Poseidon's near lifeless body lies slumped over some ruins. As Kratos, the God of War, you've already beaten him to a bloody pulp. But before you finish him off by throwing the God of the Sea over a cliff, there's one last humiliation in store: gouging out his eyes. You have to do it - there's no option not to. And the first-person perspective the game jumps into for this graphic scene makes things even more icky.
This is what sort of game God of War III is, and these are the kinds of things it makes you do.
If any of that makes you feel ill, it's time to move along: the remastered version of God of War III isn't the game for you. First released on Playstation 3 in 2010, God of War III received near-universal acclaim and it's lost none of its thrills in its port to Playstation 4. Now with boosted graphics and animations, it remains an adrenalin-fuelled roller-coaster ride through Greek mythology that mixes role-playing elements with arcade action and adventure and will have you clinging to the edge of your seat.
As Kratos, you'll take on a series of giant, angry gods intent on your early demise. Early on, you'll slice open a minotaur and watch his insides spew across the floor. You'll engage in a terrifically tense battle with a giant horse sorcerer with metallic tentacles, finally dispatching him by ripping his stomach apart. And, in some of the game's best scenes, you'll grab skeleton warriors and use them as battering rams against foes.
Many of these battles take place on the bodies of other gods, and you'll use chains to rappel around them, vines to clamber across them, and magic spells to take them out once and for all. It's as full-on as that sounds, and when coupled with scenery that has lumbering, lava-spewing gods pummelling each other in the background, and a ridiculously overbearing orchestral soundtrack, God of War III might make you mutter a few Hail Marys before you pick it up.
