A Great Follow-Up to a Classic
For those who missed the near-perfect first game, you play as Kratos, who ascended to Olympus as the new God of War after killing Ares, the original God of War in the first game. At the start of the second game you continue to be at odds with the other gods and are sent back to Earth and stripped of your powers. Like the first game your quest is for revenge, this time your target being Zeus. Both games feature loads of creatures, locations and story bits from the Greek myths.
Again, for the uninitiated, Kratos is a killing machine, using dual blades that are affixed to his arms. Over time you collect orbs to upgrade this and other weapons, as well as magic abilities you acquire during your quest. You have basic attacks set to face buttons, jump and double jump, block and a variety of combos. As you progress your abilities additional combos are unlocked. The game also features context-sensitive gameplay elements that require precise button presses and left-stick motions to complete. Some of these are required to beat sections of the game, others are merely fun ways to finish off enemies. The controls are easy to pick up and the combos easily become second nature.
There are more boss battles this time around, an equal number of puzzles, maybe none as fun as the first game's Pandora's hallway, but a few are quite tricky. In additional to the first game's wall climbing there are now some platforming challenges that require a certain power you'll receive along the way.
God of War II doesn't have the same "punch" of the first game if you've played it. By that I mean the first game really came out of nowhere with it's combination of action and adventure, so you won't be so amazed this time. But the bottom line is the game is fun, full of magic and a must-play for any action fan.
Before wrapping up I need to list some annoyances which lead to my 9.3 score. Once again there are a number of platforming challenges that leave less than a second leeway to beat and are thus frustrating. The ceiling climbing can be annoying as your controls are shifted. There are also a few secrets that become near impossible (and some impossible to me) because of the fixed camera. Once again blocking is hit-or-miss at best, and often just never works as expected. The first game's story was better (and that's excluding this game's conclusion which will remind you of another game's part two finale). I also enjoyed the stylistic cut-scenes used more often in the first game.
In conclusion God of War II features great action, storytelling, voice and music along with puzzles and platforming. The game is so much fun that you will want to try it again, in either Bonus Mode or at one of the higher difficulty levels. There are additional challenges available and a whole second disc of behind-the-scenes material. I'd probably score the game a 9.4 or 9.5 if I could get the attributes aligned properly, but overall it is a great game that is just not as revolutionary as the first but a must-play nevrtheless.