Kratos returns for the third installment of the God of War console series and we have slaved away for literal hours on end to bring you this product of hard labour.

God of War III kicks off at the exact point that the second game ends with the bold words that “The End Begins”. This is the first God of War to hit the Playstation 3, and expectations of greatness have been high.

Does it do the leap justice? Read the full review after the jump.

The story continues with Kratos’ burning desire for revenge and the destruction of Olympus as his reason for being.

By now you should be very familiar with what type of game God of War is and how it feels and plays. Depending on how you look at it, God of War III is either just what you wanted or a little bit of a disappointment in terms of how it plays.

While there is definitely nothing wrong with it, the game still very much plays exactly how you would expect, with no major changes to the formula with the exception of a few small things (such as the Quicktime Event buttons popping up on screen on the side that the button is sitting on the controller).

So if you were looking for something fresh and new, there isn’t much of that here. On the other hand, this is God of War, and most of us love it for what it is and just wanted more of it and in that regard, it’s perfect.

What most of us were all really looking for was a big and bold explosion to end off the series, and this is exactly what the game achieves. Levels can vary from closed interiors to vast open spaces with immense visual details that all bathe in some of the best lighting you will have seen on your Playstation 3 to date.

This immense visual powerhouse is also supported by a great soundtrack, booming sound effects and good use of voice acting.

The reason that I make a point of highlighting these features is that when it comes down to it, this is where the real magic of a next-gen God of War really stems from. Santa Monica studios have been very hard at work creating beautiful levels, inspired creatures and characters, gorgeous art design and then wrapping them all up in a 60fps graphics engine on a platform that can finally do it the justice that it has deserved all along.

It is for this very reason that God of War III will get you excited and keep you in awe, as you work your way through the final stage of Kratos’ vengeance.

While reports have been coming in stating that the game is short and can be completed in under 8 hours, I worked through it at a decent pace on the normal difficulty and managed somewhere around 9 and a half hours. More importantly, it felt just right and it didn’t leave me feeling like I had been sold short.

God of War III debuts on the PS3 with a bang and proves its series’ worth once more with it’s grand tale of revenge and as such, earns itself a place in the ranks of PS3 titles that you just simply have to own.

For fans of: Blood, Violence, More Blood, SPAAARRRRTTTAAAAAAAAA

Scoring (not an average)

Gameplay: 9.0

God of War delivers the same action packed feel that the series is known for. Could have used a little more innovation though.

Presentation: 9.5

A great looking game in every way.

Sound: 9.0

Top notch musical score, sound effects and voice acting. Make sure you crank this one to full volume.

Value: 9.0

The story mode is a very decent length and with the inclusion of extras, making of videos, challenge rooms and arenas, the game proves that it’s worth it’s weight in gold.

I often play God of War clones and praise them for being a worthy effort, but after playing God of War III it’s just too easy to see that the there is nothing quite like the real McKratos.

[Reviewed on Playstation 3]