GoW3 delivers on full cylinders, but the ride is over before it even begins...
I played for my first time on Hard, since I've all but destroyed the previous GoW games and unlocked nearly everything. Even on Hard, the game felt extremely easy, especially once you get the gloves from defeating Hercules. If you do the right combination of moves, you can stun anyone, and no one can touch you.
It begins to feel like you're simply controlling an overbudgeted movie, rather than a game, which can be a plus in some cases... but if this was a movie, it would be closer to an 80 minute disappointment than a 2.5 hour epic journey.
I beat the game in a little over 8 hours. Very disappointed with the ending. Anticlimactic is an understatement. They leave you with a little teaser after the credits to fool with the players, as if to somehow lead you on into thinking there will be a GoW4, but who knows, there probably won't be, and it's more of a half assed apology to the gamer for saying, "Sorry we tricked you out of your $60 to play for 8 hours and be left with giant disappointment from one of the best series on the PS, but maybe this is just a stepping stone to GoW4... SYKE!" I was not happy to say the least.
Bottom line, rent the game first. Have tons of fun. You'll love the visuals, and the battle scenes and the new powers... and if you were foolish enough to buy this, take heart in knowing that you CAN play it again with upgraded skins and powers... only to be disappointed again at the end of the day... Still, the graphics, story, and effort put into the game give it the score it deserves...