As someone who only played the new God of War series before, I had a hard time getting into the older series; I tried streaming the first 2 games on the PS4 but they didn't run well and the only thing I could do is to directly jump into the third game... and so I did.
I got to say, even though the story in this game is very simple and not engaging at all, having played the newer series first made the story more meaningful than it seems to be.
The story isn't an important part of the older series though, the gameplay is, and surprisingly enough, God of War III's gameplay holds up extremely well; it almost plays like a modern hack 'n' slash game. The amount of QTEs in the game is overwhelming, sure, but still, the gameplay is very enjoyable, with many different weapons and abilities.
Another important thing in the game is the bosses; they're a major part of the game and they're quite impressive. The music, the spectacle, the scale, all of these elements combined make some of the bosses stand out.
Also, the soundtrack is amazing; no other game has made me feel this way with its music before.
Lastly, the graphics and the audio design are slightly outdated for sure but they hold up well for the most part.

Pros:
+ Great gameplay
+ Spectacular bosses
+ Fantastic music

Cons:
- Many QTEs

Narrative: ?/10
Gameplay: 8/10
Characters: ?/10
Music: 9/10
Graphics/Audio: ?/10

Final Rating: 8/10
- Great -
God of War III is an epic, fun and special hack 'n' slash game even to this day, despite coming out more than a decade ago.

Do I recommend it?:
Yes, for sure, especially for fans of the newer series.