Customer Reviews

God of War

5 star:		(327)
4 star:		(58)
3 star:		(18)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(16)

 

 

Do you remember that thrill when you played Devil May Cry for the first time? That experience that was familiar in some aspects but so different in a completely bad ass way? The opening moments of God of War exceed that thrill. In fact it brings to mind what comedian Dane Cook would call a BAMF. I'll let you do the math.

The opening moments are filled with creatures both small and large that you can effortlessly kill, the game subtly teaching you the mechanics. But all of that is just setup for a truly epic first boss fight against the Hydra that not only kicks the game into high gear, but also is better than practically any "end boss" fights of most games. With context sensitive button pushes, the game incorporates a cinematic experience into your fighting. By pushing buttons at the right time, you are dodging, climbing and killing each Hydra head thrown at you. It is intense and immensely satisfying. Never before have I felt this immersion in a video game. Instead of watching a cutscene of Kratos finishing a Hydra, YOU are doing it. You are swinging off its nose, jamming your blades into its eyes. It is awesome.

Graphically, the game excels. I have been constantly surprised recently with the graphic quality of PS2 games. God of War is almost seamless. The game moves from gameplay, to cutscene, to gameplay, level to level without a load screen. In fact, with the exception of the initial load, I don't remember ever seeing a load screen. It is beautiful to watch, gruesome to play and just fantastic.

Sound-wise, the game also is gold. It has a fully orchestrated soundtrack that fits perfectly with the Greek time period. In fact, the soundtrack is available for a free download if you buy the game and its definitely worth it to those who like this kind of music. The voice work is well done and the lip synching for once matches perfectly.

For all of the graphic prowess, there are some problems. The biggest of which is a kind of scanning problem. When the camera moves, sometimes the areas get...squiggly?...I don't how to explain it, but there's lines moving through the game because it can't handle it. There's also a little bit of slowdown when battles get hectic. Neither of these are major problems but it does detract from what really are wonderful graphics.

The camera also generally shows the best angle for the action. You can't control the camera, it's preset like Devil May Cry. There are a couple instances, however, where you can get sandwiched between two or more huge brutes and you can't see yourself because of the camera. It can be incredibly annoying when it happens but it is so rare that it isn't much of a complaint.

Finally, the game isn't too long. It's a 10-15 hour game depending on how well you play and what difficulty setting you choose. They actually had to cut the game down to get it done on time. You can check out the levels and monsters that were cut after finishing the game. Along with the shortness, there aren't many bosses. In fact, there's only three. But man, when they throw a boss at you, they really throw a boss at you.

Note of warning: This game is definitely rated M. The violence and gore is in your face as there are decapitations, breaking necks, wings ripped off, people cut in half, violence against women, etc. And there's nudity and sexual situations. Copious breast shots follow suit.

I can't recommend this game enough. If you are a fan of action games, this game redefines the stylish action Devil May Cry heralded back in the day. Playing as Kratos gives you the same bad ass feeling Dante did, only God of War ramps this up to the extremes. Play this game, you'll be glad you did.

UPDATE: I don't know if there's anyone out there who hasn't played this game yet, but if you haven't, why not? At 19.99, this game is a complete steal! There is a sequel on the way, coming out on the PS2 in early 2007.

That's what I've started doing. It's a game that drips testosterone from marble columns of Athens to (but not quenching) the infernals of Hades. There's not much happy in Krato's Ancient Greece. Well, strike that. Maybe Aries is happy because he's ripping Athens to shreds. Fires, thunderstorms, Aries' steel clanging, while the helpless humans fire arrows at the God of War unleashed. Pah! Human Arrows. It's like trying to put out Hades' flames by blowing bubbles.

There is so much amazing about God of War. First, I'll talk about thought. There's folly about. That's the theme of Greek Mythology, ALWAYS. Folly between the gods and "their human playthings". However, Greek gods are flawed just like the human pawns. For the gods of Olympus err clumbsiness then clean-up their mistakes after. What folly! God of War WORKS as Greek Mythology. I love the concept of "destroying a god" through Pandora's Box. Opening Pandora's Box, the colloquialism, is to unleash a maelstrom of unpredictable chaotic events. Is that what happens when a god is killed? Absolutely. This is what I mean regarding thought. There are philosphical gems that glisten in Ancient Greece.

