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"God of War: Ascension receives a multiplayer beta this week on PlayStation 3. The multiplayer beta is available to all PlayStation Plus subscribers in North America today (January 8), and will launch for European subscribers tomorrow (January 9).  Sony Australia has also revealed that a limited edition God of War dualshock 3 controller will be available alongside the game in March. The beta introduces the game&amp;#039;s brand new multiplayer mode, and includes 4x4 team-based combat. Last year, Sony let users sign up for the closed beta, but has now opened the beta to all PlayStation Plus users. Announced earlier this year, the upcoming prequel will be the first entry in the series to include multiplayer support, enabling up to eight players to compete in a variety of game modes and customise their characters.  Much like the upcoming God of War movie, Ascension will present a more human side of Kratos, set in a time before his desire for vengeance consumed him.  The storyline takes place before the events of the first God of War and sees the Spartan warrior attempt to break free of Ares&amp;#039;s bonds. Screenshot gallery - God of War: Ascension:  A Collector&amp;#039;s Edition of the game will be available alongside the regular version at launch. The collector&amp;#039;s pack contains a soundtrack CD, a Kratos statue, an online pass for future DLC, a SteelBook case, a code for double XP and a dynamic theme and avatar pack. God of War: Ascension will be released for PlayStation 3 on March 12 in North America and on March 13 in Europe. Watch a trailer for God of War: Ascension below:  "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.digitalspy.com/gaming/news/a449517/god-of-war-ascension-ps3-controller-revealed-beta-this-week/>