God of War 2 proves it is all its cracked up to be and more as it is a significant improvement over the first game.
Genre: Action
Developer: Santa Monica Studios (SCEA)
System: PS2 (Playstation 2)
Total Score: 90/100
Value Score: 9.0/10
• Story: 8/10
o God of War 2's storyline takes place sometime after the events of the first God of War. Kratos is a fully fledged god of Olympus and has been using his powers to cause several wars which unfortunately have made the other gods of Olympus angry at him. Athena had warned him that he should stop what he is doing or he will go down the path of the previous God of War however he refused. Due to that he was stripped of his power and punished. Now with the new help from the Titans who were defeated by the gods of Olympus, Kratos will exact his revenge against the ones who betrayed him and made him what he is now.
• Characters: 8/10
o God of War 2 includes a bigger list of characters than the first game and features more of a presence of characters unlike the first game where it had most of the gods as statues. The game includes several new enemies and some minor modifications of older enemies from the first game. There are far more boss battles and enemy characters that Kratos must fight through before he is able to get to his ultimate goal. You will be encountering more enemies which Kratos will use as a stepping stone than in the first game along with that you will be introduced to some allies of Kratos both human and Titan that will help him progress through the storyline.
• GamePlay: 10/10
o God of War 2's main gameplay system has stayed intact but includes a whole array of new features and abilities for the God of War. You have the Athena Blades which are a modified Chaos Blades along with that you find a few new weapons which can be used as a alternative to the blades although most of the combat will be using the blades especially in Quick time events. Due to the fact that the gods have betrayed Kratos and he has now assistance from the Titans, the magic skills and abilities Kratos will get will be modified versions or new forms of the same magic that he had in the first game. There are far more quick time events in the game especially when you come across boss fights. Majority of the items , power ups and drops you get from killing enemies or finding in treasure chests are the same as the first game. God of War 2 also includes several more puzzles than the first game so the game is now more puzzle oriented that will mostly depend on the new skills and abilities that Kratos will get in this game.
• Graphics: 9/10
o God of War 2's visuals have improved a bit from the first game making it one of the best looking PS2 games ever to be made. God of War 2's art design is still dark and yet vibrant with the atmosphere just like in the first game. Although unfortunately the 300 like episodic cutscenes from the first game have been replaced with actual in game engine footage which is a nice touch to the game but the original idea from the first game will be truly missed.
• Sound: 10/10
o God of War 2's sound effects pretty much are the same as the first game, you have everything from the weapon attacks, Kratos' grunts, enemy noises the same. However in terms of voice acting, the acting has gotten a lot better especially with the large amount of new cast of characters that are introduced in the storyline. The amount and quality of voice acting in the game will surely make this one of the best experiences in storytelling.
• Music: 8/10
o God of War 2's music has improved, no more do you get remix after remix of the same song but it actually seems like they are using unique themes now for each area or battle. Due to the fact that there are far more boss battles in this game than the first, they've added several new themes which are well done and feel like you are watching a Greek Epic. Although still a far cry from other action games such as Devil May Cry, God of War 2's OST is still great for what it represents.
• Length: 7/10
o One of the main complaints from the first game was its length. You could literally complete the first game in 5 hours but the sequel however fixes that issue as the game now takes at least 20-25 hours to complete the main storyline. The expanded replay value will add significant amount of hours added to the overall gameplay however.
• Replay Value: 10/10
o God of War 2's replay value is based around its end game content that you unlock when finishing the storyline, minor events and secrets you unlock and the additional disc that comes along with the game. You can check out trailers, interviews and discussion clips about the development on the 2nd disc of the game. After you finish the initial game you can play in a far more difficult setting, you can unlock costumes which will give you special benefits and have special effects when you are in battle, there's also a variant of the gods challenges as well.
• Player Value: 10/10
o God of War 2 is one of the best action games to be made and is a significant improvement over the first game as it contains more content, is longer, a deeper storyline and a better character development. You will enjoy the sheer difficulty of the game, the improved battle system and new mechanics that revolve around the puzzle aspects of the game and you will enjoy the lush visuals that the game has as it brings out the best of what the PS2 can do.