Kratos
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Kratos' Blade of Chaos up for sale, some strings attached
We know that there are a few cutlery enthusiasts out there who read that headline and immediately clicked the source link to purchase Kratos' Blade of Chaos from retailer BUDK. Before you do so, you should take into account a few facts: Kratos' weapons are being sold piecemeal on the site, so that $123.99 price tag only represents the cost of a single Blade. What's the point of having a single Blade of Chaos? Unless you're ironically cosplaying as Amputee Kratos, you're going to need two, so you should mentally jack that price up to $247.98. Replica swords are dangerous. Replica swords that you attach to your wrists with chains and then swing around like a madman are extremely dangerous.
Hands-on: God of War III (well, the first boss battle at least)
A common refrain from many (including us!) about God of War III is: "It's God of War ... in HD." And, as our last preview attested, that's not such a bad thing. In fact, while the demo was impressive in its own right, the game's director tells us they've added depth of field, motion blur, and high dynamic range lighting to the finished product. Too technical, right? We'll just use our fallback word: awesome. For this hands-on, we went all the way up to the first boss and beat him ... err, after several tries. It's none other than a certain God of the Sea, and he's pretty moody on account of Kratos and a bunch of Titans trying to scale Mount Olympus. In fact, there's a gathering of the gods up there and they're all pretty miffed: Zeus, Helios, Hermes, Poseidon, Hades, and a mysterious someone else. Based on this preview, they're going to do everything they can to try and make sure Kratos doesn't play king of the hill on their precious mountain. Read on for our experience with the opening of God of War III up to, and including, the first boss battle. If you're hoping to go into this game spoiler-free next month, you might want to stop here; otherwise, press on! %Gallery-44594%
GameStop handing out giant Kratos poster with God of War III pre-order
Do your living quarters need more art installations featuring massive, ashen dudes wielding massive, angry blades? You're in luck -- a recent PlayStation.Blog post has revealed that folks who pre-order God of War III at GameStop will not only gain access to an exclusive "Phantom of Chaos" in-game costume, they'll also snag a 17 x 24 poster of Kratos, signed by the game's concept artist, Andy Park. To catch a glimpse of the poster, check out the full scan after the jump. It's going to look a lot like that, only without the words "FOR DISPLAY ONLY" plastered proudly across its midsection. (We hope!)
Kratos case mod watches you while you play Solitaire
It's likely your computer already hates you, what with all those Clay Aiken tracks and Joanie Loves Chachi episodes you store on the thing's hard drive. So why not allow the outside to properly convey the hatred it has for you on the inside? One individual has done just that -- while simultaneously paying homage to Sony's God of War franchise -- all with the Kratos case mod you see above. We'd comment further, but we think the mod is disturbingly close to being a sentient, living Kratos and would you want to piss him slash it off? Yeah, didn't think so. Jump past the break for a brief video showing off the mod. [Thanks, Regis]
God of War III Slurpee tastes like Kratos' fury; it's delicious
When playing the God of War games, we've often wondered, "If Kratos' unflagging rage could be assigned a flavor, what flavor would it be?" Finally, that question will be answered by Mountain Dew and 7-Eleven, which are collaborating on the next advancement in frozen sugar-drink technology: The Kratos Fury Slurpee. We know that sounds like the kind of thing we'd make up for comedic effect, but we assure you, it's berry real. You can pick up a tall, refreshing cup of Fury (which includes nonconsumable codes for DLC armor and other content) starting February 1, at which point you'll learn that Kratos' anger actually tastes like a pleasant mix of blackberries and lime -- and the blood of a freshly-slain Gorgon. But, yeah, mostly just blackberries and lime.
