The God of War series has been a "system seller" for PlayStation consoles ever since the original title debuted on the PlayStation 2. God of War 3 may have wrapped up loose franchise story threads but there was little doubt that Sony was planning to continue the story of Kratos in one way or another. As it turned out, despite rumors of a possible sequel, Santa Monica Studio decided to develop a prequel - in order to humanize the franchise anti-hero.
In addition to a more focused story experience, God of War: Ascension is also set to introduce multiplayer into the franchise - and now, thanks to retailer GameStop, players will be able to compete as their other favorite spartan warrior, King Leonidas (from Zack Snyder's fantasy-history epic, 300).
According to a recent post on the official PlayStation Blog, gamers who pre-order God of War: Ascension will receive a voucher code that gives access to "history’s most heroic Spartan," King Leonidas, in God of War Ascension’s multiplayer - as "depicted by Gerard Butler in the blockbuster film 300.”
Multiplayer characters in God of War: Ascension are fully customizable - so the 300 pre-order voucher unlocks all the necessary Spartan uniform accessories as well as unique movesets for the exclusive Leonidas spear.
According to Sony:
"We are very excited to partner with Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment to offer you the chance to play as one of the biggest badasses in Greek history on the God of War: Ascension multiplayer battlefield. Donning King Leonidas’s red cape, iconic helmet, and armor you will stand apart as one of the ultimate warriors of Sparta. King Leonidas also comes with his iconic spear, which has its own set of unique combat moves."
In addition to the download voucher, GameStop will also be offering an "exclusive double-sided God of War: Ascension poster." Check out both of the bonuses below (click to enlarge):
Gamers might assume that Leonidas will also be included in the "Mythological Heroes Pack" a bonus item included in the Ascension Collector's Edition; however, the wording of the GameStop announcement seems to indicate that the 300 skin is a separate piece of DLC - given that it's available to GameStop pre-orders of both standard and collector's editions. We can't rule out that Leonidas will be offered as a PSN purchase down the road, or be included in the collector's edition through other retailers, but at this point it sounds as if pre-ordering at GameStop is the only sure-fire way to acquire the 300 content.
The Leonidas skin is only accessible in multiplayer, so anyone hoping to replace Kratos in the latest God of War campaign is out of luck.
Retailer exclusives typically draw frustration from the gaming community - given that players often have to choose between equally intriguing pre-order bonuses. Given the continuing love for Zack Snyder's 300, Leonidas is an entertaining fit for the God of War universe and it'll be interesting to see if Best Buy, Amazon, and other sellers up-the-ante with similarly attractive and iconic exclusives.
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God of War: Ascension releases March 12, 2013 for the PS3.
Source: PlayStation Blog