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God of War III Ultimate Edition to rip apart your wallet

by Andrew Yoon { Oct 30th 2009 at 10:45AM }

You'd think that with a box as obnoxiously large as this, the God of War III "Ultimate Edition" would be overflowing with goodies. However, don't expect an abundance of physical goods in this 8.3" wide x 10.5" long x 5.9" tall "High-End Sculpted Replica of Pandora's Box." With the exception of the God of War III art book, all the bonuses packaged into this collector's edition are downloads:

God of War Combat Arena containing an exclusive environment and seven challenges
Premium Kratos Skin – Dominus
God of War: Unearthing the Legend Franchise Documentary – a full-length movie documentary depicting the history of the God of War franchise
God of War Trilogy Soundtrack – God of War, II, and III scores from the game (mp3 digital download).
God of War: Blood and Metal EP – a heavy metal homage featuring original music inspired by God of War (mp3 download).

So how much will this big box o' digital goodies cost you? $100!

Of course, a big-budget game isn't complete without a requisite pre-order bonus. God of War III's pre-order bonus is none too surprising: a downloadable demo of the game you just put a deposit on! With the same demo releasing via the God of War Collection and the District 9 Blu-ray, chances are good you'll end up with more than one access code to the GoW demo before it ships next year -- heck you might even see a code pop up in your e-mail this weekend!

God of War III demo included on District 9 Blu-ray

by JC Fletcher { Oct 28th 2009 at 10:30AM }

If you're interested in checking out God of War 3 early, but don't want to play the first two God of Wars again, Sony corporate synergy has a solution for you! The Blu-Ray release of District 9, due December 29 (a bit later than the God of War Collection), will include a playable demo of God of War 3. Once you've played through the demo, a making-of featurette will be unlocked (for the game, not the movie).

While District 9 and God of War 3 are united in that they're both things that people presumably want to see, it strikes us as odd that this rather random collection is the first Blu-ray/game demo pairing for SCEA. The Watchmen movie and game actually related to one another in some way, and they came on separate discs.

Trivium to rock God of War III with exclusive tune

by David Hinkle { Oct 21st 2009 at 7:45PM }

We can all admit the God of War series is pretty metal -- it's about a dude killing gods and tearing apart most of the Greek mythos' bestiary with his bare hands! And even though all of the orchestral tunes playing Kratos along his rampages have certainly been nice so far, Sony has seen fit to spice it up a bit and tap metal band Trivium for an exclusive track for God of War III.

The news was revealed by Trivium guitarist/vocalist, Matt Heafy, during an interview with Baltimore rock station 98Rock's Kid Christoff. It's definitely an "original song," Heafy said -- don't expect a tune lifted from one of the band's previous albums. If you're looking for a sneak preview, we suggest you crank this and watch this.

[Via G4]

God of War 3 director considering downloadable challenge rooms

by Alexander Sliwinski { Oct 20th 2009 at 1:30PM }

God of War 3's director Stig Asmussen thinks a good way to keep players involved beyond the single-player campaign is through downloadable challenge maps. Speaking with GamePro, he acknowledges the game will ship with a certain amount of challenge rooms, with a possibility of adding more, via DLC, at a later stage. He mentions a challenge in which players have to ride a Cyclops and kill a certain number of enemies in a time limit, possibly using "the Cyclops to get through a certain type of hazard or area or something like that."

Asmussen notes that creating challenge maps occurs late in the development process, but hopes that things move beyond the planning phase within "the next two months."

Europeans won't get God of War III demo before 2010

by Griffin McElroy { Oct 16th 2009 at 3:15PM }

While Americans who purchase the God of War Blu-ray Collection and the Japanese gamers who pick up Infamous will be spending the harsh winter of 2009 behind the helm of a demo for God of War III, our European pals won't be so lucky. Sony recently confirmed to Eurogamer that the sneak preview of the Grecian action title wouldn't appear in the region until 2010.

Yes, unless you check out God of War III at the Eurogamer Expo in late October (or import one of the two games listed above), you'll have to do without this holiday season. Don't worry, you should be able to live vicariously through our highly exuberant tweets.

God of War III pitched as FPS; struck down

by James Ransom-Wiley { Oct 2nd 2009 at 12:42PM }

Okay, picture this: Ripping off Helios' head ... but from Kratos' perspective. Pretty gripping, right? "Genius" even! At least, that's how art director Ken Feldman described his failed pitch for God of War III as an FPS to game director Stig Asmussen. "I tried unsuccessfully to convince Stig to make God of War III a first-person shooter," recounted Feldman in an interview with CGSociety. "Unfortunately, he didn't see the genius in the idea."

You know Ken, we're not really seeing it either. But then, true genius is often only recognized in hindsight by us casual thinkers. Now ... if next year's sequel had been "God of War Resort" -- bundled with the Motion Controller? ... Brilliant!

