God of War: Ascension

 PlayStation 3
  • Publisher: SCEA
  • Release Date: Mar 12, 2013
User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 1461 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 980 out of 1461
  2. Mixed: 327 out of 1461
  3. Negative: 154 out of 1461
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. TheRued
    Mar 12, 2013
    3
    I am one hell of a GoW fan, and so it hurts me deeply to see such a disappointing, utterly unnecessary... thing.

    The game is poorly paced, thanks to a complete lack of any motivation getting you through pretty setpiece to underwhelming boss fight, with extra annoying monsters to pad the gaps. The bestiary is lacking (think Silent Hill: Downpour), and its limited assets keep swapping    I am one hell of a GoW fan, and so it hurts me deeply to see such a disappointing, utterly unnecessary... thing.

    The game is poorly paced, thanks to a complete lack of any motivation getting you through pretty setpiece to underwhelming boss fight, with extra annoying monsters to pad the gaps. The bestiary is lacking (think Silent Hill: Downpour), and its limited assets keep swapping elements and/or color. The Blizzard School of Enemy Design, I see...

    Music is good, though easily forgettable, and the sound, my God! the sound keeps getting cut during cutscenes, resulting in a audiovisual experience. Or the game bugs. That's a nice touch.

    I don't know about multiplayer, because I certainly wouldn't touch the thing, but let me tell you that if it shows the same lack of polish the solo campaign does, well...

    All in all, it should be noted that Ascension brings absolutely NOTHING new to the table. Everuthing it does, it was done better by previous GoW titles... Even by previous rip-offs. It is a cut and paste job straight from the GoW 3 Scrapyard, complete with a boring story and too few interesting sights to behold. I never thought I would see the day Chains of Olympus was going to be out-sucked. Todd Pappy should retire. That is all!    … Expand
  2. amazinmace
    Mar 30, 2013
    1
    A completely unnecessary difficulty spike in the last stage of the game makes this game total sh!t. It was mediocre before, and got unplayable by the final level. Boring combat, uninteresting story, overall not a good game like previous GOW titles.
  3. MethodicCircle
    Mar 26, 2013
    2
    Frustrating would be the word to best describe GoWA. Kratos should have remained in infamy by walking off into the black at the end of GoW3. Some things need to die just for the sake of dying. Others have said it much better (and far kinder) than I could even try. The only thing I will retain as I walk away from this game is carpal tunnel syndrome from the stupid and relentlessFrustrating would be the word to best describe GoWA. Kratos should have remained in infamy by walking off into the black at the end of GoW3. Some things need to die just for the sake of dying. Others have said it much better (and far kinder) than I could even try. The only thing I will retain as I walk away from this game is carpal tunnel syndrome from the stupid and relentless button mashing required to kill something.

    I don't envision finishing the game.    … Expand
  4. Otkon
    Mar 12, 2013
    3
    For starters. The game seems just unfinished. The audio is quite flat for 5.1 surround. I honestly had to keep checking my sound system display to make sure it was outputting to all the channels. The graphics are, of course, over-the-top for vistas and cutscenes, but for the platforming and combat there is something just off about everything. Kratos moves in such a wooden manner thatFor starters. The game seems just unfinished. The audio is quite flat for 5.1 surround. I honestly had to keep checking my sound system display to make sure it was outputting to all the channels. The graphics are, of course, over-the-top for vistas and cutscenes, but for the platforming and combat there is something just off about everything. Kratos moves in such a wooden manner that [evade] is pointless. Likewise, [double jump] is completely broken. Don't expect much reliability, accuracy or timing with that one in a boss battle. Don't expect precision from either if you are being swarmed.

