THIS IS SPARTA!!! (caps)
Story: The story starts you off as, the protagonist Kratos, you are on the edge of the cliffs of madness. You jump off to attempt suicide and as your falling to your horrific death you recollect all the horrible things that have happened to you and all the horrible things you have done to others, because well let’s face it you’re a complete bad ass. Later on the game reveals that Kratos once was in a giant battle and right before his death he called upon Aries, THE GOD OF WAR, to save his life. Aries obliges Kratos’s wish to defeat his adversaries for the price of Kratos becoming Aries servant of death if you will. Kratos recollects all the horrible things Aries has made him do, including killing his wife and child, and he has had it. He swears vengeance upon Aries and sets out to exact his revenge. So the basic premise of the game it you traveling to Pandora’s temple, to find Pandora’s box, to unleash the ultimate power, to then kill Aries.
Graphics: This is easily the PS2’s best looking game, only to be outdone by the sequel (God of War 2). The game is so good it rivals first generation Xbox 360 games, such as GUN. It’s amazing how good this game looks for a ps2 and it shows that this is one of the final PS2 games. The developers have included dynamic lighting, normal mapping, specular highlighting, etc. and it just makes this game look incredible. The CGI cut scenes are astonishing. There are only a couple, so when they appear they are a real treat to see. Trust me if you’re a graphics W**** you must pick up this game, merely to just marvel at these magnificent graphics.
Sound: The sound is incredible. This game has it all. One fantastic orchestral score, amazing sound effects, and the narrator is academy award winning Linda Hunt.
The sound effects are awesome, each slice of the blades sounds real, and you can basically imagine the hurt Kratos is inflicting with each searing blow. Everything sounds realist and the voice acting is amazing. They got a lot of great actors to fill the roles and they all sound like they belong. The score is amazing; it matches the sweeping landscape and makes this game feel really epic.
Gameplay: This is where God of War truly shines. This game will get you pumped up. The action is exciting, and it what keeps you coming back over and over. Sure you might mash the buttons a lot but the combat is done so well that it keeps you drooling for more. There are so many ways you can decisively dish, the deadly dicing of Kratos’s blades and magic, the possibilities are endless. There are many moments you will be in awe and ask yourself “DID HE REALLY JUST DO THAT” or “OMG did you see that”. The combat is the reason this game is so perfect. It mainly consists of hitting the square and triangle buttons and using magic with R2. It is so diverse and there are so many ways do dish out the pain. Want to hack up a harpy? Sick of that? Then walk up and rip its damn wings off. Want to filet your enemy in the air with your razor sharp blades? Well how about you just rip its arm with the blade off and stab it through the face. There are no limits to the action. There are also action sequences that make you press specific buttons in order to exterminate you foe. Sure you can slash the Cyclops to death, or you can press the action commands, run up his arm, and rip its eye out in glorified gory fashion. The boss battles are amazing. You will be grinning the entire time at how epic they are. Each boss has a specific strategy to beating it and the game tasks you to finding that out. Once the end is near, you will perform an ultimate button sequence that usually puts the other gory fatalities to shame. (I.e. the hydra battle involves you pulling the mouth over a broken pole until the pole comes out the back of its head). You are equipped with two blades that are chained to your arms, but you also receive one kick ass blade that dominates. In addition to the weapons you receive an abundance of magic. The cool thing about all the powers and weapons you acquire is that you can upgrade them, so you can have new powers and abilities. How do you upgrade them? When you kill someone you acquire red orbs, and once you’ve gathered enough you can upgrade your weapons. So to sum up the gameplay is where it’s at. It’s the reason you’ll come back and play it again, and it’s the reason why this games so great. YOU MUST EXPERIENCE IT.
Value: The game isn’t the longest game ever, 8-10 hours. But the game has 4 difficulties and the final mode is really hard. There are also many bonus features, like unlockable costumes (cow of war lol), developer diaries, making of the game, and challenge of the gods. The challenge of the gods allows you to unlock certain things, and is its own separate mingame that tasks you with doing specific objectives in a certain amount of time. They are definitely a challenge. Overall the value isn’t astonishing, but there is enough of it that will cause you to want to replay it over and over.
Tilt: The game is very fun. Obviously I’d give this game a 10 for tilt. It is so entertaining and you will have a blast playing it over and over. The game is a mature rated game and to every extent. But if you can handle the violence, language, and nudity this game is really fun.
Summary: This is a must have for any PS2 gamers library. If you don’t have it already I strongly advise you to get off your *** right now and go to the store and buy it. Amazing gameplay, story, sound, value, tilt, the whole package is amazing and you will not regret buying this masterpiece.
