Sam & God of War 2

I first heard about the God of War series when hype for the GOW3 release began. I heard the story line and found the mythical Greek elements intriguing but I didn't have a PS3! Instead, I bought GOW2 for PS2 and was surprised by the graphics! I had already done my research and watched trailers, teasers and interviews and drooled over the concept art. So, it was like finding treasure when I opened the pack and there was a special feature disk waiting for me.

You don't need to know the whole story to play, but it's not hard to catch up from the start either. The character of Kratos holds the guilt and vengeance of a beast so to play/act that side of a character is a great experience. The weapons are fun and the brutal kills top off my adrenaline. The music moves you forward like a king to his warriors in battle, but it also lets you pause to feel pathos for Kratos - until you go onto more neck-ripping, sword thrashing moments. The artists did a tremendous job of creating environments and characters with a Greek likeness. Every sacred monument, costume, weapon and creature has an element of originality tweaked from the initial mythical story of Greek Gods.

God of War gameplay isn't my absolute favourite. I do enjoy the puzzles; They're not too easy or hard. But when I arrive at each boss it kills me to see symbols pop up on my screen; It ruins the moment really. I suppose they make up for it with the dramatic and amusing quick times though. The cyclops eye-rip has become a Press favourite. My second peeve is the text pop-ups that instruct you throughout the game. The font is almost illegible because of their choice of size and style.

Overall, God of War is a fun game with a great plot filled with history, myth and fantastic art. Even if you're not a big gamer like myself, you will appreciate the work put into this game. I can't help but wonder what possibilities could arise if it became 2 player. Definitely check out the bonus disk to see the characters, environments and levels that didn't make the final cut.

Details:
Released in North America: March 2007
Genre: Action-Adventure
Single Player
Director: Cory Barlog
ESRB: M 17+
Sony