"God of war 2 is easily one of the most entertaining action games ever created."
God of War II is no different from the original in terms of the high quality standards set by the first game. The 2nd game offers everything the first game had an some more. As a result God of war 2 is easily one of the most entertaining action games ever created.
Gameplay – 9
Gameplay is very similar to the first game, Kratos for most of the game will be sloughing though enemies with his Blades of Athena(Blades of chaos in the first game). This can get a little repetitive at times but the brutal nature of Kratos’s moves and the excellent pacing of the game makes sure it never gets boring. The battle system in itself is not as deep as other action games such as Ninja Gaiden and Devil May cry but the sheer excellence in using a simple combat engine mixed with ferocity and aggressive fighting gives God of War more of an entertainment value when actually playing the game. There are other weapons in the game but the best 2nd weapon being the Blades of Olympus is not obtainable until you have beaten the game and playing through it again as a bonus game. Others include a hammer and a spear which can be cool to use but none of them actually have many advantages especially during the higher difficulty modes, there a blast to use in easier difficulty though.
Sound – 10
It doesn’t matter what system this is on, the sound and music in this game is of the highest quality and can pretty much challenge AAA movies even by today’s standards. The VA isn’t as great as the first game but mainly due to one of two characters, but the rest is still fantastically done with convincing talent. The musical soccer is as epic and amazing as ever, the battle sounds are varied the music changes every time Kratos achieves something or visits a new area and the transition is done perfectly as if you are watching a movie or something. Sound is perfect here.
Graphics – 10
For a PS2 game you cannot get a better-looking game, technically. The visuals are amazing and the PS2 just works a sweat trying to generate them, the levels are huge, the scope of some of the areas while gigantic just feel real and that’s mainly due to the wonderful design of just about everything. Character models are a little bit sharper than the first and the animations of Kratos and most of enemies are much better. CGI cut-scenes are superbly animated and directed. All in all the visuals of this game aren’t groundbreaking because lets face it there on a 7-year-old machine but they are visuals that put into perspective the whole “graphics isn’t next gen” mantra. Because if a PS2 game can look this good and play this good why on earth are we spending money on games that look better but play the same? On a different machine? Either way the next gen consoles have their positives and will continue to take advantage of raw power but God of War II proves that if you’re going to make a game on PS3/360 then make sure it plays next gen rather than just have upgraded visuals. This is a PS2 game we are talking about that’s practically put most games in shame for the last 1 – 2 years. It’s certainly the best action game of the last 2 years.
Value – 9
This game offers a lot more than the first game in terms of playing hours. The game itself is only around 3-5 hours longer than the first game but GowII offers the ability to play the game through again with your upgraded weapons/moves, something the first didn’t. The Challenge in this game is also better than the first because you can save in between them. The bonuses are also a lot more varied as you can unlock different character costumes including Athena and Hercules. Some cool stuff and a lot more content that the first game.
Overall/Tilt – 10
I though rely enjoyed this game. It was a game I was anticipating ever since it was announced and rather than hyping it to extreme bounds I was just waiting for an action game that I knew I could enjoy because it wasn’t on a next gen console. I just respected the fact SCEA wanted to release it on PS2 and make it an enjoyable game rather than delay it for a year and put it on PS3 when that would probably disappoint a lot of PS2 owners. Overall this is a must own game for action lovers and ANYONE with a PS2. The only people I would not recommend this to is if you either can’t stand action games or hated the first game, even if you didn’t think God of War was special or that great still get this game because even though it’s not leaps and bounds better than the first it’s still better and worthy of playing by anyone.