A cinematic, action-packed experience that is sure to please players of all abilities - from casual to hardcore.
Does that sound like it could make a good script for a movie? Perhaps... but God of War is (as I am sure you already know) a video game that is exclusive for the Playstation 2. To be perfectly honest with you though, as I played through the game, it sometimes felt like I was watching a movie... The graphics in God of War are some of the finest to ever grace the Playstation 2 console, and the way in which the camera positions itself around the player-character (often invoking a feeling as if you are running along amidst the backdrop of a vast and epic landscape) serves only to make the experience all the more cinematic and immersive.
At its core, God of War is an action-adventure game with some elements of platforming and puzzle-solving. The combat system in the game is very intuitive, whereby even the most casual or inexperienced of individuals should be able to "pick-up-and-play" and immediately start stringing together combos and dispatching enemies with ease. Enemies that are defeated in the game produces Red Orbs, which the player can use towards upgrading Kratos's primary weapons - two dual-wielded swords called the "Blades of Chaos." As the player progresses through the game, he will acquire new abilities and weapons that can also be upgraded with Red Orbs. In addition to defeating enemies, there are numerous chests (some of them well-hidden) scattered throughout the game world that contain Red Orbs.
Logically, the enemies that one will encounter become successively tougher and stronger as the game progresses. However, an average player should be able to defeat all of the game's various enemies with relative ease. All enemies have a distinctive attack pattern that is easily memorized; and thus, easily blocked or counter-attacked. In contrast to combat with basic enemies, the boss fights in God of War (though they are few and far between) are epic in scale and very intense. These fights are often times a combination of straight-up fighting through the use of Kratos's combos, as well as the executing of context-sensitive button presses that come up after a certain amount of damage or conditions have been met.
It should be noted that often times there is a tendency of games in this genre to degenerate into button-mashing fests, and God of War is certainly no exception to this. However, what sets God of War apart is its accommodating difficulty level. At the default difficulty setting, even a completely inexperienced player would be able to complete the entire game simply by button-mashing. For the average or experienced gamer, any aspects of the game that one would find challenging are more often than not just simply a matter of there being an overwhelming number of enemies on-screen at once, or due to the game's platforming sequences.
God of War has several platforming sequences that one must successfully complete in order to progress in the game. Most are fairly simple (i.e. literally just jumping from one platform to another) while others can be more challenging (i.e. tip-toeing across narrow wooden beams while avoiding and jumping over deadly, rotating saws). Perhaps what makes some of these sequences challenging is not the platforming itself, but because it is impossible to control the camera. The camera in God of War is fixed, and while this certainly makes for the aforementioned cinematic experience that I mentioned at the beginning of this review, I recall several times during playing that I wished I could move the camera angle to a position I found more suitable. With that said, however, it is difficult to say exactly just how difficult the more challenging platforming sequences are, as there tends to be a lot of variability among player's skills in these regards. Some individuals may complete them without even giving it a second thought, while others may throw down their controller in frustration after falling to their death for the umpteenth time.
In addition to platforming sequences, there are also a few puzzles that one must solve in order to progress in the game. These can range from having Kratos simply pulling a lever or stepping on a switch in order to open a door, to things such as having Kratos push a box or heavy pillar to use as a stepping-stone to get to an otherwise unreachable area. Most of these are very straight-forward and simply require just a little bit of imagination on the part of the player. In the unlikely event, however, that one should ever get stuck with a puzzle; one can simply consult the many numerous walk-thrus/FAQs written for God of War on the internet.
Overall, the platforming and puzzle sequences serve as a nice "break" from combat, and they are usually implemented in such a way that they rarely (if never) detract from the flow of the action. At its core, however, the focus in God of War is very much on the action, so any individuals who happen to be hoping for a game that has many numerous and varied puzzles may find themselves a little bit disappointed in what God of War offers.
It is also worth mentioning that for hardcore gamers or action-adventure aficionados who have breezed through challenging action-adventure titles such as Ninja Gaiden, the default difficulty of God of War may be a little underwhelming. To compensate for this, there is a "Very Hard" difficulty setting that can be unlocked after completing the game once on the default difficultly setting.
Speaking of unlockables, God of War contains a greater-than-average number of unlockables such as "Making-of documentaries," special costumes, and other secrets that will be almost sure to make "completists" (individuals who like to unlock everything/finish everything 100%, etc.) pretty happy. For the average gamer, completing the game once may be enough for some, while others may be inclined to take on the challenge of a higher difficulty setting. For casual gamers, one play-through is probably the extent that most individuals would get out of God of War.
To summarize:
+ Beautiful graphics
+ "Pick-up-and-play" control scheme (very low learning curve)
+ Intuitive combat system (easy to immediately start putting together combos)
+ A lot of action
+ Epic and intense boss battles
+ Unlockables (replay-value)
- Player cannot control the camera
- Some platform sequences can be frustrating
- Not enough boss fights
+/- Default difficulty too easy for hardcore gamers