Look, maybe I'm rating this higher than it actually desevers, but I never understood the mixed reception Ascension received when it launched.

This is one of the best looking PS3 games, the scale of the setpieces is just unbelievable. You thought the big snake in the new God of War was cool? You get a new setpiece of equal scale every other hour. Ascension rivals and arguably surpasses even the Poseidon fight at the beginning of God of War 3 when it comes to pure eye candy. You sometimes even lose sight of Kratos because the camera has to zoom out so far to capture all of the action.

Granted, the frame rate suffers in some scenes, but the 60 fps framerate target means that game stays playable even during dips. Experiences may differ, but I never felt like I missed an input because of low fps.

The combat system has been reworked and while I think the one in 3 is still slightly better, I like Ascension's new mechanics too. Making more use of the chains and the ability to pick up several secondary weapons are good additions, and I also like the different infusions Kratos' blades gain. Each of the four is themed after a god and offers a slightly changed moveset. They aren't as specialized as I would've wanted them to be, but what's there is still great fun.

Many of the other common points of criticism are either nonsensical or also apply to the other God of War games. Pacing issues? Every God of War pre 3 is worse. Tacked on multiplayer? Noone forces you to play it and the game is still as long and polished as the other entries.

I do agree that the story isn't adding too much to the overarching plot, but it works well enough. Kratos even gets to show emotions and is able to peacefully interact with another man! It's clear that they tried to do something about the series' sexism and while Ascension still sexualizes women, it's far less cringe worthy than the prior games with their sex QTEs.

All in all, Ascension is a great action game filled with awesome setpieces and deserves to stand next to the mainline titles. I'd rather replay this over the first two games or Chains of Olympus any day, and I recommend anyone who owns a PS3 and enjoys character action games at least gives it a try.