System: PS2
Dev: Sony
Pub: Sony
Release: March 13, 2007
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: Mature
Review by Matthew Walker

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Review Rating Legend
1.0 - 1.9 = Avoid
2.0 - 2.4 = Poor
2.5 - 2.9 = Average
3.0 - 3.4 = Fair
3.5 - 3.9 = Good
4.0 - 4.4 = Great
4.5 - 4.9 = Must Buy
5.0 = The Best

The in-game graphics appear to be the same as the first, which are great in their own right. However, upon further inspection they are a beautiful touchι to the environments that were not present in the first. Dust particles float adrift in the flickering light through the windows. The in-game character models appear to have been tweaked a little, but with a title that was already graphically great, there really was not much that needed to be done. The cutscenes on the other hand, are amazing. The textures and depth of the characters are highly detailed. Kratos in particular, of course, moves in such a realistic manner early in the game that it is both eerie and cool at the same time. Not to be outdone by the characters, the environments both in-game and cutscenes, are breathtakingly detailed, fittingly showing the power of the PS2 one more time.

There is at least one thing that might irritate you, and that is the constant grunting Kratos will do. It seems with every move he makes Kratos is grunting or making an over exertion sound. Why they did not keep it to the minimal level it was in the first title is unknown. It becomes so irritating that you might turn down your television, which is a real shame. The score for God of War II is so mesmerizingly perfect that it should be on a CD for us to buy and listen to repeatedly. The sweeping grandeur of the music captures the beauty and depth of the game equally. So hope that you can tune out the Kratos grunts that way you can keep the vivid sounds of a mortal's war with the Gods as loud as you want.

God of War II lives up to the hype of the last great title for the PS2, by offering a lot of the old and a healthy dose of new. The game's pace is quicker than the first so you might finish it quickly, but like the first title there are tons of unlockable content, including new levels of difficulty and costumes. Much like the first, you will spend countless hours playing and not even realize how much time has passed. Once you do beat it you will immediately want to start it again. It is great to have a title that is rife with mindless carnage, easy controllability, and Greek Mythology all rolled into one. It will be amazing when SCEA moves God of War over to the PS3, but for now this is as good as it gets.

By Matthew Walker
CCC Freelance Writer

Features:

February 8th, 2007

The Power of Kratos compels you... to play this awesome game! by Maria Montoro

March 13th is an important date for all fans of God of War; the second installment of this incredible, action / adventure videogame will be available that day for everybody's enjoyment. Cory Barlog, the game director, told us just a few days ago that the game is completely finished, so now we just have to eagerly wait until they let us have it.

Mythology, pure action, magic, and destruction come together wonderfully in the God of War formula, and God of War II won't leave us disappointed.

At the end of the first episode Kratos managed to defeat Ares and became the new God of War. Time has passed since then and it sounds like he's been using his godly powers to cause harm and destruction within his civilization. That lack of respect for the mortals and the invasion of the city of Rhodes will trigger Athena's anger. She once trusted him and now she's furious and feels forced to reduce Kratos to his previous status of mortal. She will do this by sending a bird to suck up his godly abilities. Kratos has been betrayed by the gods and now he feels angrier than ever.

Small again but not powerless, Kratos will have to equip his blades and face a new adventure full of crazy bosses and foes of all kinds. Some of those smaller foes we have seen previously in God of War, but the creators promise a magnificent new environment full of new, spiteful creatures and infuriated titans. It seems like chopping somebody's head off is not enough sometimes, so we'll have to find a new way to beat that crazy barbarian that appeared in the first game, because he's now back for revenge! If you've also seen the immense and angry colossus in some of the already released screenshots of the game, you'll agree with me in that the line-up of bosses for this game is going to be pretty sweet.

Kratos' combat system hasn't changed that much, but the new additions will make this game even better than the first one, if that's possible. He will not only have the blades of Athena he picked up at the end of the first game, he will also make use of the grappling hooks, which will give him even more freedom of movement, allowing him to grab onto rough surfaces and swing from side to side to overcome major gaps. A white glow will visually help you find the elements you can actually grapple with. Our mean hero also managed to find a way to shoot himself into the air with a catapult, which will come in handy when fighting rivals as big as the colossus. There's nothing that will stop Kratos' blood thirst, including the size of his opponents; he really can handle anything.

Kratos will be able to perform new brutal attacks and will use elements like ice, wind, and other magic essentials. His magic powers were undeniably crucial in the first game and, although he's been betrayed and the gods have turned their backs on him, he will still be able to learn new magic spells that will help him destroy the enemies. One of the magic attacks that he will use was offered in the demo of God of War II; it's called Poseidon's rage. Kratos will smoothly rise off the ground and hit his enemy with a lightning strike that will blast right underneath. It sounds promising!

The game always offers a good blend of puzzles, explorations, action, and platforming. Just like in the first game, the God of War team made sure that they kept all of these elements connected so the game's continuity doesn't get affected by the puzzle-solving challenges spread throughout the game. They have promised that there will be an abundance of increasingly complicated puzzles throughout the game, although that won't detract from following the story without difficulty.

Some say that the button-mashing powers have been decreased this time around. Learning the combo attacks and performing them properly will definitely pay off. The control scheme doesn't seem to have changed that much, which is good news for all of those that already played God of War. We'll be able to get right back into it without much effort. You will use the X button for jumping, the right analog stick for rolling away from your enemy, grab onto things with the circle button, use square for your stronger attack and triangle for the milder one. Of course, you can also combine the use of L1 with the attack button for special attacks and, if you hold circle, you will be able to launch enemies away. L2 will give you the wonders of magic.

God of War II was designed with the next generation in mind. It will only be released for the PS2 because that's the system that the fan-base owns, but the graphics truly push the powers of the PS2 to the limits. Unlike other beautiful-looking PlayStation 2 games, they managed to offer amazing visuals without causing sluggishness and loss of frame rate. The game will look gorgeous and will showcase a horde of new scenarios and highly detailed characters that will be accentuated by the progressive scan output. If you have a new high-def TV, you should give yourself the full God of War II experience by upgrading your PS2's cables and reaching the 480p level!

All in all, we already know God of War II will be a solid title and it could become one of the best games of the year, if it can overcome the fact that it's not being released in one of the next generation consoles, which we can now call current generation. We can barely wait to get our hands on the game when it comes out and, when it does, we'll make sure we keep you informed.

By Maria Montoro
CCC Co-Site Director

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