The Greek mythology-themed God of War II continues exactly where the last game left off and, without delving too far into spoiler territory, events within minutes of starting the game see Kratos, a newly stated God, reverted back to his mortal self. Cue a treacherous journey fueled by revenge as Kratos aims to track down the fabled ‘Sisters of Fate’ to travel back in time and change key events.
As in the original, what makes the combat in God of War so much fun is its simplicity. The first thing you notice when you look at Kratos are his main weapons. The ‘Blades of Chaos’ - two swords, bound to his arms by chains - have a lengthy reach and flexibility, and a huge amount of attacking potential as a result. All kinds of spins, grabs and slashes can be unleashed at your foes with ease, and it all feels hugely rewarding as you do so. The left analogue stick controls Kratos’ movement, while the right stick is used for evading manouevres, such as flips and rolls. Blocking plays an important part in God of War II. Not only is it essential for defense, but it's also good for attack. By carefully timing enemy attacks with an L1 block, you can parry their weapon, completely opening them up for your own attacks, an essential skill to master on the harder difficulty settings.
In fact, parrying has a much greater importance here than it did in the original. Not only can standard attacks be countered this way, but upon discovery of a particular item you’ll be able to parry projectile attacks and return them from where they came. This is useful against fireball-wielding enemies, but is a godsend when you’ve got a pack of Gorgons trying to turn you to stone. With the right timing, you can turn the tables and return their lethal gaze, thus transforming them into mere statues. The depth of this seemingly simple combat is increased further when you factor in extra weapons, like giant hammers, and magical abilities (such as being able to produce a powerful earthquake at will) that you pick up along the way. Some of these are new, some return from the previous game, but all are useful.
He was such a quiet boy at school.
Something else making a return is the use of Resident Evil 4/Shenmue-style 'QTE's (Quick Time Events) during combat. For some of the larger monsters in the game, such as the Minotaur, you’ll be able to initiate these sequences via the grab button, once you’ve worn down the enemy enough. Once started, Kratos will leap all around the enemy with various slashes and powerful blows. Here button/stick commands will appear on screen, and you have a short amount of time in which to input them and, providing you get them in time, Kratos will continue his assault. These are superbly enjoyable to watch and highly satisfying as a result.
Where they really impress however is during the many epic boss fights found in the game. Although the original game was highly praised for its action-packed boss encounters, but the ones found here are bigger, better and pop up far more frequently. If there was one complaint levelled at the first ,game it was that there wasn’t enough boss battles, but that’s been suitably addressed here. The quality of these fights are better than ever before too. Using a mix of combat, ‘QTE’ sections, and even the odd bit of platforming and puzzle-solving, they're a joy to play.
Much like in games such as Devil May Cry and Ninja Gaiden, Orbs are dropped by defeated enemies (and can also be found in various chests throughout the game). These glowing power-ups are used to upgrade the strength and effectiveness of magical spells as well as adding new skills, combos and power to the Blades of Chaos. As with the aforementioned games, style is rewarded here too, as by defeating enemies with high combos or specific finishers known as ‘brutal kills’, you are given more Orbs in return.
While God of War shared a lot with the Devil May Cry games, there was also a strong Prince of Persia influence throughout. This sequel features a huge amount of combat, it’s full of exploration and platforming, with some genuinely enjoyable puzzles woven in. The levels are huge and full of tricks to stop you in your tracks. Players will find themselves climbing up walls, swimming underwater, swinging along ropes and sliding down zip lines, as well as pushing blocks, pulling levers and even slowing down time. While Prince of Persia always had trouble combining combat with platforming, God of War pulled it off perfectly, and this sequel is no different in that respect.
The environments retain the same brilliant design of those in the original.
Much like how the combat in Metroid games is of less importance than exploration and puzzle-solving, God of War II shares this same focus, and it certainly shows as it consistently produces the goods when it comes to level design. While the game never tells you what you have to do, rarely do you find yourself stuck. The level design is of such a quality that getting lost isn’t an issue, as there’s very little in the way of backtracking. Even when you find yourself traveling a long way for an item, a secret door opens or lift activates and you find yourself back where that item needs to be used. In a game of this genre, it’s encouraging to see the developers went to some length to reduce needless wandering, while others would have used it to add artificial length to the game.
God of War II isn’t an easy game, but it’s far more accessible than any Devil May Cry has been. Its standard difficulty setting is ideal for most players, while the harder unlockable settings provide expert players with something to sink their teeth into. Though you are still restrained by a genre-typical save point system, the save points are located evenly, and are supported by perfectly placed checkpoints. At around 10 - 15 hours long, the game is of such a length that it's long enough to provide you with a non-stop supply of new weapons, levels and puzzles, yet finishes before ideas become overbaked. The story too is superbly well laid out, rarely stalling from start to finish, even if the ending ‘does a Halo 2’ and leaves you with more questions than answers.
On completion, God of War II offers a wide array of extra content. In addition to things like unlockable costumes, there's also a collection of challenges for you to attempt. They start off reasonably easy as you’re asked to pull the eye from a Cyclops within a set time limit, but the difficulty and complexity of the tasks soon ramps up. Elsewhere, there are ‘making-of’ videos, deleted scenes, scrapped character designs, and trailers on the bonus disc that is included as standard, so it’s fair to say God of War II offers an impressive amount of content for the asking price.
The Ancient Greek equivalent of a good old, Gears-style kerb-munching. Eat foot, beastie.
Graphically, God of War II is a highly impressive package, and features quite possibly the best graphics on PS2 (or Wii, currently). The character models are superb, with both Kratos and his foes animated with excellence and finesse. Each level has its own distinctive feel, and you'll encounter demolished city ruins, blizzard-ravaged mountains, ancient temples and even a lava-soaked underground world. There are also some excellent special effects throughout, with reflections on shiny floors, pools of glistening water and some top-notch lighting. The whole thing runs satisfyingly smooth, and there’s even widescreen and progressive scan options too.
The game’s soundtrack is equally as fine. The score provides an epic, cinematic feel from start to finish, fitting each environment and situation perfectly. Sound effects are all suitably spot-on, with weapons clashing and magic spells cracking through enemies with satisfaction, while the voice-acting is up there with the very best examples in gaming. The cutscenes are superbly voiced, with Kratos never anything less than insanely angry from start to finish. DPLII surround sound support is the icing on the cake.
God of War II has certainly lived up to expectations in every way. Everything that made the game good has been replicated here, while the precious few faults the original did contain have been ironed out. As with the first game, it’s quite easy to lose track of time while playing, and you'll find yourself playing for longer stretches than you intended. Many times, you’ll get to a save point that you planned to stop at, only to continue playing when you get there, sheer curiosity and anticipation driving you on. When thinking of other games that have this same effect (Resident Evil 4 and Metal Gear Solid 3 spring to mind), it’s certainly in lofty company.
God of War II is arguably a better game than its predecessor in every way. Level design is more intelligent, puzzles require more thought, and the boss battles are more cinematic than ever before. In terms of the storyline, the first game has the edge. That’s not to say the narrative offered up here is lacking; it’s just that it doesn’t quite match up to the suicide-driven tale of the original. That said, the pacing here is far better. The evidently rushed final hour of God of War did leave a slightly sour taste in the mouth, whereas this sequel feels much more complete. Whether you’re a PS2 owner or have recently got your hands on a brand spanking new PS3, God of War II deserves a place in your console.
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