    And that leads me to my main issue with the game: the difficulty settings are astronomically skewed. If you initially select Hard, be prepared to do a lot of the same stuff repeatedly until you just happen to luck your way past a fight. Why? Because of the above issues meet an egregiously reprehensible respawn implementation in the game. Apparently, the developers are so in love with their sweeping set pieces that they want us to experience them over and over and over and over ad nauseam et infinitum. Their idea of scaled difficulty is to overwhelm Kratos in a small area with defective defenses against a multitude of leveled-up enemies who cannot be avoided vertically And laterally. Death is quick and often. Restart is also brilliantly without full health and often before a long intro (to an even minor battle) that is not skippable! And some of these "cutscenes" you have to actively trudge through for no reason just to get back to the point of inevitable reset.

    I am all for a challenging experience but it has to be well-designed. And it cannot impede progress in the narrative. Easy Level typically means an all-offense approach will get you through. Normal Level requires some avoidance and some defensive tactics. Hard more defense, combos, wise upgrades. Insane hard plus precise timing, stealth, wait-and-see strategy. And all of those are fine if the gameplay mechanics of the release function and do so with balance to the enemy AI. Seriously, Santa Monica should have spent the wasted time of a multiplayer into polishing the interactive campaign portions which actually feel like a bad stiff multiplayer. One of the worst sins of game-making is undue repetitious gameplay in story mode; in multiplayer it is expected. But in this campaign, it causes a player to walk away from the console.

    Plus, even if it were working, it is just the same old familiar GOW you've done five games before. And in this latest one, you'll be repeating enough as it is.    … Expand
  5. fpex
    Mar 15, 2013
    3
    This is my first foray in this franchise and it is a big disappointment. Coming from games where there is plenty of fight, eye candy and free of movement, this came feels like a brawler on rails with bugs, frame rate issues, and boring action. The game is just about mashing the controller. Few fights are fun, many are just mashing without having a clue of what is going on.
    The script and    This is my first foray in this franchise and it is a big disappointment. Coming from games where there is plenty of fight, eye candy and free of movement, this came feels like a brawler on rails with bugs, frame rate issues, and boring action. The game is just about mashing the controller. Few fights are fun, many are just mashing without having a clue of what is going on.
    The script and story fight and fight. A game i might never finish out of boredom.    … Expand
  6. jvfan7
    Mar 12, 2013
    4
    Glitchy,feels rushed, boring! And I'm a huge God of war fan! I'm not sure what happened here. The game looks great but it's not a God of war game. Today is a sad day.
  7. Slizzo
    Mar 13, 2013
    4
    God of war: ascension in one word: Boring! The combat is slow and unresponsive and 4 hours into the game i still had no idea what was going on or what i was supposed to accomplish. The story is weak and poorly paced, by far the worst god of war game imo. I have not tried the multiplayer so that might make me want to play the game again... But i will probably never bother to complete theGod of war: ascension in one word: Boring! The combat is slow and unresponsive and 4 hours into the game i still had no idea what was going on or what i was supposed to accomplish. The story is weak and poorly paced, by far the worst god of war game imo. I have not tried the multiplayer so that might make me want to play the game again... But i will probably never bother to complete the single player part of the game, just not worth it.… Expand
