Forget Devil May Cry. Forget Prince of Persia. If you haven't played God of War, you're missing out.
User Rating: 9 | God of War (Greatest Hits) PS2
Anyone who thinks God of War is just another run-of-the-mill action game is dead wrong. This game’s superb weaving of mythology and epic combat comes together to create not only a great action game, but the greatest action game I have ever played. Forget Devil May Cry. Forget Prince of Persia. If you haven’t played God of War, you’re missing out. God of War is the story of a lone soldier named Kratos. Abandoned by the gods and torn from the wife and child he dearly loved, Kratos has decided to jump off the highest mountain in Athens, appropriately nicknamed Suicide Bluff. The game takes you back three weeks earlier, intent on revealing the reason Kratos has decided to do this deed. Immediately you discover that Kratos has been drafted to kill the god of war, Ares. Ares is currently destroying Athena’s city of Athens, and she hasn’t taken to well to the fact. Kratos agrees to this quest because the gods promise to forgive his sins, although what they are you cannot know just yet. The gameplay in God of War is largely combat-based, but like any action game, it also has its share of puzzles. Unlike other action games, God of War has managed to find a balance between satisfying combat and challenging puzzles. Just when you’ve had enough combat, there’s a puzzle to figure out. Just when you think you can’t take figuring the stupid puzzle out anymore, the answer becomes incredibly clear and there’s a horde of monsters waiting for you in the next room. In addition, God of War’s combat system is seamless and relatively simple. There are an extraordinary number of combos using Kratos’ signature blades, and a different kill move for each enemy that takes a bit of finesse to pull off. There are also four difficulty levels, so if you are bad at action games (like me), you can try the game out on easy mode and progress upwards if you’d like to get better. God Mode is the ultimate test, and only those truly worthy of Mount Olympus will succeed at beating the game on this difficulty level. The music and cinematic sequences in God of War make you feel like you’re watching a movie, not playing a game. The score fits the game and it’s different areas perfectly, and the cutscenes are flawless and gorgeously rendered. By the time you’re done playing, you’ll probably have to take a shower because you’ll feel as if you’re actually covered in blood. That’s how realistic and awe-inspiring this game’s graphics are. The voice-acting is also fantastic, which is a real treat, since a lot of games nowadays suffer from the curse of terrible voice-acting. There are plenty of pleasing sound effects and eye-popping visual effects, so anyone impressed by good technology won’t be disappointed. God of War also has a host of extra unlockables, including a Challenge of the Gods section that you can use to unlock extra costumes for Kratos (let’s hope there’s not a schoolgirl outfit in this one). In addition to the first set of unlockables, there’s a second set that you can only obtain after beating the game on the elusive God Mode. The game won’t be different the second time around, but the extra features do give a little more incentive to replay the game. Once you know where you’re going, you can breeze through the game in no time, since it’s relatively short. Anyone looking for an interesting game with a great story and great gameplay to boot needs to pick up God of War. 
