At last, I have finished the game. Overall I enjoyed every single moment of it. I am of those who believe this sequel is even better than the original God of War that was already perfect. I will call God of War II super-perfect in the sense of game play and cinematic value. My expectations were even surpassed when it comes to the improvements they’ve been able to make. They’ve been able to pick up the story get rid of little flaws and add to what people loved about the first installment. They have managed to keep everything that was epic about the first game and port it over to a sequel, it can be considered one of the very last “great” game to come to the PlayStation 2. You start the game with your favorite anti-hero Kratos, now a god.
After defeating Ares you decide to guide your people (the Spartans) to many wars and thanks to your power they are victorious (one would assume). However the other gods in Olympus are not happy with the way you do things (just like they didn’t really like Ares). Once you arrive on the battlefield as a giant you are betrayed and part of your powers are taken away. You are reduced to human size and must fight the Colossus of Rhodes that has been animated by godly powers. From that first act, the story takes many twists and turns to bring you to the ground, back to a mere mortal and force you to re-establish your powers. In order to change your fate, Gaïa the Titan helps you reach the Sisters of Fate that could change your past, thus insuring your future.
Just like the first game you fight your way through mythical enemies and meet others seeking the sisters of fate. The combos that were present in the first game were slightly altered to give it something new, but in the end it’s still a combination of button mashing and blocking at the right time. About half way through the game you find the Golden Fleece that allows you to deflect an energy attack right back at your enemies, the trick is that you need to block at the exact time your about to be hit. You come across new spells to cast upon your enemies and you have a new rage mode that allows you to increase the damage you can make. Finally you have more alternate weapons that you can use (up to three this time). You really feel for your character and even if you don’t agree with all his methods it’s a heart pumping adrenaline rush. The finale is epic and the unlockable bonuses will keep me playing for some time. I will not spoil by saying that I’ll be waiting for God of War III and a PSP title later this year and in 2008. I’ll give God of War 2 a 10 out of 10, being the greatest game to be ever released on the PS2, seeing that game (and how good it looks) makes you forget about all this next generation graphics thing.
[...] get enough of Kratos action? You’ve already played God of War and God of War II? How about test your skills on the go? The official announcement was given via an ad with GoW II. [...]