God Of War: Ascension Beta Brings The Pain To PlayStation Plus Jan. 8th

If you’ve been chomping at the bit to take God of War: Ascension’s multiplayer offering for a test drive, you only have another month to wait. That is assuming, of course, that you have a subscription to PlayStation Plus. On Jan. 8, Plus members will be given the opportunity do battle as the warriors of Olympus in the God of War: Ascension multiplayer beta.

The God of War team at Sony Santa Monica Studio is hard at work putting the final details on Ascension and, to make sure the multiplayer experience is as smooth as possible at launch, they’re inviting every Plus member into the fray startin on Jan. 8.

To get everyone ready for the carnage, a new “Evil Ways” trailer has hit the internet, showing off just how brutal each of the factions can be.

That’s a pretty cool mix of CG and in-game combat, no?

For those preparing to take on the beta when it arrives early next month, the modes that will be available for play include Team Favor of the Gods and Favor of the Gods. The goal of these modes is to reach a requisite number of favor points by killing your opponents, performing brutal kills, opening chests as they spawn on the map, capturing domination points and executing fools with the Spear of Olympus. Think Power Stone meets zone control, plus all of the bloody violence the God of War series has become known for and you’ve got the basic idea.

Playable maps will include the Desert of Lost Souls, which you’ve seen in all of the media up until this point. You know, the one with Polyphemus raging in the background, just waiting for folks to stab in in that giant eye. The second map provides a more intimate battle as players duke it out in the Forum of Hercules.

Beta players will also be able to take on the multiplayer tutorial mode before siding with Zeus or Ares.

Look for the beta to hit Plus on Jan. 8 and the game proper to launch on March 12.