News:Had enough Goddamned Guitar Hero?
News:Website going down more than your mum
News:Don't worry Jae. I'll do the touching for the both of us.
News:I can't touch myself
News:Why so serious Pandemic?
Review:Race Driver: GRID
News:This MK vs DC Finisher is no Joke - Bad Pun Alert MkII
News:Singstar Queen
News:Midnight Club: Los Angeles ... wanna play it?
Preview:Midnight Club: Los Angeles
News:I'll admit I nearly shed a tear - Bad Pun Alert
News:Pixel Hunt Issue 3
News:eGames, DLS, iDef ... oh my!
Interview:Interview with Fatal1ty
News:GTA IV PC

'Skate' Review
by Cav

NEWS [ Three Cards to Midnight ] by minefield at 5:58pm
Postal: The Movie by ShadowTalon at 5:49pm
The Fifth Element by ShadowTalon at 5:46pm
Artist's Asylum [Image heavy] by Tarryn at 5:41pm
Brisbane Gamers Meetup CSI by Coxster at 5:33pm
The Matt Plan for Capital Punishment by Coxster at 5:30pm
The relationship thread by ShadowTalon at 5:11pm
Your latest purchase by ShadowTalon at 5:08pm
NEWS [ Had enough Goddamned Guitar Hero? ] by Ionboy at 4:53pm
ff7 Robot Chicken Spoof by Cestrum at 4:47pm
NEWS [ Why so serious Pandemic? ] by Mdobele at 4:40pm
What are you playing right now? by SniperXtreme at 4:31pm
Podcasts by SniperXtreme at 4:30pm
Legend of Neil by Barry McBruce at 4:17pm
Australian Game Classifications by SgtReznor at 2:55pm

Within the majesty of Australian Gamer, there is a great contrast of reviewers. From those who are somewhat capable, quirky, informative or idiotic, readers still search for someone they can rely on, someone to look up to, to trust. Ladies and gentlemen (hopefully the ladies, mostly), please give a warm welcome to your latest reviewer, the one, the only………………Carl!

Young, high spirited, and somewhat clean cut, he will stop writing in third person for long enough to properly introduce himself.

I’d thank myself for that introduction, If I hadn’t written it myself. Which I did, so I won’t. Greetings to all those who are clever enough to see ‘just what this newbie reviewer can do’ and welcome to a new era, the ‘Golden Age of Australian Gamer’, as I like to call it. I am an actor, playwright and writer, as well as part time sleeper (Insomnia does wonderful things to the mind). I was once a Sony fanboy, but foul treatment from Sony has detached me from it’s steely grip, allowing me the luxury of good honest judgment.

Being the youngest reviewer doesn’t worry me, it just means that when the others are dead and gone, I’ll still be reviewing, AHAHAHAHAHA!.......................Pardon, I’ve said too much. I hope that I will find my place as a representative of this fine website, and that you enjoy my input. Finally, I will warn you that I enjoy bracketing, so be aware. But enough of my superfluous psychobabble, gamewards I say!


Imagine being a sequel. It would be a hard life, being continually judged against your predecessor, having to prove yourself as an individual, instead of relying on your precursor’s success. Many fall under the pressure, are cast away and harshly ignored (Devil May Cry 2, looking at you). The few that do live out a successful life bask in the glory of their popularity.

God of War II takes that popularity, impales you with it, then tears your legs off as it stomps on your skull at the same time. Then it calls your corpse fat.
To say that the original God of War was fairly good is like saying that Milla Jovovich is fairly pretty, or that murder is fairly naughty. SCEA Santa Monica belted God of War out into a market that wasn’t expecting the kick-ass mythical adventure it got, and the masses drew to it with the gusto of a fat man to cake. While it had issues (It was fairly short, not enough epic bosses), it still gave many Playstation 2 eject buttons a long holiday.

Now that God of War II has finally stepped into the light, it’s that time again to pick up your chain blades of death, and rip off on another epic quest. If you haven’t played the first game (a travesty of justice, I say!), you should probably skip the next paragraph.

Kratos (all round hard bastard protagonist from the first game) has become the new God of War, using his Spartan troops to shake up all kinds of hell down amongst the mortals. Not happy with the arrangements, the other gods devise a plan to quietly sweep Kratos under the carpet, attempting to hit him for six via a 100 foot tall statue (the game’s first epic, and I mean epic, boss battle). Zeus (King of the Gods, fool) gives Kratos a sword to destroy the being. Kratos shoots his godly goodness into the blade, leaving him mortal. Zeus takes advantage of this, and stabs Kratos. Harsh. Instead of burning in Hades for eternity, Kratos is given a second chance. In a nutshell, Kratos must travel to the Island of the Fates and convince the three Sisters of Fate to change his future. As you do.


