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God of War II (PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3 & PlayStation Vita)

God of War II

Developer(s) – Santa Monica Studios

Publisher(s) – Sony Computer Entertainment

Director(s) – Cory Barlog & David Jaffe

Producer – Steve Caterson

PEGI – 18

Released back in 2007 when the seventh generation of gaming had just started out, and with many critics describing it as the swan song of the PlayStation 2 era, God of War II built on its predecessor continuing the story. And adding many new combat features and mechanics required to solve new and more puzzles to progress through the game. Most reviews I’ve read seem to point to this game being far superior to its predecessor. But in my opinion, it’s about on par with the original God of War for a multitude of reasons. 

Graphics – 8.5/10

In terms of the technical aspect of the visuals, there isn’t a great deal of difference between this and the first game. In my opinion, there are no real improvements in the quality of the graphics. Which in hindsight was to be expected to an extent, given the relatively short development cycle. That being said, however, in terms of conceptual design, there is a massive improvement. In terms of diversity in scenery and level design. Keeping the tableau of the series fresh and distinguishable from the first God of War. The second game takes Kratos across an even bigger range of different landscapes than the first. It is for the most part confined to only a few different locations. There’s also a mixture of old and new enemies to fight. This also adds to the mythology of the series in a big way. 

Gameplay – 8.5/10

The gameplay is so similar to that of the original God of War that it’s ostensibly an extension of the original game. It’s heavy on combat and puzzle-solving and has the additional elaborate boss fights to contend with. Arguably even more elaborate than those of the first game. There are a number of new weapons and spells to cast to keep things diversified, but overall, it still offers the same amount of satisfaction to be had in upgrading weapons and learning new abilities. And, of course, progressing through a new story. 

Controls – 10/10

With the seamless introduction of a few new mechanics, the game’s control scheme is identical to that of the first game. There are no issues, and combat is as fluent as what needs to be (especially on harder difficulties). And three are no needless complications to frustrate players. The context-sensitive sequences had been fractionally refined. But players will be able to go from the first game to the second without skipping a beat. 

Lifespan – 6/10

As with the first game, the second can take there around 6 to 7 hours to finish. Which again in hindsight may have been expected in light of the development time. But still wasn’t any kind of decisive improvement over the first game. The best of the God of War series would be yet to come. And this game is good for the time it lasts. But I think a little more time needed to be spent on this game for it to be considered better than the first in every respect, including lifespan. 

Storyline – 9.5/10

The most decisive improvement God of War II made over the first, however, was in its story. Having now fallen out of favor with the gods of Olympus, Kratos now seeks revenge. With the help of the banished titans from the Titanomachy. In order to defeat Zeus, he is instructed to find the Sisters of Fate, who are reputed to have the ability to grant great power to those deemed worthy. Playing out somewhat similar to Homer’s Odyssey, it doesn’t exactly play out like as much of a traditional Greek tragedy as the first game does. Contrarily, it does better to perpetuate a strong sense of hope for Kratos. And even to set a precedent for where the rest of the franchise goes from hereon.

Originality – 8/10

The concept of Greek Mythology in gaming was a relatively new idea at the time of the release of the second game anyway, but the developers managed to keep the whole God of War formula fresh with the introduction of a whole load of new elements in every respect, which is all the more impressive, given the fact that first game ended on a very strong note of finality. I was surprised when I first heard there was to be a sequel to the original God War after having played the first game back when it was released; I was also impressed by the fact that it didn’t fail to impress in and of itself a sequel that I had absolutely no idea of where it could’ve possibly gone. 

Happii

Overall, God of War II is every bit as great a game as its predecessor. The combat remains intense, the storyline has been kept fresh, and it paves the way nicely for the later games, which provided even further improvements that would later be made to this legendary franchise. 

Score

50.5/60

8/10 (Very Good)

God of War (PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3 & PlayStation Vita)

God of War

Developer(s) – Santa Monica Studios

Publisher(s) – Sony Computer Entertainment

Director – David Jaffe

Producer – Shannon Studstill

PEGI – 18

Released back in 2005 to universal acclaim, the original God of War game introduced gamers to the exploits of the Spartan warrior Kratos. And the series has since become one of Sony’s flagship franchises. Alongside the likes of Little Big Planet, Uncharted, The Last of Us, and Ratchet & Clank. The first game in the series won several Game of the Year awards for 2005 and is considered one of the better games on the PlayStation 2. And since playing it for the first time, I have become an avid fan of the series. But this title provided a ground-breaking starting point for the franchise. 