  8. irishedd
    Mar 17, 2013
    1
    what a bad god of war poor story poor combo and rage system lack of weapons and no replay value. i max all my weapons health and magic in my first playthrough. obviously this game was rush out to just to make a quick buck extremly poor effort
  9. pourya-ahmadian
    Mar 18, 2013
    3
    another rush-for-money game.
    sony is going to be another "EA".
    i like sony at past but at this generations they are "all copy-followers".
    "gow 1-2" were great in "story and gamplay",they showed us the strength of "ps2".
    "gow3" was good and cool,but this,,,,this "illegal son of "gow"" is aweful and poor.
    i am sorry for money i paid for this.
  10. Mako5
    Mar 19, 2013
    3
    The plot was not as compelling as previous titles, despite the fact that an obvious attempt to humanize Kratos was clearly made. The graphics are excellent. The standard gruesome, visceral gameplay returns as the driving force behind this story's campaign. However, with an emphasis on abilities trumping that of new or secondary weapons, the game very easily devolves into button-mashingThe plot was not as compelling as previous titles, despite the fact that an obvious attempt to humanize Kratos was clearly made. The graphics are excellent. The standard gruesome, visceral gameplay returns as the driving force behind this story's campaign. However, with an emphasis on abilities trumping that of new or secondary weapons, the game very easily devolves into button-mashing through the campaign with only one weapon, creating a very uniform and lackluster experience. The sheer epic scale of previous God of War titles has been scaled back, and the in-game camera can be unreliable and often times oddly placed, leaving the player helpless and at the mercy of this poor gaming design. The Trial of Archimedes, before the patch, that launched with the game was clearly frustrating and was completely out of tune with the rest of the game's difficulty, format, and style. It broke the flow of the story, and only served as an impediment to reaching the game's conclusion rather than as a challenge to overcome. The multiplayer is a nice addition, but nothing that really stands out. It definitely won't keep large crowds playing the game in the long run. Overall, God of War Ascension was a decent game with a few flaws and a multiplayer addition that doesn't offer anything new to the table because it's a button-mashing and repetitive experience with little to no strategy involved.… Expand
  11. stitchmouth
    Mar 16, 2013
    2
    You get the feeling right from the start that this game was pumped out by their 'B' team, while the heavy hitters are working on a new title for the PS4. The controls seem to take a step back, with the new parry system being counter-intuitive, and general lack of ways to keep mobs at arm's length. As others have mentioned, pacing is 'off' at best. You start off with no real development,You get the feeling right from the start that this game was pumped out by their 'B' team, while the heavy hitters are working on a new title for the PS4. The controls seem to take a step back, with the new parry system being counter-intuitive, and general lack of ways to keep mobs at arm's length. As others have mentioned, pacing is 'off' at best. You start off with no real development, or any reason to go forward, other than the game's linearity pushes you there. It takes several hours of marching forward for no clear reason before you're given any real plot to attempt to motivate you.

