Cerise Magazine

God of War 2 is not the new-release game of the day. However, after beating a few games, and going to GDC (Game Developer’s Conference) in March, I am currently holding myself to a self-imposed standard. I will not write a review or impression of a game until after playing at least half of it, if not beating it.

The main problem I have run across is that everyone wants to be the first to publish a review a game. Sometimes, reviews written this way run the risk of making incorrect conclusions and assumptions based on 30 minutes of gameplay. Some reviewers don’t even play them at all, but have interns do it for them. The premature raving reviews of Black and White being released prior to enough gameplay is a prime example of a game being critiqued too hastily. Many magazines provide “full reviews” of games that are clearly still in the quality control phase. Perhaps this sort of behavior is actually successful, at least to the developers, in that they probably sold more games than if the reviewers had actually played the game sufficiently before writing.

Therefore, if you are a pro-gamer, this article may be considered old news. Nevertheless, truly good games do not expire quickly in their public interest. Although I did not get GOW2 on the release date, once I played it I could hardly keep from writing about it.

Additionally, I’m quite excited because I have never beaten a game in the space of a single rental period before now. God of War 2 was the first rental victory of what is now becoming more of a norm for my gaming. Since this feat, I have been able to beat numerous games, each over the course of a weekend.

Olympic Gods

I was expecting that God of War 2 would be able to stand up to its predecessor and I wasn’t disappointed in the slightest. Greek Mythology, with grand orchestral and choral accompaniments, once again provides a perfect setting for a game with levels of this epic scope and scale. The story continues from the original with Kratos, clothed in righteous indignation, sitting on Olympus taking Ares’ place as the God of War. For most gods, that would be appeasing, but Kratos manages to turn everyone in Olympus against him. His war decisions, on behalf of the Spartans, resulted in him being relieved of his god status and abilities. There is a stunning sequence of Athena’s owl carrying out the orders to strip Kratos of his god-like size. When all seems hopeless for our warrior, Gaia, the Titan, steps in on his behalf.

After the gods overthrew the Titans in order to rule Olympus, the Titans were eager to take revenge on the gods. Gaia was instrumental in forecasting what Kratos would need to do with the Sisters of Fate to change his Destiny. Although there were sisters involved, Kratos had to do more than just a mini-sex game. A complex journey through a maze of entanglements, puzzles, and fierce battles were required for our hero to reverse his fate.

Fight Mechanics

The fighting techniques stay basically the same as in the original God of War. The brutality was turned up a notch or two, so for those weak in stomach I suggest the colorful and playful Viva Piñata instead of tackling God of War 2. As for the mechanics, I like the improved way of switching weapons. A simple press of the R2 quickly switches your primary and secondary weapons, even mid air in a move. It makes for easy to do and unusual combos that are a blast and quite helpful in a pinch. The magic comes in handy too at those times when Kratos is truly overwhelmed. I admit to using the Atlas Quake a few times when in a jam.

Additionally, I am a big fan of finishing moves. They are cinematic and draw me into the game even more than in the first God of War. Is it wrong that I enjoy the way Kratos wraps those blades around the neck and decapitates huge enemies or snaps off medusa heads? There is some sort of raw, animalistic satisfaction in it.

The one area I do find a bit annoying though, as in the first game in the series, is finding the sweet spot to trip the action icon. For instance, Kratos needs to complete a sequence of timed tasks which includes pulling a lever. The trigger for this icon to appear on-screen is not easy to catch sometimes. There is a precision to the exact spot developers wanted for either Kratos to stand or an item to be placed, in order to trip the icon indicator. Aside from being enervating during a timed sequence of tasks, this exact place sometimes evaded me on some of the puzzles. The result was that as a player I felt mislead into thinking I was on the wrong track, when in fact, I was not.

There is also a disappointing aspect to the DDR-like sequence of battles. I enjoy the mini games and pressing the popping up button icons in sequence. Nevertheless, I find it sad that I cannot watch the cool action scenes because I have to focus on the next button command. As with the last God of War, I guess I will have to have a friend play it so I can watch what happens on the screen behind the buttons. Still, these are not deal breakers by any stretch of the imagination.

