GAMING REVIEW

God of War II

RATINGS Quality Geekness

God of War II brings back Kratos, who's just vanquished Ares, the God of War. For all those who didn't know that, it's time to pick up the original God of War, because it was one of the best games ever for the PS2. For everyone else, get ready for even more of everything that made God of War great ... plus a bit more.

Everything about this title screams testosterone-soaked masculinity. You are a big hulking mangod with enormous weapons, who battles massive creatures the likes of which could only be seen in myth. Enemies are not just killed, they are obliterated. Blood doesn't just spill, it splatters the screen like a coat of fresh paint. It's gory and delicious from the first enemy to the last. This title is M for Mature, and it is unapologetic about that.

Graphically, this game muddies the line between last-gen and this gen. There are some moments when you're looking at puddle-drips in a pool of water, dust shining through window light, or some other seemingly subtle detail and you think, "Wow. This is still a PS2 game." Fire effects, lightning during magic use--everything, really--is just impressive. What a swan song!

Kratos's movements are fluid, and there's no visible slow-down even when pulling off insane combos. And all the insane combos that you knew and loved in the original are back, and with a vengeance. Each time Kratos strikes an enemy without being hit, red orbs fly out. Keep striking enemies and you'll really increase your orb totals. Luckily, there are enough foot soldiers for you to let out some serious aggression.

In many titles with a super-strong überhero, the gameplay devolves into hack-and-slash button-mashing. Kratos help you if you feel that way about God of War II. There are plenty of interesting combos to pull off, and you may find some of them by button-mashing, but you'll need to take a more judicious approach to button-pushing if you want to really master Kratos.

That being said, the game does sometimes challenge you to button-mash your way through opening up doors and as part of some of the boss mini-games, which have also returned. May I suggest using your index finger for the button-mashing if it hasn't already been suggested to you. If you use your thumb you may be on the disabled list for some time.

After you deal enough damage to a boss, the screen will display one of the four buttons (triangle, circle, X, square), and you'll have to press that button near the downed boss to trigger a mini-game. Suddenly a string of buttons will appear, and you'll have to hit the appropriate button at the right time. Do so and you'll perform some kind of amazing attack that will make the boss wish it had messed with anybody else that day. Fail and you'll probably have to do it all over again.

The checkpoint and save system is nothing short of genius--it's almost as if the developers could read my mind. It's not like the game has any particularly tedious tasks, but there are times in some games when you've accomplished something truly great but there's no save slot in sight. If you've played any video game then you probably know what I mean. In God of War II, each time I died and thought, "Please don't make me do that again," the game would return me to just beyond the "How did I do that?" point. That's impressive. Save points, meanwhile, always seem to be just where they should be, too; as in, right after a string of perhaps a dozen "How did I do that?" points.

To get through this unending stream of impressive moments you are going to need quite an arsenal, and--wouldn't you know--you have some pretty slick weapons. You start off the game as a god, so it would be fairly disappointing if you had some neutered weapon and had to work your way all the way up to something worthwhile. Instead, the game starts you off with some pretty devastating gear and then ramps it up and up and up.

Once again, you also have magic at your disposal--mapped to the L2 key. When you press the button, Kratos lets off a scream that's surprisingly chilling: "I am the God of War." It might look somewhat silly on paper, but you'll feel it in your spine if you have the right sound setup.

As in the original, there are many treasure chests to open, some of which contain magic orbs. There are also chests that give you health, and, as you may have guessed, there are times when you really need them. Most times, though, you'll generate a lot of your health and magic by striking bosses. The big baddies always seem so willing to dole out oodles of each right before laying down a brutal Godsmack.

Back also are the puzzles--some tried and true, and some that'll have you scratching your head for a few minutes. They don't disappoint. If anything, you'll be patting yourself on the back for figuring it out, or possibly wondering why you hadn't thought of it sooner. The design is such that every time you've just thwacked a bunch of foot soldiers you'll get a puzzle. This breaks up the gameplay, so there's a good amount of thinking combined with an amazing amount of killing. That keeps both elements fresh, so you're never left feeling like you're just plodding through the same ol' same ol'.

Conclusion
If you are 18+ with a PS2, God of War II is a surefire, must-have title. Buy this game, pop it into your PS2/PS3, and enjoy. It's one of the best decisions you could make. Offices across America will be short-staffed because people will call in sick to solve one more puzzle, defeat one more boss, etc. Don't say I didn't warn you.

This is a bloody title, however, and it is not one that belongs in the hands of a youngster. The ESRB is a voluntary ratings system that's designed to let adults play games like God of War. Don't buy this game for a young child because it might be too much for him or her.

Ratings Defense
For Quality, I gave God of War II 4.5 Geekheads out of 5. It's hard to find fault with a title this good, but I think it's just short of perfect. As a PS3 owner I somewhat wish the title were an early wave PS3 game, but I understand why it had to be a PS2 title. God of War II pushes the envelope for a console that's in the living room of most gamers. If the PS3 version had any dents in its armor, people would be turned off; instead the team will have years to exploit the PS3 code. If anyone can harness all the power of the PS3 it is this team. I took away a half-Geekhead because the graphics are limited by the PS2 hardware and fell short of what I expect for a full 5 Geekheads title.

For Geekness I gave God of War II 4 Geekheads. Geeks can appreciate the mastery of computer code better than anyone, and it's clear the developers squeezed every bit of performance out of the PS2. I can't wait to see what they can do with the PSP and, eventually, the PS3. Also, can it get much geekier than having a real-life weakling play out his or her fantasies as a God? I bumped the game down a Geekhead because this sequel was not as innovative as its predecessor. God of War broke down the door; God of War II just walked through.

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