    There are very, very few monsters compared to previous titles in the series, and outside a handful of world weapons you can pick up, you only have one weapon. That's right, your blades are all you have. No upgrading an amazing sword or bow with unique move sets. I hope you really, really enjoy your blades. The puzzles can just be frustrating, and often the QTE battles and puzzles jump between giving you prompts on what buttons to press, and not telling you what you need to do next, which can end up with you re-doing a battle/scene a few times to sort out exactly what the system wanted. Again, not something I mind, if it's going to plop you back at the start of the scene, but instead these are often insta-kill, which means time spent at loading screens, which is just bad design.

    And last but not least, with your lack of variety in weapons, and shoddy defensive skills, you will eventually be shoehorned into a 'trials' area that you have to pass to continue, which pit you against 3 massive waves of mobs, with no means to heal in between. This would be a fun challenge if you had a variety of weapons, or a good skill set to manage the encounter. Instead, the encounter has been deemed bad enough that Santa Monica is patching in a change to 'fix' it. As I doubt they'll be patching in new weapons or skills, this will just be dumbing down the encounter, which to me means that their QA team wasn't on the ball either.

    I've also run across one system crash and one skill related glitch, which are things I find unacceptable in console games. Be warned if you're a fan of the previous titles, and you've taken off your rose tinted glasses, you may be in for a huge disappointment with this one.    … Expand
  12. Acrenor
    May 11, 2013
    3
    And here we are again
    god of war Ascension
    this game is good but gets boring quickly
    no-one can relate to the main character by any stretch of the imagination
    the newest game in the GOW series is just another mindless hack and slash game
    i would rate this game much lower if the innovative online mode wasn't here
  13. ASH316
    Mar 14, 2013
    3
    Was looking forward to this so much,I'm completely disappointed in this,the others were so much better!!I'm a huge God of War fan,but this game just seems rushed,the worst of the series!!
  14. powL
    Mar 15, 2013
    3
    bought it for the mp. never played anything so unbalanced, chaotic and frustrating like this game... hope they will bring up some patches. actually, its just nice for a few rounds/evenings, but at some point you recognize its less depending on skill than it looks. it depends mostly on your weapons "L1+square" & "L1+triangle" skills, and a little bit of luck (at some point enemys are donebought it for the mp. never played anything so unbalanced, chaotic and frustrating like this game... hope they will bring up some patches. actually, its just nice for a few rounds/evenings, but at some point you recognize its less depending on skill than it looks. it depends mostly on your weapons "L1+square" & "L1+triangle" skills, and a little bit of luck (at some point enemys are done with less than 2 combos)...you will get kicked out, one-shoted, seeing others getting your kill, getting no kill cos of animationbugs, or getting a kill without doing anything, or things like unblockable light attacks, etc pp. resumee: unless some patching mp is nothing serious… Expand
  15. AdamMadman
    Mar 14, 2013
    4
    As a die hard fanboy of this series, it is painful...utterly heart wrenching, to think that a GoW game could be this...bad. Not even average...just bad. Sure the graphics are pretty, and set pieces are still jaw dropping (though nothing like Colossus, Poseidon, or Chronos). But the story line has been completely axed. There is an undertone of story, but Kratos' battle with the FuriesAs a die hard fanboy of this series, it is painful...utterly heart wrenching, to think that a GoW game could be this...bad. Not even average...just bad. Sure the graphics are pretty, and set pieces are still jaw dropping (though nothing like Colossus, Poseidon, or Chronos). But the story line has been completely axed. There is an undertone of story, but Kratos' battle with the Furies happens without context. You are dropped into the middle of the story, hoping you'll assume some of the finer details on your own. Plot hasn't always been a huge driving force for the GoW games, but after Ghost of Sparta, we know that a stellar plot is possible in this universe, so when they miss out on an opportunity, it hurts ever the more. The combat has been broken from previous games. The block/parry system has been completely revamped, and by revamped, I mean to say it is utter garbage. Where a skillful GoW'er would dodge and parry with ease, the requirement of pressing L1+X to parry, and the floaty timing of the maneuuver makes parry cancelling combos basically impossible, and it feels like crap. Hard to believe SSM thought this was a good idea. It isn't, and its awful. The Rage of the Gods meter has been replaced with a straight up Rage meter...and what's that you ask: "So what? Rage modes have always been about last ditch effort, damage bonus boosting anyway!"...Wrong. In GoW:A, if you don't have a full Rage meter, you have exactly 2 combos at your disposal: and ]-Triangle...and occassionally you'll get the ]-Triangle combo, but it is accomplishes nothing more than the other 2. Those looking for those longer 5 6 hit combo strings that could be chained together with a well timed Roll or Parry will be saddened to learn these are only possible when your Rage meter is filled...which is a seldom occurance since the meter itself will empty when Kratos is hit by enemy attacks...which is ALWAYS. Trial Archimedes: you've probably read about it. It is indeed as bad as you've heard, and probably a lot worse. Reviewers seemed to be going easy on this section of the game, but because it presents a knee-jerk change of pace and difficulty, it makes you concentrate more on what degenerative brain disease the developers had while making this game than on the game, plot, and set pieces in the game. It is a text-book example of bad game design. Todd Papy has publically stated that this part of the game was tuned and "balanced" by himself personally, which should plant at least one wish for the future of this series in your subconcious Please don't let Todd Papy anywhere near it.