Second, the gameplay and controls are extremely tight. You'll use every button on the contoller when battling. You'll use every move. Rolling/evasion, blocking, comboes that can rise to triple digit numbers (my highest is 124) are necessary to avoid becoming burger to Aries' black-hearted baddies. This said, tight controls are necessary, work perfect, creating some ridiculously fast paced/intense action.

Third, is balance. Now some friends say I smoke too much over drinking, but I understand balance is required. God of War balances action and puzzle solving, and not once do the scales dip to one side. Sure, the game gets difficult and frustrating the further you take Kratos, but never is there too much fighting, too much puzzle-solving, or too much drinking. Wah? The balance is great.

Did I mention level design? No? It's brilliant. Sometimes it reminds me of Prince of Persia:SOT and sometimes Tomb Raider. Environments are very fluid, from the details of statues and Greek architecture, to Kratos' ugly reflection on a highly polished floor? I'd hate to be the sap who keeps those Greek floors so spickitty span clean. I wonder what that dude makes an hour. Benefits are worth it, especially if you get to glimpse the Oracle of Athens in her sheer top. Huh? Great level design.

To add one more edge on Kratos already sharp blades, God of War has a wonderful soundtrack. The music is ambiant sometimes, orchestral at others. Should I say it again? Ok. Balanced soundtrack.

I'll wrap it up. My wife came down when I was playing and she said, "Honey, why do you have your shirt off?" I looked at her. My eyes were bloodshot but not from God of War. I replied, "Kratos doesn't wear a shirt. If he doesn't, I don't."

holy crap this game is awesome! i was skeptical at first, but then i started seeing all the good reviews in magazines, so i had to go out and pick me up a copy and see what all the fuss was about. and i couldn't be happier that i did.

you play as a warrior named Kratos, and he got screwed over by the god of war, Ares, so now he wants to kill Ares. The plot is pretty good, and told quite well through flashback cinemas, and present time ones, too. But the story isn't where it's at with this game, oh no, this game is all about the killin'. And trust me, you'll be doin' lots of it, in the coolest ways possible. Ripping people's heads off, tearing them in half, breaking their backs, gouging their eyes out, ramming your Blades of Chaos down their gullets...the list goes on and on.

The graphics in God of War are flat out amazing. from the highly details character models (even the regular enemies look amazing), to the awe-inspiring backgrounds that are almost always filled with fighting and some type of storm (sand, rain, lots of buildings on fire), and the first time you see Ares just marchin' around town (and you being about the size of one of his huge hands), you will crap yourself. you obtain different god powers throughout your quest of vengeance (and sadism...), such as Medusa's Gaze, which temporarily petrifies enemies in a stone casing, Poseidon's Rage, which is a large electrical blast to surrounding foes, Artemis' Blade, a massive, razor-sharp weapon that helps you just plain smack the crap out of enemies, and there are others, but i won't ruin all the fun for everyone. the bosses look amazing, too. from the Hydra to Ares, you'll be half kicking ass, and half admiring the graphics with which you are doing so.

the game isn't terribly hard, and i think i beat it in just under ten hours...i think. i could be wrong. that might sound relatively short, but trust me, it's just the right amount of time for a game like this. Sure, the developers could have tacked on a bunch of half-assed side-quests or backtracking missions to lengthen your adventure, but then the game would just feel...i don't know...tainted, somehow. like it was perfect, but then they had to get greedy and try to throw in some cheap crap to boost the number of hours it takes to complete the game. i'm glad they didn't though, because as it is, the game is flat out amazing. and you'll be playing it for a long time anyway, just for the action. but anyway, when you beat it, you unlock a harder mode, which i haven't touched yet, and you also can unlock a ton of other goodies that will keep you playing, if you aren't already hooked on beating the pants off every enemy and trying to rack up a huge chain of hits while you do it. I do like how the game flows, though. There isn't really any traditional level design, everything just goes right from one stage to the next, with little to no loading time, which is always a plus. but i don't even think an irritating loading time could harm this game's greatness. it is by far the best game of the year, already, and will probably stand as one of the best action/adventure games of all time...until God of War II comes out, anyway....

God of War is fantastic. It's like a cross between Onimusha and Prince of Persia.

