GamerNode: Reviews - God of War II

God of War II

• God of War II
• PlayStation 2
• SCEA
• SCEA
• March 13th, 2007

It's only March, and we already have our first serious contender for Game of the Year. The sequel to the immensely popular God of War, God of War II brings Kratos back with a vengeance, as he continues his quest to tackle Olympus and topple the gods. The gameplay itself changes little, but why mess with a perfect formula? Instead, SCEA's Santa Monica Studios opted to finely tune the God of War structure, creating a sequel that may seem the same at first, but is immensely superior to the original.

The game begins with Kratos in his new home, Olympus. After defeating Ares and taking over as the god of war, Kratos still hasn't had enough to satisfy his thirst for revenge. His Spartans are on the rampage, toppling cities left and right, all with Kratos's help. The other gods don't appreciate Kratos's meddling and attitude, so they decide to trick him, causing Kratos to lose his powers. Left for dead by Zeus (yes, we finally get to see Zeus!), Kratos is helped by the spirit of earth itself, and sent on a journey to find the Sisters of Fate. As you can imagine, the journey is epic.

For fans of Greek mythology, this story is infinitely more entertaining than the original's. Throughout Kratos's journey, you'll come face to face with many prominent figures from Greek mythology, and even put an end to (or participate in) several tales, although the accuracy may be lacking slightly. While there's no real need for character development given the nature of the first title, we're still treated to flashbacks, a large majority of which are shown through Kratos's eyes. These serve to give us visuals to the events we already know, and every now and then we're even provided with some new history about the Ghost of Sparta. The backstory for other events and the titans is also well-written, providing some entertaining narrative.

Like the first title, God of War II places most of its emphasis on mass slaughter. It's a rare occurrence that you fight a single enemy at a time; usually you're facing at least two or three simultaneously, if not more. This creates a fast-paced game full of excitement, making it a hard game to stop playing for the night.

It's a good thing the combat is so fast-paced and comically violent, because if it weren't you'd notice how repetitive it is. While there are a few new maneuvers you can pull off, the combat system is nearly identical to the original. This is both a good and bad thing. It's good, because the combat system does work in the environment, and the ease helps deal with the fast-paced multitude of enemies. At the same time, though, the simple combat makes most fights extremely easy, and unless you play on the highest difficulty, you'll face no real challenge until you get to a special fight, be it boss or area progression.

One of my biggest complaints with God of War was the serious lack of boss fights. It's not that there needed to be more -- it was more that with how fun they were, there should have been more. With God of War II, that prayer is answered as boss fights are more plentiful, and at times much more involving. The first fight against the Colossus of Rhodes is a good fight to start off with, as fans of the original God of War were looking for a battle to top the hydra in terms of sheer awesomeness. While it's not nearly as violent (it is a statue, after all) the battle is much longer than the first boss fight in the last game, and has a much more hectic ending.

As you most likely know, God of War II introduces several new weapons and spells. For the most part, they're entertaining to use. When you get right down to it, though, most of them will be used only sparingly, because there are a few which just stand out superior to the rest. While you'll get weapons which deal more damage and kill enemies easier than Kratos's blades, you'll find yourself often using the blades, because they're just more efficient (for example, you can't dodge while wielding the hammer).

The area where God of War II improves most is in the level design. The first level had wonderful visuals of varied locations, and made traveling to the next area a true adventure. In God of War II, though, the design is so much better that it almost makes the first look bad by comparison. Even the puzzles and transitions are placed perfectly, and you'll rarely be faced with back-to-back puzzles to advance. Thankfully, there are no "whoops, what have we done!" moments like those damn rotating pillars from the first title. Of course, there are plenty of moments where the solution to a puzzle will be something so obvious you'll look like a fool, but that's what makes it fun.

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