    The Furies: they're pretty cool, but they aren't given their due diligence when it comes to character development. We are introduced to their species as a concept (the Primordials), but we never explore how the compare to say Gods, or Titans. They clearly aren't mortal, as they can be killed without God or Titan weapons/magic. This is something we should see explored in future games, though a change of scenery, away from ancient Greece would be nice. Kratos: Still cool, still a bad ass, still super. A good character through and through, and probably the only saving grace in what is otherwise a terribly delivered plot. He has boxer briefs now, so there's that. Orkos: A character made up for the game, based on Horkus from Greek mythology. A cool back story, again, one that is not expored enough. The surface is scratched, but that simply creates an itch to learn to more. More that just isn't there. Also, why didn't they just call him Horkus? Also, making Orkos a fury is a good way to remind the audience that this isn't traditional Greek mythology, in case it wasn't already clear from Kratos being the half-brother of Hercules. Also, the whole Apollo Helios contradiction is addressed subtly. Bottom line: A game with a lot of good-in-theory elements that are just poorly executed. The well-paced opening of the game on the Hecatonchires is of a scale previously unseen in the GoW franchise (awesome), but the game does not maintain this level of scope for the remainder of the game, and the once fluid combat system the crux of the GoW gameplay formula has been broken down into a freedomless button masher cheapened by poor responsiveness.

    I would have given every GoW game preceding this a 10/10 for being perfect in each their own way, and treading new water for the series. So it literally breaks my heart, like losing a cherished family member, to see this game turn its nose up, pretending to be of their ilk. It is not. I blame Todd Papy. Oh yeah: multiplayer sucks balls, avoid it. It is obvious from the SP that the resources and manpower usually used to polish the main game has been diverted into the MP, no matter what Mr Papy tells you.    … Expand
  16. djini76
    Mar 28, 2013
    2
    The new block parry move is totally and that is all I can really say about this game. the PSP games were better than this. Its just so fricking boring.
  17. NitroNeo
    Mar 12, 2013
    3
    I was excited to see what new was there in the new GOW, sadly the game felt the same as the old one it was nothing but mash this, kill that, after all these years i expected the combat to change but it was the same more or less.

    The game was slightly better than DmC but overall felt like a beat em up than hack & slash the chain blade weapon is slow this time around giving the illusion    I was excited to see what new was there in the new GOW, sadly the game felt the same as the old one it was nothing but mash this, kill that, after all these years i expected the combat to change but it was the same more or less.

    The game was slightly better than DmC but overall felt like a beat em up than hack & slash the chain blade weapon is slow this time around giving the illusion AI being challenging a bit, the sound effects are good,but i overall didn't like the too dramatic scripted boss battles, the world feels empty & hollow at times & i couldn't wait for the demo to end, sorry this is the truth, IMO after so many years of GOW sony could have improved the game

    If you weren't into god of war before then you wont be now, with the Online MP said to be underwhelming, i don't find anything appealing about the game

    In the end it's just another button masher & gore game for fans of such thing, which is a shame really since santa monica have developed quite the repute, mainstream gamers & GOW cult gamers will love it, not sure about people like me who want challenging grunt enemies, fun combat with loads of weapons, live surrounding which lets you soak the atmosphere & less brainless button mashing    … Expand
  18. fabbiotime97
    Mar 23, 2013
    0
    The problem whit God of War is that it's always the same game copypasted over and over, and now it's really flame, too much easy and the gameplay doesn't change from the other titles...
  19. Tohru_Dragon
    Dec 15, 2017
    0
    As a fan.this game is a slap in my face.its really bugs me that the game is suffering from annoying bugs and glitches.plus ..oh lord the 'Rage Meter Thing' is the thing that make the game worst alongside with the lack story and innovation.this game is unforgettable.

    the graphics is OK and flaweless but still.. the god damn framedrops i get everytime i play is annoying.i think thats all    As a fan.this game is a slap in my face.its really bugs me that the game is suffering from annoying bugs and glitches.plus ..oh lord the 'Rage Meter Thing' is the thing that make the game worst alongside with the lack story and innovation.this game is unforgettable.

