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Sexuality and spectacle
Thematically, the nudity makes sense in Dante’s Inferno. It is thoughtful and intentioned. The same can’t be said for God of War 3.
God of War 3's first notable image of human flesh is Poseidon’s Princess. Her clothing is designed to emphasize and accentuate her bare chest. I would assume this is for religious reasons -- another thing the two games have in common. But these are lively, physics-prone breasts, attached to a simpering, powerless woman. She begs Kratos for mercy -- begs him to save her. The Princess has no agency -- unlike Pandora (who is clothed), she jiggles all the way as Kratos pushes and manhandles her toward the exit.
When the pair reach the wheel, the player has no choice -- Kratos must grab her hands, raise them above her head and attach them to the device. She screams and struggles as the graphics engine's physics animate her in notable places.
Her death does not occur on screen. This is important. If her death were to happen in front of the player, it would change the context of the power fantasy and give it a different meaning.
There is no thematic reason for the Princess to show her business -- her boobs are significant for their gratuitous inclusion. They are presented front and center because they are meant to excite sexual expectation in the player; combined with her whimpering and begging, the Princess represents a sexual power fantasy in which Kratos has complete control.
Because her death is not visible, the player faces no consequences. The trophy for successfully using the Princess as a doorjamb is “I didn’t do it…but I wish I did,” which can be read as Kratos’s regret for not raping her when he had the chance. Still, she is a sexualized object he uses to satisfy his own needs -- I’d argue he did it, anyway.
Aphrodite chestily vamps at Kratos in her chamber of seduction. But she’s the Goddess of Love, so fair’s fair. Her lesbian, slave-girl lovers, however, are thematically unnecessary. They masturbate each other while players sex up Aphrodite -- we’re presented with a very idealized, heterosexual vision of lesbian sex. These aren’t characters expressing themselves. It’s a show for the player. Nothing more or less.
God of War 3 is a spectacle. Kratos is singular in his purpose and vision -- he will not rest until he gets satisfaction by any means necessary. Every bit of nudity, theoretical rape, and sex minigame would have no effect on his character if they were removed. They decorate the game as ornaments -- not essential elements.
The same can’t be said about Dante’s Inferno. It trades in ideas of perversion and sin. Dante’s Inferno may be guilty of lifting a lot of things from God of War, but gratuitous exploitation isn’t one of them.
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