God of War

God Of War, released on March 22, 2005, is one of the best action games ever released on any console. David Jaffe and his team at Sony-Santa Monica have created a game that is better than the Japanese created Devil May Cry and Ninja Gaiden.

This game is noted for its deep use of Greek Mythology. Mr. Jaffe for years had wanted to make a game based on it. You are Kratos, a super-human who at the start of the game is seen falling to his death. The game then goes back to three weeks earlier where you control the chain of events that lead to him committing suicide.

Kratos has two attacks, magic, and a jump and a roll/evade move. Combat is a breeze and is very satisfying. In this game, you are powerful enough as is to combat your opponents. You gain orbs to increase your powers and the Gods themselves bestow you the magic.

The game is an absolute work of art. The graphics are some of the best you'll see with much detail on the enemies and the locales. The controls are easy to get into and the manual details everything for you. Combat features mostly hack and slash but there will be times you'll do specific button presses or Track-And-Field style button mashing against tougher enemies or bosses.

The music is outstanding; perhaps one of the best original scores ever created. The voice acting is top-notch with Oscar-winning actress Linda Hunt providing the narration. Best of all, the game is just plain fun. You can get into it right away. It can be beaten in 10-12 hours but you'll want to replay it.

One word of warning: this game is rated M and it richly deserves it. There is a lot of violence, blood and gore, and some nudity throughout the game. This isn't a game for kids or the squeamish. For everybody else, this is the PS2s best game of 2005, maybe the year's best, and a game franchise to keep your eye on.

Yes, this game was very fun and well worth the 14.99 I paid for it on sale. The story has Kratos as a man hell bent on revenge. The target for his revenge, Ares the god of war. Ares has his own plans as he is trying to take down Aphrodite, she is using Kratos though to take him down. So you have your double crosses and such. Why is Kratos wanting revenge, well Ares tricked Kratos into killing his own family so there ya go. The combat in this game is very fun, simple to do yet it looks very cool. You do cool combos and nifty looking finisher type moves on various mythical creatures. You span a few levels as you start with a cool ship scene and also an attack on a city, you also have to go through this strange fortress on top of a giants back. My favorite level though is the hades level as it looks really awesome. Speaking of awesome, the graphics here are just that. From the giant Minotaur's, to the super scenery, and to the falling people in the hades level everything here looks exceptional. My only complaint is the rather short play time and the shortage of boss fights which is a shame, because the ones they do have are very fun. So for a fun game that offers a challenge, but does not make you rip your hair out give this game a try. Add to that you even get to see some boobies!!!

that is the only word i have to describe this game, whoa. everything about this game is amazing. the level design is superb and original, offering new challenges that seem daunting, but aren't too hard to figure out. the character design is amazing, from the smallest grunt, to the tallest god (of war... sorry, i couldn't resist) the animations and movements of the characters are smooth and great top look at. the fighting looks kind of like a button masher, but it is deep, layered, and fun to get into, offering combos that give you more experience, or letting you rip your enemy in half. the only complaint is that a lot of the gore is over the top, like ripping the wings off a harpie, ripping the arm off an enemy and killing them with hit, and lastly (the most fun to watch) stabbing a Minotaur in the face. all in all, this is the reason action adventure games were created, the reason for anyone who doesn't already to get a ps2, and, dare i say?, the best ps2 game I've ever played, 10/10

I picked this up two days ago in the pre-owned bucket as couldn't afford it when it came out. As soon as it was in my slimline, AWE and AMAZEMENT, brilliant cinematics and dramatic story. It gets you hooked from the start and makes you wonder what will happen to Kratos and why he's doing what he does. The game is beautiful, frame rate is excellent even with many enemies on the screen.

A lot of attention to detail is applied to all the characters including NPCs and other 'extras' that are normally very generic. The main character himself is detailed to the bone, watching Kratos walk and accelerate into a run is a feast to the eye.

The levels are beautifully designed and the puzzles are just hard enough to keep you interested but easy enough not to get you frustrated.

The action element is very present, unlocking combos, upgrading weapons and magic spells really makes a difference to the gameplay. The combos are varied and very well animated.

Gore: this game is definitely an adult title, i have played violent games before but this is a level above, not that its any grittier but its just more stylish, there isn't loads of blood just for the sake of it, you have to execute the best combos to get the chance to see what I'm talking about but the actions of Kratos really characterize him and makes you believe in the fact that he's a seasoned warrior(thats actually an understatement)

Partial nudity in there but nothing too naughty and OMG the bosses and GODS are the very best part of this game, fighting the HYDRA is a treat and watching Ares stomping in the background while you are scouring the mountains is just one of the small touches that prove that a lot of time has been put into developping this game. Definitely worth the buy!

This outstanding slice-n-dicer arises from the under utilized ancient Greek mythology. While not completely rooted in historical myth, the authors have created a well though out, intriguing storyline that brings both ambitious goals and better than most emotionality to the screen.

The interface, while very functional as most Playstation games are, is exceptionally intuitive and rewarding. When I began my first game, on a moderate setting, I was expecting to be daunted by the numerous, very beautifully rendered moves preformed by Kratos, the game's hero. Forgive me for doubting, since I've turned 35, I have found that programming VCRs has become challenging. I'm sure that a seven or fifteen year old will wonder what I'm even talking about.

This game is gory. It's not just gory for gory's sake, but honest to gory gosh gory because the hero is a violent guy. I loved the feel of this, because it reminded me of watching the swords & sandals movies, just as they slashed and wrestled their way to ultimate, noble glory, so does Kratos. In fact, if there is any real flaw, it is because there is perhaps too much hubris distributed among all the characters in this game.

I've been bored of the video game industry's fascination with anime and the Japanese spiky- haired teen heroes. There is plenty of luscious large-chested babes in slinky, barely decent attire, and then you have 'warriors' that look like ten-year-olds in safety-mom's dream football gear. I've never been a big costume fan. In God of War, Kratos is rendered bare- chested and powerfully built, with a blazing red body tattoo, scars and white skin. It's something I can relate to. He's moody, vicious, and he extracts blood and limbs like nobody's business. I can relate to this too.

The God of War world is expansive, inviting exploration as well as providing very good direction, and only once did I have any trouble with the puzzles. I spent nearly two days solid trying to place a dumb crate into a room to jump to a ledge. Apparently it had to be just so, and I kid you now, I was near destroying my console with my bare hands, Kratos style.

If this game has any educational value what so ever, it will teach patience, and that try, try, try yet again will eventually pay off. This game stays in my personal library. I love it.