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Platform: PlayStation 2

Genre: Action

Number of Players: 1

One of the biggest surprised to come from the Sony camp in the last few years had to have been God of War. The newcomer impressed virtually everyone from critics to gamers alike and it became one of those titles that, just like the premise behind the title itself, arose to legendary status. The success of the game meant one thing; it would become a franchise, and while the ending and extras unlocked in the game definitely pointed in that direction, the only question was when? While most of us expected God of War II to hit stores prior to Christmas, Sony focused instead on the PlayStation 3 (good idea) but the New Year brings with it Kratos, and the follow-up game is more impressive than the original.

And so it was that Kratos exacted his revenge upon the god Aries. The moral man defeated the war god and in his victory, Kratos himself ascended to the throne of godhood. Time has passed and now the new God of War has been helping Spartan’s vanquish their enemies, but the bloodshed seems to not be enough for Kratos. His ruthless methods have proved to be more than the gods themselves can bear and as Kartos makes another journey to Earth to aid his followers, he soon finds himself assaulted by the god themselves. In his ferocious battle, Zeus offers aid to Kratos for the good of Olympus, and even as another enemy falls, the truth becomes evident.

Zeus reveals to Kratos at long last his intentions but the new God of War will bow to no one. And thus, Zeus slew Kratos, sending him, body and soul, into the very depth of Hades, but the exile would not be for long. Gaia in her wisdom has now agreed to lend assistance of Kratos, but no longer is he a god but a mere mortal man. Kratos must now seek out the Fates, ones who may help him to stop the future and his death at the hands of Zeus, but the minions of gods and horrible beasts lie in his path.

God of War II wastes no time thrusting you into its world. After a brief cutscene to catch up on the story you immediately find yourself in the midst of battle. It seems with all his godly powers, Kratos either never gained the ability to remove the dual-swords chained and burned to his flesh, or perhaps he didn’t want to. You’ll get tutorials as to how the game is played as the action unfolds around you. If you played the first game, you may recall that things started out with a stage that was a boss battle, a hydra, and GoW2 has the same scenario, but much larger; a Colossus. This hulking monstrosity is merely a taste of things to come.

The basic combat is very easy to grasp tutorial or not. When on the ground, you have your choice of normal or light attacks, all done by spinning your deadly swords. These can all be linked together to form combos and you also have the ability to grab foes and beat them senseless, just like before, as well as block attacks or evade (done with the right analog.) Kratos can also toss his foes into the air and ruthlessly beat them. Not all enemies though can be taken out by haphazardly flailing your blades, and you will find some that require a bit more of a tactical approach.

One thing that set GoW apart was that it wasn’t just a mindless hack n slash title and the unique context sensitive attacks added a great deal into the game. When you’ve damaged an enemy enough, you will see a button appear in the bottom left hand corner. You have a few seconds in order to correctly press it before it disappears. For some lower ranked enemies, this will simply finish the job (and there’s a great animation sequence where Kratos tears the arms off certain ground soldiers and then stabs them with their own swords . . . . still in their bloodied hand.) For bosses, this first button press will lead to another, then another, or maybe even require analog rotation in certain directions. Any of these instances are accompanied by some great camera angle changes to play things out, such as one of Kratos’s more epic battles where he finishes his foe by bashing his head in with a heavy door.

Defeated foes also emit different colored orbs. You won’t need to collect them as they are drawn to you. Green is for health, blue for magic, red which can be used to increase your abilities and now yellow which replenish heath, magic, and a new ability; Rage of the Titans. The Rage ability engulfs Kratos in fire allowing him to unleash an incredible amount of destructive power for a limited time. Chests can also be found that contain these orbs or in some cases alternate between colors. These are opened much like you’d open a door in the game and that’s by using the R1 button.

Magic still plays a huge role, not just with the Rage ability, but Kratos will gain other powers as well. Lightning, a bow and air, even the Atlas Quake all become yours to command. Magic can be changed by using the D-pad while those important red orbs can be applied to weapons and magic to increase their powers. You will see on each how many you need in order to level them up and what the benefits are. Weapons in most cases just become more powerful and Kratos also now has sub-weapons at his disposal. When you’re trying to take on the god, you need anything and everything you can get in order to succeed.

Another of GoW’s tricks that still remains is the climbing, which is done with both of your swords, and you can still fight (or grab and toss) enemies. Kratos also gets a new mount, the Pegasus. This takes the game into the skies and the combat continues there as well, not just with the usual brand of button mashing but also some of those fancy button combos to add in more detail and an intense sense of battle. Puzzle solving is still a huge part of gameplay as well and you’ll find some that are quite easy to solve, others that are going to require you to think a bit more. There are also collectible items like before, such as the gorgon eyes that will increase your health once five are collected, feathers to increase magic (again five), as well as Urns that are hidden and plenty of other unlockable features to be found.

God of War II doesn’t just play fantastic though; this game looks amazing and actually outdoes what Sony’s Santa Monica Studio did with the first game. The stage themselves are enormous and you’ll find Kratos walking across giant chains, climbing his way up dizzying cliff, and visiting many elaborate and exotic locations. There are some amazing touches thrown into the game as well. Early in the game you will find yourself in rooms with sunlight shimmer through and take note of the specs of dust filling the air. Environmental effects are one thing, but the enemies are something completely different, and the colossus mentioned earlier is just one of the many foes you’ll find. There are towering monstrosities such as this one, but plenty of other creatures taken right out of the Greek mythos and all of them are stunning to behold. To top off this visual feast, the character animations really are the final key to success here and just watching some of the reactions and interactions with enemies and environment alike is what makes GoW2 a game that you can’t just put down, and the story helps out with this detail even more. A great game is one thing, but adding in a story that is gripping is what makes some of the best games blockbusters, and this game goes far beyond just blockbuster status.

God of War II is a perfect creation; utterly flawless and perhaps one of the best games that Sony has ever engineered for the PlayStation 2. The first game really was the thing that made believers out of everyone, and we’ve all been waiting for the sequel. The wait is finally over and it’s been well worth it. God of War II is in fact a game that is worthy of the gods themselves and showcases exactly what the PS2 was designed for; great game play and amazing graphics. Remember, here the end begins, and the end of the series seems to be on the PlayStation 2, but not the end of everything for God of War as you may (or may not) have heard is making its way to the PSP and, best of all, the PlayStation 3. That doesn’t mean you should sit by and wait though. The gods are calling once again and God of War II might very well make you feel like a deity in your own living room.

-mike-