This week has started off pretty surprising, game-news wise. Usually any and all press related to a video game that is ready to be revealed around E3 is held onto until the start of the convention. But today we've already had like three or four sort of important updates to games that we've been waiting for announcements on. To keep that train rolling, I've got nine new screenshots from Sony's upcoming exclusive, God of War III. Let's take a look together, shall we?

We'll start with the picture above. At first glance, it's nothing you haven't seen in a God of War game before. Upon closer inspection not only can you see the new Cestus gauntlets in action, but you can also get a sense of the depth of field the developers are going for from the detail on the architecture off in the background between the two mountains.

Ah, the Blades of Athena return. Like there was any doubt. There are a few different types of undead soldiers attempting to take Kratos on, and each of them is rendered superbly. While the background doesn't look too fantastic, let's keep in mind that this game is still quite a ways off from being in your console, so I'm sure anything that looks like it isn't quite finished probably isn't.

Look at those lighting effects. Anyone who says this is just a trumped up God of War 2 doesn't know what they're talking about. Not only is the outside light source shining into the room from a few different perspectives, but the shadows cast in the pic are also nearly spot on. The sense of Kratos being a small man in a large world is also apparent here. The low angle to the shot reveals a ceiling that reaches beyond the camera's range, and the sense of verticality is clear from the lack of anything in the room other than a scalable wall.

Nice little action shot here. Again, look at the lighting effects from the Blades of Athena. The undead warrior and Kratos are catching that light perfectly, and we're able to see light glistening off muscles and bones in a way that we haven't seen in a God of War game before. Even the torch at the back of the shot provides realistic lighting, so it's obvious the developers have put a lot of time into multiple light sources, among the countless other upgrades this entry into the franchise is receiving.

Ah, a shot of the main man himself. Just from this one single shot of Kratos, anyone who has played another game in this series can tell just how improved not only the body physics, but the design as well, have become. The way his arm is lifting in this pic, you can see the pectoral and shoulder muscles flexing and contracting in a very real manner. There probably won't be too many instances in the game where the player is this close to the action, but at least in a shot like this, we can see the efforts of the devs at work.

A decent shot of Kratos implementing the Wings of Icarus. Again, look at the scale in this shot. The cave is clearly massive, and judging by the size of the minotaur, Kratos will be outmatched physically quite often. I'm intrigued by the true sense of how insignificant Kratos is in the grand scheme of the Greek Gods, and the way Sony is working it into the visual imagery is nice and subtle.

I know I've mentioned the scale about a bajillion times already, but it's clearly something the developers want us to notice, so I can't help but point it out. Kratos has fought enemies much larger than he is in prior games, but nearly every single foe he's taking on in these pics outsizes him by a great deal. If you really look at the cyclops, you can see the impressive musculature at work. The rippling skin, the way his neck is being stretched out by Kratos... the Cell processor is really being used to great advantage here.

Another nice action shot. This time I will again point out the lighting work. Enemies behind Kratos aren't nearly as illuminated as those on the wrong end of the Blades of Athena. You can see the light arcing as the blades swing around Kratos' body. With 9 enemies on screen, I'm just in awe of not only how detailed each and every little thing is in this shot, but also of how independently every little thing from the enemies to the light to the blood splatter is acting.

Kratos is now taking some punishment from that minotaur we saw earlier. You guys might just think I'm retarded for light sources, but you have to give these guys their proper due. The light effect from the clashing of the minotaur's weapon with Kratos not only lights up the correct spots of the minotaur and the ashy avenger, but it even reflects off of Kratos' blood. Consider me impressed.

If you couldn't tell, I'm pretty dang excited for this game. I love the series, and can't wait to see where Sony is taking one of my favorite gaming characters of the last ten years. The graphics look excellent, but even I'll admit they could use some polish. A lot of backgrounds look too shiny for my taste, and there are some enemies that look like their textures are a bit off. Like I said before, the game has plenty of development time left, so I'm hoping these minor gripes are addressed.

I can't wait to see what Sony shows from this game at E3, and eagerly await Coop and Sarah's coverage of the big event.

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