Basically, you are in the times of Athens and Sparta. There are a bunch of monsters you have to fight, which you will probably recognize. There are medusas, sirens, cyclops', minotaurs, etc. There are also gods, such as Ares, Athena, and Zeus. The story revolves around you trying to get your sins from the past wiped clean. You must do this during a war the gods are waging with each other. So right away the story is pretty interesting. They manage to work in different monsters and gods at just the right times to keep you hooked. Right when the game started to get boring, I witnessed Ares for the first time and couldn't imagine what would happen next.

The fighting is good. There are basic attacks and strong attacks. As you progress, you can unlock new moves. There's a large enough variety of moves that you won't become bored too easily. There are god powers, which keep the game interesting. The cool thing is, you can do so much while fighting. The right analog stick lets you roll to evade things. This is very clever and one of the best uses of the analog stick I've ever seen. If you wonder about the camera, fear not. It is always in sort of fixed places. You always see what you need to see, and you never have to fiddle with the camera to solve a puzzle. Hoo ray.

The reason I compared this game to Onimusha was because the glowing spheres that come out of dead enemies. In this and that game, killing enemies results in different colored spheres. Green restore health, red let you power up, and blue restore magic. In Onimusha you have to hold down "O" and be real close to suck orbs up. In this game, it's automatic and they will absorb from far away. This saves you alot of time, and makes killing enemies meaningful. The game reminds me of Prince of Persia because of all the platforming. It is very easy, just like Prince of Persia. The thing that makes this game better is the fighting. Prince of Persia has you doing a lot of cool platforming, but the fighting is stupid. In this game, both the platforming and fighting are good.

Lastly, the graphics are great. They aren't mind-blowing, but they are really good. The textures fit well with the game. The landscape doesn't seem to be all squares and circles. What's better is that you can usually see a lot. The camera is always fixed, but you will always be able to see something interesting. I was climbing some vines and I noticed a battle off in the distance. Later I got to witness that battle.

The last reviewer said it best. It's not long, but that's only because the creators didn't want to add in a bunch of stupid crap. I'm impressed.

My husband brought this game home and I thought, "Oh no, I guess we're not having multisyllable conversations for the next few weeks..." But to my surprise not only did he ABSOLUTELY love this game but I would sit next to him and watch, totally transfixed by the amazing detail and effort that the creators poured into this game. I caught myself saying, "Baby, aren't you going to play your game?" This game is incredible and while I am not at all a gamer I'm tempted to try it out! Everyone not shocked by gore (and I mean LOTS of gore) should play this game. Every game should be this well made.

The PlayStation 2 got a decent dose of bloody Roman history earlier this year with Shadow of Rome, a more or less playable version of the movie Gladiator. However, Sony has completely upped the ante with God of War, an adventure of Herculean proportions that brilliantly plays off Greek mythology and delivers one of the most intense gaming experiences of the year.
The game's premise is as ancient as the mythos itself: Ares, the titular deity with serious self-esteem issues, has gone on a rampage and must be stopped. Being Greek gods (who are prone to sit on their eternal asses and empower others to do their dirty work), a mortal dutifully takes up the task: Kratos, a tortured Spartan warrior who can pry off Gorgon heads, tear some enemies completely in half, and perform other super-human feats. Formidable as Kratos' strength is, the only thing that can kill Ares is Pandora's Box, an artifact resting behind a series of bosses, devilishly constructed traps, and perplexing puzzles (most of which come in the form of moving objects and pulling levers).

Borrowing perhaps a bit too liberally from Devil May Cry (the first one, anyway), Kratos is a serious-minded one-man slaughterhouse, sans the oh-so-cool swagger. Equipped with a pair of extending chains each capped with a sword, the Spartan uses these weapons for mid-range combo attacks, including vicious air-juggles. Larger foes, though, require more skill, and some must be softened up before they can be finished off by a series of onscreen button-press cues. Additional combos are unlocked by cashing in dead souls collected from felled enemies. Accessory weapons are also available. For instance, once you wrench off Medusa's head, it can be used as a power-up to temporarily petrify enemies that can then be shattered if struck before they can thaw. The gods chime in, too, and dole out various devastating powers, such as Zeus' lightning bolts and Hades' dead souls.

