Customer Reviews

God of War III: Ultimate Edition

5 star:		(47)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Length:: 2:08 Mins

God of War III: Ultimate Edition

This is my video review of God of war 3 ultimate edition. I made the video to show a little more detail than what can be written.

This review's coming from someone who doesn't flip out over everything God of War-related, or says that you should get something just because it has to do with God of War. Face it- for the price this 'ultimate' edition's going for, you probably want to be getting your money's worth, right? I hadn't played God of War 3 until I got this set just last week, and I didn't spend more than retail for it, but even then, I can't see how this is an 'ultimate' edition of God of War 3.

First up, the main selling point of this edition- Pandora's Box. It's a cheaply made plastic box that looks just like the one in the game. The plastic they used to make this is very soft, and you can probably snap the horns off of the sides with even a tiny bit of effort. There isn't a lot of fine detail on this, and it looks a lot like some kind of Halloween decoration you'd find at a party store in October. The bottom of the box has no detail at all either. This could make a decent box to hold candy in style, but given how it looks in-person, there's not a lot of style to it.

When you open Pandora's Box, the art book is waiting for you. This is probably the best thing about this set, aside from the game, and it's a lot better than the one that got released in the UK, which was rushed and had the same quality as your typical instruction manual. The US art book is a hardcover book, about 100 pages, and features tons of great art. Enemies, scenery, sketches, there's a lot of impressive work and if you're one of those fans that wants a GoW tattoo, this would be a good book to scout. The book isn't that big since it had to fit in Pandora's Box, but I don't have any complaints about it because you can see everything clearly.

Under the book, you'll see a black ribbon on the side of the 'bottom' of the box. Pull it up and it turns out that it was guarding a secret compartment (well, I use that term loosely) where the game is. Nope, there are no cds for the soundtracks that the box advertises, but instead, they're included as DLC, along with the Dominus skin, Exile Arena and documentary. There's a code for each bonus inside of the game case. The game features the same art as the retail version, and is identical except it doesn't have a bar code, and just says 'not for resale' in its place.

When it comes down to it, this sucker going for over a Benjamin is a rip-off. The game alone is worth around half of that, the DLC is cheap on its own (hint hint), the art book is nice but you can always find the same images online, and Pandora's Box is a joke. I know you can't expect much of a replica for the price, but they sure as heck coulda tried harder. Maybe if they included the God of War Collection like the UK version did, I'd be more forgiving since it'd be more for your buck. And if this is supposed to be the be-all edition of God of War 3, why include just one of the many skins available? Why not include all of them? But as it is, you're better off just getting the game on its own, and then getting the DLC separately.

I think Kratos would've went off about REVENGE(!) and tracked down those responsible for making it if he had seen this set.

Hi, I decide to write this review, because I feel disappointed with the ultimate edition of GOW 3, and here's why

1. The box is on cheap plastic.
2. Downloadable Content skins, if your codes works, but is not a great deal.
3. The music, also downloadable content, again if your codes works, is pure mp3(not a good format for music, only for weight of the files) I will prefer physical discs.
4. The documental, again downloadable content, and like the music it will be better in a physical disc.

So is $100 for a disc that is a game, a book with art and a box of cheap plastic, and the rest is downloadable content, so the rate is for the content in the ultimate edition, but the game is a 5 star.

I recommend Don't buy it, is not worth, buy better the standard edition and you will save a lot of money, don't make the same mistake that I did.

due to a shipping error from gamestop i received my GoW3:UE on friday instead of on tuesday....i love it, the pandora's box is amazing and detailed to the T and the soundtrack is amazing as well....i love everything about this....but the gameplay by far is the most amazing i have played by far in the past year or so.

The Ultimate Edition is totally worth it for any HARDCORE GOW fan like myself. When I first saw it, I thought it was worth the asking price before I knew that it came with stuff other than the box. Now that I actually have it, it was definitely worth it. The documentary is GREAT (you get TWO copies on SD on HD) the soundtrack is awesome and most of the Blood and Metal EP rocks. "Oh but I have to download everything" to people that say that GET OVER IT. The BOX by itself was worth the extra $40. "Oh it's cheap plastic" Yes it's plastic, no it's not cheap. This entire set is a MUCH better value than the $90 Metal Gear Sold 4, and the $85 Street Fighter 4 and Resident Evil 5. So, those came with DVD/BD instead of a download, that was the only advantage. If you are a real God of War fan and like Greek Mythology, buy the set, it's worth it. And don't get me started on the game, it's way to epic to describe.

