Zeus, your days are numbered!
Kratos has become the new God of War and he intends to use that title (as he should) by conquering some nations, slaying beasts, and rustling a few feathers of the Gods. He's given a very late warning to stop but opts not to (it seems to be about that agreement from the last game); so the lightning bolt zapping Zeus tricks him and rips away his powers. He messed with the wrong Spartan; others that have become uneasy with Zeus find Kratos and reveal a way to turn the tables on Zeus and even all the other gods. It's a long, forbidden, and dangerous path and everyone from Athena to the god damn milkman stand in his way and tells him to turn back. Kratos doesn't just push somebody aside if they tell him, it will not be. He friggin' desecrates anyone or anything that tries to stop what quickly escalates into madness. And that is why the story again is so damn good; Kratos is a man on a mission of revenge that again takes a vengeful march through another well told adventure.
The core gameplay in God of War is largely reminiscent from before: you beat up baddies, lay waste to them with a… enjoyable execution while dodging and hurling out combos like your swords are attached to a lawn mower's blade. Jump a little here, shake in some magic, do a quick puzzle over there, don't screw up a QTE, and kill some really big figures in Greek Mythology to wrap it all up. That pretty much is the game, but work has been done to add more to the combat in particular. Kratos has an expanded set of combos on top of what the original had and there are multiple weapons you pick up, each offering a different advantage / detract. You even get the Golden Fleece and… hmm, I wonder what happened to Jason. He probably just left it there as a gift; anyways, using it to block with the right timing will let Kratos parry attacks. He could catch an arrow and throw it back or deflect a Gorgon's flash stare; it's a pretty cool tactic and makes blocking a better idea than before. Kratos also utilizes a time warping mechanic, when activated everything slows down from the environment to enemies (except you). It's a great puzzle mechanic that plays well into the storyline because it offers another perspective at how you take on a situation.
Platforming wise, you get to swing with ease on lengths of your blades' chain to make daring leaps; you even get to glide which is ironically conceived. You get to fly on some Griffins and chop them up too which is great while it lasts and there's a threesome mini-game somewhere in there. There are only a handful of new enemies; there are demonic Skeletons, vicious looking Warthogs, a couple of foolish soldiers, Griffins, and some lucky little bastard that gets to pilot a flippin' Cyclops. You do get to fight more than twice as many bosses, which definitely add variety for when you've seen the classic monsters a few too many times. The one real issue with this game is that some of the bosses use cheap tactics that blow your health away and can easily become pains just for that. 'What bosses do you get to fight' asks a pessimistic viewer, how about this thing:
It's hard to ask much more out of a game that practically brought the PS2 to its' knees in terms of graphics (actually that pretty much applied to everything possible). The game doesn't push any more polygons or technical specs anymore than before; but at the top of its' game, it still surpasses modern expectations. The game also keeps up a strong artistic craft and attention to detail everywhere. Sound wise, we have exactly the same deal as before: effects, music, and acting are all well recorded and fit the game like they've always belonged there.
This game is at least a few hours longer than before, and because the game remains as linear as before, the idea, 'the first time is always the best' is so dependently true for God of War. Expect a 15ish hour run-through and a narrow-minded individual would say it's just not very replayable; but it is, because it's just that good, like nostalgia. Challenge of the Gods makes another return (if it was your kind of thing to enjoy). Also, while the original had around a dozen of extra videos and cool bonuses, this one has all that on a separate DVD full of hours of extras.
God of War was a very well driven story experience; this one is too, even though it lacks the punch the original's ending had. Some of the bosses also default to moves that will kill you with no opportunity to escape (unfair!). But in the end look around on the PS2 market. Nobody else is pushing this system as much as these folks; plus, it really is a great game that you should be purchasing...now!!!
9.0/ 10 SUPERB (PS2)
+Offers the same great experience with some welcome innovations
+The time mechanic is well integrated into the story and game play
+Yet another marvelous tale of full blooded revenge
+Top notch looks and sounds
-Bosses tend to use cheap tactics