The release comes 10 years after the first God of War hit PlayStation 2 in 2005, setting a high bar for action-adventure games of the era. The series was also instrumental in popularizing quick-time events (QTEs) as a gameplay mechanic. It follows Kratos, a perennially angry Spartan warrior who takes a homicidal tour through Greek mythology, brutally murdering everything from lowly harpies up through the gods and titans themselves. God of War III, first released in 2010 for PlayStation 3, continued the series’ trend toward more weapons, bigger boss fights, and more brutal finishing moves.
Check out the PlayStation Blog announcement post for reminiscences about the franchise by Barlog, who has worked on it since the first game. It also includes a Twitch stream for a speedrun of the first game, in celebration of its 10-year anniversary.