'Action Adventure' genre is my second favorite video game genre next to video game RPG represented mainly by Zelda and Metroid that incorporates 3rd person action with platforming and puzzle-solving. There's something about the genre that mixes good old-style arcady action and platforming into highly addictive gameplay rolled with brain-teasing puzzles.

There are some great games in the genre like 'Jak and Daxter', 'Sly Cooper' and 'Ratchet and Clank' series that focus on cartoonish world of our childhood memories. There's 'Survival Horror' a sub-genre of action adventure like 'Alone in the Dark', 'Resident Evil' and 'Silent Hill' series that focus more on psychological tension and brain-twisting puzzles. New comer like 'Uncharted' and 'Uncharted 2' infused jolt of nonstop excitement into the genre with unbelievable technical prowess, break-neck pacing and cinematic story-telling.

Then there are likes of 'Devil May Cry', 'Prince of Persia' and 'Ninja Gaiden' series that focus heavily on complex combat mechanics. Playing action adventure is so much more gratifying and immensely entertaining to than playing plain action game. When it comes to this last group I mentioned, most games are starting to lose their charms and ugly over-rated pretenders like 'Bayonetta' and 'Darksider' that muddied the genre early this year are not really helping the matter. But no worry, because the prodigal son has returned to wreak havok and send them into oblivion and his name is Kratos, the ghost of Sparta.

If you've never played the previous GoW, the game is a tale of remorse, fury, vengence and redemption, a superb revisionistic retelling of grand Greek Mythology with a lot of twists and jolts in baroque craziness. Everything about the game is packed with grandeur only seen in very few games.

While the first two GoW throw handful of memorable boss fights combined, GoW 3 throws one epic boss fight after another in a scale that dwarfs the first two in comparison. And even the regular fights in God Mode (normal difficulty) is harder than the first two and the game is also bit longer at 12 hours in my first run. But with subtly refined combat mechanics that lets you use different weapons on the fly or even in combination at the same time, magics that are bound to each weapon, new moves like picking up enemy and using it as battering ram, and items you can directly use during combat without consuming magic really make this game the finest of all three. Enough platforming and puzzles thrown together to give you variety further enhance the experience.

The scale of all the set-pieces in the game is wow-inducing, jaw-dropping and gargantuan. As much as the first two ooze the epicness, GoW 3 really outperforms in every aspect.

The multi-staged epic final battle between Kratos and Zeus (not so much spoiler as you would already know if you ever played the first two) and the long interactive cutscene that ensued is the culmination of this magnificient epic trilogy that wraps up everything nicely in epic proportion. All of Kratos' past demons are exorcised. Some expresse the dissatisfaction about the seemingly ambiguous and abrupt ending, but if you ever read the Greek mythology about 'Pandora's Box' and pay attention to all the cutscenes in GoW 3 (the game recaptures the most important clues again in the ending cutscene), what Kratos does is not only fitting and sensible but very heroic and the only logical thing he should have done in the context of the story.

Production values are out of this world from graphics, art works, design, music, voice works, animation to technical prowess that really flex the muscle of PS3 Cell Processor, everything about GoW 3 put vast majority of the current Hollywood to serious shame. Once you complete your first run, watch all the various documentaries about the production and you will see the talents behind such a phenomenal developing team 'Santa Monica'. Another noteworthy is the mo-cap tech that is now frequently used in games like 'Uncharted' series and 'Heavy Rain' really brings the performance (?) of the in-game characters to life.

As with the first two games in the series, the game comes with loads of unlockable extra contents nicely on single Bluray disc. Extensive and detailed 17 segments 'Making of Documentaries', extra skins, challenge modes and all the in-game cutscenes are better than many of special edition DVD / Bluray movies.

