14 DAY TRIAL // What we know: God of War: Ascension is the first console-based prequel in the long-running series from Santa Monica Studios and Sony and probably the final game in the franchise to arrive on the current version of the PlayStation.
Gamers will be able to once again roam Ancient Greece as Kratos, the vengeful warrior they have come to love despite his propensity for violence, but this time, the game will focus on his past and on the tiny sliver of time before he became an enemy of the gods.
Expect more mythological beasts to tear apart, interesting new weapons and returning favorites, some God involvement here and there, attempts to make Kratos appear at least slightly sympathetic.
The actual single-player story is still under wraps at Sony, but the company is more than willing to talk about the multiplayer that’s new to the series.
I’ve played the beta stage for the new modes and so far, they are interesting and deliver quite a bit of adrenaline into my tired old gamer muscles, especially when I play with seven other players in the team-based matches.
God of War: Ascension will be launched exclusively on the PlayStation 3 from Sony on March 12, in the United States and just one day later in Europe.
Why it matters: God of War has always been one of the cornerstones of Sony’s strategy for the PlayStation and Ascension needs to show that the consoles can still wonder in the graphics space.
At the same time, the game needs to prove that, after single handedly taking out the old Gods, Kratos still has stories to tell while also balancing the narrative with the requirements of combat mechanics that involve more than one player.
The full Incoming 2013 series of articles can be read on Softpedia right here.