When Kratos taught me a thing or two...

March 20th 2010, a date that I had been waiting for nearly three years. Ever since Kratos pronounced his revenge on Zeus and the rest of Mount Olympus in the climax ending of God of War 2, I’d waited for three years to find out how this trilogy would end. Hanging on every announcement, watching every video, the hype and anticipation was there. I told myself God of War 3 would be the game to wait for, possibly even better than Metal Gear Solid 4. This was the reason to buy a PS3.

March 20th – Arriving home with a new haircut and God of War 3, I pop the game into my PS3. Holding the controller in anticipation, three years of waiting had boiled down to this moment. The third and final part in this trilogy which had given me so many great gaming memories. Flashing on screen in his next gen form, I gasp for a moment. Choosing new game, Kratos states

“My vengeance ends now.”

Flash forward a couple of minutes and Kratos is riding a top Gaia as they ascend Mount Olympus. It’s the perfect opening for a game, picking up off right where the last God of War left off. Gaia is attacked throughout the opening, constantly shifting the movement mode for Kratos. He defends Gaia from repeated attacks by Poseidon, coming in the form of some horse-scorpion hybrid. It looks wonderful, even on my analogue television, and more importantly, plays like every God of War should. Without spoiling it, the end of the opening sequence is almost the perfect summary of what God of War is: complete destruction on the largest scale.

But then something happens, and Kratos is once again stripped of all his powers. Everything that God of War 2 built up to is somewhat lost in this event; Kratos doesn’t feel like the almighty powerhouse that he was in the opening sequence.

And as the game progresses, little evidence of this ‘almighty powerhouse’ Kratos should be is shown ever again. He chases a certain God at one point, and engages in some sort of rhythm mini game in another section. The last third of the game has Kratos escorting a little girl that reminds him of his daughter, and in the process is put through endless battle after battle. Rarely did I ever feel this sense of empowerment that God of War 2 spent a whole goddamn game building towards. Instead of jamming a bridge through a Kraken’s mouth, I was chasing the arse of some God who would repeatedly taunt me like a 6 year old child.

By the end of the game I realised that I was trying to make myself enjoy the game. I told myself and friends it was a great game, but in reality I thought differently. Why, deep down inside, did I not enjoy the game as I did with the previous two? Moreover, why did I try to convince myself that it was a really good game? I tried playing through it again, and haven’t finished it since. I racked my brain as to why it was like this.

Then I realised, there wasn’t anything wrong with God of War 3, there was something wrong with me. I built up this game to be so damn good, I would rant to my friends at recess and lunch at how awesome the ending of the God of War 2 was, and how God of War 3 would continue this trend. But it didn’t, expectation made it to be a better game than what it really was.

In truth it was the high expectation I had for God of War 3. There was no chance in the world this game would disappoint me, and somehow it did. But in reality, God of War 3 is a decent game; the only reason I complained a few paragraphs before is because those were the reasons I used to try to convince myself as to why it was a bad game. I couldn’t accept the truth that I had set my expectations too high, and with three years of expectations suddenly shot down, it’s kind of hard to accept the truth.

But accept the truth I did. I’ve left that experience behind me, admitting that my expectations ruined a game that wasn’t so bad. I’ve learnt to not get my hopes up too high and for that, I thank God of War 3 not for being a game but for being a worthy lesson in life.