Wow this game is awesome.
User Rating: 10 | God of War (Greatest Hits) PS2
God of War is definitely one of the best action games of 2005. It is just plain fun and offers many thrills without getting boring. The premise of the game is ancient Greece, where you play as a Spartan Warrior, Kratos, who is on a quest to destroy the god of war Ares. The game starts with a cinematic where Kratos claims the Gods have abandoned him and jumps to his death in the sea. The game starts two weeks earlier where you start off in the Agean Sea and destroy the Hydra. After this you make your way through Athens, the desert, and many other areas that offer a great deal of variety. The gameplay for this game is perfect. The controls feel sublime and are easy to pick up when you start, but it takes time to master the system and whip out multi-hundred hit combos. The controls can range from a straight up button masher to a deep and intricate combo system. For the bulk of the game the only weapon available is the Blades of Chaos, until Artemis's sword is received. Your blades are totally awesome. They are basically two swords attached to each arm by chains. They are very versatile and can be used in close, medium, and long range combat. They aren't the only thing you can use in this game though. You also get magic spells from the Gods at different points throughout the game that include a lightning attacks to summoning the souls of Hades. Though the combat is the basic attack and kill, there are also many minigames that are included to finish off tough enemy's. These include ripping off Medusa's head to stabbing Minotaurs in the throat. To mix up the gameplay there are also many simple puzzles that don't feel tacked on, but like they are truly meant to be there. My only complaint is that the boss battles are fun, but there aren't enough of them to feel complete. Plus the last one is a total pushover. Overall the gameplay in this game is superb. Another superb thing in this game are the graphics. The blood is a little arcade like but everything else has a really realistic look to it. The enemies can be very intimidating at many points and the backgrounds are really, really photorealistic. The soundtrack from God of War is excellent with the symphony kicking in at the right time with the right music. And the enemies are very loud and scary with their inhuman roars. Although there are no really excellent extras you just want to play the game over and over again. All in all this game is a great achievement that shouldn't be missed by anyone. 
