I didn't know the PS2 was capable of such feats. God of war is a must-have (with some tiny gripes). *long review*
GOW wants the player to truly feel like a part of the character. If the character is opening something as simple as a treasure chest, the game asks you to hold down the button. When it comes to opening up a gate, you must "struggle" by repeatedly mashing the action button. There's even a part in the game where you get to play a minigame to "hang around" with the women in bed and it's hilarious. The context sensitivity of the game does not feel like it is a predetermined ride, there are even animations provided where the wrong context sensitive buttons are pressed - this is mostly with fighting enemies of course.
The camera never gets in the way except for one part of the game where the puzzle seemed unsolvable - I'm speaking of the area where you are rescuing the oracle. Other than that the camera pans beautifully. I've played a game (called Rygar) that does this well but GOW does it so much better. I think GOW hired a great cinematographer/art director to do many of the in-game shots. GOW developers have rose the bar in graphics. In most games you see detail where the water is next to the wall. In GOW, you see the water react to the walls. You see dust and sparks when blades run across. There are even parts of the game where you'll wonder how they were able to produce that kind of polygon count with a high frame rate...and this is with large textured areas to where you're fighting several enemies. What kind of engine is this thing running on? You can just tell that the developers spent a ton of time letting the player know they can enjoy their surroundings as much as the killing. Cliffs truly feel like cliffs and even the puzzles are extremely intricate and articulate. They are very cool to look at and it's even more satifying to solve.
What really boggles my mind is that there is almost no loading times. Because of this, the pacing is incredible. The puzzles make a lot of sense and they work in context with the game. Sometimes its good to have a time when a breather is needed after all that killing. Kratos is put in so many different situations that it is a blast to get through them.
Sound not only is pleasing to the ears but also plays an interactive part within the game as well. This is especially true when you reach the "desert" stage. Background music definitely matches well with the game considering GOW's universe. and the sound effects are outstanding.
GOW learned from other games where players are mostly frustrated. Save games and checkpoints are everywhere. If you die, you will be 5-10 seconds away from where you started. There are just so many checkpoints and save areas that it makes it too easy to continue and too easy to get addicted to this game. I know, I've played 10 hours straight. Not typical of the kind of gaming I do. Coupled with almost no loading times, even from a savegame point, you have the makings of a very immersive game. However there are parts of the game that will really test your patience. *SPOILER ALERT* In one part of the game you literally go through hell. This is where some players may encounter some serious frustration. In my case, I have finally finished the game but only after I have repeatedly cursed at the TV and thrown my controller around. Remember those days when your character dies from falling off a cliff or something and you would be very close to the end of the level...only to start back at the checkpoint? Trust me. You'll know when you get there. Thankfully, the level is not too long. Just remember to be patient when reaching this level. Since passing that level, I've always wondered if that was the game designer's joke of frustrating the player. Either way, that part of it is short. Just remember to go slow and be patient.
On an entirely different note, some puzzles are literally using shapes. You'll swear you're playing Tetris.
* END SPOILER*
As for everything else, the animations are varied and interactive with all the enemies. Some enemies have 2 death animations some have more. They are a joy to watch by spectators but alot more fun when you're the person holding the controller.
The game conveys a great sense of scale that you're just this little powerful peon in eyes of the gods. There is even a part in the game where a whole mountain is tied on top of a titan and you scale the mountain. Upon entering the mountain, you'll feel you're in a separate world. The areas are so vast and detailed it still makes me wonder how the developers can make everything detailed and grand with barely a second of loading, if any.
The story is also gripping. The cutscenes are well conceived and well voiced. They are not long and drawn out sequences that you see in other games but even the transition from in-game cutscenes to CGI is seemless. The CGI is also very comparable and high quality. Expect Blizzard style CGI quality. As you go through the game, you learn more about Kratos' deep past but more importantly you'll understand his motives and his calling.
There are a couple of games that have a great story, great gameplay and beautiful graphics but GOW takes it up a notch and packages it with such flair it can't be missed. radcastro.com
EDIT: Played it the second time around and finished the game. The camera problems I had earlier with the two statues/oracle were gone. Before, I didn't see the statues at all - the character and statues would be out of the camera's view when finding the statues.