For a time, God of War was arguably Sony's strongest intellectual property. With each of three main games, Sony Santa Monica was able to up the ante and wow us with the ever-increasing scale.

Buy God of War It's fitting that God of War opens with a Norse funeral pyre. Jaded fans could see it as a symbolic "death" of a character and gameplay style they love, altered forever by the inclusion of some kid they saw in the demos and trailers. Kratos has gone soft, they might say.

In a setting that substitutes Greek gods with Norse mythology, joining the Ghost of Sparta on his venture to the peak of a sacred mountain is his young son, Atreus. And while the thought of seeing Kratos play a father figure in a God of War title seems a little outlandish at first, the connection...

Traditionally, God of War 's barbarous antihero, Kratos, has long been synonymous with severed heads and limbs and all sorts of other delirious horrors visited upon his enemies. This, however, isn't the picture of Kratos that 2018's God of War is drawn to.

There's a very particular formula that the God of War series has followed since its original release in 2005. It was one of fast-paced hack and slash action with a healthy dose of big boss battles, quick time events and brutal, bloody combat.

God of War is the perfect trifecta of innovative gameplay, gorgeous visuals and engrossing narrative. It's a game that grabbed me from its opening moments and had me holding my breath for almost 30 hours.

Norse surrender

Excellent combat; Character and environmental design is incredible; Stunning soundtrack; Enemy variety; Gripping story

Returning to a beloved series years later with a much-aged protagonist in a new setting with a young sidekick tagalong could give even the most ardent fans pause. God of War dispels any fears early on with some knock-down-drag-out action.

Mmmmmmmm...

Kratos has changed, and with him, God of War. This is the first game in the saga created from scratch for PlayStation 4, and it comes five years after God of War: Ascension. Behind it there's a seven-game legacy (two on PS2, two on PSP, two on PS3, and one on mobile) that has always followed the...