God of War 3 fan video contest offers signed 'Ultimate' editions
Here's a challenge from the gods: the Playstation Blog has challenged followers to putt their dignity on the line to win one of 20 copies of the God of War III Ultimate Edition, signed by the development team. All you have to do is make a video that encapsulates your love for the game and explains why you deserve to open Pandora's Box. Creativity is important -- though we're sure they'll give bonus points for embarrassment. Not everyone can pull off that buff Kratos kosplay, you know ... The top 20 submissions will also be included in the credits of God of War: Unearthing the Legend, "a full-length movie documentary depicting the history of the God of War franchise." Check out the video for the contest after the break to gain some inspiration.
Blu-ray God of War changes are minimal, doubles up on trophies
Here's today's enormous, shocking revelation: The recently announced Blu-ray God of War collection is going to be a whole heck of a lot like its PS2-based counterparts. Aside from a 720p visual boost and perhaps the addition of an HD-friendly HUD and font, the rest of the re-released games will "be the pure experience, what people would have played when they played God of War originally," according to a recent IGN interview with Sony Santa Monica's director of product development, John Hight.If you're put off by the lack of new features, perhaps your raging Trophy addiction will be cause enough to purchase the Blu-ray collection. Hight confirmed that the two games both contain their own unique sets of trophies, adding that there would "probably" be two prestigious Platinum trophies available for hardcore completionists. We shudder to imagine the amount of dismemberment required to obtain these merits. This is us shuddering.
Sideshow Collectibles releasing 'premium format' Kratos figure, God of War dioramas
The show may be over, but more video game related news continues to emerge from this year's San Diego Comic-Con. This time it's word that Sideshow Collectibles has secured the rights to produce one of its trademark premium format figures based on God of War's Kratos. For those not familiar with them, Sideshow'sPremium Figures -- like these Star Wars ones -- are prized by collectors, stand more than 15" tall in most cases and usually sell in the $300-400 range. If the same holds true for Sony's property, that's a lot of money -- but also a whole lot of Kratos. Sideshow is also working on God of War dioramas -- sculpted multi-character scenes, such as this upcoming offering based on The Clone Wars. They're typically priced in line with the Premium Figures. Specific details on these have not been announced, nor has a time frame within which to expect any of Sideshow's God of War items. Given that God of War III hits next March, we can only imagine that Sideshow would want to ride the massive anticipation for the title and time its lineup accordingly. [Via Shogun Gamer]
Hands-on: God of War III
For the lazy, here's the short preview: it's God of War, in HD.God of War III is the talk of many here at E3. Why wouldn't it? The solid graphics, the over-the-top gore, the visceral gameplay -- and did I mention the over-the-top gore -- make God of War III one of the most polished and fun games available at the show floor. Yet in spite of its successes, one can't help but think it feels a little too familiar. Perhaps, in many ways, God of War III is playing it a bit too safe, resting on the laurels of its predecessors.That's not a bad thing per se, but we are an industry that champions innovation. Although God of War III doesn't stray far from the mold, it's still incredible fun and quite possibly the most gut-wretchingly violent game ever created. The creative team behind Kratos' latest are truly sick, devising an endless stream of creative deaths for enemies to suffer. Seeing someone's eye get ripped out may sound cool in SD, but God of War III makes sure you see every gory detail. The camera zooms in, proud to showcase the mutilation of the meticulously modeled and designed characters. There's more than blood that oozes (or explodes) out of these creatures; rather, we see guts and other bodily matter -- all in glorious HD. Kratos will, in the course of one short demo, impale a creature with its own horns, cut a gaping wound into someone's stomach, and rip a man's head off with his bare hands. And we're just scratching the surface.%Gallery-44594%
Kratos seeking vengeance in Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny
Namco Bandai must have an entire department dedicated to finding new ways and characters to market with its Soulcalibur brand. Following last year's ballet with the Force, the company has announced that God of War's Kratos will be taking out his frustration on the cast of Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny for the PSP. What with all of his disemboweling and afternoons on the links, we honestly don't know how everyone's favorite Spartan with a chip on his shoulder fits bickering with Soulcalibur brawlers into his busy schedule. Nevertheless, the Ghost of Sparta will appear as a guest character in the miniaturized fighter. We just hope he's on his best behavior while in someone else's house when Broken Destiny ships later this summer. See the trailer after the break.%Gallery-64951%
Sony targets collectors with licensing agreement
Sony is looking to extract some more money from European wallets through a new deal inked with Target Entertainment, who will now be the consumer product licensing agent for all PlayStation software IP. This means you could have a nice 6" tall Kratos watching over your cubicle whenever you go to refill that mug of coffee, or your own cuddly, huge Sackboy to snuggle up with every night while in bed. Really, the possibilities for merchandise are near endless here.SCEE's licensing and peripherals manager Stephanie Freeman says Sony wants "consumers to have the ability to interact with our brands and characters in ways other than just on screen. We feel Target Entertainment Group has the vibrancy and experience to help us do this successfully." No word on when these products will be making their way to market, but you should be able to stock up on Helghast target dummies and Ratchet and Clank ratchet sets soon.
