God of War II

"One of those rare occasions that the sequel trumps the original..."

Wow. That's the one word to describe the game. Just literally minutes after finishing the game, here I am posting this review simply to spread the word of the milestone God of War 2 has achieved. Let's face it, sequels tend to pale in comparison to the first (I vastly prefer MGS over Sons of Liberty), but God of War II, even under the direction of a new director, just shrugs it off and tries to make the most badass game he can possibly make. And the scary thing is...he succeeds on pretty much every level. Everything is more epic, the palaces, the finishing moves, the new weapons, and the new magic. This time, Kratos means business.

The story in this game starts off with Kratos, leading a war for Sparta. As he is about to join the battle, Athena warns him from going off into battle, that he has become corrupt, and out of the Gods control. He disregards this and heads down to the battle, and similar to what you see from the first God of War, with Ares wreaking havoc upon the city, Kratos is doing so in a similar fashion. The Gods have made their move, and a giant statue (Colossus) comes to life, while Kratos is shrunk back to human size. Despite that, he retains full health, magic, and his moves. After the battle with the Colossus, he is forced to drain all his powers into the Blades of Olympus. However, Zeus personally deals with Kratos himself, but is saved by the Titan named Gaia. Kratos then embarks on a mission to reach the Sisters of Fate to go back into time and defeat the Gods once and for all, with the help of the Titans. The story itself is top notch, with great narration, that perhaps trumps the first one, that'll leave you wanting more....no thanks to the ending.

If you've played the first game, then you'll feel right at home in this one. The Blades of Athena are pretty much the exact same, however some of the L1 + (Insert Square, Triangle, or Circle), are different, and for the better, as it involves multiple swings and thrusts that'll kill any opponent in a matter of a few seconds. Your goal is obviously to eliminate any enemy that gets in your way....literally, Kratos does not ally with anyone (with the exception of the Titans, who mostly help out just by giving you magic). The best part, at least visually, are the infamous reaction commands that really spice up the game. It gives that flair that allows you to watch in awe as Kratos finishes off an enemy (while you're pressing the given button on the screen in time). An example would be Kratos jabbing his Blades of Athena onto a giant enemy's neck while he jumps over and swings the Blades of Athena, beheading the monster. And believe me, that's not even close to being one of the best moves, just one I could explain that isn't too confusing.

Some new additions into the game is the work of Pegasus, which allows you to go in flight. Although the portions are very small, it's still awesome to see Kratos wreak havoc in the sky. It's pretty much the same as being on the ground except you can also use Pegasus to attack the enemies in the sky. While this could've been a large feature of the game, it's only used in a couple parts of the game. Also new is the use of swinging by using your Blades of Athena. There's a really awesome sequence where Kratos has to swing around several pillars before they collapse. In addition to swinging to get past large pits, there's also Icarus's wings, which allows you to have a higher hang time to fly around. Pretty much all the magic is new, although similar in a way. The Army of Hades can now no longer be used as a magic, but now through the use of the Barbarian Hammer, one of the new weapons you can use. Also in addition to the Barbarian Hammer, you can also use a double edged spear (the name is not coming to mind). They're all useful in some way, such as the Hammer being especially useful for the big monsters, and the Blades of Athena best for crowd clearing.

Other magics include Crono's Rage, which is a lightning orb that zaps any enemy in the area. Unfortunately, it doesn't feel quite right compared to Poseidon's Rage. Also new is Atlas Quake, where Kratos unleashes huge boulders that explode, knocking back any enemy in the area. This is definitely the best new magic in the game, since it gives you the space you need when you're in a tight situation. You also get a Bow (again the name isn't coming to mind), which replaces Zeus's Fury. I think its better, but it really isn't any different. There's also Euryales Head, which is the same thing as the Gorgon Mask. And then there are the powers that you can use sparingly, such as slowing down time, but only when there's a certain statue, that'll help you get through situations. There's also an armlet that deflects attacks, and allows you to counter in return, damage free (meaning you can't get hit)!

