About This Title

Barnes & Noble

GamePro.com

Reviewed by GamePro.com Copyright 2007

How do you top what many gamers consider the greatest action game of all time? You definitely can't do it with a whimper--for a game as beloved as God of War, you've got to come out with a bang, one that's equivalent to a ton of dynamite sitting atop a tanker truck full of nitroglycerin. But the folks in charge of the GoW franchise know a thing or two about putting together a top-notch action game, and from the moment you take control of everyone's favorite bald deity, there's no doubt that this sequel has what it takes to not only reach the bar set by its predecessor but to leap over it in every way.

Twice as Epic as the Original

Take the opening sequence, for example: You've no doubt seen screenshots or video footage of Kratos going toe-to-toe with a Statue of Liberty sized Colossus. The first thirty minutes alone packs more punch than the Incredible Hulk, and in a lesser game, would have served as an incredible end note. The fact that the developers chose to open the game with such a memorable fight is one thing, but what's truly impressive is that they manage to keep the momentum going throughout the game.

Unlike the first title, which was sometimes repetitive and featured some frustrating puzzles, GoW II is a seamless experience, all wheat and no chaff. Sony has made it virtually impossible for you to put the controller down as you will be doing something completely different every ten minutes or so. One of the strengths of the series lies in the tight pacing of the action--just when you think you've seen it all, the developers find a way to surprise you. That's no different in GoW II, where the action never gets stale or old thanks to the return of the superlative storytelling and thoughtful pacing.

Brains and Brawn

And it's that sense of storytelling that is the true strength of both God of War titles. The eye-popping finishing moves, the whirling dervish combos and the stunning magic powers are all well and good but it was the story of Kratos' tragic fall and brutal ascension to the peaks of Mount Olympus that made the original God of War so memorable. The presentation was where the game truly shined and had it been missing, the visceral action would have been enough to carry the game, but only to a point. Truly, it was the marriage of the epic story and the balls-to-the-walls action that made God of War stand out from the countless other titles that had come before and have come since its release.