    the graphics is OK and flaweless but still.. the god damn framedrops i get everytime i play is annoying.i think thats all and hate the Kratos i've know on this game.    … Expand
  20. milesk182
    Aug 14, 2013
    3
    After playing all the other God Of Wars (except the portable versions) this game was horrible.
    It felt like a cash in of Call Of Duty where nothing changes. Granted not a lot of the God Of Wars change much but the story was so boring. Countless times playingthe game i started dozzing off in my chair and had to turn off the game. The eemies took 30sec to 1 min. each to kill on normal    After playing all the other God Of Wars (except the portable versions) this game was horrible.
    It felt like a cash in of Call Of Duty where nothing changes. Granted not a lot of the God Of Wars change much but the story was so boring. Countless times playingthe game i started dozzing off in my chair and had to turn off the game. The eemies took 30sec to 1 min. each to kill on normal difficulty and there was nothing engaging about the story or character to continue through like the other games. I got 5 hours in and took the game back to gamestop. I felt so horrible doing this but i felt like i was forcing myself to complete this game instead of enjoying the experience. This is the worst God Of War in my opinion.
    Nice graphics boring gamplay horrid story    … Expand
  21. ranielder
    Mar 15, 2013
    2
    Jogo totalmente desnecessário, incluíram conteúdo que foi cortado de God of War 3 e acabaram inventando um jogo mediano que peca em história. Somente foi dado foco ao multiplayer. Parece que estou jogando um DLC de God of War. O game existe partes BEM CHATAS (SO BORING) que deixam o jogador desmotivado. Não digo difíceis, mas momentos de extrema apelação dos inimigos, principalmente noJogo totalmente desnecessário, incluíram conteúdo que foi cortado de God of War 3 e acabaram inventando um jogo mediano que peca em história. Somente foi dado foco ao multiplayer. Parece que estou jogando um DLC de God of War. O game existe partes BEM CHATAS (SO BORING) que deixam o jogador desmotivado. Não digo difíceis, mas momentos de extrema apelação dos inimigos, principalmente no modo hard.… Expand
  22. OfMonsterz
    Apr 26, 2013
    4
    Over all. NOT impressed.

    I know its bad to judge a game based off of its predecessors but, This is no where near GoW1-3.. Its a step back. WEAK story & Combat never changes.

    GoW: Ascension gets a 4 simply cause of Multiplayer. Multiplayer is very satisfying and fun for me. & the only reason Im actually happy I bought GoW: Ascension.
  23. RODIMUS
    Jul 20, 2013
    4
    Hello everyone. I play value per hard difficulty as to the single-player campaign. This is the first sound stutters often and even non-existent. Secondly, the combat system is terrible, the opponents are attacking chaotic. Attacks can be blocked only in part, the opponents can easily kratosowi stop almost any attack, and Kratos can only stop these attacks simply an enemy and only if thereHello everyone. I play value per hard difficulty as to the single-player campaign. This is the first sound stutters often and even non-existent. Secondly, the combat system is terrible, the opponents are attacking chaotic. Attacks can be blocked only in part, the opponents can easily kratosowi stop almost any attack, and Kratos can only stop these attacks simply an enemy and only if there are six or less. Cutscenes feature crazy character models disappear from the screen. Overall, the game is a piece of junk. Gow 3 when the game is a masterpiece! Do not buy God of War: Ascension.… Expand
  24. mosconstein
    Jul 11, 2013
    1
    GoW:A -aka -How to destroy a good merchandise with a crappy and unfinished product.
    The game has nothing new to show, but in the meanwhile, it makes worse what was good in GoW 3. Enemies are just or boring or totally overpowered, fight mechanism is so bad programmed that evasion and block are both useless with weak and strong opponents. (There's a late patch to solve a dramatically hard    GoW:A -aka -How to destroy a good merchandise with a crappy and unfinished product.
    The game has nothing new to show, but in the meanwhile, it makes worse what was good in GoW 3. Enemies are just or boring or totally overpowered, fight mechanism is so bad programmed that evasion and block are both useless with weak and strong opponents. (There's a late patch to solve a dramatically hard (and boring) level...did the tester tried this game before its release?!)
    And, please, please, STOP with the damned Deadly-QTA. Really. QTA were ok when used to show some cool moves against huge opponents. They can't be used in the middle of nothing just to give you some cheap deaths and make the game play a little longer. It just sucks. Plus, the story is a nonsense, cut-scene are boring and without the well-known GoW epicness; characters other than Kratos are horrbile. (Kratos' wife seems to be copypasted from GoW 2)    … Expand
  25. GarryRyder
    Sep 22, 2013
    1
    Not up to the expectations. Really poor work done!!! Its the worst. Its worse than GOW 2 & 3. Its almost same. Mostly all the same. Only a minority of new things are done. Giving it one over 10 for its storyline which is it only plus point in the game of all other aspects.
  26. SportsareCrap
    Dec 27, 2015
    1
    Gameplay: 1 (Unplayable)
    Fun: 1 (You can't Have Fun)
    Story: 7 (Story is set during Era 5000BC to 500BC)
    Cast: 7 (Great)
    Score: 1/10

