God of War 2 for PlayStation 2

The sequel to one of the best selling games on the PS2, God of War II comes back with even more vengeance. As the first game, man-god Kratos is back in Greek Mythology angered again by the Gods and goes on a rampage of vengeance having to face even more bosses and puzzles than the first game. With the first game doing so well winning awards and becoming a huge success naturally you would expect a lot more of the same great game with some improvements. You do get a lot of the same great game but, not a lot of the necessary improvements. Still, this hack-n-slash adventure has you once again taking Kratos on another excellent adventure in the realm of Greek mythology facing hundreds of different enemies including bosses and Gods themselves a long the way. If you played and liked the first game in this shot series so far, then there absolutely no reason why you wont enjoy this sequel all the same. It's fast paced, epic story line, beautiful graphics, and great sound will have you finding it very difficult to put the controller down from the very first cut-scene of the game.


Story:
God of War II picks up pretty much right after the first game so, if you have not played the first installment then you will be a little lost for a while. I do recommend that you play the first game because it really helps you understand more of why Kratos is so angry and, because it is also an excellent game. As the first game focused more on Kratos himself, this game focuses more of what happens around the man-god rather than what happens to him. The first game takes you on the adventure of Kratos becoming a God as he exacts revenge on Ares. Now, the new God of War, Kratos sits on top of his throne high on Mount Olympus still wanting more. Unsatisfied with his his newly found God like powers he continues to send his army of Spartans raging war throughout Greece conquering city after city.

This, of course, angers the Gods of Olympus. Still, the once mortal man, now a God, never looked for their attention nor cared for their approval. Of course this went both ways as the Gods quickly betray Kratos as Athena somehow strips him of his powers making him mortal once again and then you are quickly killed by Zeus himself. However, Kratos is rescued by Gia of the Titans and given the chance to change his destiny. Like the first game, the game has no shortage of story as you are thrown into this adventure the moment you start a new game. Before you know it, you meet Athena, attempt to fight Zeus as a mortal, and find yourself battling a huge creature called The Colossus. The story will take you on an epic adventure through many worlds while meeting dozens of characters from Greek mythology a long the way. The game never tries to be accurate when it comes to Greek mythology but, it doesn't matter. The characters are there and you get to do battle with a lot of them.


Gameplay:
The core of the gameplay is not really much different than your normal hack-n-slash style of game. You move Kratos around from area to area killing everything in his path and figuring out puzzles a long the way. There are checkpoints and save points scattered throughout so if you die you wont have to go back to far and start again. You don't have to complete a chapter or anything in order to save the game which I like. What really makes this game stand out from others of it's genre is just the sheer brutality in the gameplay. It's not enough just to kill an enemy in this game, it's how you kill them that makes it fun. Fun, if your someone that can handle the gore and thought of your killings. There is a huge amount of different enemies that you will face which helps keep the game fresh as well. A mistake a lot of games make is the fact you kill the same type of enemy way to often. That is not the case here as each new area gives you a whole new array of enemies and bosses to take down. The game delivers it's in tension even better than the first one.

If you have played the first game, then this will mostly feel like more of the same to you. However, the game is definitely more brutal than the first. The hack-n-slash combat system will feel like your button mashing a lot of the times. The combat is based on combo-driven button pushing attacks like the first installment. You will mostly find yourself hitting combos like the square button a number of times and a triangle finisher. Your first weapon is a double chain blades that Kratos wields around with ease. You will have access to just a couple of easy combos that get more advanced as you upgrade the weapon to new levels. However, there are some devastating moves that you can pull off with the right combo of buttons. Instead of just hitting your enemy until he perishes, most of the stronger ones will have button sensitive combos that brutally finish him/her off. Once you wear them down enough a corresponding button will appear above their heads. Hitting the right combo of buttons that are shown will finish the job in a much more gruesome way rather than just killing him with a fatal blow. For example, you can rip the eye out of a Cyclops, take a grunt down with a series of blows, or rip the head off a Medusa. This is also true with the bosses that you face throughout which are a lot more than the first game. All though I never had any problems pulling of a combo I wanted to perform, it can get a little repetitive at times when your fighting hordes of enemies for a lengthy time. There are other weapons you will get your hands on as you play through the story as well like a giant Barbarian Hammer, Spear of Destiny, and even the Blade of Olympus.. Each one with it's own set of combos, upgrades, and brutal attacks. This does help keep down the repetitiveness to a degree if you change weapons often enough.

There is also a host of new magic that Kratos will learn as well. Some of these include pulling out a Medusa's head that gives you the ability to turn your enemies into stone, a magical bow (which you need in certain situations, or an earthquake magic that devastates everything around throwing your enemies high into the air. If you have enough magic power these are also devastating attacks at your disposal and easy to use with a click of a button. However, some of these weapons and magic really outweigh the others. I found myself, on harder difficulties, mainly just staying with the weapon and magic that worked the best. Once you acquire new abilities and weapons some of the others will feel kind of useless. They could have tried to put more of a balance between them making you want, or even have to, use certain ones throughout the game. All though there are certain areas that you need to use something particular, there just isn't a lot of these times making you feel that you need to upgrade your different abilities evenly in case you need them.