The game receives a minor boost of graphical power, though the original was already amazing. Every part of the game is as smooth as a sanded down Frank Sinatra, with Santa Monica using it’s epic setting to take you to every different mythological location you could possibly conceive. Dense jungles, ancient ruins, dingy caves, tick every box on the laundry list. At one point, you climb Atlas, a giant dude who just happens to be holding up the entire freaking world! All of this truly looks the part, pushing the PS2’s power to breaking point. The character animations are just as smooth, allowing GOWII to showcase the graphical grunt. The sound suits the game, with an epic score to fit each different part of the game, and the voiceovers are clean and crisp.

God of War II manages to up the ante in almost every way, with the inclusion of new monsters, greater variation in gameplay and the addition of new abilities, such as Kratos’ time stopping powers, accessed early into the game. Beside the addition of a single alternate weapon in the original God of War, weaponry was a bit sparse in Kratos’ first outing. Thankfully, this is now a thing of the past. Alongside Kratos’ classic chains, the inclusion of new weapons (Powerful hammers, spears, and blades) and magic (Typhone’s Bane (Kratos’ godly bow and arrows), Cronos’ Rage (shoot out lightning orbs), etc) are a welcome addition, particularly the control scheme that allows you to access them. Permitting the variation of choice within weapon selection gives players a chance to choose according to their personal style, which is a smart move on SCEA Santa Monica’s part.

For those who had hoped God of War II had curbed its violence, hang your heads. If anything, the team at Santa Monica has upped the ante. This reviewer has never seen so many decapitations, snaps, cracks, burns and breaks. Hesitant about sacrificing the ghoul in the first game? Try smashing a man’s head in on a ledge as a sacrifice to the three Sisters of Fate……....twice. Animal Rights activist? Cut the wings of a flying horse, then decapitate it’s head and throw it’s corpse away. Blood flows fast in ancient Greece. Don’t like it? Then get out of the way.

What makes God of War II so much better than the original is that they seem to have listened to the criticisms (few, though they were) of the first. There is at least three times the number of boss battles in this game than the original, with Kratos squaring up against numerous famed mythological figures and beasts, each in itself a different and memorable confrontation. Think obese gorgons, zombie kings on horseback, invisible foes, the list goes on.


The gameplay is now more of an equal balance between puzzle and pulverizing, with the inclusion of new flying levels, (riding a winged horse and turning other beasts into meaty bits of confetti never felt so good). Though underused, the flying levels do provide a nice variation for those wondering if GOWII is still more of the same. Because of the near perfect execution of these different elements, the game makes you feel every inch as powerful as Kratos himself.

It wouldn’t be fair to review this game without mentioning the gripes that are present (few, mind you). It could be said that some of the puzzles within the game don’t highlight the solution very clearly……………or at all. I nearly went mad trying to solve a puzzle involving a waterway and a dead body, but it’s a minor gripe when all the other elements are so well done. The game is so good, the only real letdown is that it ends so soon after, with this reviewer clocking under 10 hours.

What helps lengthen it out are the rewards you receive for playing through more than once, with a slew of extras challenges to unlock and complete (Beat God Mode and I will tattoo your name across my chest!). Documentaries, extra levels, and the humorous inclusions of alternate costumes (Become the COD OF WAR!) give God of War II the replayability the first title was sorely lacking (that is, if you don’t enjoy playing the same game on a harder difficulty). On the topic of completion, it is clear that the God of War series has more to come, easily shown in the game’s cliff hanger ending, but all those in waiting will have to give in and buy a Playstation 3 if they ever want to play it, with Santa Monica confirming the third chapter to debut on Sony’s next generation console.

With its epic scope, it would not be wrong to say that God of War II is most likely the Playstation 2's swansong. While it would have looked insane on the Playstation 3 (Start counting down for God of War III), God of War II is an action packed, single player adventure that almost all Playstation 2 owners would be happy to place on their shelves. With its varied gameplay, powerful graphics and epic sound, this game will most likely go down as one of the best action adventure games the PS2 has ever seen. The gods be praised!

Final Verdict

Despite the attention on next generation consoles, God of War II shows that the Playstation 2 will not bow out quietly. It is one of the best action adventure titles ever to grace the Playstation 2 and, though still a little short for my liking, the nonstop action and extremely satisfying gameplay will certainly earn its place in any gamer’s collection.

Pros
Greater weapon variety allows gamers to develop different styles. Greater number of boss battles. Plenty of extras to sink your teeth into once you’ve completed the game. New sex minigame (you loved it in the original, didn’t you?).
Cons
Some puzzles will cause madness. The game is still a bit short. Not enough flying on griffin levels.