It feels fresh cause for the most part we don't get games like it anymore - and not just in the GOW series
High paced, linear 12 hour games have become a thing of the past. That roller-coaster ride takes a lot less investment to love
That said, beyond the set pieces and break neck pacing of the old series, the new one is objectively better in almost every way
Combat - old games made you feel bad ass but beyond that they were heavily reliant on one type of weapon style, they were simplistic mechanically. The new games have greater combat variety requiring use if varied weapon types, melee, ranged and defensive mechanics.
Enemies - The AI was brain dead in old games. Was like cutting through paper the majority of the game and not much point to the combat encounters. Bosses had the spectacle going but they were often mechanically dull fights, like the poseidon fight attacking a leg while the enemy stands there and dodging a highly telegraphed attack on repeat.
New games offer a much more compelling experience with even regular enemies
And in terms of bosses, the new games win out. The Thor and Buldur fights were better than any of the old game fights mechanically, and the Valkyries and Berserkers significantly better in terms of gameplay
Narrative - whether you like the new game or not, doesn't change how underwhelming the GOW3 narrative and characters were. The Gods had nothing interesting about them, the opportunity to give us interesting set of villains was wasted. I compare that to even somebody like Heimdall which was significantly better realised as a character than any GOW3 god
Exploration - the linear design helps get you from set piece to set piece but simply never allowed for the opportunity to explore. Very glad the new games added this in because it fits the IP like a glove
Platforming/traversal - the one area I would give to the originals but only because the new ones dont attempt it. The actual platforming of the old games was objectively bad IMO. New games just opted away from something they weren't doing well. I would like to see it reintroduced but with a better understanding how to make platforming an interesting mechanic
Graphics, sound etc. go without saying.