GDC09: God of War III footage conveys massive battles, dynamic camera
We've seen the expertly edited trailer, but today we got our first look at some raw gameplay from Sony's Titan-ic sequel, God of War III. Sony Santa Monica programmers JIm Tilander and Vassily Filippov ended their highly technical discussion of optimizing code for PS3's multiple cores, a.k.a. its SPUs, with a brief 20-second clip.In it, Kratos squared off against dozens of enemies in a smaller area than was seen in the trailer. These guys, with their tall, blue coffin-shaped shields looked nothing like we've seen in the series to date. In order to dispatch them all, Kratos weakened a cyclops who'd arrived on the scene, triggering a familiar "kill" minigame. Here's where we got to see the creature-riding aspect of the game in an actual gameplay setting. Kratos pearched on the monster's neck while it struggled to throw him off, swinging wildly at anything and everything in its path. And that was it. The level wasn't paticularly noteworthy, but the sheer amount of enemies on-screen was. The new camera system also came into play, starting off up close to the amazingly detailed Kratos and pulling back as more enemies flooded onscreen. The action itself was fast and smooth. Filippov noted that, when the scene complexity allows it, God of War III will run at 60 frames per second, but it's not locked there. More complex scenes will run slower, but never below 30FPS. So, when's E3 again? Right -- not soon enough.
Toys R Us action set features bootleg Kratos
Click to embiggen. Are you ready for something "ridiculously awesome"? Reader Brett P. was shopping at a local Toys R Us when he spotted Tech Deck Dude's Serpent of Doom Action Set. Over four feet long, this toy features a rather familiar character riding a skateboard. The dual blades, goatee and red tattoo are distinctly Kratos-like, don't you think?The toy launches pseudo-Kratos across a gap, featuring a large biting serpent. "Don't get caught!" We're not sure how well bootleg Kratos would fare in a fight against the serpent, but we know the PlayStation original would use a few QTEs and shred the beast in half.%Gallery-47883%
Rumor: Ready at Dawn developing new PSP God of War
If Tuesday's reveal of new -- even exciting -- games coming to PSP knocked you on your rump, you'd best be seated before reading any futher. Comfy? Good. Here's the deal: Joystiq has learned from a trusted source that Ready at Dawn, the studio behind the PSP's excellent God of War: Chains of Olympus, is working on a new Kratos adventure for PSP. Apparently the studio hasn't sworn off PSP development once and for all.The informant tells us Ready at Dawn did, in fact, ship all of its PSP development kits back to Sony last summer, but received new kits in late 2008 after Sony ordered up the sequel. It's possible that, given its current state of development, the game might appear in some form at June's E3 Expo, our source reports. The title seems an unlikely candidate for release this year, but could be timed to coincide with God of War III's launch, which may occur in early 2010.When contacted for comment, Ready at Dawn president and co-founder, Didier Malenfant, responded: "You know that even if we were [making the game], I couldn't answer your question." We see a "know" in there, but not a "no."