In terms of my thoughts on gameplay, God of War II excels. While the controls might feel overly repetitive by mashing Square along with triangle and circle, you can't help but feel that it's more complicated than that, judging from some of the incredible breathtaking looking moves Kratos pulls. With the flashiness of the game, you feel entertained by the fact you control it, and the puzzles that aren't too difficult, nor too easy lets you feel like you going on a huge grand epic adventure, that's 10x more bloody than the usual. Does it disappoint? Absolutely not, if you were expecting another adventure with mostly the same mechanics of God of War, then you're not going to be disappointed, because it does exactly that, and exceeds it in almost every way (I'm disappointed with the new magic, I'd much rather prefer Army of Hades as a stand alone magic).

The controls for the game are simple and easy to get into. Square is the regular attack, while Triangle is the heavy attack, and circle is grab. L1 is the block button, but when you combine that with Square, Triangle, Or Circle, then you'll unleash a devastating attack of your choice. The grab button also allows you to do the same thing, which can result in a finishing move, or even throwing your enemies at others. L2 initiates the magic that you're using while R2 switches weapons. L3+R3 activates Rage of the Titans, which is pretty much the same as Rage of the Gods from the previous installment. Overall, the button placement feels perfect, although I do have to say one thing. There's too many reaction sequences and such that demand the repeated tapping of circle, as it will wear your thumb eventually...

Graphically, God of War II is breathtaking. So was the first one. Again, God of War II doesn't really improve on this in several ways but that's not really a bad thing since God of War still had some of the best visuals of the PS2/Xbox/GC generation. The art direction is great, with a mythological feel and there's a slight bit more detail this time around (at least I noticed this a lot). The CG videos are of course, impressive, even compared to other CG videos today (Yes I know I'm comparing CG videos >_>). I noticed a couple moments of slowdown during the game, but it only happened twice. I tried it on my PS3, and it didn't seem to be as worse (I encountered slowdown in the very beginning). I don't have much to say graphically, since I'm not much of a technical guy, but I can tell you that it's still impressive.

In the sound department, there's nothing to complain about here. The acting is top notch for video games. Kratos is still as over the top as ever. But it's still great. Linda Hunt makes her return as the narrator, but you'll actually find out she is Gaia, and her narration is definitely the best part of the game acting wise. In terms of Hollywood star power, there's Michael Clarke Duncan (You may know him from Sin City and Daredevil, as Kingpin). He plays Atlas, in a short brief but still, a very cool role. And as Perseus from Clash of the Titans, is no one more fitting than Harry Hamlin (recently from Dancing with the Stars, don't ask how I know). Again, his role is fairly brief. The sound effects are standard, with the bone crushing sounds and blood gushing out. It all makes an immersive experience, and the music is as epic as ever, but this time it also expands a lot more with more songs compared to the first, which felt like it kept repeating. Overall in sound, God of War II is pretty much among the very best, with some of the best acting, music, and effects all around.

The game itself takes about 12-15 hours. A lot of that also depends on what difficulty you're playing on, and how skilled you are from God of War (the first of course). I played on God Mode (2nd Hardest) and completed the game in 13 hours. In comparison, the first took me a measly 8 and 1/2 hours. It's refreshing to have a longer adventure this time around, and while you'll be left wanting more, it still felt like it was the perfect time of content to include in the main adventure. You also have the option of doing a New Game Plus, which you may want to considering that it's fairly difficult to upgrade all your weapons and magic to Max throughout the adventure. There's also a Challenge of the Titans, which I haven't completed, but it's similar to Challenge of the Gods, and chances are, it'll be challenging. There's also a bonus DVD included with the game, and it features documentaries and deleted levels providing a very DVD esque experience.

Overall, if you're looking for a great looking adventure game, then God of War II will fulfill your needs. If you need a game that will satisfy your hunger for a game similar to 300, well God of War II will do the job just since you're a Spartan in the Greek Age. Everything about it is top notch, and it has definitely upped the ante for its competitors. The PS2 is officially going out with a bang with the release of God of War II, and it didn't disappoint in nearly every single way (the magics keep coming to mind). Simply put however, if you have played God of War and you enjoyed it, then you absolutely cannot miss God of War II.

Story: 10/10
Gameplay: 9/10
Controls: 10/10
Graphics: 9.5/10
Sound: 10/10
Replay Value: 8/10

Overall Score: 9.5/10 (I don't give perfect 10's, but it rounds up to it, and note this is not an average).

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 03/19/07