Today we’ll be counting down towards the best God of War game in our opinion. This long-running PlayStation-exclusive series has been around since 2005, and is still running strong with fresh installments being released every few years. Created by David Jaffe, it is based on Greek mythology, and is centered on a forever-angry Spartan warrior named Kratos who’s out to avenge the death of his family. With its action-adventure gameplay featuring heavy focus on hack and slash combat, the series presented itself as an irresistible offering for anyone who owned PlayStation consoles back then. As time passed by, the game started evolving more and more, and with each new one, God of War started grabbing an iconic status which has stuck to it everlastingly. With this countdown, we’ll be deciding upon which game from the main series we think deserves to be called the finest among the lot.
6 – God of War: Ascension
Last year’s PS3 offering from Sony’s Santa Monica Studio proved to be a weak link for the series as compared to the other games. Although it was equipped with extremely polished visuals and a catchy vibe, its prequel story which is focused on the antics of Kratos prior to the prevalent storyline, failed to impress.
The game nonetheless is a treat for fans owing to its excellent and refined combat which is complemented brilliantly by some astonishing enemies. Another thing that didn’t go in God of War: Ascension’s favor was its decision to adopt an online multilayer component. This seemingly tacked on feature looked fairly out of place, and lacked versatility to say the least.
5 – God of War: Ghost of Sparta
Our next pick is the 2010 PSP offering from Ready at Dawn and Santa Monica Studio. At its time, God of War: Ghost of Sparta was a visual marvel, as few PSP games had managed to match its graphical and technological brilliance.
It grabbed hold of some excellent puzzle and platforming scenarios, apart from the series’ trademark hack and slash combat and quick time events. This spectacular game grabs hold of a truly well written story as well, but where it falters a bit is in the fact that it does not bring in anything new to the series. Although an excellent game, Ghost of Sparta feels like any other God of War title at times.
4 – God of War
This first entry came out back in 2005, and treated us to something we hadn’t witnessed before. The fiery protagonist, the Greek mythology-inspired story, the fast paced combat punctuated by engrossing quick time events, the bloody violence and a lot more signify God of War.
This blueprint for the rest of the series remains one of the highest rated games of all time. Wielding the blades of chaos on seemingly unending droves of enemies, while solving puzzles and indulging in some thrilling platforming is an experience which this game imposed on us in such a way that it’s still hard to forget. The PS2 classic in a way increased the system’s leverage as well. Moreover, it propelled Sony to commission a sequel which is why we have all these other wonderful games from the series today.
3 – God of War II
Following the first installment of the series, this second game heralded the epitome of the whole God of War experience. It improved upon all the aspects which had made the first title a hit. The violence was more gory, the scenarios were more thrilling, the combat was slicker and the the visual and aural experience too was mind-blowing.
Released in 2007 for the PS2, God of War II was an absolute high-point for the series. Its appeal was widely expanded by this game’s magnificent offerings, whereas its story too was a commendable one. This satisfying game from the God of War series deserves all the praises it gets.
2 – God of War: Chains of Olympus
Coming in at a close second is God of War: Chains of Olympus. Also a PSP title, it’s the third main entry to the series. The dark atmosphere of the series was incorporated into this beauty with utmost brilliance, and the gameplay was perfect to say the least.
Cramming hours of breathtaking content into this PSP game, its developers had set yet another benchmark for the series. God of War: Chains of Olympus acts as prequel to the original God of War, and renders the kind of narrative excellence which no God of War game will feel right without.
1 – God of War III
No doubt, our favorite among the lot has to be God of War III. The first GoW game to be released for the PS3, it took gamers by storm with its utterly grand offerings. Everything that was pushed into God of War III had a vibe of excellence to it. Its advanced high definition visuals took the GoW experience to whole new levels, rendering its over-the-top battles and dark environments in all their glory thanks to the PS3’s powerful abilities.
God of War III was a masterpiece in more ways than one. It was a pretty long game which didn’t leave anything to be desired. It featured the same hard-hitting combat but with tremendous improvements. And above all, as an overall experience, this game is truly unbelievable.
Conclusion:
Yes, in our opinion, GoW III is indeed the best God of War game. Feel free to tell us what title you think deserves the number one spot. And if you’re looking to experience the series as a whole, there’s no better option than to buy the God of War Saga which contains PS3 versions of all the above mentioned games, except Ascension.