While the PS2 may be getting toward the end of its lifespan by the marks on the calendar, God of War shows that the oldest of the current generation of game players has plenty of life and fun left in her when in the hands of the right developers. In this case the right developers are Sony Computer Entertainment itself, and they may very well have made the definitive action/adventure game of the console’s life. Compelling, addictive, beautiful and downright fun, God of War has no peer on the PS2 and earns its perfect score by doing everything right.

Set in the world of Greek mythology, God of War follows the quest of Kratos, a Spartan warrior and servant of the Gods, as he is sent on what the Gods tell him will be his last assignment. It seems the God of War, Ares, has run amuck and is destroying Athens. The Goddess Athena, for whom the city is named, takes a bit of offense at that. She would do something herself, but Zeus has forbidden the Gods to fight one another. Therefore she enlists Kratos’ aid in killing Ares.

Kratos is one complicated dude. The things he has done in the service of the Gods trouble him. He has dreams that disturb his rest. He has lost everything he holds dear. To escape his past he has taken to just sailing the seas from port to port. While he may regret what he has done, he still has no trouble doing even more brutal things as he moves through his adventure. Nowhere in the game is this more apparent than when he uses panicked, screaming citizenry as quick health boosts, which naturally requires killing them, during particularly nasty fights. He is not really a likable type of person. He is badly flawed. In other words – he’s human.

To put it bluntly, Kratos is a badass. He starts with an impressive fighting style and it just ramps up as the game goes on. At the beginning of the game, Kratos has a pair of swords attached to chains that are manipulated in slashing and whip-like attacks. His fighting system, while easy to pick up, is most impressive. At its most simple, the fighting is accomplished with the square button for a lighter, fast attack and the triangle button for a heavier, slower attack. Used in combination, they allow for some pretty fancy and visually satisfying attacks. Kratos may also block and evade attacks as well as grab enemies. As the game goes on, more attacks will be added and more button combinations drawn in for the special moves. To make it through the game, the player does not need to learn all the combinations, but most players will find themselves wanting to learn as many as possible as several do have specific functions when battling certain enemies.

As Kratos fights his foes, there will be opportunities to inflict special ending attacks on enemies. These are generally only possible once the enemy has been beaten down a bit. A perfect example of this is when fighting Minotaurs, half-man-half-bull creatures. Once the bullyboy has been softened up, a circle will appear above his head. Moving in close and pressing the circle button causes the action to zoom in. The player must then tap the circle button furiously to drive his blade into the beast’s mouth as he struggles to prevent you from doing it. If the player is successful, he is rewarded with a health boost from his fallen foe. That is the simplest example; other times the player may have to match an on-screen series of button presses and stick movements to successfully pull off his ending attacks.

The Gods may not be able to battle each other directly, but that does not mean that they’re not going to arm their boy with the best God-slaying tools at their disposal. Over the course of the game the Gods will bestow on Kratos their various powers. These take the form of special abilities as well as area and ranged weapons that are powered by magic energy, which Kratos must replenish once it is depleted. It seems all of these powers are given to Kratos just as he is getting to an area where he will absolutely need them. Isn’t that convenient? Ultimately Kratos will also need the Greek equivalent of a WMD to finish Ares, Pandora’s box. This item the Gods cannot give him. He must win his way to it during his adventure.

Of course Ares didn’t come to the fight alone either. The bad guys Kratos must fight on his way to the final battle come right out of Greek legends. About every type of mythological monster ever sprung from a Grecian’s fertile imagination comes to life to stand between Kratos and his task. This could do more for mythology studies than thousands of high-school classes ever did.

In addition to the beasties he must fight, Kratos will also face many puzzles along the way to his showdown with Ares. Several of these are quite good. None are Mensa hard, but some are quite challenging and will require a little thought. Mostly it is a bit of sliding objects found in a room or releasing a switch. Nothing really new, but very well executed – like all the rest of the game.

Visually, God of War is a terrific treat. All the characters are well detailed and move smoothly. The environments are stunning – almost up to Xbox quality. Only the water effects significantly tip you off that this is a less-powerful machine. In the course of the game the player will go through many mythological environments. I found the Desert of Lost Souls with its blowing sand to be a particularly impressive achievement.



Sound is the equal of the visuals. The actual sound effects are full-bodied and immerse the player in the world. The musical soundtrack is soaring and heroic. It all comes together to make the player feel he is living within an epic movie that he has control over. Truly first-rate presentation.

The faint of heart should be warned that this game is rated ‘M’ for a reason. As a matter of fact I think it is rated ‘M’ for about every reason possible: violence, gore, harsh language, nudity and sexual content. Of course this isn’t a story about petting friendly puppies. Edged weapons make a mess and the Greeks were not nearly as puritanical about sex as modern citizens of the USA are. It is an adult game that hangs it all out and is meant as entertainment for an older crowd. Don’t give it to a nine year old and then complain to your congressman when he gets an eyeful. You have been warned.



I somehow suspect that I will be playing through God of War more than once. Some movies bear a second viewing to catch all the subtle nuances and some games bear a second playing for the same reason. It is my firm belief that almost every mature gamer out there will find a lot to love in God of War. It never talks down to the player and the presentation is near flawless. Too bad it’s a PS2 exclusive. Xbox players would love this one and the GameCube could really use it. A perfect 5/5 effort for the home team at SCEA.