God of War: Ascension is a solid hack-and-slash adventure that feels a bit like a step back from the glory days of God of War 3. You get to pummel enemies with Kratos' classic rage as he battles his way out of a revenge pact, but the story isn't quite as epic and the new features like multiplayer are a bit meh. The puzzles are actually pretty cool, and the boss battles are suitably epic, but some folks might find the quick-time events a bit excessive. If you're a die-hard God of War fan, you'll probably still enjoy it, but newcomers might want to start with one of the later games.