The title explains the post, but there's more to it than just that. I think from a technical standpoint, God of War 3 is really something special. There are a LOT of fun moments, and the whole package is worth your money. However, in regards to the promises it made, the game has some significant failings, especially in light of what has come before and where the game was touted to go. So, SPOILERS ahoy...

Anthony Burch did a pretty good post about why GoW3 is a little less than stellar, and I agree on certain points. In fact, even when I first started playing it (yes, even in the opening Titan/Olympus fight) I thought to myself that I enjoyed God of War 2's opening scene more.

I think it's the scale, frankly. When you are a flee fighting other flee's on the arm of a GIANT, the disconnect between player and character is so great as to be disconcerting. No longer did I feel connected to Kratos as an avatar of me as the player manipulating him in the game world. I felt like I was controlling a remote control plane from the ground. Sure it's neat that I can make it do stuff, and it's WAY UP HIGH AND I'M CONTROLLING IT, but the real thrill is when I do a high-speed pass close to the ground and me, or bring it in for a smooth landing. The more my control is visible and one-to-one, the more I feel connected to the game. The opening of GoW3 didn't make that connection for me.

So, eventually you get up-close and personal with Kratos, and you have cool boss fights and get to take down huge things and it's fun. But, because you don't START up close and personal, there's no sense of getting more and more in over your head, no escalation. Anthony said the same thing, for the most part.

So, the ENDING. You've fought and killed the rest of the gods of Olympus, and pretty much hurtled the world into ruin. Everything is in chaos, with no end to that in sight. It's never acknowledged by Kratos, and barley acknowledged by the game. As in, there seems to be no consequences for Kratos' actions AT ALL. He gets more and more powerful, more and more mad (is that even possible?) and more and more invincible, while the WHOLE WORLD IS DYING.

Now, here's part of the issue. Isn't Kratos MORTAL again by this point? He's NOT a god, he just has indomitable will and neat-o weapons. But it seems he's immune to insta-kill viruses and can't be bothered by anything that some orbs won't patch up.

NOW, don't get me wrong. The conceit of these kinds of games necessitates a nearly invincible protagonist, but in this case, there's never any feeling of danger or dread that "maybe" Kratos won't fulfill his mission. It all just seems inevitable.

EVEN when fighting Zeus. Now, some have said that the boss-fight with Zeus is lame. I disagree, from a gameplay perspective. I liked it a lot, and thought the other boss fights would have benefited from some similarities.


HOW TO DO SCALE

Again, it gets down to scale. Kratos vs. Zeus was a one-on-one brawl. Brutal and rough. Zeus is never larger than Kratos, he's just a mean bastard that keeps one-upping his last performance, until it gets very close-quarters and very personal. The other fight that felt closest was the one against Hercules. It's still "over the top", but there is a sense of danger that doesn't translate when you're controlling a flee.

So, you may say "what about Shadow of the Colossus? Did you feel the same way about that game?

My answer: No, because for the most part, you see the enemy to get a sense of scale, and then you close in on Wander and mount your attack. But you are always close to Wander. Also, you're not distracted by ancillary fights on the Colossi's arms or head. You're focused on one goal...get to the weak-point and end the fight. There is a quiet pointedness to SoC's fights that, again, GoW3 lacks.

So, finally, you kill Zeus after much trial, both physical and mental. By the way, the mental bit seems tacked on and tacky, because it doesn't show you a transformation in Kratos, but tells you. The dialogue is trite, sadly. A missed opportunity, but it sure looks cool.

After the longest single-color screen in videogame history, Kratos emerges victorious. And Athena tells you how you were actually a bad guy fighting badder guys, so you can feel justified. Which doesn't wash away the fact that you selfishly DESTROYED THE WORLD to deal with daddy issues. The fact that they try to get Kratos to seem sympathetic to Pandora at the end is weak-sauce. What about everyone else he's killing by wiping out the gods of Olympus? I saw lots of crying and pathetic women as Kratos pulled a General Sherman, none of whom seemed less worthy of pity than Pandora.

Anyway, the "enlightened" Athena-ghost-thing asks you to give her the "power of hope" which is what you used to kill Zeus. So instead, you pull out a giant god-sword, and KILL YOURSELF. That's right, only by killing himself can Kratos actually die. Which is utter BS, as mentioned above. And Athena is pissed and the world is ending and there is no absolution and credits roll...


DEAD KRATOS IS A CRYBABY

Until they're done, when we see a trail of blood as Kratos apparently dragged himself to the sea. Which is no ending at all. AT ALL!!!

Frankly, it's the most nihilistic, unredemptive ending to a game I've ever seen. Some may praise it for that. I cry foul. Kratos learned nothing. Nothing was actually accomplished. There is no meaning to his quest, just violence and chaos.

Oh wait, maybe that's the point? If so, why try to justify his actions by justifying the gods' villainy? Why talk about "Hope" as a concept when Kratos abandons ALL hope after meting out his "justice"? If he truly had "hope", how could he end himself so hopelessly?


CONSUME!

And are we supposed to believe that it really IS the end of Kratos, when it clearly isn't? And if not, what is it the end? It's too open, seemingly for tha sake of being able to say "hey, we like money. Let's make more! And sell Slurpees!" No balls to finally, clearly and concisely END Kratos.

Just...terrible.