Flak Magazine: God of War II, 06-28-07

The rich literary tradition of Greek mythology has withstood the test of time for over two millennia, telling the tale of gods and monsters that shaped our world when they weren't busy killing each other. Under such volatile conditions, one can understand the underdog plight of a seething Spartan warrior whose sheer rage and puzzle-solving abilities lead him to slay Ares, thus becoming deified as the god of war himself. This is the story of Kratos, as told in 2005's highly acclaimed video game, God of War by Sony's Santa Monica studio. The game is largely considered to be one of the best action games to date, a stylishly gory and well-paced adventure that rips through and reinvents the world of Greek mythology. Those are some big sandals to fill, but the freshly released sequel strives to obtain a similarly divine status.

God of War II picks up with our angsty antihero wielding his newfound god status with a vengeance. Kratos, seemingly mad with power and mad at the world, commands his Spartan armies to unrelentingly destroy every city in their path. As you can imagine, the rest of the staff on Mount Olympus aren't too pleased with the new guy's performance, and it doesn't take long for the boss to bring down the thunder. Zeus knocks Kratos off his throne, as well his mortal coil, leaving the Titan Gaia to rescue him from the underworld for her own purposes. Though now stripped of his godlike powers, Kratos returns to the land of the living to do what he does best: exacting revenge on larger-than-life legends through sheer rage and puzzle-solving abilities.

Yes, Kratos' latest quest for revenge contains many of the tried-and-true ingredients that made the first game a success, and rookie director Cory Barlog and his team built on this solid foundation with amazing results. The game is extremely easy to pick up and play thanks to its monumental opening scene in which Kratos topples the gigantic Colossus of Rhodes. The graphics are undeniably gorgeous, with everything from the smallest Greek column to the massively intimidating Colossus rendered in striking detail. Kratos catapults himself onto the head of the stone giant to deal out savage beatings about its face and neck, all accompanied by a lavish, percussion-heavy orchestral score. Amazingly, this battle doubles as a tutorial for new or slightly rusty player, but more importantly it's an extremely gripping and satisfying introduction that sets the tone for the rest of the game. And indeed, this mix of swift gameplay, stunning presentation and over-the-top action is maintained throughout the adventure.

The game manages to control the quality of the experience at the cost of being unflinchingly linear. Outside of what weapons you choose to use and upgrade, the path is a strictly point-A-to-point-B proceeding, with no place for free will in between. But any roller coaster aficionado can tell you that linearity doesn't necessarily mean boredom. The calculated combination of level design, lighting and camera work seamlessly guides the player to the next destination with little ambiguity or frustration. The camera system deserves particular praise; the game offers no camera controls, instead using the levels' set paths to its advantage, consistently creating perfect perspectives on the action and uncommonly well-composed shots that showcase the grandiose scenery. As a result, the experience feels very intentionally directed and well-polished, which is quite refreshing compared to the dirge of mediocre open-ended, do-anything "sandbox" games spawned by the popularity of the Grand Theft Auto series.

Just because Kratos' path is straightforward, that doesn't mean it's a cakewalk. Your bloody skirmishes against the various creatures and heroes from Greek mythology can provide a quite a challenge, particularly at the higher difficulty settings. Thankfully, opportunities to save and in-game checkpoints are plentiful. Rarely will you be egregiously set back if Kratos meets his demise while trying to rip the eye out of a cyclops or putting Theseus in his place. Between battles, when you aren't finding secret treasures or chewing on the scenery, you'll be faced with plenty of obstructions that can only be passed through some arcane system of sliding blocks and switches. Unfortunately, these puzzles are fairly standard fare for most veteran gamers and seem a little out of character for such an action-before-thought chap like Kratos. However, much like the occasional story-building cutscenes, they're generally well-conceived and effectively balance the pacing between the brutal battles.

Even after you follow the game to its enjoyable but somewhat cliffhanger ending, there's still more to explore. The game offers plenty of unlockable features such as an arena-based challenge mode as well as other incentives to play through the story more than once. In addition to the game disc, the price of admission also includes a separate DVD loaded with a number of fairly insightful documentary vignettes on the various processes and people behind the development of the game. The short pieces go a long way in building an appreciation for the creative process that goes into such a game, not to mention the ridiculous amount of effort.

But those efforts weren't for naught, as God of War II manages to meet the prior games lofty standards and raise them. There are few legitimate criticisms against the game, including its abundance of repetitive violence and lack of anything truly original to the medium. Though coincidently, the game's release comes in the wake of the similarly Greek-mythology-derived movie 300. While their actual ties end at their source material, there's no denying their kindred approach to entertainment. Neither was attempting to be particularly thought-provoking, but they do in equal parts remind us of the juvenilely macho pleasures of indiscriminately kicking ass and looking good.

— Marcus Trapp (marcustrapp at gmail dot com)