God of War stands out as a fantastic action game. With superior graphics and outstanding control even in the face of being outdated by a sequel. or so we are told! We give it the Coloring Dragons crash test!
STORY: What storylines begins with the suicide of the main character? God of War does! Awesomeness is about to ensue, I can feel it. Before his death, the viewer is given a nice introduction to the main character Kratos, by the games' narrator. It seems our dead friend has been abandoned and used by the same Gods' that once favored him above all other Spartans. Flash-back three weeks previous, and we have our first taste of the actual gameplay.
GAMEPLAY: The precise camera work, as well as the high graphics quality, leaves you breathless looking at the detail of each new level and the splendor of each new area. The story is kind of spotty at times but you can keep up. The game then reels you right in by what fans have dubbed "'holy shit! moments" on gaming message boards, and I can honestly say I remember the first time I saw an arrow split someone's head in half right in front of the camera, and used the same expression. Put that together with God of War's film like structure, and it adds an entirely new level of human emotion to the events. There's an intense, reflexive, clenching of muscles, and an increase in heart rate. It's as if the best parts of a great action film were rolled into one 10 hour video game.
God of War is most definitely an action game at it's core with many puzzles and button combos to keep you interested. The first level throws you right into the action. God of War starts off on a half-sunken ship on the Aegean Sea, learning all of Kratos' basic combos and magic. As you traverse the ship, you discover that the crew is under attack from undead warriors, very cool looking winged creatures, and one HUGE multi-headed Hydra. If all you play of God of War is the first level, the Hydra boss has to be one of the most exciting bosses I have played in a long time. Not only is it graphically nice to look at, the sound effects are some of the best I have heard on the PS2, and the beast just makes you cringe. All this, and it's only the first level. Kratos himself comes off a tad brash when we first meet him; he's the kind of guy that would more or less save you from being mugged just to steal your wallet and then slice you in half. But as you progress through the game, you come to realize he's been nothing more than a pawn of the Gods his entire life, and wants nothing but revenge and to redeem his very soul.
In terms of gameplay, God of War could be compared to a cross between Onimusha's hack and slash attitude and Prince of Persia's puzzler/action. Oh yeah, there are tons of jumping, combos, attacking things, and other standard action genre fare, but you'll be pleased at the amount of pleasure you get from seeing some of the most graphic and racy scenes on the PS2, anything from the naked twins in your bed/sex mini-game, to the Blades of Chaos ripping through the nearest Minotaur or Medusa. The puzzles can be a little lack luster and at times are a reminder of puzzle games of old, but it makes up for it with all the gore and fun you'll be having throughout the rest of your journey. I found was the controls more enjoyable than the story and the gameplay . I think the controls in the game were an absolute pleasure and moved as fast as my fingers could make them go, which added to my enjoyment immensely. I could write an entire paragraph about the block button alone, and how most games of this nature always make you stop pressing the action buttons before the block button even responds, but not God of War; the block button overrides any action you are making at the time, and trust me, once you've learned that God of War is a game where the block is essential, you'll be thanking the Olympus that it does what it does. Camera control is used in this game to give you more of a film feel rather than a typical game. The camera moves fluidly from a close over the shoulder angle to a very nice panoramic view, and unless you're not engrossed in the game, like I was, it's hard to notice how much it adds to the game as a whole.
Thankfully, the controls in the game are fantastic and very responsive, thus making the adventure that much more fulfilling. You've got your basic movement and camera control, as well as the standard jump/double jump button, and attack buttons. Through the rest of the game, Kratos gets tougher with new magic weapons, and stronger Blades of Chaos, all upgradeable through a simple kill and collect orb process, much like the Devil May Cry series. Like I mentioned, as you progress through the game you are rewarded by the Gods of Olympus with new magic weapons to aid you in your quest to destroy Hades. Zeus gives you lightning bolts, Athena gives you the head of medusa to freeze your enemies in their tracks, and you are even given a new sword from Artemis to use instead of the Blades of Chaos if you so wish.
Even though I enjoyed the gore and storyline, I do have to give the games props on level design. Most action games are guilty of being repetitive from level to level, but God of War tends to give you a new weapon or new set of enemies to destroy right before you start to get too comfortable. Seeing such a unique game near the end of the PS2's life is sad, really; playing God of War and realizing that this game was possible with the same hardware and technology six years ago when the PS2 was first released, can really make you wonder how cool the PS3 games will be six years after its release. I can't wait.
GRAPHICS: As you may have read, I totally love the graphics and sound of this game. As heavily tattooed as Kratos is, you can still see the work of love the designers had for the main character, and if you look close enough in some cut scenes, you might even be able to see a muscle ripple or an eyebrow raise slightly in one of his mocking mannerisms. The secondary characters are nothing to laugh at neither, may it be the ethereal Oracle of Athens, the titan Ares, Kratos' family or even the facial images of the Gods themselves, they seem to have had the same respect and love put into them as Kratos did, and that attention to detail shines through and makes you love the game even more. I for one wouldn't want to run into any wraiths or harpies without some sort of weapon; they really look like they could rip me apart.
The art direction is very detailed for the time period and you can really lose yourself in ancient Greece through this game, if you wanted too. I would put this game up against any Hollywood movie in terms of backgrounds and building design; they are all saturated with the love for detail I am sure the people responsible for creating them put into it. Each and every area of the game has a unique look and feel. You are in a different location and you know it.
The graphics don't just use the Playstation 2 as a stepping stone to the next generation system, they push the system to the limit and really makes you ooze with excitement to see what the sequel will look like, whether on the next gen consoles or not. With such a powerful graphics engine, the detailed character models, WOW special effects, movie angles, and large environments is what puts this game up on my all time list of favorite games on the Playstation 2.
SOUND: The sound effects and vocal performances fare far better than the average game. All the main characters make me believe they are doing their jobs the way they were originally meant to sound like. It's not as if they've hired just any old actor to voice them over, they actually got competent VO actors and let them create their own voice, which in my opinion, shines through to the core of the game. The narrators voice, provided by veteran stage and VO actor Linda Hunt, fits into the game perfectly and lets the player move along with the story with ease.
I can also give this game a star from me, in the musical score department. Composed by videogame first timer, Winifred Phillips, I am once again reminded of a movie and the music can peak or just fade at the right moment. This in turn creates the unique atmosphere that is God of War; a tailor made action game set within an ancient Greek tragedy.
OVERALL: 90% It's too bad God of War has come to us near the end of the PS2's life cycle; it will be nice to see the next installment whether it is on the next generation or we get a treat and have it out on the PS2 first. Even though some say the game is short and could have been longer, I feel the length is perfect for the game. Just as you get tired of the puzzles, the game is over, so it all evens out by the time you have played through it once. Also, God of War has a fun replay value that I know for sure everyone will be checking out. You can even get a new costume for Kratos and other goodies about the making of the game and back story for the main anti-hero himself. The best action game of the year.
Dragon Press
Artist Resources
Webcomics
Collaborations
News
Site Information
