A Sequel That Surpasses It's Predecessor!
Page: 1/2
Supplier: Sony Computer Entertainment
Reviewed By: Rogue5
Price: $49.99 (MSRP)
Untitled Document
It’s hard to describe why I think God of War II is so great
without backtracking a bit. You see, when the original God of War was released
I was one of the few people that didn’t think it was worth being labeled
game of the year. It was a decent game that was able to breathe new life into
tried and true gameplay using only unimaginable levels of polish. I know now
that the first God of War was merely an experiment to see if an incredibly polished,
yet somewhat repetitive and not altogether innovative, game experience could
be a successful formula for an award winning game. It was, and now God of War
II completely usurps its grandeur by being bigger and ultimately better in every
conceivable way.
This time the character you control on screen has a real presence in the game
-- a weight that most game characters do not have. Marcus Fenix has it, Snake
has it, Gordon Freeman has it, and now, with God of War II, Kratos has it. If
David Jaffe is the mastermind behind the series, Cory Barlog is the editor;
while Jaffe is indeed responsible for the franchise (and its direction in both
gameplay and story) Barlog is the man responsible for making it Godly. At first
it may sound easy -- taking over a critically acclaimed property -- but making
God of War II better than the first, which Barlog and the team in Santa Monica
have most definitely done, is exponentially more difficult than it sounds. This
is especially true when the expectations for the sequel are thought to be unachievable.
The major difference between God of War I and God of War II is that God of
War II has that easy to label, yet impossibly hard to define, “IT”
factor. God of War I, on the other hand, did not.
God of War II is epic. In fact, that word – “epic” –
can be used to describe just about every aspect of the game; the graphics and
audio are epic, the level design and combat system are epic, the boss battles
are epic, and so on… But, believe it or not, the “epicness”
of the game isn’t what makes it so remarkable. What makes the game so
remarkable is that it pulls off everything perfectly – the game has no
weaknesses. This doesn’t necessarily make it the best game ever released,
but for what it is -- an action platformer of epic proportions -- it is as perfect
as we’ve ever seen.
Without divulging any important details, the story is one of the game’s
tastiest ingredients. It is important to note that it absolutely does not feel
tacked on or watered-down from the original. All the major players are back,
each having a more significant role this time around, but the cast has been
extended further than those introduced in the original game. Really all you
need to know is that after having completed the game the sequel feels a lot
more larger-than-life than God of War 1. The pacing – a particularly difficult
aspect to get just right – is damn near faultless and the balance of puzzles
and combat is at least twice as tight as the original game. All of this (the
story, the pacing, and the balance) serve as catalysts to fully immerse you
in the game.
