God of War 2 for PlayStation 2

Summary


"I AM THE GOD OF WAR!!"

The first moment i began playing GOW1, I was highly impressed with the crisp & defined graphics. The sound effects were superbly realistic as well.
Evidently, the gameplay was undoubtingly good.
Other games that had such great finesse were RE4 & Metal Gear Solid:Snake Eater. RE4 & MGS:SE had exceptionally amusing story lines (I rated
them at 9.5 out of 10), but the GOW series definitely is the most extraordinary, albeit not so to younger gamers (10 years & below).
Apparently, I trust most parents wouldn't even think of buying GOW2 for their 7 or 8 year-old kid, mainly due to the gore-fest.

The description of this GOW sequel is awesome, however that descriptive term is just an understatement. You will get so hooked up that you will even delay going for toilet breaks or eating your dinner.
It's as close to having the dual-shock controller chained-up & seared onto your arms, similar to the possession of the ATHENA'S BLADES.

From the minions of cyclopes, zombies & medusas, to the mighty Gods Zeus, Colossus & Gaia, these flawless pixelated creations are life-like & highly developed.
The core combat engine is fundamental to GOW1... so naturally, GOW fans should cope with a short learning curve (20 Minutes- tops).
The GOW2 game designers had invented a couple of exciting new moves, causing devastating strikes that are employed to obliterate whatever pesky infidels which impedes KRATOS' quest.

Blood & gore are still plentiful, coupled with higher brutality & mayhem. Although the amount of blood oozing & squirting has been brought down a notch, I got no complaints. For instance, when you grab your enemy (by pressing the circle button) & cause a range of attacks which are simply brilliant as well as brutal. Hitting either square, triangle or X after the grab will execute different finishing moves (assigned to different enemies).

It's so darn good that it makes you grin with sheer delight. (To keep you in suspense, I shall not release any descriptions here. *LOL*)
Puzzle designs styles have not deviated much but you may expect more challenging level designs & slightly "smarter" AI's.

The "RAGE OF TITANS" Super-Duper Ass-Kicking Berserk attack can be controlled by initiating or halted at any point by using the same L3 +
R3 toggle as opposed to the prequel's where once ROT is activated, you can't cease the enhancement.

Within the options menu, you may either select either Hints or Tutorials or Both to assist you during gameplay.

I'd award GOW2 the "Best Game of the Year" for PS2 without any hesitation whatsoever. I doubt there will be another more explosive
action-adventure fantasy game after this almighty experience.
Brand new games & sequels are currently programmed for the PS3.
So GOW2 should be considered one of the best for the PS2 as this 8 year-old ebony console becomes increasingly obsolete day by day.
Rumours abound that GOW3 is in the works for new PS3. However, SCEA have not made any commitments to it yet. We may have to wait till July @ E3 for any correspondence regarding GOW3.

GOW2's fighting engine is flawlessly executed.
The lighting & shadow effects with it's dynamic background is truly accurate. The scenery is utterly breathtaking and you may very well find
yourself just ogling at it because it is astonishing.

If you are playing the game through the procession of a 5.1 surround-sound system, another wonderful enhancement would be switching the "Sound Mode" to "Surround" (in the Option Menu). The game's audio sequencing & sound source delegation is another huge plus point. By the way, I rate 9.95 & 9.8 for GOW2 & GOW1 respectively.

I'm confident to guarantee almost any gamer (95 out of 100) especially whom does not fancy the action-adventure genre... would give it 2
thumbs-up before boasting to their gaming peers about the GOW2's masterful achievement. I believe it will be a natural process.
GOW2's lingering in the #1 ranking (Action-Adventure Genre) for a couple of weeks is proof of it's anticipated success.

I recommend playing GOW2 without utilizing any Walkthroughs... unless you are desparately stuck in a particular stage/level & you are really in need of some kind of assistance. GOW1 players will have fairly higher chances in completing this saga without any guides.
Anyways, consulting a Walkthrough is unneccesary as every aspect of the game is made simple by the creative designers.

Additionally it gets your andrenaline pumping whenever an enemy abruptly "greets" you and wishes to pound on you or slice you up when you least expected.

Everything about the game is terrific. From the cinematic music composition to the Fight's/Battles to the voice-over narration (of the God GAIA).

In foresight, spending a minimum of 22 hours (average) to complete GOW2 is the norm in "SPARTAN" difficulty.

So, sit back. Slowly enjoy & savour every last bit of this Epic adventure & it's remarkable intriguing storyline.


Authored by SPYKER_R
06-June-2007
Please seek permission if you would like to publish this review. Thanx :)

(Next review coming up- TEST DRIVE:UNLIMITED)

Strength

Graphics, Sound, Gameplay & Story-line are second to none.
Best fantasy action-adventure game thus far.
Weakness

Pretty Minor stuff like...

1) Difficult mobility during clinging onto walls.

2) The view of the character is obscured when a larger enemy's Rear-end (like a Cyclops) is facing you & you are in front of the enemy.

3) Not enough Cut-Scenes. I love GOW's Cut-Scenes.