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Friday 8 February, 2008
GAMEPLAY
God of War 2 continues to live up to its predecessor. The game gets the adrenaline pumping, especially on hard mode. My heart was pumping after various crucial battles. Kratos is gaining new powers which are just as cool if not cooler than the first games. The powers this time are granted by the Titans, who have vowed to help Kratos on his quest to destroy the Gods (Zeus killed Kratos in the first level, but the Titans have granted him new life and have agreed to help him seek revenge on the Zeus).
The combat continues to impress me. The variety of methods available to kill enemies is more than any action gamer could ask for. Each killing move is just as brutal and twisted as the next. I find myself rolling out of the way of a cyclops attack only to bust out a fantastic slashing combo, which feels very seamless.
DESIGN
The game world in God of War 2 is beautiful and vast. The graphics are arguably the best possible on the Playstation 2. The design of every area is incredibly convincing and elaborate, even more so than the first God of War. The environments are not only full and beleivable, they are also highly interactive, in that much of the surroundings are breakable after a few swings of your choice weapon. The aren't really levels, but each area is very unique and presents puzzles that are far from repetitive.
The art design for this game is extensive and beautiful. Every landscape is full of rich detail and context. It seems as though everything is placed somewhere for a purpose, not just as filler. I would compare the game to the movie 300 (assuming the reader considers 300 a good movie), in that each scene is aesthetically pleasing as well as incredibly bad ass.
The game does not bring a huge number of new elements to the table in light of the original God of War, but this is by no means a bad thing, in the sense that is hard to make a perfect game any more perfect.
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