Official Website

Platform: PlayStation 2

Genre: Action

Number of Players: 1

Mythology has been a part of human history for thousands of years. The gods were always attributed as being the source of many things. They were why thunder and lightning would strike; they controlled emotional forces of love or were prayed to before battle. Every culture at one point has created for itself a collection of unique personalities where stories were told time and time again about heroic deeds and betrayal. The Egyptians, the Sumerians, the Mayans and so on have in the past developed their own ideas of Gods and Goddesses. Gaming has taken many of those for their own use. The Final Fantasy series for example has seen both monsters and gods show up within their stories, as have many action games. Sony is taking a crack at mythology as well, but not as a role-playing game, but instead their epic action title; God of War.

Set in the glory days of the Greek Empire, God of War tells the tale of Kratos, a former commander of part of Greece's glorious army. However, outnumbered in a battle against invading barbarian hordes, a nearly defeated Kratos called forth to Ares, the God of War, in hopes of gaining the power to vanquish his enemies. That was his first mistake. Ares granted him the power, but then used him as a tool for destruction and violence. Now, Kratos wants to be free of his enslavement as well as relived of terrible nightmares of the death that he has brought to others. Ares is now attacking Athens to prove his worth to his father and Kratos has been asked by the gods to end this chaos. But, how does a mere mortal defeat a god? 

God of War may very well be one of the best games on the PlayStation 2 at this moment. I know, that's really saying quite a bit, especially when you consider that Sony has many other fantastic games that they have released like the Ratchet & Clank series, Gran Turismo, Dark Cloud, The Getaway, and many other third party titles. That little list right there though is much more impressive that something I usually here surrounding another system and fans of it can only mention some third-rate first person shooter called Halo, but I'm digressing a little. I've reviewed a lot of PS2 games for this site, and this is one of the few games recently that I simply could not put down, eventually reaching the end of the game after three or four very late night gaming sessions.

If you're looking for action, then you need look no further. God of War has action in droves, and gallons of blood on top of that. The comparison that I have to make here is to Tecmo's recently resurrected Rygar. In God of War, Kratos wields dual blades chained to his wrists (you'll learn how that happens later in the game) and involves a combo system that will become more complex as the game goes on. The gods however are anxious to stop Ares, and they are willing to lend what aid they can. As Kratos makes his way through Greece, the gods will lend him their power. Some will give him magic to wield as his own while others will give him new weapons, and being a mere mortal, Kratos needs all the aid he can obtain. As the game pushes you further and further into Greek mythology, you will find yourself with the ability to turn enemies to stone with Medusa's head, unleash the rage of Poseidon, or even summon the legions of the undead with Hades might.

The combo system is fairly easy to use, and the game will give you information when new moves are available to you. As you cut down the demonic hordes that stand in your way, you will obtain colored orbs. Blue refills magic while green is for health, but red are the most precious of all. With these, you can increase the abilities of your weapons and magic thus gaining stronger attacks. And while slicing and dicing is fun, there are some other ways to end a foes life. Early on, I found a certain amount of glee in grabbing an opponent and then throwing him to the ground and repeatedly cutting him with my blades or alternately, snapping him in half like a twig. Oh, the blood that rained from the sky that day was glorious indeed. Kratos will also gain the Rage of the Gods, a special attack that can only be performed when the meter is full, but will improve your attacks and speed, for a limited time of course.

God of War however is a little more than just beating down foes without mercy. There is a mild degree of puzzle solving that comes into play as well. Most of these are fairly simple, but there are a few that while they seem to be straightforward have a little more to them than meets the eye. The game will also put you in some situations similar to Prince of Persia. While God of War doesn't allow you to reverse time or freeze it or run across walls, there are times when you will need to climb or balance your way to success. I really love the climbing aspect in the game as you can grab enemies and throw them to their deaths or simply bash their heads into the stone walls. They can grab you of course, but rapidly shaking the analog stick will get them off you. Kratos balancing act is much like we've seen in many other games, and you don't necessarily have to worry about falling to your death immediately and often times will be given a chance at salvation as he grabs onto whatever is available so that you can pull yourself back up.

Since the game does have heavy roots in mythology, you can expect to find enemies from the Greek stories. Medusa, harpies, Cyclopes, and even Cerebus make an appearance in the game, some not merely being small creatures but instead gigantic beasts to conquer. These, as well as some other creatures, will provide a mini-game of sorts. Pressing the circle button will activate this and you will need to match up the button combinations that show up onscreen to successfully beat them down quickly. However, there can be drawbacks to this. Using the "mini-game" on some creatures will only yield a certain type of spheres, so if you're more interested in raising your skill levels, there are times when straight ahead fighting will give a better payoff.

The levels are highly detailed. God of War takes you from the Aegean Sea to Athens, Pandora's Temple, and even the depth of hell itself. While there are many environment effects used such as swirling sands and pouring rain, there are some things that might pass by some. For example, in Pandora's Temple, a certain part takes you high above the floor and in the direct path of spinning blades. Note that the wood in these areas is in fine condition where the blades don't touch, but where they pass you will notice cuts and chunks of wood missing. It's these minute things that make for a great game, but it goes far beyond these small things. Every section of the game is very vivid, beautiful looking backgrounds that bring the world of God of War to life.

There is plenty of story here, and it's never done in such a way as to where it drags things down. You will begin to learn more about Kratos and his tragic life as you move further into the game, and the cutscenes are done in two different ways. Some will be computer animation, and these are done magnificently. The mother movements match up perfectly with the dialog, as does the body language. If you're not looking at computer rendered scenes through, then you will have actual in-game graphics used to convey the story, and there is a perfect balance between all of these. Again, you will never find any sequence that runs on too long and the story, the voice acting, and everything else blends in perfect harmony. This includes the soundtrack, which is amazing. You may notice that the instruction for the game will give you a link to actually download the music from the game, and I would recommend that you do it. It isn't often we see Sony doing something like this, and I'm hoping that perhaps some of the older game, let's say, Twisted Metal Black for instance, become available in the same way.

If the gaming experience itself for you, there are plenty of things to open up upon completing the game. You will get a look at deleted levels, different looks of characters and monsters, background on the creation of the game, even different costumes. You won't be able to get all of these your first time through however, and finishing God of War in different levels of difficulty will give you even more bonuses.

There really isn't any down side to God of War in the least, though I really would have preferred to have full screen rotation or the ability to go into first person mode, but that's merely a minor detail. This won't be the last that we see of Kratos either, and that is something that is promised to us not only from the end but also in the additional game features. If you're only planning on buying one game this year, this really should be the one. God of War features fantastic game play, great story telling, and everything any gaming fan could ever want out of a title. It's like a good book that you can't put down, or even better, has that story quality of just about any role-playing game . . . you need to play just a little further to see what happens next. The gods will have no mercy on you if you should fail to buy this game.

-mike-