Violence and the 2010 Olympics
The 2010 Winter Olympics are underway, and citizens of the world are indulged in the spirit of patriotism and hope for their nation’s athletes. Canadians from far and wide have been purchasing those snuggly red Olympic mittens to warm their hands and hearts with the excitement of hosting an event as prestigious as the games. But underneath the tradition and energy of the Olympic events lies a path of destruction. The IOC has developed a reputation for plundering every city they enter, generating billions of debt and making me wonder why any city would make a bid for the Olympic games. Now Vancouver is about to go the way of post-’76 games.
For people who aren’t so enamored with the spirit of financial peril and bobsledding, there’s God of War. A game about killing Greek gods and their Olympian heroes.
Kratos is the fictional protagonist of the story…or fictional in the sense that he’s not an original Greek Mythology figure which I guess all Greek Mythology is fiction and…well he’s an American-made Greek myth. He’s also similar to most Olympic athletes in that he is visibly on the juice. Kratos is understandably peeved with the gods and especially the god of war, Aries, for allowing the Olympics to happen in his hometown…I mean they did some bad stuff to him in the past. Kratos is a tragic figure, with a small case of the Niko Bellic Complex in that he weeps and cries about his past just as he’s sticking his swingy knives in the jugulars of his foes, but at least he’s given both a backstory and a present attitude that matches a psychopath. Kratos is a very, very bitter bowl of rage, the embodiment of Freudian anger release, which may be why so many gamers relate to him. Do you still feel safe letting your children play this game?
And while I had to spend lengthy a period readjusting my brain to get used to the almost strange excess of violence, and while there’s a tinge of melodrama within the preceding events, everything at least fits. Anyone who ever had a month of Greek Mythology study in Grade 10 English knows that most stories are akin to God of War, complete with the monsters getting violent and the women getting nekkid. And there are plenty of Greek-isms, like the gods giving Kratos gifts, and the gods ultimately not being of much help. There’s an aura of authenticity to God of War, which may have to do with how this game contrasts to, and flips off, Disney’s Hercules movie or such. And the slow reveal of Kratos’ past, combined with a strong sendoff finale, keeps the player intrigued throughout the game’s events and feeling satisfied when all is said and done.
Large portions of the gameplay is spent coping with Kratos’ emotions. He doesn’t seem to be particularly keen to sit down and talk with a counselor, so instead he opts to express himself with a symphony of death. Kratos walks a mostly-linear path, flashing his elasto-chain-blades around like a germophobe with Febreeze. God of War is the opposite of Demon’s Souls; in that game, swinging your sword randomly andcareless dodging will result in a quick death. In God of War, swinging your sword-things results in the quick deaths of 5 others. The combat system isn’t the deepest you’ve seen in a game, but it gives you a reasonable number of toys to toy with…I mean “gifts from the gods” to toy with. And you’re still required to stay alert, keeping focus on enemy attack patterns and the best way to retaliate. Plus there’s a fun variety of enemies with free-hanging genitals for Kratos to circumcise.
When you’re not on foot slapping enemies around with your phallic swords, you’re probably doing something else related to death. You might be climbing a wall while throwing enemies to their demise. Perhaps you’re shuffling along a rope while dropkicking monsters off. There are even instances of solving puzzles by means of mortality. For all I know, Kratos flosses by tearing the veins out of another person. The platforming is light but effective, often asking Kratos to use his chicken legs for the typical-in-every-freaking-game double jump. The game has just enough diversions to never feel stagnant, and more than enough death traps to remind Kratos that karma operates in strange ways. The game’s puzzles are never particularly complex, but they’re not always “flip this switch in this order to open this single locked door” either. Many of the puzzles often have a large sense of scope; a small cog within a major part of the setting you’re in, making you feel like you’re gradually cracking the major mystery of an ancient contraption. A contraption that wants you dead, of course.
Most of my real gripes with God of War are petty issues, smaller nitpicks with individual sequences. I’ll say that I’m not a fan of swimming, or pushing blocks by way of curb stomp. To be more specific would give away too much and I don’t have the heart to spoil. Rather, I would like to complain about other people’s complaints over God of War. I’ve heard people nag about the game only having 3 boss fights. That I can vividly remember all three of these bosses means that they at least made a significant impact on me. God of War isn’t a particularly conventional game, people; the game has 6 “stages”, and I use the term “stage” in the loosest sense, since you’ll spend about 40% of your playtime in just one of those levels. Finally, at 7-8 hours, people used to complain about the game being short. In today’s day and age where people don’t even have enough time of day to get their work done on scheduled hours and need a Blackberry on them at all times just to keep their office running while they’re in bed macking their wife, 7-8 hours is actually a good while. Most of the people that can finish an 8 hour game in a day are little kids too young for an M-rated game, and to them, I stick my tongue out.
There’s a consensus of people that think God of War 2 is a better game, if just because it’s longer and has more bosses. I don’t think I can agree with that. God of War 1 bows out just as you’re starting to feel fatigued over the gameplay. Not to mention, it ends on a satisfying note and not in a cheap cliffhanger that forced players to wait nearly 3 years for a conclusion.
Finally, where the hell are the subtitles? Have you no mercy for the deaf, Kratos? Or the people that live in apartments with cantankerous neighbours? Or people that just want to listen to Loverboy while playing their games? I bet the developers are very proud of their orchestral score. Some of us don’t care to appreciate it.
As for God of War 1, I guess you can call it a video game classic. Most any male that enjoys a modicum of violence will find an accessible and entertaining outlet of rage to vent out frustrations stemming from their relationship. It’s certainly still the high point of the series, or at least unless God of War 3 ups the god-body count many times over.
4 ½ stars
