"A thrilling action adventure game that focuses a bit too much on its lame story."

2005's God of War was definitely one of the more popular and acclaimed games of the year. While not an exceptional achievement, God of War was for many a refreshing and satisfying experience. Naturally, the anticipation for God of War II was sky-high, and in comparison to the original game, the hype was well placed, as God of War II is better than the original in pretty much every meaningful facet.

God of War ended with the protagonist Kratos throwing himself to his own death after the gods of Greek lore refuse to grant him one wish after over ten years of loyal service. Athena, one of the gods of Olympus, saves Kratos's life and grants him a throne in Olympus as the God of War. Time passes and the gods are less than pleased with Kratos's responsibility as an immortal and the king of gods, Zeus, tricks Kratos into a trap, ultimately costing Kratos his very own life. With aid from the Titans, Kratos is revived and escapes Hades in search of the three sisters of Fate, who may grant Kratos the ability to travel back to the moment of his death and defeat Zeus.

Unfortunately, the storyline sounds way better than it does in execution. The storytelling, like the first game, is poor at best and the game doesn't take any shocking or interesting turns. The characterization of the gods and Titans, while novel, isn't particularly impressive in any way. Kratos, as the lead character, manages to be even more unlikable than in the first game, as he continues to lack even the most basic traits of appreciation and common sense. Additionally, there are numerous inexcusable plot holes that plague God of War II. While these don't ruin the game by any means, it's bothersome that the conflict's many cut-scenes don't go to much compelling use. The storyline does its job, but from the game's opening to the frustrating ending, it never does anything outstanding.

Be thankful we aren't talking about a movie though, because God of War II delivers in spades where a video game should; in the gameplay. As Kratos, the player has access to dozens upon dozens of visually stunning, violently satisfying and gruesomely visceral attacks. While four melee weapons may not sound too interesting, the depth and variety of each weapon is astounding. God of War veterans will recall the myriad of moves that accompanied Kratos's Blades of Chaos in the first. Deeper than ever, his signature weapons return in the form of the Blades of Athena. While the other melee tools are known as “sub-weapons” in the game, don't let that fool you into thinking they're much less spectacular to use than the Blades themselves. Even more striking is when you consider the special abilities and magic attacks for Kratos to use, from an ethereal bow to summoning devastating earthquakes or deflecting attacks into a crowd of deadly foes. Plus, each and every magic attack and weapon can be upgraded so your favorite ways to slaughter your adversaries will never be too dull or too weak.

The combat in God of War II wouldn't be complete without the amazing blood and gore that makes each and every kill a feast for the eyes. Whether it be ripping a zombie in half, slicing a demon to pieces with his own arm or crushing a hero's head in a doorway, Kratos has no lack of incredible fatalities at his disposal. One of the biggest complains about God of War was its lack of boss battles, but God of War II fixes this by delivering a large set of excellently paced boss bouts that all manage to be challenging and enjoyable. Returning to make these fights all the more cinematic are the mini-game sequences in which Kratos will get up close and personal to an enemy and the player must follow the on-screen guidelines to successfully wound or finish off a pesky fiend, though these moments are always entertaining, they are fortunately never aggravating.

But God of War II isn't just senselessly slaughtering creatures. As fun as that is, the game also contains some sharp level design. Kratos's second journey, even more so than the first, is littered with clever puzzles and enough heart-pounding acrobatic platforming segments to make the Prince of Persia swell with envy. There's really no shortage of diversity among the way Kratos travels whether it be via maiming, jumping, swimming, swinging, climbing or even flying.

Visually speaking, God of War II ranks among the best the PS2 can muster; a rock-solid sixty frames per second, dazzling effects, a sound collection of extremely well animated character models, and some astonishing set pieces to fight across. However, many of the cut-scenes could most definitely look prettier, as they are border-line ugly. Regardless, not many games will push your PS2 harder than God of War II. To escort the dashing graphics is the competent sound. Thrilling and blood-pumping, epic battle tracks with fantastic and clean sound effects that would not be complete without some above-par voice acting. While Kratos is played out very finely, the other characters aren't quite as thundering or well performed. The voiceovers are not bad by any means, but there are certainly more remarkable story presentations out there.

Another one of God of War's glaring flaws was its short length. God of War II is now a meatier adventure of about eleven hours. Not extremely long, but still serviceable, as there is a lot crammed into that eleven hours. Plus, God of War II offers more replay value with seven bonus costumes, a challenge mode and an absurdly hard all new Titan mode. Hardcore God of War fans will be kept busy for a while to justify the fifty dollar price tag, but it may be wise for more humble gamers to go for a rental or wait for a price drop.

In all, God of War II is a success. It trumps the original in just about every way. This makes for a great game no doubt, but the new improvements don't go too terribly far in crafting a ground-breaking product. The gameplay is awesome with production values to match, but for many, the experience is still fairly short-lived and the storyline still fails to do justice to the lavish way it's told.

Gameplay: 9
Graphics: 9
Sound: 8
Replay Value: 7
Storyline: 5

Overall: 8/10

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 03/19/07