Review: God of War II(PS2)

This is why I play video games.

Genre: Action
Rating: Mature - graphic violence, nudity

God of War II is the sequel to the incredible action game, God of War, which was released in 2005. The player takes the reigns of Kratos a once mortal, now god who defeated the legendary original god of war, Aries, in the original. Kratos wrath knows no bounds as he leads thousands of warriors the world over to victory against hundreds of civilizations. The other gods of Olympus have taken notice and Zeus the most powerful of all gods has had enough.

You’ll start the game with all of your powers at max, but will quickly lose them and have to build them back through about 9hrs of gameplay. GOWII is one of the most satisfying action games ever produced. The combat system itself is taken straight from the original. Kratos will unleash incredible combos with the mere touch of two attack buttons. GOWII doesn’t feature as fluid a combat system as it could have. Attacking enemies causes their animations to stop and allows the player to refocus their attention on a single enemy. While every enemy will attack at the same time their attack patterns are predictable with practice. How the player fares against the difficult enemies is determined by how much stamina they have. The player will destroy various mythological beasties on Kratos’ quest to regain his powers and destroy Zeus.

The combat system features four different weapons and four different magical abilities. For the most part the only weapon you need use is Kratos’ blades on chains. Not that the other weapons aren’t worthwhile, but they are good for very specific enemies which will only be faced occasionally. The combat system also features various quick button mini-games which dispense massive amounts of carnage against enemies.

This game is difficult. If you haven’t played the original then play that one first. It may be the only way to prepare yourself for what you’ll be facing here. Thankfully, there are various difficulty settings to chose from. Enemies are unrelenting and you’ll often be greatly outnumbered with multiple enemies with varying strengths and weaknesses. The unprepared player will be wasted in a matter of seconds. Blocking is a must and is used to great effect in GOWII. One magical item that is picked up about half way through the game actually catches magical attacks and throws them back at the enemy. Save points and checkpoints are very well placed and if you die you will always restart close to where you died.

As great as the original GOW was GOWII takes things to the next level. Graphics, while very similar to GOW, have a nice polish and overall look better than most any other game on the last generation consoles. Great detail in the enviroments and character designs keep things fresh and interesting. Boss characters which are numerous, range in sizes from massive titans that quake the earth when walking to badass player size fighters.

Sound design is outstanding. The score parallels the original perfectly and makes the player feel like a god. Strong vocal and orchestral pieces create a sense of epicness when fighting enemies. Voice work, is great and every character has their own distinct personality and motives which is put through in their performance. Kratos himself is a true badass.

Graphics - 9…massive sense of scale, clear, vivid, and lush environments, distinct character designs, many reused enemy templates from original

Sound - 10…powerful and smart orchestral music, makes the player feel like their in an epic movie, voice work is perfect

Gameplay - 9…destroying the various enemies is immensely satisfying, boss fights are epic and the player feels like they have accomplished something grand, quick button mini-games can get frustrating, some trial and error

Value - 10…one of the best action/combo games ever created, 8 to 9hr quest is the perfect length, large amount of unlockables and increased difficulty modes add replay value

Overall - 9…Great game well worth the money, buy it