At first I thought this would be a needlessly bloody beat-em-up that catered to the extreme “Do the Dew” 14 year old demographic. But a friend of mine swore by it, so I gave it a go and man, I’m glad I did! Otherwise, I would have missed out on one of the best 3D action games to date.
While the game is visceral and bloody, there is an excellent use of Greek mythology (unlike the recent movie Troy, the Gods are actually involved) and the game tells a pretty decent story of revenge. The theme and tone remind me of Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver and the old Shadow of the Beast game on the Amiga.
The graphics are first-rate, especially for the PS2. Kratos(your character) and the environments look fantastic, even if some of the enemies could use a little more detail. Also, there are some slight refresh glitches and sometimes the textures seem too clean. These are just nitpicks though, this is a great looking game.
Sound and music are excellent with a fully orchestrated score in the vein of Conan the Barbarian and Lord of the Rings. Sound effects fit the game perfectly and the voices are seriously acted and well cast. Narration by the distinct voice of Linda Hunt is a nice touch.
Kratos has chain blades which are well suited to group combat. This is good, because you’ll be doing a lot of it! The buttons are laid out for light attack, strong attack, grab and jump and L1 is used to block. Various combos can be used and more are unlocked over time. You later are granted various “Powers of the Gods” like Zeus’ thunderbolts, and can upgrade your weapons and powers.
Some enemies are best dispatched with hit and run tactics, while others are weaker against direct attacks. You can perform a finishing move on almost every enemy—like tearing the wings off of Harpies—but some of them need to be dazed first. More often than not this will involve button mashing, or Shenmue style Simon says sequences, which break up the action and give the game a great tactile feel.
Killing monsters releases various types of energy that can help Kratos (blue is magic, green is health and red is upgrade). Different energy is released depending on how you kill certain monsters and becomes part of the strategy.
Combat is interspersed with puzzles and platforming sections. These are just as well thought out as the fighting—cliff climbing being my favorite.
This is a hard game. On several occasions I wanted to rip the PS2 controller in two! But the game is never unfair. I always eventually figured out what to do. More often than not, it was discovering what strategy to use.
God of War took me about 10 hours to beat. It’s seems about the perfect length—not overstaying its welcome and leaving you wanting a little more. Once you beat the game, several extra modes and DVD style extras open up.
If you have been waiting for a 3D action-adventure game to match the best 2D has to offer, God of War is your game. A must own if you have a PS2!
2008 ben langberg, all rights reserved.