Having paid for 'Ultimate Edition', I feel stupid that I actually paid $120 (the bundle that contains God of War Bluray Collection compared to $100 regular 'Ultimate Edition' ) for the not so 'Ultimate' edition, especially in light of these excellent already-included contents and I already have PS2 version of GoW 1 and 2. The problem is that feature length documentary on 'History of God of War', GoW Trilogy Soundtrack, GoW Heavy metal EP, and GoW Challenge Arena all comes on a single voucher for DLC as GoW Premium Kratos Skin. I was expecting nice extra case of Bluray and DVD in the fashion of MGS4 Limited Collector's Edition. The actual digital contents are excellent. But it's one thing to put skin on a voucher, but it's totally unacceptable to put the rest of contents as intangible DLCs. Furthermore, the DLCs expire on March 2011, even if you don't download them. So if you don't download and save them on your HDD or burn them on optical disc, they are permanently lost. Art Book is nothing but a nicely made and ultimately forgettable coffee table book. Pandora's Box is, while nicely engraved with fine details, made in cheap plastic that Pandora would break with her fragile fingers. Not that I expected it to be made of gold-tinted steel or metal, but the plastic could have been much sturdier. So be warned. I honestly think the package is a criminal rip-off. The regular edition is a complete package as it is. If you don't own the previous two iteration on PS2, get excellent 'God of War Collection' on single Bluray disc with all the previous extra contents intact to complete the ultimate GoW collection, but avoid 'GoW 3 Ultimate Edition'.

God of War is the undisputed king of the genre and that's exactly why EA carbon-copied 'God of War' with 'Dante's Inferno' out of all other similar games. By the way, I loved 'Dante's Inferno' for what it is. Unadulterated and unashamed blood-soaking violent revenge saga full of gushing blood, severed limbs and nudity with handful of platforming and puzzles. Sounds familiar?

'GoW' series rank with the very best of the video game industry alongside handful of the most notable classics such as 'MGS', 'Uncharted', 'Final Fantasy', 'Metroid', 'Zelda', 'The Elder Scrolls', and 'Fallout' series.

Hail, Kratos. There's only one GoW and that title belongs to Kratos. If you only buy one series on your PS3, God of War Trilogy is the definitive PS3 collection every PS3 owner should purchase.

Length:: 3:47 Mins

Satisfied overall with the purchase. Not sure if it was worth $156. The game itself is amazing and I'd totally give it 5 stars, however I give the Ultimate Collectors Edition only 3 stars. Reason being that the box is just plastic (although looks really cool in our entertainment center on a lit glass showcase shelf!) Also I hear better reviews about the European version.
Honestly I expected the book to be bigger, but it has some awesome graphics inside. You get all sorts of downloadable content with this , but the other version has 3 CD Soundtracks.

Anyway, this is a fun video of my son opening the box for his dad, since he couldn't be here to open it. It shows everything that is inside the box and has the soundtrack playing in the background. Enjoy.

Buy the game it's fantastic. Fun to play and as a wife I can say it's like a movie and you can sit and enjoy just watching someone else play as well!

This game has met all expectations and satisfy those in thirst of epic and brutal god of war action.graphics are are great , the the boss fights are intense and this gets a 10/10 from me.

however this ultimate edition could have had more content , the only thing of value that was with this edition was the art book , ( which was great) but i think sony could have added more than that.overall great game , but the ultimate edition isn't as grand as i thought it would be.

The Good: Mass amounts of improvements, absolutely beautiful and epic on every scale, excellent boss fights, lots of extras

The Bad: Unbalanced difficulty, story takes a dive towards the end, it ends

Well here it is. After waiting 3 years we finally get the ending to one of the best video game series ever created. The biggest question that people have is if the game is enough to stand on its own out of the other next generation games. The answer is yes, so let's get down to it.

The game's story picks up right after God of War II with Kratos riding on the back of Gaia climbing Mount Olympus. The game starts out on the back of Gaia with Kratos fighting hordes of monsters (and learning the controls). The game starts out more epic than ever with an epic boss fight with Poseidon. Giant water serpents come up and try to kill Gaia, so not only do you have to kill Poseidon, but you have to protect Gaia as well. The boss fights are bigger and more epic than ever with Titans that are miles high (fighting Cronos is the most epic of all) and you really feel like your taking these beasts down with satisfying results.

I have to first talk about how the game looks. Yes, God of War III is probably the best looking game made to date and it really shows on every aspect. The sweeping camera angles, the high-resolution textures and models. The gorgeous lighting effects, and everything just feels updated and like it should on the PS3. You can see the pores and details in every characters, the animation is more fluid, the combat even feels better and more fluid, especially if you just played the God of War Collection. I can't really describe just how beautiful this game is. You can see and feel the passion and detail every artist put into the game from the creatures, levels, and even small things like blood, scrapes and nicks on metal just everything.