The Console

I realize there are some good arguments as to why God of War 2 is on the PS2, but I personally cannot wait for the next incarnation. If they changed nothing else on the next gen game, I hope it will at least allow for the ability to change camera angles. I have been playing a great deal of Xbox 360 & Wii games, and as such, I am accustomed to being able to change my camera with the analogue stick. It was so funny when I pulled the old slim PS2 out of the attic; I inserted God of War 2 subconsciously expecting full camera controls with the right analog stick. Initially, poor Kratos fell off the side of ledges for a while until my muscle memory was retrained back to old school ways that right analogue meant roll in this game.

Rhythm

What were some of the other aspects I loved in this sequel? On a visceral level, I liked that there were numerous mini bosses between the enormous main bosses. In addition to the fighting obsessions that enslaved me with the first game, I became emotionally addicted to the fuller, rounder characters with less campy, predictable motives or motivations. The storyline allowed for indiscernible rights and wrongs depending on the character and their point of view. This was particularly refreshing after being on a streak of playing shooters, which by nature tend to be more flat with the characters and storyline.

Aside from the adventuresome feeling of grappling and swinging, I also liked the pace of the game. Perhaps that is why I was compelled to finish it in a weekend. I just could not stop and didn’t want to. Perhaps my determination was influenced by Kratos’ intense focus and drive to not stop until he finished. The game had a solid, challenging pace between the puzzles, fights, fighting while in flight, and beautiful cut scenes. There was a rhythm that made it nigh impossible to stop.

Let me explain another aspect for which I am particularly grateful. I will use Twilight Princess as an example. Despite my immense love for Nintendo, Miyamoto, and the whole Zelda series, I find myself slightly miffed at their re-use of environments. In God of War 2, I never felt SCEA was encumbering me for their choice to use and re-use an environment. I realize, in most games, it is made to be part of the storyline. In God of War 2, I found myself entirely immersed in my journey. I would be defeating a mini-boss, going down a hall, and opening a door only to find myself back in a familiar courtyard. It was a fun feeling of “Oh! I remember that huge statue face”! As opposed to “Argh… I gotta travel all the way over to the other side of the map again?” The pacing once again was superlative. Just when I was about bored of an environment, it would be time to go down the path to a new and entirely different world. The diverse environments provide much more than the gorgeous, yet expected, Greek architecture. The exterior settings vary vastly in the extremes in climate and foliage. The interior environments span from grand structures to inner bodily organs. I can only imagine they pulled every ounce out of that engine and the PS2 that they possibly could, because the graphics throughout the game were beyond gorgeous.

Voice Acting

In addition to the visuals, the audio was incredible as well. Having been to VGL (Video Games Live) and the GANG (Game Audio Network Guildawards at GDC this last year, I am glad to see that with each year, developers are putting more into this aspect of a game. It almost goes without saying that the soundtrack was phenomenal. Also, having done Voice Over myself, I cannot help but be acutely aware of VO work in games. As with the last one, the voice work was superb. I love Linda Hunt’s voice and was glad to see her return to reprise her role as the narrator. It was also fun to hear Larry Hamlin as Perseus. On the other hand, Michael Clarke Duncan’s performance was a wee bit disappointing. Of course I love that man’s voice, but I didn’t feel this performance was up to the level he normally produces. Still, overall the VO, sound design, and music were awesome.

Although I was able to beat God of War 2 in a weekend, it is not to say the game was a breeze or too short. Not at all! It was just hard to put down. As with any great game I rent, I am definitely buying it. In addition to being my favorite PS2 game by far, I feel irrevocably compelled to beat it on god mode. I definitely recommend God of War 2 and greatly anticipate the next one on the PS3.

Current Issue:

Browse by Issue:

Categories

Search

God of War 2: My Hot Weekend with the God of War

June 2007 Issue

Features

Interviews

Articles

Gamer Stories

Reviews

Olympic Gods

Fight Mechanics

The Console

Rhythm

Voice Acting