Joystiq interview: God of War 3's Ken Feldman, art director
Ken Feldman was one of the original three people who came up with the God of War concept and worked as a lead environment designer on the first game. David Jaffe and Tim Moss were the other members of that trinity. During the sequel's development, Feldman worked behind the scenes on future technology and is currently the art director of God of War III.We chatted with Ken at the God of War III preview event in Los Angeles this week, where he detailed the overhauled game engine, Kratos' new PS2-busting polygon count, and inspiration for the God of War style.%Gallery-44594%
Joystiq interview: God of War 3 director Stig Asmussen
After working on games like Dr. Muto and Gauntlet: Dark Legacy, Stig Asmussen worked as lead environmental artist on God of War before moving on to God of War II, where he was promoted to art director. He's now game director for God of War III, which means he's reached the pinnacle of Mount Olympus, so to speak. Despite shouldering an Altas-like workload, including organizing a team of more than 100 employees, Asmussen was in high spirits when we sat down with him this week at the God of War III preview event.Continue on to learn more about PlayStation Home and DLC plans, the handling of motion controls, and how the team's bringing newcomers up to speed on the story -- plus many more previously unknown details!%Gallery-44594%
The Titan-ic new God of War 3 trailer
Sony released this new God of War III trailer today, to go alongside our brand new preview. It's an extended version of the one shown during the VGAs in December and features some of Kratos' new abilities and the game's god-sized scale -- the ending camera shot turns Kratos into a flea! The video was rendered in-game, so cross your blades that it keeps on looking this good -- and angry -- as development continues. Okay, we'll stop writing now, so you can get to watching the darned thing already! Download God of War 3 Trailer 1080p HD (235 MB)
Joystiq impressions: God of War 3
click to Titan-size! Hold on to your loincloths, because we spent two hours with God of War III earlier this week and now – with the embargo's arms ripped clean off – we're finally allowed to tell you about it. Maybe we should be more specific: we spent two hours watching someone else play the game while we took notes, geeked out, and did our best to not shout out gameplay suggestions. Instead, game director Stig Asmussen took us through the major goals they've hit so far in the development process, while design director Todd Papy took the controls for the demo.Something to note: they did make a big point of telling us they would not be discussing a release date. They said they'd be announcing that at E3, which leads us to assume that they still have hurdles to overcome and aren't clear how those will affect their schedule. So will this game be out by the end of 2009? We doubt it. There were plenty of holes in what we were shown, including some fundamental gameplay/story ideas that weren't hammered down yet.However, what we were able to see looks like it could be worth the wait for PS3 owners. It's basically God of War II on steroids which, considering the popularity – and quality! – of the first two titles, isn't necessarily a bad thing. Read on for our impressions, chock full of tidbits and new info about everyone's favorite angry bald Greek guy. %Gallery-44594%
GameStop LBP pre-order adds more God of War sackness
We had previously learned that a Kratos SackBoy would be available with a GameStop pre-order, but what we didn't know was all the extras that would also be included with the reservation. The GameStop website and a new commercial (found after the break) reveal the pre-order will also include Minotaur and Medusa costumes, along with stickers and level pack.The details on getting the redemption code vary between online and in-store reservation, with online codes being sent out a week before the game ships and store codes available at time of reservation -- while supplies last (call ahead). No word yet if the Heavenly Sword Best Buy exclusive Nariko SackGirl will come with levels, extra characters and a dose of a "twing-twang."[Via PS3 Fanboy]
Kratos wields 'clubs of chaos' in Hot Shots Golf tomorrow
The PlayStation Blog announced today that the God of War himself will be available tomorrow as a downloadable character for PS3's Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds. Kratos, sporting the "clubs of chaos," is taking some time off from battling the gods of Olympus to try and sink a couple putts.The Kratos DLC will cost $2, but this isn't just a fancy new character model for the game. We give Sony props for bringing in T.C. Carson, the voice of Kratos, to record some new lines for the Ghost of Sparta to use in the game. Don't expect any of Kratos's trademark rage, though, as the game will continue to be rated "E."
