God of War II

"One Last Hurrah"

"One Last Hurrah"

Cast your mind back to 480 BC. 300 brave Spartans in battle armour, their muscles shining, arrayed against a horde of 200,000 angry Persians. The feeling of masculinity, of pride and violence that made up the Spartan spirit were previously captured in God of War 1 have been distilled to perfection in God of War 2. On a metaphorical level, just like the battle at Thermopylae, God of War 2 could seen as the PS2's final blow against the superior forces of the newer consoles, a last moment of brilliance against superior graphics and processor power.

Unfortunately it's also possible observe signs of the stagnation that have affected the two large inspirations behind the series, namely Tomb Raider and Dynasty Warriors in this installment. While the button mashing goodness of the aforementioned Dynasty Warriors and the acrobatic ingenuity of Tomb Raider are present alongside the sprinkling of gore and sex, one feels that GoW has found it's niche market and is not out to upset the formula.

Gameplay 8/10

Because of finding such a niche, very little has changed. Fans of the old will of course be delighted to step into the shoes of Kratos, everyone's second favourite skinhead (after Agent 47) for some typically gory action, hacking, stabbing and decapitating his way through the streets of Greece while ascending to immortal glory.

The game retains its RPG elements of leveling up weapons, health and magic. On the positive side, there are a lot of new weapons to get stuck into and add a bit of variety to the Blades of Chaos/ Athena that we all know and love. A personal favourite is the Barbarian Hammer which is the Grecian equivalent of a baseball bat! Alongside the improved weapons selection, the puzzles make a return, most of which are largely enjoyable, but some of which will confuse the average gamer and force them to resort to an FAQ. The platforming, while maintaining its challenge, thankfully has no parts quite as horrible as the roof of the Hall of Hades in the original and provides a smooth, if relatively unchallenging experience. Later in the game, you gain the ability to glide ala Spyro which provides a little more variety to the challenges and there is also an interesting flying section involving Pegasus. It's nothing particularly original, but the blend is very nice. Add in a few button mashing sequences to open doors, or force the Steeds of Time forwards and you have a solid if unspectacular platforming experience.

From a fighting perspective, there are thankfully more bosses than the previous game which has a grand total of... 3. Here there are around 10 and they are probably the most exciting parts of the game, having to be dispatched in various gory ways, most of which are well thought out, albeit none as cool as impaling the hydra from the original. Bosses include an old friend from the first game who puts in an appearance as well as many famous Greek heroes such as Pegasus and Theseus who are also out to change their fate.

Most of the ingame enemies however, are ripped from the previous game and one is left with a strange sense of deja vu. Another problem is that at times, the gore becomes a little excessive. While decapitation is quite funny the first time, ramming two daggers down a minotaur's throat until its head explodes becomes old quickly. The manner in which the bosses are dispatched is not for the faint of heart, one involves repeatedly smashing said enemy's head into a door until it cracks. Perhaps the most disturbing incident is when Kratos bashes an innocent scribe's head against an altar until his blood runs out. Twice. Kratos seems to have lost any redeeming features that his character had whatsoever and while he is perhaps the PS2's ultimate he-man, he seems cold and arrogant.

Story 3/10

And this leads us to the story. Kratos, the new God of War is informed that trouble is brewing at Rhoades and goes to assist his armies. Having not made many friends among the gods, he is soon betrayed and in an ingenious and oh so original plot twist loses his powers. The majority of the game is spent trying to win these back and once again trying to change your fate by visiting a mysterious island known as the Island of Time, uh I mean Island of the Fates. Warrior Within rip off I hear you cry? Yes, but so little of the story is original material it's unsurprising.

Unfortunately, Kratos, the only real character who receives any development in the game has taken a turn for the worst. While in the original game, Kratos was a sort of Rambo figure who was morally ambiguous, but had his heart in the right place, in this he's just an avaricious piece of scum. The departure of Jaffe has meant the original plot has largely been rehashed, but without the sentiment. It's very obvious which way the story is going to go and there are no plot twists after the beginning and at the end, you feel that Kratos, while perhaps exemplifying Nietzsche's concept of an ubermensch in that he bows the knee to no one, is a thoroughly disgusting human being.

If perhaps there was a little more character development for the Sisters of Fate, or the plethora of bosses that are thrown towards Kratos, the story would be rated higher. As it is, while the original offered a solid if largely unspectacular story, this game definitely offers filler. Whether the gameplay can make up for this deficiency is a question of taste.

Graphics 8/10

Same as GoW 1 for the majority of the game, no major tweaks have been made to the engine. It still looks like one of the finest games on the PS2. The locales range from desolate temples and empty gardens to firey caverns. While the original saw you running around Athens and the Temple of Pandora, this one sees you running around the Island of the Fates, which ranges from a verdant tropical paradise to the less salubrious caverns of the underworld for Kratos to test his mettle. The world is expansive and engaging and the bosses all look unique, from the grotequely obese gorgon to the elegance of Lachesis. No major complaints here.

Sound 7/10

Kratos sounds like he swallowed a cheesegrater, Gaia sounds like an old woman and Zeus sounds like... oh wait a second, there's hardly anyone else in this game who talks. The voice acting is in character and reasonable, but after a while the grunts become tedious. The music is pretty bland tribal drumming/ chanting, cheesy orchestral for the most part and again, solid, but nothing spectacular.

With all those extra bosses and new weapons, God of War 2 seems determined to hold out longer than the 300 and is virtually double the length of its predecessor, clocking in at just under 20 hours. This doesn't necessarily improve the gaming experience however. What gives games such as Prince of Persia the edge over God of War is a better story, and it is this weakness that really hurts what would otherwise be an excellent game.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 07/09/09

Game Release: God of War II (Platinum) (EU, 01/11/08)