'God of War III' a new battle for the third-place PS3

LOS ANGELES -- Zeus is the god in charge in Greek mythology. But the tables are turned on him in the upcoming video game God of War III, due this fall.

In the final act of the PlayStation trilogy that offers a twist on classic myths, the star, Kratos, returns from Hades to raise hell for Mount Olympus' ruler.

A Herculean anti-hero, Kratos could also raise the fortunes of the PlayStation 3, on which the game arrives this fall (no price, expected rating for ages 17-up). The game will be officially unveiled today during the Electronic Entertainment Expo.

Priced higher than its competitors, Sony's $400-and-up PS3 has sold 7.6 million units in its 2½ years, in third place behind Microsoft's Xbox 360 (now starting at $200; 15.1 million) and the Nintendo Wii ($250; 20 million), according to market tracker The NPD Group.

God of War II was released in 2007 on the PS2, even though the PS3 was already on the market. Sales of the past three versions of God of War (the previous two plus one for the PlayStation Portable) have totaled more than 8.7 million units. The original God of War earned Game of the Year in 2006 from the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences.

Kratos' arrival will increase PS3's prestige, says Rob Smith of Official PlayStation Magazine. God of War III "is the standard-bearer of the platform, and this is a better extension of that. Technically, it is incredible. It's probably the biggest game Sony has got on the platform. It's a system seller."