Robust fighting engine aside, God of War draws additional strength from the sheer diversity of tasks to be completed and the clever way it plays off the source material. Classic monsters, such as the Hydra, Minotaur, Sirens, and Harpies (among others) require specific techniques in order to defeat as the events take place against a driving music score reminiscent of the best Roman movie sagas like Ben-Hur. The excellent visuals bring these foes to life and the detailed architecture deliver the aesthetic punch of an era long gone.

All is not perfect on Olympus, though. The inconsistent camera (that destroyer of other games) takes its toll as it makes seemingly simple tasks like navigating lengthy catwalks more perilous than it should be, and some of the puzzles rely excessively on split-second timing and result in repetitive trial-and-error.

Setbacks aside, God of War is an exhausting, epic quest that challenges the mightiest video game warrior from the throne of their living-room couch.

I want to keep it short and simple. There are no words to describe how good this game is. It is easily the best game ever made for PS2. You have to experience it. I feel like I am playing a video game from the future for Playstaion 7 or something. It is just beyond anything ever put out.

You have all heard of this game. May have played it, many have praised it. But here's my take on it. I bought this game when it first came out. I hadn't heard of it til GS posted their review. I heard great things about it and had extra money so I went out and purchased it. It was one of the best blind buys I have ever made.

From the opening scene I was drawn into this world. It is one that we have rarely scene: it is beautiful, but I'll get to that later on. The storyline is very simple: driven by revenge, Kratos (the "hero" of our tale) embarks on an epic journey to bring down Ares, the God of War. There is more to it than that but you need to play this game in order to truly appreciate it. I won't ruin anything here.

Graphics. This is one of the best looking games of this generation. Period. Second only to, IMO, Metal Gear Solid (I'm talking consoles, not PC games remember). Everything is just gorgeous. The characters move ever so fluidly. The character models are great to look at. Some of course are less detailed than others but its easily able to overlook these as you'll be caught up in everything else. The locales are beautiful. More than once you'll stop and just looks around and take everything in. This also leads me into the art of the game. The art direction is fantastic. There are normal cutscenes and there are the different ones (you'll know these). The art direction in these different scenes are simply captivating. The style of art used is one of which I myself have never witnessed in a game before. The characters and environments are 2D but are treated as 3D. It's elegant really. A sight to behold. The worlds look wonderful as well. Everything is so lush and beautiful, just like Greece is made out to be. Everything is detailed down to the last rock or brick (or whatever they used back then). No detail is too small, which is quite commendable.

The sound in this game is again, IMO, second only to MGS3. The music in this is comparable to that of a big budget Hollywood production. Everything music-wise fits perfectly with the situation at hand. Sometimes it is quite subtle too as to where you don't directly notice it but sets the mood and would hamper the game were it not there. The voice acting is strong as well. Everyone fits their role and not one that I can remember seems awkward or out of place. Linda Hunt is wonderful as the narrator. Her distinct voice fits perfectly and is a joy to hear every time she speaks. Kratos' voice actor (Terrence Carson) is great as well. He brings his own personality to Kratos and it fits like a shoe. Everyone else is strong as said before.

Gameplay is amazingly fluid. Combos are awesome looking yet simple to pull off. This is great for someone like me who was never too fond of game like Street Fighter or Mortal Kombat's complex combo controls. I never liked have to push up, down, left, right, left, left, left, diagonal up left, diagonal down right, B, B, A, up and B to pull off a combo. In God of War it is as simple as O,O,O. That's it but it pulls off an amazing looking combo. Its all fluid and a true joy to use. It makes the game that much better.

One very large fault in this game is its length. It can be beaten, first time through, in less than 8 hours. I am now at the point where I can beat it on God Mode in under 5. On all the difficulty levels (except God Mode) it's way too easy. Yes there are some choke points but overall, its too damn easy. I like a challenge in my games and definetly want them to last longer than this did, expecially if it is this good. There are some graphical glitches every now and then and not all the characters are up to par. Some are downright muddy, but miles ahead of other games'. The level design in Hades is the worst part of the game. Its some horrible platforming that goes on and on. The wall of spikes annoyed the hell out of me, it's damn hard.

This game is an instant classic. Its how games should be. Its fun, it sounds amazing, it plays great, it has wonderful characters, an awesome story and a heart. If you like action games you need to pick this game up, there's really no two ways about it.

