I personally don't get people who bring up the whole 'he's just a killing machine/manchild/asshole/bla bla bla...".
Well, yeah so? That's exactly why i(and countless others i presume) love him. Almost all video game characters are goody two shoes who are out to save the world and are allowed to be jerks only if they somehow redeem themselves in the end(usually by saving the world). Kratos doesn't care about all that lol. He's in for vengeance and he's gonna get it by any means necessary. That's it. Whys is that so wrong? I think stuff like a simple story(or 'linearity') has gotten too much undeserved bad rap last gen. Not every game needs to have an award winning story (or to be 'open world ').
Besides, the gods in GoW are major assholes who deserved their fate. Bayonetta kills hundred of angels and god just for fun on top of having a nonsensical story and yet it's cool? Why? Because it's japanese or because it's a woman? maybe both. Anyway, whoever is the protagonist in the next one i hope they don't turn him/her into a philosopher(i have Max Payne for that). Mindless killing machine is fine by me. Gameplay on the other hand needs a MAJOR overhaul though, enough of the square, square, triangle crap. They tried some things in Ascension but it ultimately boiled down to the same old BS.