[Via MCV]

God of War Collection to include God of War III demo

by Randy Nelson { Sep 23rd 2009 at 3:57PM }

As if having the first two God of War games remastered in HD for PS3 wasn't reason enough to pick up the God of War Collection, Sony has announced via the PlayStation blog that the title -- due to hit in November -- will include a download voucher for the E3 demo of God of War III. This isn't a promotion limited to specific retailers: all copies of the game will contain the code, and the demo will be available via the PlayStation Store on the day the collection is released.

Now, before you say, "Hey, isn't an E3 demo kind of old?," you should know that the slice of the game we played at the show was pretty robust, lasting nearly 20 minutes and showcasing a good variety of locations and many of the new moves at Kratos' disposal. So there's that ... and the fact that you'll get to play God of War III before 2010.

Halo 3: ODST buyers surveyed about their next purchases

by Griffin McElroy { Sep 22nd 2009 at 11:52AM }

Halo fans are strange, otherworldly creatures whose behaviors are difficult to analyze. A consulting firm named OTX recently tried to tap into this demographic's collective hivemind the only way it knew how -- by asking Halo 3: ODST purchasers what title they'll likely pick up next. The firm found that the average Bungie buyer plans to acquire a total of three games within the next few months, with Modern Warfare 2, Assassins Creed 2 and Left 4 Dead 2 being the most desired titles. We're not sure if that means this group enjoys blockbusters, or if they're addicted to games with numerical suffixes.

Though the list of top 20 games charted in this manner is primarily composed of Xbox 360 titles, God of War III was also a popular response; with 18 percent of participants claiming it to be their next purchase. We're beginning to see a pattern develop. A manly, manly pattern.

It's not concept art: New God of War III pics are that pretty

by Randy Nelson { Aug 18th 2009 at 9:32PM }

click for bigger pretty

God of War creator David Jaffe once said that the third game in the series looks "like a painting come to life." After seeing the new screens of the game Sony delivered at Gamescom, we're more inclined than ever to agree. The image above may look like a conceptual painting, but one click and you'll see a larger version that you can just tell is in-game. The rest of the batch show off a new helmet-wearing miniboss that Kratos will battle in his war against the gods. Seems a shame to destroy something so fantastic looking, doesn't it?

Gallery: God of War 3 (GamesCom 2009)

Sideshow Collectibles releasing 'premium format' Kratos figure, God of War dioramas

by Randy Nelson { Jul 29th 2009 at 3:01AM }

The show may be over, but more video game related news continues to emerge from this year's San Diego Comic-Con. This time it's word that Sideshow Collectibles has secured the rights to produce one of its trademark premium format figures based on God of War's Kratos. For those not familiar with them, Sideshow'sPremium Figures -- like these Star Wars ones -- are prized by collectors, stand more than 15" tall in most cases and usually sell in the $300-400 range. If the same holds true for Sony's property, that's a lot of money -- but also a whole lot of Kratos.

Sideshow is also working on God of War dioramas -- sculpted multi-character scenes, such as this upcoming offering based on The Clone Wars. They're typically priced in line with the Premium Figures. Specific details on these have not been announced, nor has a time frame within which to expect any of Sideshow's God of War items. Given that God of War III hits next March, we can only imagine that Sideshow would want to ride the massive anticipation for the title and time its lineup accordingly.

[Via Shogun Gamer]

God of War III dev concerned about potential Aussie ban

by Alexander Sliwinski { Jul 10th 2009 at 12:45PM }

God of War III Art Director Sean Cunningham is concerned, despite checks with ratings boards like the US's ESRB, that Kratos' epic conclusion may still not receive classification in Australia. Screen Play reports that, in a conversation with Cunningham, he admitted there may be issues and explained that the team is continually checking with censors, with some ideas for the game already being shot down.

Australia's notoriously strict ratings board, the OFLC, currently does not have a classification past MA15+ for video games. That means any game not appropriate for a 15-year-old won't be sold in stores and is de facto banned -- and that's before the national internet filter becomes fully operational. Given some of the violent antics we've seen from Kratos' high-def adventure, it might barely scrape by with an MA15+ rating. But what of the inevitable sex antics?

[Via GamePolitics]

Nielsen: Halo 3: ODST, God of War 3, Wii Sports Resort most desired games post-E3

by David Hinkle { Jun 18th 2009 at 2:25PM }

Now that the excitement of E3 has died down, research firm Nielsen has readied the results of a new survey, which gauged consumer purchase intent for titles from the show. Obtained between June 7 to June 14, the results (via Edge) concluded that Bungie's upcoming jaunt through New Mombasa, Halo 3: ODST, had the highest purchase intent, with 53% of respondents taking interest. It was followed by God of War 3, which received 49% in support of its comical, over-the-top violence, and Nintendo's log-splitting sim, Wii Sports Resort, which managed 45%.

While undoubtedly big titles, we'd be lying if we said we weren't surprised by the top three. Some other titles we thought would be huge scored lower in this survey, including Assassin's Creed 2 (32%) and The Beatles: Rock Band (30%). Clearly, the allure of wasting extra-terrestrial lifeforms is still very strong in gamers. What would Spock say?

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

Continued →

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.