Kicking things off with a clash of the titans and the gods

God of War II

Release Date: 2007
System: Playstation 2
ESRB Rating: M (Mature) for Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language and Sexual Themes
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA)

Alright, tell me seriously - who wasn't impressed by 2005's God of War?

It's doubtful anyone could find an action game fan that wasn't completely floored by that title - the fast and furious (and gory!) action, the depth of the "mini-game kills" (like ramming the Hydra's head through a pike), the music worthy of an epic Hollywood movie, the story of a man vengeful enough to try to kill a GOD.

So it follows that a sequel to such a game would be a tough thing to pull off - how can you possibly improve on a game like that?

Well, SCEA managed to do it - God of War II surpasses its epic predecessor in terms of storyline and gameplay depth, but leaves the core of the experience unchanged in its excellence.

God of War II once again puts the player into the blood-stained boots of Kratos, the eternally pissed off Spartan warrior who got his vengeance in the first game by killing Ares, the Greek god of war, and taking his place on Mount Olympus.

As the game begins, Kratos finds himself on the outs with the other Gods of Olympus, who are getting a bit miffed at Kratos's bloodlust. Zeus, the leader of the gods, decides to tell Kratos just how much the other gods don't want him around - by impaling him through the chest with a huge frickin' sword. Yeesh, you help the Spartans pillage and burn a few cities and the other gods get all uppity!

Fortunately for Kratos, he's had a friend for some time that he doesn't know about - Gaia, the Titan of the Earth (who, it's revealed, is the unseen narrator of the God of War games). In Kratos, Gaia sees a chance for the Titans to avenge the loss they suffered in their war against the gods. Healing Kratos's mortal wounds, she tells the warrior of a way for him to survive - if he can find the three Sisters of Fate, he can go back in time to the point where Zeus killed him and take his vengeance on Zeus. And so Kratos, with the Titans on his side, sets out to find the Sisters and bring the gods to their knees.

Fans of the first God of War will be pleased to know that the basics of the gameplay have not changed from the last game - Kratos still has his trusty twin Blades of Athena, which he can still use to tear through the many forces opposing him. And he still has plenty of magic for when things get rough. And yes, there are still those impressive mini-game style kills that let you slaughter baddies in all sorts of gory fun ways.

However, while the basics may not have changed, God of War II has plenty of things that make it a large improvement over the first game. For one thing, there are MANY more boss fights than in the first game. Kratos gets to fight everything from Icarus to a giant, living statue. Of course, these boss fights also mean more opportunities for spectacular mini-game kills - some of which are so amazingly acrobatic you might get motion sickness. Fortunately, there's still plenty to do in between these boss fights, with massive hordes of enemies trying to stop Kratos at every turn.

Players will also find a few more weapons to play with this time around. In addition to the Blades of Athena, Kratos can now find and wield a war hammer and a spear, and all of these weapons can be powered up using red orbs just like in the first game. Kratos also gets a chance to wield some new magic this time through. As if that weren't enough, Kratos can obtain several relics that let him do things like temporarily stop time.

Just as in the first game, the hack-and-slash gameplay in God of War II is loads of fun, being simple to pick up and play while still having a tremendous amount of depth due to the many moves you can pull off with Kratos's weapons. The various relics help add to this depth, especially the Golden Fleece, which allows you to absorb and redirect enemy attacks.

The game's plot is another strong point of the game, though for somewhat different reasons than the first game's. God of War II's plot is just as much of an epic revenge tale as the first game's, but God of War II's plot progresses in a somewhat different direction. Unfortunately I can't reveal more without spoiling the plot, but I will say this: Kratos gets scary as the game progresses.

The only thing really wrong with the game is a lack of newness in the magic system. Two of the game's four spells are identical to spells in the first game. While there are two new spells to play with, the other two spells, unchanged in nearly every way except for their names, feel like something of a missed opportunity.

With the release of the Playstation 3, God of War II may be one of the last great games to come out for the Playstation 2. If this turns out to be the case, it's an awesome way to end a game system's run. Take your PS2 for one last blockbuster spin with God of War II.

Score: 9.5 out of 10 (Manages to keep the tried and true feel of the first God of War while still making nearly everything about it feel fresh and worth playing again, and manages to avoid ever feeling repetitive)