God of War II

I believe we can all accept that God of War is between the finest games published for PlayStation 2. Could God of War II possibly live up to the successes of its predecessor? The response, my friends, is breathtaking, because God of War II completely eclipses its forefather by including even more of the stuff that we enjoyed, specifically: blood, puzzles, cinematic performance and fifteen minute extensive combos.

The narrative is essential in God of War II, just as it was in the original game. Kratos has been divested of his godhood for being a little too hands-on with the people of planet Earth (precisely, the soldiers of his old hometown, Sparta).So, when Kratos goes opposingly the will of the gods to help out Sparta, Zeus embraces the occasion to raid Kratos of his holy powers by trapping them within the Blade of Olympus.

As in the prior iteration of God of War, God of War II's combat is extremely embedded in combinations of slashes, aerial offensives and destructive finishers.Swirling like a cyclone of razor blades, Kratos is a torment to his rivals, but a dream to control. Even though he was looted of his powers, Kratos gains some back during his quest to defeat Zeus.He can gain supplemental weapons other than his reliable Blades, involving a fierce Barbarian Hammer and the Spear of Destiny. Successful combinations reward Kratos by delivering extra orbs that can be used to improve his arsenal of godly weapons.

God of War II also reports some attractive interludes where Kratos mounts Pegasus in chase of the Sisters of Fate. Through these air journey sequences, the timeless push-button theater style of feeding players a sequence of buttons to press in order to complete instantly lethal combos is in full effect. Once Kratos has reduced an airborne foe's health a bit, he can jump onto the back of enemy griffons and slice their wings off in the air.

Almost every attack in God of War II is ruthlessly bloody and repulsive, so if you aren't into being grossed out every thirty seconds, you're in for a frightful time. However, if you enjoy a bit of ultra savagery, then God of War II is an intense masterwork. The largest part of the bigger enemies and every boss has some kind of button sequence combo that is needed to finish them. In some occasions, like the Cyclops, the button sequences will award Kratos a special collectible.

I'd be negligent if I didn't refer to God of War II's storyline as one of the major outlines of the title. Simply put, this game rivals Hollywood as far as presentation values and expertise are concerned. Every fragment of Kratos' hellish agony is caringly crafted and the mood of the game certainly pours out of the television screen. It's just incredibly gorgeous. From your first view of the Steeds of Time to your last farewell to the titanic Atlas, God of War II drowns you in wonderful imagery and general views of epic settings. At no point did I ever question whether or not I was inside the kingdom of all-mighty Gods.

Overall, God of War II is every bit as gratifying as its antecedent, and even eclipses it in some areas. The puzzles are even more tricky than in the first, and I found myself remembering the brain busters of the original Soul Reaver more than once. The inclusion of the grappling hook to Athena's Blades is an artistic move, although you may not think so once you have to go through one of the abundant and dreadfully frustrating swinging puzzles that gratefully only crop up a few times. Amazingly, the fixed camera system employed during this series barely ever falls short of providing an amazingly cinematic gaming experience. While I typically censure on fixed cameras, God of War II administers to keep the camera static while always given the best view of the action; a magnificent achievement respectable of the Gods themselves.

Essentially, God of War II takes everything great from the original and amplifies it by a factor of ten, while ditching most of the flaws. As such, God of War II is not only the best action/adventure game ever to grace the Playstation 2, but also one of the most amazing gaming experiences of the entire generation, and one that should not be missed by anyone who can handle the extreme violence and mature content.

Marco Cecilio, NoobFeed