On the Verge of Lunacy

Kratos Zeus

*Note: Multiplayer mode is not included in my review *Photo below is a screenshot God of War Ascension is the prequel to the God of War series (see  God of War Trilogy  and  God of War Origins Collection ). The events in the game take place after Kratos vowed to make Ares pay for the god of war's schemes. Because Kratos had broken his oath to serve Ares, the Furies pursued and imprisoned him. If you're familiar with Greek mythology, you may recall that the Furies or Erinyes are female goddesses of vengeance who punish those who have broken their oaths, human or immortal. The Furies are the sisters Alecto, Megaera and Tisiphone.  The opening video at the start of the single player mode retells the fate of one Titan who had suffered at the hands of the sisters. Aegaeon the Hecatonchires broke his oath with Zeus and suffered greatly for it. It is this fate that Kratos must try to avoid. Imprisoned and tortured, Kratos somehow finds a way to free him...

Anyone who has played the God of War Trilogy knows about Kratos' past. More than Ares' betrayal however are the wounds inflicted on Kratos by the other gods. His unquenchable anger may seem irrational to some but once you have played Chains of Olympus and Ghost of Sparta, you will understand what made him a desperate, hateful, and lonely man. If one were to follow the timeline based on the trilogy, Chains of Olympus is set before the first God of War while Ghost of Sparta include events before God of War II. In Chains of Olympus, Helios goes missing. Kratos' investigation led him to Hades where Helios' steeds brought him. There he discovers that a plan to destroy Olympus is nearing its completion. Near the end of the game he is asked to make a heartbreaking decision. At the beginning of the game, Kratos gets to fight live, human soldiers and their king. It is something new because you do not get to fight normal humans in this series. The battles leading...

Kratos holding the goblet dropped by Hera in God of War III. Link to my deviantart:  http://fav.me/d5zbkaj

This game-based novel tells the same story in the first installment of the game series. The book gives a different perspective of the gods and Kratos plus more that only written material can offer which the experience of playing Kratos cannot. Anyone who's played the game will be familiar with Kratos' background and his motives for serving the gods --- that is to rid himself of the terrible visions of his monstrous acts. In this book, Kratos will follow the same path that the Kratos in the video game took; he will battle the same foes and use the same weapons and magic. This time however, the reader gets more intimate with Kratos' thoughts and emotions. The authors did a great job in explaining things that we usually take for granted in the game such as the acquisition and carrying of the items (how does he keep all the weapons), Kratos' ability to absorb orbs (of course this is to replenish health, mana and rage meter in the game but how to explain that...

Posted these on my deviantArt. These sketches are on an 18 x 12 in drawing book. Took photos using my DSLR.

God of War's Kratos looking decent and calm in a Roman toga. I posted this on my deviantArt. Link to my dA:  http://fav.me/d4oa9a3

Several adaptations of Greek Mythology in media have appeared over the years. Some were successful while the others have failed to represent the ancient Greeks. Among the most memorable I've encountered is this series. Not only was it able to illustrate the heroes, monsters and gods in myths, but also brought to the fore the often ignored question - what happens to the Greek pantheon after they defeated the Titans? It is unique because the hero in this game is not a hercules-achilles-jason clone. The protagonist is a minor figure in Greek mythology. Kratos (Cratos) is a servant of the gods and one of Zeus' children, which is close enough to the real version (Cratos is not a child of Zeus, but one of his servants along with Nike). And unlike most heroes, he does not carry weapons to save humanity. He seeks revenge to cleanse his past. The series began when he sought to kill Ares, the God of War.  He was finally able to kill Ares with the help of the other gods. The portrayal...