God of War II (PlayStation 2) review "This Pegasus is darker. Completely black except for fiery wings, it’s quite capable of defending itself with Kratos on its back. At a command, it’ll ram hostile griffins in the side or execute a forward dash to catch them off guard. These attacks are often more effective than using any of Kratos’ slashes, as his range is limited. At the same time, you must dodge energy blasts and charges from other aerial enemies, especially since the latter can send you into a spinning nosedive."

God of War II’s story isn’t terribly shocking, but it does fit well with a continuation of the myth. Kratos returns in all his fearsome glory, this time displaying his ruthlessness as the new god of war. His perpetual arrogance and defiance to the other gods, as well as the sheer swath of destruction he cuts, disturbs his fellow Olympians. Zeus especially takes Kratos’ actions as a threat to his power. In a ploy to stop Kratos in his path, Zeus strips him of his godly strength and eventually kills him. From there, with the help of the titan Gaia, Kratos escapes Hades and vows to slay Zeus. To do so, he allies himself with the other titans and seeks out the Fates so he can return to the point where Zeus betrayed him.

From the very beginning, Kratos will have his work cut out for him. Unlike the previous installment, where the opening boss served no purpose other than to show people the basics, the opening boss in the second game is no joke. Whereas the hydra could easily be beaten on the most difficult mode of play in all its forms (except the last), the Colossus of Rhodes gives Kratos a hard time from the outset. On the toughest difficulty, one swat from the statue’s giant hand will drain half of Kratos’ health, effectively making the first ten minutes the most challenging of any other game I’ve played.

After the dramatic opening, things become a bit easier, but periodic spikes in difficulty will make you think twice about feeling complacent. Fortunately, Kratos has many new toys with which to destroy his enemies. Even his famous chain blades get a makeover as new combos replace the old, some of which are even more effective than their predecessors’. While launching foes into the air has become harder, Kratos’ ability to counter attacks has improved. Once you obtain the Golden Fleece, you can deflect any projectile provided that you block at the precise moment of impact. Even typically unblockable attacks like gorgon beams can be reflected back at the attacker, turning everyone around you to stone.

In addition to useful items such as the Fleece, Kratos now has access to more weapons and magic. As the game progresses, he acquires a mighty hammer and flexible spear, though both never really match his famous chain blades. Kratos’ new magic proves considerably more useful. While two of the “new” spells share similarities to the old ones (you obtain a bow that acts much like Zeus’ thunderbolts, and you also acquire the head of another gorgon, Euryale, for petrifying enemies), the other two are unique enough to keep things interesting. Cronos gives Kratos the power to summon balls of lightning that target strike multiple targets at once, and even explode at higher upgrades. Atlas grants Kratos the power to create powerful earthquakes that knock enemies into the air and throw rocks in all directions, obliterating just about everything on screen.

To keep things even and, therefore, forever challenging, Kratos must also face a host of new creatures. While many old friends, such as Minotaur, Cyclops, gorgons and sirens return, there are many new beasts (and even mythical heroes) to fight. And you’ll be able to do so in all of Kratos’ infamous brutality.

Nymphs appear as insectoid pests that, depending on breed, will throw fire at you and explode upon death, or spit acid and spin an ensnaring web that prevents you from moving until you break free. Some even emerge from hives that must be destroyed before the swarm will cease. Orc-like beast lords will summon Cyclops mounts, making the already powerful monster even more deadly. Further, the Cyclops cannot be destroyed until the beast lord is removed from atop it. Once that’s done and the Cyclops has been weakened enough, Kratos can finish it off by gouging its eye out, which he’ll then keep as a trophy. Skeletons will collapse to the floor if they’re not killed quickly enough, recovering lost health upon reforming. There’s even a new kind of Minotaur. Immobilized by rock it may be, but it’s huge and its smashing and spinning attacks will destroy even the most powerful warrior.

New bosses also serve to give Kratos a headache. Like the previous title, many have specific weak points that must be exploited. The Kraken and its many tentacles are too large to destroy simply by chopping away at it. Kratos must use the environment around him. Pulling a lever hidden beneath the beast’s bulk eventually slices it in half as a bridge forms between the gap dividing two platforms. But before he can decapitate the monster, Kratos needs to slice off its tentacles one at a time, using a corpse and air vent to do so. Other bosses merely require that you hit them until they stop moving, but these often have a variety of powerful attacks or forms that make fighting a difficult task. The barbarian king can summon lost souls to assault Kratos or use them to enlarge his size to unimaginable proportions. His attacks in this form deal devastating damage if they connect.

Despite the new enemies, the basic elements of the God of War series are still there. You’ll always have to deal with traps where failing to kill every monster in the room quickly results in instant death. And you’ll always have to solve deceptively simple puzzles involving pushing some object somewhere so as to open a door or stop an elevator. However, there are some genuinely new features that make things interesting. Kratos can now scale ceilings in addition to walls, use his blades to swing across large distances using grappling points, and, later in the game, even glide using Icarus’ wings. But beyond these “minor” changes, there are some segments that particularly stand out.

At two points early on, Kratos must use the winged horse, Pegasus, to fly to specific destinations. However, this Pegasus doesn’t fit the stereotype portrayed in myth or film. This Pegasus is darker. Completely black except for fiery wings, it’s quite capable of defending itself with Kratos on its back. At a command, it’ll ram hostile griffins in the side or execute a forward dash to catch them off guard. These attacks are often more effective than using any of Kratos’ slashes, as his range is limited. At the same time, you must dodge energy blasts and charges from other aerial enemies, especially since the latter can send you into a spinning nosedive. Once a griffin or purple raven is weak enough, you’ll get to perform a brutal finishing technique, this time involving mini games where Kratos rips off the birds’ wings and lets them drop to their death.

Furthering his advantage, Kratos gains the ability to slow down time. Though reminiscent of Prince of Persia, the ability appears only sporadically throughout the game, and is primarily used to solve puzzles or cross (often fatal) obstacles. To use this ability, Kratos must stand within range of a Fates Statue where he’ll have about thirty seconds to accomplish the task required of him. However, care must be taken while time is slowed; pulling a lever or even opening a chest will automatically cancel the effect.

If you happen to be fighting within range of a statue, you’ll be able to tear enemies apart before they can even get two strikes in. Alternatively, if you’re fighting in a trap room, you can use the trap to your advantage. In one instance, I found myself in a room covered in spikes except for the small area where the lever lowering them stood. Pulling the lever without slowing down time, you only have about fifteen seconds to cross the room. However, once you break the wall containing the statue, two powerful scythe-wielding warriors will assault you. These enemies aren’t stupid and will head straight for the safe zone unless you keep them occupied. Slowing down time will help with this, as you’ll be able to better see where they’re headed and intercept them. As soon as the period ends and the spikes raise again, you’ll be able to dash to safety while the two of them get impaled, thereby eliminating much damage you would’ve received fighting them together.

God of War II somehow manages to extend Kratos’ epic tale without recycling too much old material. Kratos is still an arrogant, ruthless brute, but his savageness somehow comes across as refreshing, perhaps as a result of the fact that it goes far beyond anything he ever did in the previous game. Whatever the case, it’s a rare event when a sequel actually surpasses what had come before, but I remain impressed with how much the developers were able to do with the second without making it feel stale.

Community review by wolfqueen001 (May 24, 2010) A bio for this contributor is currently unavailable, but check back soon to see if that changes. If you are the author of this review, you can update your bio from the Settings page.