God of War II Screenshot Comparison

By: GameSpot Staff - Posted on Tuesday, Mar. 13, 2007

God of War II may use the same engine as the original God of War, but that doesn't mean the graphics are the same. The game development team was able to polish up the graphics and design more ambitious levels for the sequel. When asked to describe the graphical improvement, God of War II director Cory Barlog told GameSpot, "It's a huge difference. It's not as huge as in a generational difference where people say look at PS2 versus PS3, but Kratos, the model of Kratos in one and the model of Kratos in two, in God of War II is astounding--the quality difference."

Kratos's clothing is much more detailed in God of War II. His shoes and loincloth in particular show extra texture detail and great shadowing. The chains wrapped around his forearms don't have a 3D normal-mapped look, but the textures still look sharper in the new game.

Mouse over the default God of War image to see the God of War II screenshot.

Other improvements include full-screen graphical effects, such as light bloom. The game doesn't abuse the effect, so you'll be impressed each time you see it. Barlog also mentioned a few changes that might not be immediately noticeable in screenshots, such as the ability to get more characters onscreen and a faster-moving Kratos. He runs around faster, but the animation remains completely fluid.

The graphical improvements aren't just technical either. The most powerful art changes can be found in level design. God of War II has "bigger, more expansive levels" where the size contrast between the player and level architecture gives the game an epic quality. It's not all eye candy either. According to Barlog, levels have increased in scope to integrate more puzzles into entire maps rather than segment each one off in a single room. All of the smart design decisions ultimately mean that God of War II plays as well as it looks.

Mouse over the default God of War image to see the God of War II screenshot.

Mouse over the default God of War image to see the God of War II screenshot.