The game also has it's share of puzzles tossed in here and there and they are better than the first game. Some of these puzzles are a must to continue the story while a lot of the others are just there so you can try and find something hidden to help unlock something. For example, if you find a certain number of something Kratos will gain more health for the rest of the game or magic power. For the most part these puzzles are not to difficult to figure out and just are a somewhat a waist of time. However, some I did have a tough time with and took way to long to accomplish getting me out of that combat mode that the game is meant to be. I have never been one that liked a lot of puzzles in a game and God of War II has just enough of them that puts it on that fine line of annoying. Still, with everything else the game has to offer, the are worth dealing with to get to the next fun situation.

In all the gameplay is well thought out enough and the A.I. is smart enough to give you a pretty good challenge. This is very evident on the harder difficulties and bosses. Playing on normal or easy you will get some sense of accomplishment when you complete the game. However, finishing on God and Titan mode is much more rewarding as every enemy is smarter and do much more damage to you. This is very evident when it comes to the boses.  I don't give the controls the highest rating just on the sheer fact of the repetitiveness and useless weapons and magic that you get. With that said, it doesn't take anything away from the overall fun the game has to offer.


Replay Value:
There is good replay value to the game as well. Once you complete the game on normal (Spartan) or easy (Mortal) mode, you can play it again on that level and keep everything you already have. All of your weapons, upgrades, and unlocks stay with you. Of course this means you can finish the game in half the time but, why not? It just is that fun. You also unlock God and Titan mode as well. Of course when you play on a harder difficulty for the first time you have to start over and don't get your upgrades until you finish the game on that level. There is a Challenge of the Titans mode you unlock once you complete the game once. This is a 7 stage quick missions that each stage you have to complete a certain task. Also, you can unlock 7 new outfits that even give you more of a boost and look pretty cool. I still find myself putting the game in from time and spending a few hours replaying a difficulty level.


Graphics:
The graphics push the PS2 to it's limits and then some. Kratos himself and each and every enemy you face are very detailed and smooth. No matter how many enemies are on screen at once (sometimes that is quite a lot) the game never slows down or has any hiccups what-so-ever. The fighting is very smooth and gory and each action you take looks great. This includes your different magic, or the enemies, that you use. Still, the first game was this good as well and the game relatively looks the same except when you get into the environments. Each new area you enter is just breath taking and much grander on a scale than the first installment. Each new chapter usually puts you into a different environment and a place that you have to get to in order to fight some boss. Each new area is extremely detailed with excellent use of colors and fog effects in the distance. This includes rooms and smaller areas as well. There is also never an issue with the games locked camera view. I never had a problem with the camera leaving me looking through a wall or getting me in a tight stop not being able to to do battle. The thing I liked the most was the cut-scenes used throughout the game (and there is a lot). The game doesn't change it's graphics like a Final Fantasy game would and it doesn't need too. Nothing ever changes when it comes to the graphics level and that helps give you a feeling that your really in the game. Kind of like watching a movie since the game never really has load times or slows down. The game looks flat out amazing in every way and the best looking game on the PS2 without question. If you the means to run this game in progressive scan and widescreen mode it even looks better.


Sound & Music:
The game keeps all of the great sounds that are in the first game. If you have not played the first game, that is a very good thing. All of the different sound effects like Kratos ripping into an enemy, a grunt, breaking a box, or the sounds of water splashing as you run through a puddle on the ground sound extremely realistic. As your playing you really get a sense of what is happening on the screen with all of the different sounds playing at once. Nothing is over the top or doesn't blend in well together.

However, were the game really stands out is the soundtrack. The musical orchestra helps keep you in "awe" as it changes depending on the situation. The more tense a situation is, the more tense the music gets. Once everything calms down, the orchestra will suddenly drift back into a more soothing and relaxing piece until the action picks up again. I can't think of any music throughout the game that didn't blend in well with what was happening around you. As for the voice acting in the game. Kratos is over the top as before which is just fine. They even got themselves some nice voice overs for the supporting cast as well. With voice overs from Linda Hunt, Michael Clarke Duncan, and Corey Burton all do exceptional jobs with their characters. From each character you encounter to the game being narrated throughout the game always keeps that dark side feel to it and never gets you out of the setting of this Greek mythology game.


Bonus CD:
Like the first game, there is a special feature CD with some really nice extras on it. However, unlike the first game, you don't have to buy a special edition game in order to get it. The game already comes with the special feature disk that includes behind the scene footage, interviews, and more. You will probably only put this disc in once to watch it but, it's a nice little perk that comes with the game.


Conclusion:
This game can still rival most games on the PS3 still today. If you like adventures, and can handle some gore, then there is no reason this game should not be in your gaming library. This game was pretty much the send off for the PS2 as it slowly drifts away in favor of the PS3. Sony gave us one hell of a send off. There maybe a small issue here and there, and the game pretty much is more of the same as the first installment but, this is an excellent sequel to one of the best games every put out on the PS2. The only real complaint I have about the game is, after about 15 hours of gameplay you still want more. If playing as a savage, blood thirsty, man-god, seems like something you would like, then don't miss this excellent adventure. Just remember, the game is "M" rated for the right reasons!


Thank you for reading.


My Ratings:
Story: 5/5
Game play: 5/5
Controls 4/5
Graphics: 5/5
Music/Sound: 5/5
Learning Curve: 20min
Replay Value: 4/5
Overall Rating: 5/5

Publisher: Sony
Genre: Action/Adventure
ESRB: Mature

Game Specs
Players: 1
Sound: THX Dolby Pro Logic II
Online: No
Memory Card: 454