Given the success of the first God of War (and especially its ending) it was pretty obvious that a sequel would be made. Like the best game developers, they teased GOW II's release date well in advance, with a simple ad campaign; a familiar art background with II engraved in stone and a date of Spring 2007. The date was set, and expectations continued to grow as more information was revealed. Later gamers were told that David Jaffe, the director of the first game, would not be continuing his role for the sequel. As I was not really familiar with his work, I was not as affected by this announcement as others that I knew. The new director would be Cory Barlog.
A big expectation for God of War II would be which system it would be released for. A lot of fans expected it to be the first killer app for the Playstation 3, released in November of 2006, the previous year. But the director held fast, maintaining that the PS2 still had plenty of life left in it and was more than sufficient to realize his vision of God of War II. Was this the right decision?
The story picks up a good while after the end of God of War (SPOILERS!), in which Kratos has defeated Ares and become the new God of War. Despite having a place on Mount Olympus, the memories of his past deeds still cause him pain, so he continues to suppress them by lashing out against the world. Being a god now, he is a LITTLE more capable of mass destruction, which he does with abandon. Kratos leads the Spartan army on missions of conquest, often coming down to the battlefield himself to wreak havoc. That sure has to be a one-sided battle, huh?
Anyway, his latest target is the island of Rhodes. Despite the warnings of Athena, Kratos proceeds to Rhodes to join the attack, all giant-sized a la Ares. Suddenly a beam of energy hits him and he starts shrinking as the Colossus of Rhodes is brought to life by the same influence. Then the game begins.
The graphics in part II are more a matter of expanding the scope of the established look of the original game. There are many many more environments, all looking quite different. From the swamps of Euryale to the caves of the Lowlands, everything is much more defined and different looking in this game. When it comes to my favorite area though, the choice is easy: The skies over the Mediterranean. You really get a sense of being miles high, careering through the air and then chopping off griffin's wings as you play this level. This is due largely to the graphics, a marvelous job and definitely some of the best I've ever seen on the Playstation 2.
Monsters increase in variety and are just as menacing. New enemies called the Claw Wraiths, will make you hate them immensely, you really have to watch how they move if you want to beat them easily. I like the new idea of smaller enemies riding Cyclopes like elephants, making their attacks more frequent and fierce. Having two sharp prongs stuck in your shoulder is bound to make you angry, no?
There are also new enemies, like mages, dogs, and huge warriors. I don't have a name for them, but I remember them well because of the awesome finishing move that Kratos can use to polish them off. There are also a lot more boss encounters in God of War II, whereas the original had less than a handful. I deeply appreciate this, especially the presence of well-known mythological heroes and other important figures from the Greek stories.
Kratos looks pretty much the same as the first game, maybe a bit more muscular and full of scowls, but it's definitely similar. I also like the new weapons, especially the Barbarian Hammer and how it is actually useful in combat, particularly in tandem with certain magic.
This game's music is VERY similar to the score of the original, with most of the first game's composers on board for the sequel. I highly favor this game's score, which is to be expected. Highlights include The End Begins and The Battle for the Skies, which I like mostly because it captures the feeling of being miles above so well. Sound effects return with awesome presence as well. The sounds of the new weapons convey a sense of power and might. The bosses' death knells are especially satisfying due to the annoyance of some of their attacks. It is a great auditory treat to hear that door smashing against their head AGAIN and again; this would be pretty sadistic of me if they didn't totally deserve it.
Gameplay is pretty much the same as the original. The biggest difference is that the extra power mode can be used at your discretion, rather than all at once, regardless of whether you need it or not. There is some new magic that is similar to the choices in the original, but I find that GOW II's magic works better due to its use for particular situations, rather than just as a way to deal damage quickly.
The rest of the game has some new elements, like puzzles that requires the stoppage of time to solve, and areas that you use the Blades like grappling hooks, which is fun and good for variety. Along with the flying horses part mentioned above, God of War II goes for the bigger and better sequel by mostly just improving middling parts of the first rather than change things outright. This was the right call.
Challenge is the same as the first game, right down to boss tactics and life extensions. If you can play and beat the first one, I doubt you'll have much trouble with this one.
Replay value is a big improvement from Part I, as Kratos is able to retain all his special attacks via New Game plus, something I missed in the original. Using the Hammer or Pike in the first stage is great fun. There are also urns to find that give different effects including infinite magic and more red orbs. In addition to this, the 10 Challenge Mode returns with some interesting new goals, none of which are too sadistic as in the original game.
In addition to ingame extras, God of War II features a bonus disc full of interesting content. Interviews with the director, voice actors, and game staff are interesting to listen to, and along with a diary of the game's production, are great fanservice for series aficionados. Rejected levels and score rehearsals are nice bits too. And just think, Collector's Editions on Xbox 360 often charge gamers 20 dollars extra for half the stuff that you get here for free. An awesome gift from the creators!
In summation, God of War II is better than the first game in every way. To be honest, I think that the first game is a bit overrated; a classic example of gamers liking the character so much that they ignore a game's flaws. This is not the case with God of War II. I wish I could talk in greater detail about my most favorite improvements, but that would be storyline spoilers, and I don't want that for anyone who has yet to play the game. I can say that the story is about a hundred times more epic and impressive than in the first game, especially if you enjoy God of War's unique interpretation of Greek mythology. The story really compelled me to play on, and the ending was just awesome, even a bit unexpected. All this and some sweet gameplay was icing on the cake. This is one of the rare sequels that has everything and MORE that the first game has to offer!
- Ugly Bob
article id: 472 | poster: uglybob
