When Being Bad is So, So Good
Your protagonist is Kratos, fierce warrior of Sparta, in ancient Greece. This pale-skinned warrior, streaked in bright red tattoos, carries a pair of amazing weapons called the Blades of Chaos. These whip-like weapons allow Kratos to spin and twirl in all sorts of directions as he beats down the enemies that oppose him. Called into the service of Athena, goddess of wisdom, Kratos intends on no less of a task then slaying a god -- Ares, the god of war.
The game is astounding in its rich colors and sharp graphical flair. Opening a window into a fantasized version of Greece from ages past, the game's creators have almost made it a quasi-Heavy Metal vision, with bloodthirsty monsters and beautiful women. Nothing -- no screenshots, no game footage, nothing -- can describe just HOW good the game looks on your screen. That the PS2 is capable of pushing graphics like these is nothing short of astounding.
The story is quite good, and I won't ruin any of it here, but I will say that Kratos seems a very torn figure -- a vile anti-hero at one moment, and a compassionate figure at the next. Unfolding in stages along the way in a Memento-esque fashion, you watch Kratos' past begin to catch up with him, and you find yourself playing more and more, not only to reach the next section of the game, but also to turn the next page of the story, to find out what happens next. Would that all games were this good.
in the sound department, the music does a nice job of balancing tight action and the slower platforming or puzzle sequences. The sound effects can sometimes sound repetitive, but such complaints are very minor in comparison to the excellence in the rest of the game.
The difficulty of the game will depend on the player, but most challenges felt very satisfying to conquer. The combat "mini-games" are a nice change of pace from endless combos and button mashing, and the ability to use or bypass them is a nice surprise. The collection of puzzles that break up the combat and platforming elements are incredibly well done, and some border on the sadistic in their nature, by forcing you to think ahead, and requiring more then just a fast button press.
The 'sexual' content lauded (or reviled) in this game is minor, at best -- it's less than you can see in some PG-13 rated movies. Eye candy for some, it doesn't detract from the game, and adds a different sort of mature flavor that's sorely lacking in the games of today. What earns the game its Mature rating is, without a doubt, the combat. Fountains of blood and gore, decapitations, torn limbs, and more: it's all here, and it's all very graphic.
God of War is the sort of action game that every adult PS2 owner who even REMOTELY enjoys an action game has to try. You won't regret it.