Today, I realized that I'm excited for God of War III. Heck, I'm excited as hell. What I don't know is why.

See, God of War: Chains of Olympus, my introduction to the series, was an absolute joy to play. The combat was simple yet immensely satisfying; the boss fights were spectacular; the story somehow managed to use Greek mythology in ways more epic than actual Greek mythology; the graphics were incredible, both technically and artistically; and the controls were perfect. It was a bit on the short side, but I've replayed it several times and could certainly see myself going back to it again.

My second and as of this time latest visit to the God of War games' brutal world, God of War II, wasn't nearly as enjoyable. The graphics were, at moments, stunning but for the most part they looked gray and lifeless. The combat wasn't as good as I had hoped either; the secondary weapons were practically useless, forcing me to play through the entire game with the Blades of Athena(which, granted, are awesome, but the Gauntlet of Zeus was just so good), and the dodging mechanic felt really wonky now that I had to do it with the right analogue stick. The sequences that deviated from the core gameplay -- namely the pegasus riding and the part where you had to protect the scholar -- suffered from poor design, as did most of the game's boss fights. Then there was the story... suffice to say it almost approached Gears of War 2's in terms of stupidity.

While I haven't actually played God of War III's demo, what I've seen and heard has given me the impression that the game will be a lot closer to God of War II than Chains of Olympus in terms of design philosophy; and yet, I'm so goddamn excited. I just can't understand why.

Is it the mouth-wateringly delicious Ultimate Trilogy Edition, the one that comes with the God of War Collection, exclusive gameplay content, skins and behind-the-scenes videos, the series' excellent soundtrack, a heavy metal homage to the series' excellent soundtrack, an artbook and some postcards, all neatly packed in an absolutely gorgeous replica of Pandora's Box? Maybe. Is it the fact that the soon-to-be-released Bayonetta -- which I suspect, no, make that expect, will surpass anything and everything in the genre -- and Dante's Inferno have revitalized my interest in the genre? Maybe. Is it that I, somewhere deep inside of me, have a suspicion that God of War III will completely blow away not only its predecessor, but also better games like Chains of Olympus and Devil May Cry 4(I can understand why people dislike DMC4, but there are few action games I've enjoyed as much)? Maybe.

The only thing I know for certain is that I'm excited, and that I plan to pre-order the Ultimate Trilogy Edition as soon as possible.