God of War II

Kratos, thanks to your help, is no longer a lowly mortal but a legendary god. The former warrior of Sparta has not been the same after usurping Ares, however. His mind is filled with persistent thoughts of blood, brutal suffering, and violent conflict, as the rest of the gods on Mount Olympus embroil themselves in petty politics and duplicitous deeds. Kratos wishes to end his torment, and he makes a solemn oath to end his reign as the God of War in unprecedented fashion: by permanently altering his fate. God of War II has you twirling Kratos' twin blades for more adventurous action in Ancient Greece, as the grim hero encounters an assortment of new mythological creatures and environmental dangers on his path to redemption. The epic quest will take Kratos to the Sisters of Fate, who possess the power to shift the sands of time. To get there, Kratos must prove his valor by trudging through dark swamps, past ancient temples and forgotten forests, and across uncharted terrain filled with vile beasts, towering boss characters, and devious puzzles. Skeletons, Cyclopes, Gryphons, and more will try to prevent Kratos from fulfilling his goal, but the warrior turned deity can return the favor by attacking specific body parts and lopping off arms, heads, wings, and more. New moves are available to master as well as new magic, which is now inspired by nature and can be combined to create new, freeform combo attacks. Other notable elements include the Golden Fleece power-up, allowing Kratos to reflect both projectile and melee attacks, and flight combat sequences on the wings of Pegasus.

MENU CONTROLS

Start Button = access menu screens
Select Button = pause game, options menu
L1 or R1 Button = navigate through menus
D-Pad or Left Analog Stick = highlight menu item
X Button = select menu item
Triangle Button = previous screen

ON GROUND BASICS

Left Analog Stick = walk, run, climb, swim
Right Analog Stick = evade
X Button = jump
X + X Button = double jump
Square Button = normal attack
Triangle Button = light attack
Circle Button = grab
L1 Button = block
D-Pad = select magic
L2 Button = use magic
R1 Button = action, interact, grapple
Start Button = access menu screens
Select Button = pause game, options menu

ON GROUND ADVANCED

Triangle Button = launch enemy in air
Circle Button = chain grab
L1 Button + Square Button = cyclone of chaos
L1 Button + Triangle Button = oceanus
L1 Button + Circle Button = rampage of the furies

IN AIR BASICS

X + X Button = double jump
Square Button = horizontal attack
Triangle Button = vertical attack
Circle Button (when kratos and enemy are in air) = air grab
L1 Button = block
D-Pad = select magic
L2 Button = use item or magic

IN AIR ADVANCED

L1 Button + Square Button = cyclone of chaos
L1 Button + Triangle Button = oceanus torrunt
L1 Button + Circle Button = rampage of the furies ~ Keith Adams, All Game Guide

God of War was released in 2005 to massive commercial success and nearly universal critical praise, and was viewed by many as a shining example of the capabilities of the PS2. The game was so successful that many who worked on it were promoted, including series creator David Jaffe who rose to studio head at SCEA Santa Monica. With such success behind the original, the development team clearly had its work cut out for it when crafting the sequel. Fortunately for the team, and for gamers everywhere, God of War II meets its lofty expectations and serves as a perfect companion for the PS2's ride into retirement.

Spartan warrior Kratos, in an attempt to rid himself of the pain of murdering his own family, managed to kill the God of War Ares at the conclusion of the first game. But the pain didn't subside for Kratos, and things head south when he immediately begins laying siege to Greek poleis with his Spartan army. Goddess Athena punishes him by returning him to mortal size, and then giving life, and attack orders, to The Colossus of Rhodes. Thus, God of War II begins in truly spectacular fashion, with the entire first level revolving around a continuous battle with the Colossus. Kratos is betrayed by the Gods shortly after the battle, and this perfidy is the impetus that spurs his quest to find the Three Sisters of Fate who can help change his destiny.

The extended battle against the huge Colossus serves as the archetype for the rest of the game. The massive size and scale of the environments Kratos explores is breathtaking, and the boss battles, which are far more numerous here than in the original, tend to be epic combinations of brutal combat and location-specific puzzles. Though the game is fairly linear, the level designers have done a fabulous job creating nonlinear paths in which gamers are likely to spend hours exploring, solving puzzles, and fighting countless beasts only to end up right where they started, typically with some new ability or item that opens up a separate set of challenges.

Kratos acquires three new magical powers that all work reasonably well: His improved attack combos are crisp and deadly, his ability to dangle from ceilings and swing from grapple points with his blades adds depth to the gameplay, and stopping time with the Amulet of the Fates opens up a new puzzle-solving dynamic. The best new item is the Golden Fleece, which allows Kratos to absorb and return attacks from enemies, a skill that proves useful against projectile-wielding foes. Unfortunately, though new secondary weapons like the Spear of Destiny and the Barbarian Hammer are certainly cool, they aren't terribly useful. Two short levels that find Kratos riding a Pegasus and fighting griffons are very interesting, but they almost feel like a demo for a different game, and their brevity makes them seem out of place. Such peccadillos are trivial in an otherwise incredible game that fully lives up to its hype and will leave gamers pining for the inevitable "God of War III." ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide