After playing Prince of Persia and Devil May Cry, it was only a matter of time before some sort of company would come along thinking they are Mr. big shot and create a hybrid. Well it happened, but this time it weren't any big shot, but the Sony Studios of Santa Monica and by the god's what have they done?!?!? Create a hybrid game obviously by the name of God of War and it rocks!!! Gameplay: 10/10 Similar to franchises like Devil May Cry, Castlevania and Prince of Persia, the game has the obvious look of inspiration from ancient Greek Mythology and the emphasis here is remarkable and somewhat realistic. God of War is heavy on the exploration, combat and puzzles which all mix together in a very fluid way, usually this wouldn't in a game as combat would usually be the focus point, but SCE of Santa Monica have captured everything in one! The game also has a strong storyline going for it and you could say that this is the usual Greek Mythology story of "Clash of the Titans" but God of War also equips the hero with a pair of sword-like chain weapons that can grab enemies, perform multi-hit combos, and pull off a variety of different aerial attacks. Each weapon can be upgraded with the Blades of Chaos being upgraded 5 times and Artemis Blade being upgraded 3 times. Plus a magic system is merged into combat too with powers such as "Poseidon’s Rage" and "Medusa's Gaze" with each 4 magic attacks being upgradeable too. God of War also features a somewhat medium emphasis on platforming, with jumping and dodging to get to your destination, the most noticeable is the Underworld which belongs to Hades. An energy system has been incorporated and allows for you to collect red orbs from your fallen foes which in turn can be used for upgrading. The fluidity of the combat is spectacular and is such a rarity that the only closest rival in terms of combat is Devil May Cry mixed with the savage kills in Prince of Persia and then upped a few notches to have a beast of a fighting game. Lastly, the boss battles are absolutely immense, the Hydra battle could possibly be one of the biggest and most savage boss battles i have encountered over the years of PS2 gaming! Overall, the gameplay is just too good for words and you would really need to play it to be able to experience the amount of gameplay elements that have been thrown in. A true classic and contender for the game of the year indefinitely. Sound: 9/10 Not much can be said for the music in this game apart from the fact that the classical orchestra mixed with some hints of rock really do work in this game. The mood can swing from just roaming around to being at full blast yet still retaining the classical focus point when in a battle but the ultimate climax is the boss battles. The Hydra battle is not only entertaining and extremely fun but the music going on in the background is just so...Greek, totally suits the battles and even the whole game. Overall, the music rocks and by suiting the game in every aspect, you can definitely enjoy the mood of the music as well as actually playing the game too . Graphics: 10/10 Graphics are always a topic when a new game comes out, "OMG, these graphics are like so horrible" and "OMG, these graphics are teh l33t!" and wherever you go, whatever you say, people will keep going on about the graphics of a game being the main selling point and in a slight aspect, they are as you want to play a good looking game. Regardless, it's gameplay that determines the overall appeal but when it comes to God of War, the graphics are something to shout about. The environments are mint, very accurately detailed and you can straight away describe that these were only seen in Greece. From the towns to the desert, everything is just so brilliantly drawn that you can sit there for a while and admire the architecture of everything; the vast landscapes feature gorgeous graphics even if they are only in the background. When it comes to the characters, their facial expressions are brilliant and every detail is put into the clothing and skin of a creature or a human being, nothing is left out. Overall, God of War is one of the most gorgeous looking games on the PS2 which lush graphics that you can gawp at for ages. Stunning realism!! Replay Value: 9/10 Once completing the game, the initial instinct in your brain is telling you to go for the harder modes with Spartan and God mode being your main concern once done on Hero. But if you take time out to go for the Treasures, so much is there to be unlocked, mainly mini-stories, Making Of's and plenty of interactive content that will interest you greatly, such as the section which shows off the enemies that never made the game. Even if you have finished watching all of those, there is the Challenge of the Gods which is a mini-game which makes you go through 10 levels of utter madness and insane targets with certain regulations. But don't take that as a downside as they can be fun if you can do them, but they are pretty difficult and could result in you pulling your hair out . Lastly are a couple of top secret trailers and content for you but guess what? Complete God mode!!! Overall, this game could result in you playing for months if you really wanted to .