Graphics – 8.5/10

The first game is primarily set in ancient Athens. But the game takes Kratos to a plethora of locations across the ancient Greek landscape like Pandora’s Temple and the depths of Hades. As such it is also littered with creatures, characters, and enemies that featured prominently throughout the medium. Such as harpies, minotaurs, hydra, and gorgons.

It presents players with a wonderfully dark and gritty take on the whole Greek mythos. Which was quite a unique medium to take on at a time when a lot of games focused on other prominent mythological subjects like medieval fantasy, post-apocalyptic futures, or steampunk universes. On a technical level, it also did extremely well to showcase what the PlayStation 2 could do. As the sixth generation of gaming was a year or so away from drawing to a close. Impressively, it plays out at 60 frames per second. Which for a game of its graphical quality, was outstanding at the time.

Gameplay – 8.5/10

According to David Jaffe, the creator of the original game, he designed it in mind for the player to let their inner beat free, and go nuts. And this game certainly affords the opportunity to do that. Playing God of War is a wonderfully brutal experience from start to finish; definitely not for the faint of heart, who dislike violence. But a whole lot of fun for those who don’t mind it. As a hack-and-slash game, the objective is to cut through wave after wave of enemies as the game progresses. and with more enemies thrown at the player over time, and more violence is ramped up.

The combat is intense to an unfathomable degree, and it gets progressively more so. not to mention the sheer quality and clever handling of the boss fights. One thing players will notice about this game, as well as every other game in the entire series, is that they always strive to leave a lasting first impression on players. and this game does that better than others in the series. with the first boss being a towering Hydra at sea. But besides this, there are also instances in the game, particularly later on. where combat is swapped out for elaborate puzzle-solving. This gives the game a fair amount of variety; again, something that would go on to become a staple of the series. 

Controls – 10/10

The God of War games has also become renowned throughout the industry for its clever implementation of game controls. Most notably the context-sensitive sequences during puzzle-solving and boss fights. They would go on to become more elaborate with each installment. But even in the first game, they’re handled particularly well. Leaving no room for unnecessary frustrations in a game designed to challenge players. 

Lifespan – 6/10

The biggest problem with the original game, which would eventually be something the developers would go on to address over time, is the lifespan. With the original game only being made to last their sound 6 hours in total. Jaffe also said in an interview that the original idea was to make a game like Onimusha, just set in Greek mythology. Although they succeeded in terms of gameplay, it’s a pity they couldn’t have even made it last as long as the former, which didn’t have an overly impressive lifespan itself. I think there was definitely room for expansion on the idea. This of course was demonstrated in the sequels. But it would’ve been nice to see it in the original game. 

Storyline – 9/10

The story of God of War centers around Kratos, a former Spartan warlord championed by the gods as a divine warrior. He is tasked by Olympus to kill the god of war Ares. Ares has laid waste to the city of Athens in defiance of Zeus and Athena. On the promise that if he succeeds, the gods will absolve Kratos of his past sins that have tormented him for ten years.

Throughout the story, Kratos’s extensive backstory is gradually revealed and the player will get more of a sense of the kind of character that he is. Which all fits in perfectly with the tableau of a classic Greek tragedy. The story is expertly written and the dialogue never comes off as forced or comedic. As what a lot of video games before this were prone to doing. It presents players with a fantasy world grounded in realism. As the themes like human mortality and moral conflict play significant parts. In not only the original story but throughout the series as well. 

Originality – 8.5/10

As I alluded to, the game presents players with a theme of Greek mythology. Something that was uncommon in gaming at the time. It also helped to break the mold of their simply being plain good and evil. With no shades of grey to contend with. Nowadays, a lot of stories that are portrayed in fiction are gritty. And morally ambiguous with no true sense of right and wrong. But this game was among a handful of others. Such as those of the Legacy of Kain series, that tackled the subject before it became cool to do so. Therefore it helped to make it stand out among many other titles of the sixth generation.

Happii

Overall, God of War is a triumph in its own right, which later spawned one of the most recognizable and successful series in all of gaming. The original game did the job to establish the wonderful staples that the series would lat. Ber adapt for future installments, but still, it remains a certified pleasure to play through every time. 

Score

50.5/60

8/10 (Very Good)