God of War = God of Games? (God of War (PS2))

Member Name: MrTink12

Product:	God of War (PS2)
Date:	24/12/06 (196 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Outstanding graphics, fun gameplay, atmospheric score, movie-esque script

Disadvantages: For adults only, few bosses, too short for some

God of War (GoW) is an exclusive PlayStation2 title based on Greek Mythology. It is a third-person action adventure game, released in Europe July 2005. SCEA developed and published GoW. It must be noted that this game is most definitely not for youngsters, or those easily offended. This is because GoW was granted an 18 certificate due to explicit violence, gore and nudity. We will explore the reasons why GoW is such a magnificent achievement on an aging console.


--------Storyline--------
The game starts with anti-hero Kratos jumping off the highest cliff in all of Greece. We are then taken three weeks back in time to find out why Kratos would attempt to kill himself. The Gods of Olympus are prevented from directly attacking one another as decreed by Zeus. Simply put, Spartan warrior Kratos is given a mission from the gods to save the city of Athens by defeating Ares (‘God of War’). Being a mortal Kratos needs Pandora’s box to defeat a god. As the game unfolds you will learn much about the dark past of Kratos, and why he has to accept the mission assigned to him.


--------Gameplay--------
It is fantastic how as soon as the game starts you are thrust into non-stop action set pieces. This makes perfect sense considering players are controlling quite possibly the toughest game character of all time. The main weapons used by Kratos are the brutal Blades of Chaos. These can be described as two curved swords literally chained to arms of Kratos, which have a propensity to maim scores of enemies at any given time. As the adventure unfolds the gods of Olympus grant Kratos the ability to cast various magical spells. For instance, Zeus bestows Kratos the chance to throw some long-range thunderbolts, whilst Aphrodite gives the head of Medusa so as to turn foes into stone.

One of the greatest things to do in GoW is achieve a great combo. Thankfully the control system is exceptionally responsive ensuring you pull off combos with ease. The square and triangle buttons are used for attack moves, whilst pressing circle grabs enemies, and X is the jump command. Players will not get away with merely pressing attack buttons, and jumping now and again. You will need to learn to dodge with the right analog stick or block opponents (and parry if timed correctly) by pushing down on L1. As one progresses you collect red orbs, which can be used to upgrade your weaponry and magical spells. Upgrading the former increases the amount of moves that Kratos has at his disposal. GoW is blessed with an excellent variety of enemies for Kratos to vanquish. For example there are Hydras, Harpies, Gorgons, Cyclopes, Minotaurs and so on. Interesting inclusions in GoW are the ‘finishing moves’ mini-games, executed by quickly pushing the buttons that correspond with the in-game instructions. For example having inflicted significant harm on a Minotaur a circle button appears above its head. Rapidly pressing circle causes Kratos to take down the beast and viciously stab it in the mouth. Alternatively against a Gorgon you have to rotate the analog stick in the direction as shown on-screen, and if done correctly Kratos will rip the creatures’ head off.

There are puzzles within the game, none of which seem to provide much difficulty in solving. They mainly consist of block pushing or lever pulling, but do provide a neat interruption from the intense fighting. The camera automatically moves according to how you move Kratos. Players do not have the power to move the camera, but for the vast majority of the game this is unproblematic.

Upon completion of the main game players are provided with DVD-esque special features such as deleted scenes, trailers, and how the game levels were designed, in addition to unlocking a Challenge of the Gods mini-game. Such extras would be a welcome addition for all game franchises. Furthermore there is an ultra difficult - suitable for hardcore gamers – ‘God Mode’ which will without question challenge anyone who initially found the game to be easy. In order to unlock all the other hidden features such as unlockable cut scenes you will be required to replay the game a number of times, including ‘God Mode’.


--------Graphics, Sound and Music--------
GoW has some astonishing graphics to savour. Lighting and shadow effects are top notch, and all the characters are blessed with great attention to detail. Many enemies can appear on screen at a given time, and character animation is superb throughout. On Kratos’ journey there are various stunning locations including shipwrecks, an exposed desert and war-torn Athens. Some environments are huge, and players will really grasp how small Kratos is in relation to his surroundings. This is never more apparent than when you first see a temple on the back of a titan, or when witnessing the colossal Ares destroy Athens. With the PlayStation 2 pushed to its graphical limits, you may be forgiven for thinking that GoW would have long loading times. Fortunately this is not the case, in fact there are next to no loading times in this epic game.

The voice acting is a real selling point of GoW. Terrence ‘T.C.’ Carson who voiced Kratos sounds, as you would expect the character to: moody, ruthless, and oozing a ‘do not mess with me’ attitude. What's more the narrator who tells the story of Kratos during flashbacks does so brilliantly, and enhances your eagerness to find out more about our protagonist. Additionally the music perfectly fits the game; it is a sublime orchestral score that seems to reflect the situation that Kratos finds himself in.


--------Critical comments--------
Some of the gameplay can hardly be described as innovative. After all, we have seen similar puzzles countless times in other adventure games, and achieving long combos to annihilate hordes of enemies is hardly new. Nonetheless we can counter such complaints. GoW may use familiar gameplay elements, but implements them spectacularly well. From beginning to end GoW is great fun to play because of how accessible it proves to be, and is accordingly one of the best action adventure games on the market today.

There are too few bosses in GoW I am afraid to report. Just three main boss battles are fought, which in my opinion is slightly too few for an action game of this type. These fights are magnificent and will provide gamers with a great sense of achievement once overcome, but you cannot help but feel the game was perhaps a little rushed.

GoW by no means is the longest action game you will ever play. It took me just over nine hours to complete the main game for the first time. Nonetheless the benefit of a short game is that it fails to become repetitive. Other quibbles might include that the game is rather linear, there is no multi-player, and once or twice I would have preferred to change the fixed camera perspective. Also there is one particular obstacle late into the game, which I found to be excruciatingly annoying. Lets just say it involves having to climb two bladed vertical spinning poles (those familiar with GoW will know exactly what I am referring to).


--------Overall--------
Hopefully you are not too squeamish about witnessing a lot of blood, and can actually play this game. It is safe to say that GoW ranks as one of the best games released on the PlayStation 2 console. As such GoW is a must-have game and, if you have not done so already, should be bought. This classic game is hardly going to break the bank costing just £10.99 from PowerplayDirect.com. This should serve you well until the sequel due March 2007, which will hopefully address some the criticisms we discussed above.


>My Scores:
- Gameplay: 9.5/10 – this is a great all-round addictive gaming experience. In GoW the action is always smooth, fast paced, and a real pleasure to play.

- Graphics: 10/10 – GoW presents an impressive take on Ancient Greece because visually it is amazing in just about every respect. Best graphics on the PlayStation 2? I believe so (until God of War II, anyway).

- Storyline: 9/10 - the plot in GoW is much stronger than most games in this genre, it feels very akin to a movie. Sometimes cut scenes are an unwelcome distraction in a game, but in GoW this is never the case.

- Sound: 9.5/10 – having a movie quality score in addition to some neat sound effects and first rate voice acting performances, GoW deservedly ranks very highly in this category.

- Longevity: 8.5/10 – may seem initially short, but beating ‘God Mode’ and ‘Challenge of the Gods’ will test even the finest gamers.


Final Score: 9.3 out of ten


Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed.

Summary: If you want to play a great action adventure game, then look no further than God of War!!!