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review :: god of war

God of War

Reviewed on: Playstation 2
Available on: Playstation 2

God of War is some of the most good, clean, old school beat em up fun I've had in a long time. An epic game which pushes the Playstation 2 to it's limits.

Players: 1 player
Genre:
Release: 2005-06-23
Developer: SCE Studios Santa Monica
Distributor: SCEE

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Remember the days when arcades used to have better and prettier games than consoles? Back then, the games had to catch your interest at a glance; then be easy enough to hook you in, and interesting enough to keep you feeding quarters into it. Because of this, most games, if played for more than about 10 minutes, were very repetitive by nature, and the only thing that kept people putting the quarters in was that the repetitive mechanic was actually a lot of fun.

I mention all this because God of War, like those old school arcade games, is very repetitive by nature. Thankfully, it?s also some of the most fun I?ve had playing a game in a long time.

At its heart, this game is a 3rd person beat em up, reminiscent of the double dragon or streets of rage games (god I?m showing my age), or perhaps more recent fare such as Devil May Cry or Prince of Persia. The main difference is in the graphics, presentation, combo and upgrade system, and a really long set of fiery chain blades.





The story for the game, which is above average fare, goes something like this: You play as Kratos, an ex-Spartan warrior driven by revenge to destroy Ares, the God of War. The setting is Olympus, back in the day of Greek mythology when there were all these gods about; the God of WAR, the God of Thunder, the God of Explosions and the God of Making-A-Lot-Of-Noise-After-Bedtime (Izzard fans take note). The majority of the game is actually played as a flashback, and discovering the events that lead you to the point where you start the game is great motivation to keep playing. The in game cut scenes are a mix of CG and a stylish storyboard style, which I?ve never seen before and was highly impressed with. Without giving too much away, your character is practically a god on earth, blessed (or cursed) with deity like powers which allow you to single handily take on the armies of Ares. And then some.

The weapons you have at your disposal are limited yet very cool. The primary weapon is the ?Blades of Chaos?, two chain like swords that are bound to Kratos? arms, and which can be used either as normal swords, or as whip-like ranged weapons. Even right from the start, before you have upgrade anything, these are a lot of fun, allowing you to whip enemies into the air, jump up and grab them while they are there, then swing them around and slam them into the ground. It?s the kind of combat system which is fun for a quick 5 minute session, or a 5 hour marathon.

Your other upgrades range from more powerful blades and swords, to extra abilities such as being able to turn enemies into stone, or do massive lightning magic attacks. These work according to a points system. For every enemy you kill, every bottle you smash, ever crate you break, you will gain points which can be spent on any number of upgrades to new or existing attack abilities. It?s a nice reason to keep you exploring each level, as most of the upgrades are pretty useful (although I personally found the medusa magic a bit useless, but maybe that?s just because I wanted to hit things, not freeze them).





It?s a good thing you have all these upgrades too, cause you WILL need them. Although most enemies follow the rock-paper-scissors convention (i.e. this guy blocks, so use your spinning combo to hit him ? this guy attacks, so block him and grab, etc). It?s the fact that so many are thrown at you at the one time that makes things interesting. Some of the larger enemies also require button combinations in order to finally kill them, it mixes things up a bit, although you better be familiar with the Playstation controller or you will be in trouble. Most impressive however, are the boss?s or sub-boss?s for a lot of the stages. If there is one thing that God of War does well, it?s that it gives the player a great sense of size and scale. Most of the boss?s are huge, and initially make you go ?how the hell am I supposed to even REACH this guy?. It reminded me a lot of playing against the final boss in Serious Sam. In fact, one of the boss?s would give him a run for his money in the size stakes.

Of course, eventually you learn the required pattern to take out each enemy, which makes it almost like a puzzle to put the pieces together, which is appropriate really considering how much puzzle solving you will do in the game itself. It?s nothing mind taxing, just simple things like ?line up the doors? or ?lure an enemy to stand on a switch to open the door?. I only got stuck and frustrated a few times, compared to Prince of Persia for example. The puzzles themselves feel more logical than usual, so it works, and it makes the levels themselves feel more involving.

Special mention here should be given to the levels. They are fantastic. Without a doubt, I never thought the Playstation 2 could push the kind of graphics that the developers have pumped into this game. The levels make the game feel EPIC. From gazing out towards the distance in Olympus while Ares smashes huge armies, to climbing a mountain on the back of a Titan named Kronos, to traversing through the twisted vision of hell itself. Each level is significantly different from the other, and keeps the game feeling fresh and varied. My only complaint is actually the very last boss fight level, which feels tacky and completely out of place with the rest of the game.





Perhaps that?s why it felt like it ended so quickly. This is another one of those games that could realistically be hired out for a weekend and completed by a decent gamer. Once again, I don?t think this is a bad thing; as I would much rather play an awesome but short game, than a long but tedious game. The difficulty level is fairly steep though. This is definitely a game that is marketed towards the older gaming market. They don?t include bodies being ripped apart and naked women in kids games. Or at least not any of the ones I ever played as a kid.

The difference is that God of War has a lot to come back to after you have completed it as well. There is a god mode which is obscenely hard, plus multiple sections and bonus?s to unlock, which give the game a bit more longevity. More importantly though, is that even after finishing this game, I still have the desire to pick it up and have a bash at it for half an hour or so. And any game which has that kind of addictive and enjoyable effect is well worth your time and effort.

Final Verdict

Whether its 5 minutes or 5 hours, God of War will keep you entertained. Pushing the PS2 to its graphical limits, this game is old school action adventure, and well worth your time.

Pros
Excellent combat system, great adult storyline, epic levels, detailed graphics, just plain old fun, you see boobies!
Cons
The last boss battle is very anti-climatic, might be a bit too difficult for some, might be slightly too repetative for some.

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