    Overrated By All should got less then 7.8s
  27. muhad
    Apr 3, 2015
    2
    Actually this game [god of war ascension] sucks at the Beginning of the game, every thing every image was so good i was like this game, is the next big thing to god of war 3 but then came the puzzles then i started having headache it took me 2 hours just to get of of a statue statue eye of something it felt like the creators of the god of war of has lost their groove seriously the gameActually this game [god of war ascension] sucks at the Beginning of the game, every thing every image was so good i was like this game, is the next big thing to god of war 3 but then came the puzzles then i started having headache it took me 2 hours just to get of of a statue statue eye of something it felt like the creators of the god of war of has lost their groove seriously the game was a big disappointment.… Expand
  28. White_Worm
    Mar 23, 2018
    2
    Ascension is by far the worst God of War game.

    The overall feeling you may have when playing GoW:A is "why is my character so weak?" or "who thought that was a good idea?" or "why am I still playing this?" None of those are things you want to think when playing a video game, much less God of War. There are a few highlights, however: The game looks very good and the locations are    Ascension is by far the worst God of War game.

    The overall feeling you may have when playing GoW:A is "why is my character so weak?" or "who thought that was a good idea?" or "why am I still playing this?" None of those are things you want to think when playing a video game, much less God of War.

    There are a few highlights, however: The game looks very good and the locations are imaginative, epic, and beautiful. The new minigame that is played out while finishing some enemies is a real step forward and is something I hope to see again in the future.

    But then there are the flaws. The biggest one is that this game does not feel like a power fantasy. Quite the opposite, in fact. Previous games in the series let you take on large groups of enemies with relative ease. It never felt like you were in over your head. Swing your big weapon around and watch the baddies go flying. Dodge out of the way of their attacks and continue your assault. That's no longer the case. Now, every enemy has more health than you. Your weapon (yes, there's only one) feels ineffective and weak. It can take upwards of 50 hits to defeat common enemies. And your defense? Forget about it. The parry system is central to the combat, but it rarely works the way you want.

    There are many situations where you will be attacked by several enemies at once. If one of them gets a hit on you, you go flying against a wall, slump onto your face, and continue to get hit. You might as well put the controller down in these situations. The game takes away all the fun, all the power, all the options of previous GoW games. Overall, it is an insult to the series.

    I would say the multiplayer is not too bad, but I think it's inclusion is the reason for most of the single-player game's shortcomings. Especially the terrible block/parry system.

