God of War

Written by Nick Doukas  on April 04, 2005

Second Opinion: The wrath of the Spartan is mighty indeed...

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Kratos stands atop the highest mountain in all of Greece, his mind a pit of despair, his only thoughts of taking the final step, and ending his torment for all eternity. The mighty Spartan Ghost, the fearsome right hand of the Gods Ц reduced to ending his own life, far too tortured by the images of his sin to ever rest. But it was not alwaysthis wayЕ

God of War, the new 1st party action/adventure title from Sony Santa Monica studios, has been almost 4 years in the making, and the pure quality of this singular gaming experience couldn't be more evident. Clearly, it was 4 years well spent, as God of War combines an incredible fighting engine and awesome gameplay mechanics with unbelievable high definition visuals and mouthwatering environments that feel epic in their scope. Add to this an extremely well crafted story featuring excellent voice acting and gorgeous CGI cutscenes, a soundtrack to rival Gladiator and enough mythical creatures to fill a proverbial labyrinth, then wrap the whole thing in the loftiest of production values, and you've got what amounts to one of the finest action games of this generation.

The Gods of Mt. Olympus are forbidden from killing each other, or conflicting in any way. Ares, the God of War has descended upon the city of Athens, and is intent upon destroying what he calls Фa festering pit filled with flabby aristocratsФ. Athena is not happy with this turn of events, so she enlists the help of a fearsome Spartan general named Kratos, who sold his soul to Ares and is tormented by some as yet unknown past transgression. This sets the stage for GoW's epic adventure, as Krato's unending fury and single minded desire to murder a god will take him through miles and miles of ancient Greece, and require him to spill oceans of blood on his way there.

The centerpiece of GoW is Ц of course Ц Kratos himself. His main weapons are The Blades of Chaos, two huge swords permanently grafted by long, heavy links of chain to his forearms. It's a great idea, and the developers have ensured that you can pull off all kinds of stylish moves with their simple, yet deep & effective combat system. It's basically 2 buttons, each of which performs a light attack, and a strong attack. You can combine these moves with grapples, charges, air hikes and finishers. The L1 button acts as a modifier, so holding this down while pressing your attack buttons will have Kratos pull-off alternate attacks Ц a spinning windmill, and an airhike that lets you blast enemies into the air and juggle them with strikes. Working all of the buttons and modifiers in proper conjunction (some need to be held, some need to be tapped multiple times) will allow you to chain huge strings of incredibly cool combos together that have to be seen to be believed. On the defensive end, Kratos can cancel any attack and instantly go into a block, and he can roll away from enemies using the right analog stick. These evasive/defensive moves work quite well, and if you take the time to learn the nuances, you'll realize you have an appropriately deep combat system with which to perform stylish assaults.

In addition to his sheer physical brutality, Kratos is aided in his quest by Gods who bestow upon him certain magic powers. The Rage of Poseidon, Zeus's Fury, and several others - all of which can be upgraded (as can your weapons) by collecting red orbs from your fallen enemies. These can also be found in treasure chests scattered about the environments, as can health and magic replenishments. You will need all the power you can muster as you face undead soldiers, Minotaurs, Gorgons (early in the game you'll take Medusa's head, after which you can use it to turn enemies to stone) and other mythical creatures. GoW's combat features an interesting mini-game of sorts: once you sufficiently wear an opponent's life down, you'll be prompted by onscreen symbols. Pressing the corresponding buttons will send Kratos into a stylish killing animation (for example, he'll knock a Minotaur to the ground and ram his blade down its throat) that's as cool as it is gruesome. These specialized finishers will yield additional health and orbs from an enemy. While we're on the subject of enemies, the game boasts only a few boss battles, but they're wonderfully executed. I can say with all certainty that facing the Hydra will be a gaming moment I'll long rememberЕ

So the combat is stellar. How about the puzzles? While there's nothing ground breaking here, the environmental nature of them allows for some very cool interactive ideas. Things like dragging a cage with a human sacrifice to the proper location, then watching him burn, or lugging massive statues to block holes in the walls of a tremendous throne room Ц all the while fighting off wicked Harpies that continue to spew forth from said holes until both are firmly in place. In addition, some areas will require you to tightrope along expanses hundreds of feet above the ground, or climb vine-covered walls, as well as perform acrobatics to reach higher locations.

Speaking of locations, GoW's environments are breathtaking. The game is beautifully rendered, and the highly detailed areas sport razor-sharp textures and gorgeous lighting. As well the particle effects and character models are tremendous, and the animations of both Kratos and his adversaries are nicely realized. God of War runs in 480p, so owners of Hi-Def sets are in for a real treat (interestingly, you have to select the option for progressive scan each time you boot up though). The sound is just as expertly crafted, with great aural effects, spot-on voice acting, and a musical score that's truly a cut above. Simply top shelf production values across the board. The developers have clearly pushed the aging PS2 to its limits, and in doing so they've created a defining action/adventure title for this generation. One caveatЕ. make no mistake Ц GoW earns its mature rating with copious amounts of bloodshed, as well as strong sexual content. That said, if you're of age it's a game that simply must be played.