...i don't quite know how to describe what playing this game felt like. A little bit of everything was put into this experience, and yes, i said experience instead of game, and you know, you won't really understand what i mean by that until you've played and beat it yourself, as i just did myself about two hours ago, now. Took me ten hours and four minutes, and it was worth every single minute. I won't even try to go into detail as far as what this game is like, (it's be utterly useless, and i don't think i could do the game much justice with my words in any event) but i will say this; if you are a fan of honest to goodness excellent action/adventure/puzzle/thought games, then by all means, go and buy this game. If you are a fan of lush, damned perfect graphics, unbeatable gameplay, realistic scores and just plain fun escapism, then by all means, have a buy. Get this game. If you are a fan of Greek Mythology, then, for God's sake, get this game. If you grew up loving and studying it as i did, you'll love it. I HAVE NEVER seen a game that captured a certain feeling, a certain history, so incredibly well. I won't say any more. I won't bash tha truth any further into your head than i already have. Three words. GET THIS GAME.

Hawksmoor...From The Bleed.

God of War is the ultimate platform game. The 3D platform renaissance started with the PS1 Bruce Willis vehicle `Apocalypse', was improved on with the jaw dropping Devil May Cry and puzzle play enhanced by Shadowman 2, comes to a head with GOW. GOW is not only one of the best PS2 games of 2005, but is a big PS2 game, lasting about a week with at least two or three full days play in there, starts off with the same flaws that Devil May Cry III had with a very hard to beat first level boss (keep trying!), that requires you to come to grips with the new split-second `mini-game' controls that you have not seen before. These `mini-games' require you to match the buttons displayed on the screen so that your character can perform a combo that results in a messy death. Not only are you required to button bash O to perform various actions (and this is real button bashing folks, so get that coffee table support ready), you must also follow through with various other button pressing timed moves, including analogue stick clockwise half turns and full anticlockwise turns that creates a very impressive array of moves to beat the beasties. Included are power-ups and magical secondary weapons, wielded by the dual blades on chains swinger, Kratos, a muscle-bound ghostly white mortal with supernatural abilities given to him by the God of War, Aries, explained about two thirds of the way through the game in one of the twenty or so action packed video sequences, a story that weaves in and out of the hero's past life, his current journey and bloodlust for revenge, all played along to a magnificent Dolby Surround chorus, the music is as close to that found in a movie like `Gladiator' and some of the best sounds the PS2 has had so far (up there with Silent Hill 3). Starting with the Aegean Sea, the beautifully rendered environments are littered with new enemies and plenty of puzzles, The Gates of Athens, The Road to Athens, Athens Town Square, Rooftops of Athens, Temple of the Oracle, The Sewers of Athens, Desert of Lost Souls, Pandora's Temple, The Rings of Pandora, The Challenge of Atlas, The Challenge of Poseidon, The Challenge of Hades, The Cliffs of Madness, The Architect's Tomb, The Path to Hades, Temple of the Oracle... literally this game takes you to hell and back. There is beam balancing, blade dodging, rope climbing (and along the rope battles), rock climbing (and climbing battles), orb collecting, item collecting, lever pulling, statue pushing, wall smashing and swimming. Although there is some backtracking in parts this does not reduce the pace which only seems to increase in fury with every new power-up weapon level and combo you discover. The ancient Greek mythological creatures and setting makes you wonder why game makers have not tried something like this before, with the Sony production team creating hugely expansive areas and arenas, exploration hungry thrill seekers will have almost full scale deserts to succumb too or a Mount Athos to climb, and all this never avoiding what is at its heart, a half way decent story that is much better than a lot of the tripe being pushed around by other labels today. Although there are some downsides (game has lots of crash bugs, coffee table button bashing is a bit much, video sequences are not quite cutting edge [see MGSIII:Snake Easter], anti-aliasing is not the best) this is really only cribbing about what is a PS2 essential. It is easy to fall under the spell of this `Clash of the Titans'.

*Note: This game is strictly for Adults only. There is Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language and Sexual Themes.

Pros:
- Long gaming time
- New way of using the controller to do battle
- Great Story
- Immense level designs
- Explosive action content
- Bloody video clips

Cons:
- Difficult first level boss
- Sometimes requires coffee table supported button bashing.
- Occasional crash glitches