"A great sequel, far surpassing the first"

Now, I am a huge Greek mythology fan, so its no surprise that I really love this game. God of War II isn't as faithful to mythology as I would've liked it to be, but I think that is part of the appeal. It gives a different rendition as to what I'm used to. I did play the original God of War, and while it was great itself, this game goes beyond the original and lifts the bar for future God of War games.

STORY - 8/10
I found the original God of War to be all gameplay and very little story. The entire plot was very basic and quite stereotypical for heroic Greek legends. A soldier gives his life to a God and accidentally kills his family. Not very unique, but entertaining nonetheless. However, God of War II brings you back into the shoes of Kratos and makes you really want to kick some God ass. One thing I didn't like was the time-travelling aspect of the game. Another is the fact that Kratos spends the entire game searching out the Fates. The entire story just leaves you desiring more. Unfortunately, we'll have to wait quite a while for God of War III. Things I liked about the story is the mass amount of character bosses you face off against. Legendary Greek characters such as Perseus, Icarus, Euryale, and Theseus are all very interesting as boss characters, another aspect the original game lacked.

GRAPHICS - 10/10
I was not disappointed in the least with the graphics of God of War II. The biggest attraction in terms of graphics is the stunning environment the player travels in. Each area is so incredibly detailed, I'm shocked my lunky old Playstation 2 could handle the graphics engine. The character models are equally impressive, as well as the character designs. The Fates each have frightening appearances, something I thought would never happen when I thought of them. Atropos had to be my favorite character design in the game, followed by Euryale. I was also impressed with the various Titans the game introduces. I hope we'll see more of them in the third installment. There's also a LOT of blood, which might turn off some people. I know my friend hates to watch me play because she doesn't like to see the blood and gore. It's very fake gore, though (and trust me when I say this -- I can't stand realistic gore at all). Lastly, the touchiest subject when it comes to the God of War series: the boobies. As a gay man, I don't really care to see the breasts, but I must say, they seemed to put a lot of work into them. I didn't like what Lahkesis [sic] was wearing, though. One boobie hanging out the side of her dress? What was she thinking?

SOUND - 10/10
Almost as impressive as the graphics is the music. Each fit the scene very well, and I'm not quite sure if they recycled a lot of the songs from the first game, but if they did it still works. The sound effects are great, as well. Voice acting is top notch, and I'm glad most of the voices from the first game returned in this. Normally, a game has at least one bad voice actor, but I can't think of one. Each matched their character perfectly, even very minor characters. I have to give a shout out to the new Sirens, though. They were wicked, and whoever did their singing gets mad props.

GAMEPLAY - 9/10
If you liked the first God of War's gameplay, you'll love the second's. It's basically the same thing, only with more powers and weapons. In fact, I found that there were too MANY powers. I couldn't keep track of them all! I'd be halfway through a battle and just remember that I had Rage of the Titans on full bar. I also found myself not using magic very much, unless I absolutely needed to. Boss battles are amazing, and a definite improvement in comparison to the first game, which only featured three major boss battles. There are also plenty of new combos added, which is nifty. My only complaint is: too much climbing! I can't stand climbing walls every five seconds, but God of War II had a lot of it. However, there are MUCH less instant-death traps, and I was very happy about that. The original game had me biting my nails constantly because I couldn't make it through a trap (remember the spiked wall in Hades? Ugh, I certainly do).

REPLAY VALUE - 8/10
There's quite a bit to do after you beat the game. Lots of various difficulty, plus an unlockable one. Unlockable costumes (plus skins of Hercules and Athena) are awesome, and there's lots of bonus material. The game comes with a second disc which has a lot of background on God of War II, featuring interviews, artwork, and other assorted nuggets that is a fun way to pass an hour if you're bored. Basically, if you're a fan of Greek mythology or action/survival games in general, you'll probably like this game, if you can stomach the blood and gore.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 03/19/07