God of War: Ascension single-player, release date appear

Kratos returns on PS3 with some new toys.

At Sony's E3 2012 press briefing, Sony Santa Monica director Todd Papy walked on stage to show God of War: Ascension's single-player footage for the first time.

While the game takes place early in the God of War timeline, and Papy has said in the past that Kratos won't be quite as angry in this game as he has been in many other God of War titles, the footage on display looks in-line with what we've come to expect, with an angry Kratos, brutal battles, quicktime events, etc.

New this time around: Kratos earns the ability to rebuild broken structures and slow down time, which may remind some of the Amulet of the Fates in God of War II and seems like it will play into the game's puzzles.

Also new: a spear that Kratos can throw at enemies, which seems similar to the Arms of Sparta in God of War: Ghost of Sparta, and a magic pound where Kratos sticks his blades into the ground to clear space.

At the end of the presentation, Papy revealed a release date for the game: March 12, 2013.