    Perhaps the game lives up to it's title; there's no where to go after this one but up.    … Expand
  29. nono5551212
    Aug 17, 2013
    4
    I love GOW... But this one let me down... The camera was so far pulled back at times you couldn't even see Kratos... GOW 3 was so awesome and than this came out made me wanna cry.
  30. njja02
    May 15, 2018
    4
    A tiresome and repetitive effort that feels unoriginal. Same game-play, same quick time events, same everything. Just another God of War game.
  31. frederik1478
    Jan 18, 2020
    4
    I have played every god of war game in the series and this is the one that feels the most tired of them all. even chains of Olympus feels like it has some spirit . that combat doesn't feel as good as the other games in the series, and sadly the story feels like an afterthought and is just so painfully feels like nothing at all. so yes I have played all the games now in the series and thisI have played every god of war game in the series and this is the one that feels the most tired of them all. even chains of Olympus feels like it has some spirit . that combat doesn't feel as good as the other games in the series, and sadly the story feels like an afterthought and is just so painfully feels like nothing at all. so yes I have played all the games now in the series and this is the worst… Expand
  32. Valgeth
    Oct 9, 2020
    4
    Its a dull second glace at God of War 1 with a story that's convoluted and not even worth following, the game is rescued only by over the top cinematic battles, then there's the repetitive combat and difficulty spikes that make it unplayable after an hour. Clearly a game with no soul, an obvious cash grab, but if I'm to be completely fair, the scenery is gorgeous and the level designs areIts a dull second glace at God of War 1 with a story that's convoluted and not even worth following, the game is rescued only by over the top cinematic battles, then there's the repetitive combat and difficulty spikes that make it unplayable after an hour. Clearly a game with no soul, an obvious cash grab, but if I'm to be completely fair, the scenery is gorgeous and the level designs are great, the statue of Apollo is by far one of the best set of levels in gaming I've ever seen.… Expand
  33. guccigang87
    Jul 15, 2021
    0
    The game is subpar compared to previous gow titles, weird camera angles ( sometimes you cant even distinguish the kratos from that far away and stuff goes in the way during the fights ) It is laggy, troubled with bugs. Art style is boring and most of the fights are also just button mash rather than fun with stupid fighting mechanics.

    Whoever given this game a score of higher than 6 a-    The game is subpar compared to previous gow titles, weird camera angles ( sometimes you cant even distinguish the kratos from that far away and stuff goes in the way during the fights ) It is laggy, troubled with bugs. Art style is boring and most of the fights are also just button mash rather than fun with stupid fighting mechanics.

    Whoever given this game a score of higher than 6
    a- biased by being a fan etc.
    b- havent played the previous GoW games.
    c- just plain stupid like most of the people out there.

    Dont get me wrong, i am a huge fan of GoW games, having played all of them i could easily say that this game is just hot stinking garbage compared to them.
    GoW 1,2,3,4, chains of olympus and ghost of sparta... All of them was much much better than this crap.
    Being a GoW fan i had to play this game to and see the story etc but what a **** torture it was...

    To sum up, this game is just a shame to GoW series and Santa Monica studio.
    Dont get fooled to the comments and points given by the majority over here.
    Play it if you are only a GoW fan like me and want to know the whole story of Kratos.
    Peace out.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

34
#34 Best PS3 Game of 2013
7
#7 Most Discussed PS3 Game of 2013
6
#6 Most Shared PS3 Game of 2013

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 89 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 72 out of 89
  2. Mixed: 17 out of 89
  3. Negative: 0 out of 89
  1. XGN
    Jun 16, 2013
    85
    God of War: Ascension does exactly what you would expect from a God of War title.The sheer amount of violence and tension is simply breathtaking, especially when taking place right on top of a giant creature. The entire experience is accompanied by stunning graphics and an impressive soundtrack. While the multiplayer is somewhat disappointing, it is apparent that Kratos is still this generation's most fearsome warrior.
    Read full review
  2. CD-Action
    May 7, 2013
    85
    You can point out that Ascension failed to make a real step forward. You can argue that the multiplayer mode is a foreign body, a strained attempt to find innovation in the wrong place. That’s true, but in my eyes the foundation built by the previous God of War games proved to be strong enough to sustain what I hope is just the calm before the storm that Kratos will unleash on PS4. And damn, Ascension looks unbelievable! [CD-Action 05/2013, p.64]
  3. Official PlayStation Magazine Benelux
    Apr 22, 2013
    87
    Ascension shows a warrior who is miles away from being the ultimate and flawless killing machine we all know and love. He is more like an unguided projectile here, trying to cope with all the injustice delivered unto him. [April 2013, p.62]
See all critic reviews »