God of War: Ascension might deliver a grander experience than comparable action titles, but that is largely due to the robust foundation created by previous releases, on which Ascension rests rather than builds upon.

Violence in video games is not a recent phenomenon. From savagely tearing out an opponent's spinal column in Mortal Kombat to callously beating prostitutes to death in Grand Theft Auto, gaming brutality has been prevalent for many years.

This game was very meh to me. None of the coolness or wonder of the earlier games, and very few interesting puzzles. It seemed too easy in most parts, and then way hard in just a couple others. I'd skip it even if you are a fan of the series.

This game has some of the most epic boss battles I've ever experienced in a game! They're just so huge and require skill to learn their attacks and things. I also found the story to be quite interesting and entertaining.

Following up the cataclysmic events of God of War III must have been a terrifying ordeal for a studio to go through. However, when a series already has a prequel along with another game filling the gap between games one and two I struggled to see how Kratos' adventures could do anything but go...

Erm; is this the best-looking game on PS3; Combat is an enjoyable blood-splattering tornado; Multiplayer map design is good..

...But the multiplayer combat is very dull; Platforming and swinging is horrendous; Combat and spectacle feels watered down

God of War: Ascension is a good game, but it's hard to avoid the elephantaur in the room - it's probably the weakest home console outing for...

Stunning visuals; Simple combat; Gore-factor; Cinematic

Pacing issues; Lacks usual level design polish; Negligible multiplayer; Weak story

Single-player has always been the core God of War experience, and Ascension gives fans exactly what they want. Stunning visuals, plenty of violence, a raging Spartan antihero and another generous helping of gaming's most jaw-dropping bosses.

Awe-inspiring graphics; God bothering boss battles

Pernickety platforming; Little new in the single player

I'm covered in blood and my enemies have fallen at my feet. Anger fills every cell in my body. Neither gods or Titans can stop my revenge, and all who try will suffer just as much as the demons that lie slaughtered on the ground in front of me.

There is no doubt that this generation has been lengthy compared to what we have experienced in the past, but as the year moves on towards the release of the PS4 and whatever Microsoft are going to call their next Xbox , we still need games to tide us over until those arrive.

The Greek myths, those vivid tales of gods and monsters, have been retold through the centuries via whatever artistic medium is popular at the time. From the loose oral-poetic tradition of their origins through literature, sculpture, painting and, more recently, theatre and film, the towering cast...