2008 Woodie Awards
Greek mythology sets stage for 'God of War II'
Scott Figuerola
Issue date: 4/2/07 Section: Entertainment
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"God of War II," for the Playstation 2 console, brings the tortured character Kratos back for another bout with the gods of Olympus.
By defeating Ares, the original god of war, Kratos took the throne in part one of the series. Even though he is given god-like powers, he cannot erase the memories of the heinous acts that preceded his rise to power.
The gods will never let him forget he murdered his own wife and daughter in a fit of rage.
When we meet the new and improved god of war, Kratos is abusing his powers by waging war on all of Greece. The gods decide something must be done so they trick him into putting all his power into the Blade of Olympus, which negates all of his god powers, leaving him mortal.
After the betrayal, Kratos is befriended by the Titans (a group of giants who were defeated by Zeus and banished to the underworld.) With the Titans' help, Kratos sets off on a journey to find the Sisters of Fate. By asking the sisters for help, Kratos can go back in time to when the gods betrayed him, and change his fate.
The story of "GOW II" is engrossing, but the game play is what kept me interested. Sony stayed true to what made the original so fun.
The fighting sequences and moves give the player total control over Kratos.
While fighting, the user can link his or her moves together, turn in the middle of attacks and use magic abilities all at the same time. The camera positions itself so the player never has to worry about manually moving the camera angle.
For a PS2 game, the graphics and look of the game are amazing. I felt transported into ancient Greece. Sony did an excellent job of recreating the time period. The architecture and scenery look like something out of Homer's epic "The Odyssey."
The game, like the first, isn't for the faint of heart. The battle scenes are gruesome with Kratos doing everything from ripping out the eye of a Cyclops to breaking one of the basic soldiers in half. Blood pours through almost every inch of game play.
The difference in "GOW II," compared to other games, is the puzzles. Not only does the player have to fight through hundreds of enemies, but they also have to think quickly.
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