Sony Computer Entertainment Studio Santa Monica's God of War brings something the PS2 needs. With a library of games saturated with sequels and 'me-too' titles, God of War is a refreshing change. But it is surprising to find it from the studio that created Kinetica. Nonetheless, the studio atones for its past mistake by giving PS2 owners something new and satisfying.
God of War is well crafted game because it has a little bit of everything an action fan could want. You will guide Kratos through enormous levels, cleverly designed puzzles, a large number of enemies, and a simple but deep combat system. The levels are huge and varied, with areas designed with platforming and/or fighting. The platforming is designed well in most areas, requiring the player to traverse narrow beams, jump about solid ground, or cross using ropes. To compliment the (usually) well designed levels, the developers included some decent puzzles. Sadly, most of the puzzles are simple tasks- many of which ask Kratos to pushing blocks around to fill in gaps or create a path. There are a number of unique enemies, all of which lead to some interesting fights. The game boosts an excellent combat system. Kratos starts out with one weapon which will educate the player about the simply complex (excuse the oxymoron) combo system. It is rather hard to explain but definitely easy to pick up. Kratos starts out with some simple moves and combos. Some moves can be combined into combos if used consecutively. Not very interesting is it? No, but there's more. The number of hits you can get in a combo is limitless, until you run out of enemies. If you're hit in the middle of a combo, you lose your hit count. You can counter that by blocking an oncoming attack (even if in mid-combo) and then continue where you left off. Kratos can also air juggle enemies and then come back down to continue on to more combos. Magic can also be used in combos to multiply the number of hits. So what's the point of earning high hit combos? All of Kratos' weapons and magic are upgradeable to increase power, range, or learn new moves. And with new moves, you can do more combos. More moves and combos lead to some painful execution of enemies. With everything this game has going for it, there are many shortfalls. The camera is usually perfect… however it does not always provide the best view in terms of gameplay. Most of the levels are respectably done, but there are a few parts of the game that are more of a nuisance more than anything. One example of the two abovementioned problems would be the Hades level. In an awe-inspiring level, you will be forced to navigate rotating beams while the camera, rather than stay fixed in one position, will slowly move around. The camera makes some parts very hard to complete because it fails to give the player the best viewpoint, gameplay-wise. When there are different types of enemies, the combat is faultless… The problem is that most of the time you will only face one type of enemy (in large numbers), which is fine at first but later becomes boring. The boss fights are extraordinary but there are little boss fights, only half a dozen or so.
God of War is a fair challenge and consistent with the difficulty. There are some hard parts and some irritating parts but luckily, the generously placed checkpoints will reduce the frustration. The game ends rather quickly; the average player will be able to finish the main adventure under 10 hours without much of an effort. After beating the game, a new difficulty setting and a new gameplay mode is unlocked. God Mode (or super hard) difficulty will only appeal to those who want to replay through the single player game. The Challenge Mode pits the player with… challenges, in one level after another. In order to continue, you must accomplish the task within the given limits. Also, a number of videos and non-playable extras will be unlocked (after beating the game) which are ok but fail to add replay value to the game.
The visuals in God of War are marvelous. The majestic levels and monsters look like they were pulled straight out of Greek myths. The wondrous levels are full of huge statues and objects and beautifully designed buildings. All of the monsters and creatures look fine, full of detail and excellent design. The cool effects and freeze sequences fit terrifically. The FMVs and realtime cut-scenes are well crafted. Everything in the game flows effortlessly without the slightest flaw. And the widescreen and progressive scan are definitely welcome. Without a doubt, God of War is the most amazing looking creation on the Playstation 2.
Anything and everything that comes out of your speakers (hopefully, quality ProLogic II capable speakers) sound remarkable. The sound effects are loud and clear. Each orchestrated piece of the soundtrack does a fine job accompanying the gameplay. The music in the game, simply put, is just plain good. Not only are the sound effects and music pleasant, but so is the voice acting. The nicely written dialogue does a superb job representing each character. It is hard to not appreciate the sound of this game.
A tale about the quest for power and the desire for revenge is no stranger to Greek myths. But Kratos' tale about power and revenge is completely original. Kratos was an unstoppable warrior on a conquest for power. But in the face of doom, he is saved by Ares and made into the ultimate warrior. But for his assistance, Ares destines Kratos to commit the ultimate crime. Kratos, raged by Ares, sets out to accomplish what no mortal ever has… to kill a god. The story of God of War is high quality stuff and definitely enjoyable.
For all its shortcomings, God of War is still a great game. The graphics are easily the best on the system and the sound stands alongside the finest sounding games the system has to offer. The handful of gameplay annoyances hurt an otherwise excellent playing game. Due to the short length, it is hard to call the game a must buy… but make no mistake, you must play this game.
Final words: Besides some small imperfections, God of War embodies the level of excellence that other developers dream of reaching.
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