The combat is what has the biggest upgrades. No longer are you confined to having all your magic items come from your magic meter. There are a ton more weapons (four in total) to get, and each weapon has its own magic attack instead of collecting them separately. The Blades of Exile (yes the name has changed again) have the Spartan Army attack, the Nemean Cestus have a pounding attack, Hades Hooks that let you summon different creatures, and a whip type weapon that sends electric shocks. All the weapons are similar to the Blades of Exile, and the Blade of Olympus is now used during Rage of Sparta mode (yes it's changed and everything turns black). There is now an item meter which is used for your bow, Helios head, and Hermes shoes. All these items sound crazy, but let me explain.

The bow lets you set certain things on fire and is mainly used during the beginning of the game, but not so much later on. The Helios head is used to reveal secrets and blind enemies, and the Hermes shoes are used during wall running sections. The grapple hook still exists, but all of these changes let you use all your items and weapons all the time, and don't rely so much on just magic. Some other changes to combat were made so everything feels more fluid and you never have to stop fighting no matter where you are. You can evade in the air, there is now a grapple attack that pulls you towards your enemy in the air or on the ground. The combat system is just super fun to use now, and all the additions perfect the combat system and make a fitting end to the trilogy.

The QTE's are still in tact, but with a bit of a change. They appear on the edge of the screen according the controller layout so you can now watch what's going on. Using your peripheral vision is see these really helps keep you drawn in, so you don't have to concentrate so much on the buttons. It is a little confusing at first, but after a while you will get used to it. The QTE's are also better placed especially during boss fights. You really feel like your making the big kill this time around with a new camera angle that lets you see in a POV of the enemy your pummeling or in Kratos' view. This adds to the cinematic excitement and brutality of that game.

Another thing I need to talk about is just how much more brutal and explicit the game is. The gore is more detailed with guts hanging out, cuts being visible where you slashed an enemy, skin stretching when heads are pulled, tendons popping, veins breaking etc. All this is visible thanks to the power of the PS3 and is really makes you wince in sympathy. The game even has a more explicit sex mini-game that is about mid way through with Aphrodite. Instead of just panning over to a table with a vase you see two topless women talking about what Kratos is doing to Aphrodite and it is both hot to watch and funny.

The puzzles in the game are what you would expect from a God of War game: Clever, fun, and unique. Just like all God of War games some puzzles are an entire level with little puzzles within that, and Daedalus's labyrinth is one example. They aren't as confusing as the last two games, and are easier to figure out, but just as clever, and some puzzles are now part of the environment so timing and speed are of the essence.

While there are a lot of game changes like the combat, additional weapons, and even Icarus' Ascension (which is a flying section where you dodge falling debris), the game stays true to the series. Everything is just bigger, badder, and meaner but it does have a few slight flaws. The ending story is cut a bit short, there aren't enough epic boss fights, and the difficulty is highly unbalanced. These are really all I could find, but they aren't necessarily flaws. If the game were a bit longer, and those three issues didn't exist it would get a 10. The game is perfect except that little tic-tac sized piece that you feeling is missing and can never pin it. The game has high replay value to unlock trophies, challenges, costumes, and there are a ton of making-of videos for die-hard fans to watch.

I just can't describe the improvements of this game unless you play it yourself. It is probably the best PS3 game out there so far, and is so enjoyable and chock full of excellence that it's almost too much to contain. The amazing scale, beauty, and vast improvements make the game worth a purchase tenfold. I just wish this weren't the end of Kratos' adventures or is it...

ULTIMATE EDITION: If you pre-ordered a copy or can still find one floating around, and want to shell out an extra $40 you can get the Ultimate Edition. It includes a very detailed Pandora's Box, a code to get the God of War Trilogy OST, the Blood and Metal soundtrack, an hour length making-of video, and full color art book. The package is a bit disappointing since the box is made of hard plastic and not die-cast metal, the soundtracks were a pain to get during launch day since the site was bogged down and wouldn't load half the time. The Blood & Metal OST is pretty disappointing since it's nothing special. It has a couple of big names like Trivium and Killswitch Engage, but only three of the songs on the album were any good. I also wished the soundtracks came in physical CD format, but digital is fine. The making of video is filmed like a History Channel documentary and can be a snooze fest for hardcore fans who already know all about the game. The Trilogy OST is fantastic and is probably the best part of the whole package along with the detailed art book. Is it worth $40? Sure, if you're a hardcore fan otherwise pass.

This is by far the best game I have ever played. The pandora's box is quite good and looks as is it was made of seel. The art book, is really sweet addition. This package is a must for every god of war fan, and all the others should at least get the game.