Dawn has divulged the existence of a previously undiscovered mode within God of War: Chains of Olympus. Called "Cube of War," it allows players to take on the game's menagerie of murderous malcontents as ... an Aperture Science Weighted Companion Cube.

RAD isn't saying how the deal to get the Cube in the game -- and out of Portal -- was struck, but it does have instructions on unlocking this tasty (like cake) triumph: "if you finish Chains of Olympus in god mode, no upgrades, and collect all the urns of power twice without dying you open up the companion cube as a hidden character." If you can muster that, we'd consider it a huge success. If you can't, at least watch what you're missing after the break.

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GDC09: Leaked God of War III gameplay footage

by Jem Alexander { Mar 26th 2009 at 9:30AM }

Chances are that this leaked video (via DarkZero) of God of War III, captured at GDC, won't be around for long, so if you fancy seeing Kratos riding a cyclops into battle against a swarm of skeletons -- again -- we'd suggest checking it out as soon as possible. Also, because it's God of War III footage. We've embedded it after the break.

There are no hands-on opportunities with the game at GDC this year, but we'd be surprised if Kratos doesn't put in a fairly large showing at E3. Until then, we'll have to settle for dodgy Youtube videos.

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Sony adds 10 titles to PSP Greatest Hits line

by David Hinkle { Mar 20th 2009 at 9:59AM }

Sony is bulking up its Greatest Hits collection for the PSP, dropping the price on 10 select titles starting April 5. Available for the lowered price of $19.99, the majority of the new batch of Greatest Hits games are third party, though there are still some delicious first-party nuggets included, such as Chains of Olympus. Here's your next wave of Greatest Hits: