Spartans and Gore

After seeing 300, the next step is to become a Spartan.

God of War II. Rated Mature. For a damn good reason (the best reason of all).

I'm going to say this right now to get it out of the way: If you haven't played God of War II yet, and plan on it, then I suggest not reading this. Just in case I accidentally "spoil" something. I try not to, but I may just let slip some things that are rather enjoyable about the game.

All right, now that it's just those who don't care, I'll start.

If you haven't even played God of War (the first one), let's give a brief talk about. In the original game, you play Kratos, who you find out is after Ares (thus, the name). With flashbacks and ripping people's torsos apart, you find that the reason why Kratos was ready to take down a god because he had asked Ares to help him win a battle in place of his life being entirely in the god's hands. Kratos receives the Blades of Chaos, which are burned into his flesh, forever attached and able to fling out in such a way that no one could have ever found something more satisfying (or brutal). Athena helps Kratos on his quest, showing him the way to Pandora's box and using him to stop her brother from destroying her city (by Zeus' law, the gods cannot fight amongst themselves). The game is filled with many of the mythological aspects, such as Sirens, Hydra and the use of the magical attributes (named from the gods who wish to help him along the way).

God of War II fulfills this, and more. After beating the first game, you can watch the many characters and ideas that had to be left behind because there just wasn't enough time to add everything they wanted in--and for those of you who were disappointed, no worries; they're here. Wish one could fight skeletons? Wish there was a point where Kratos would fly with wings? Want to rip an orges eye out?

It's all there. And better than ever.

If there's one things that everyone will agree on (because, let's face it... though it's beautiful, glorious and satisfies the bloodlust you never knew you had, there happen to be better graphics and camera angles), it's that this game challenges the knowledge of the PS2 controller.



Throughout the game, you need to use everything. The d-pad is used to choose what magic you want to use (in which you use the L2 button to actually use it). By pressing both analog sticks, the "Rage of the Titans" (originally named "Rage of the Gods"... they weren't pleased with Ares either) comes out, enabling you to fight with more vigor and aren't smashed back when hit. The R2 button changes the type of weapon to use besides Athena's Blades (not Blades of Chaos anymore). You use the 'X', 'O', square and triangle for attacking and jumping, hold the L1 button to do special attacks and block... And it's also used constantly for combo attacks. You use the buttons so much, by the end of the game, you'll feel like a god yourself.

However, the combination feature is really what makes the game fun and nerve wrecking. Key to why I personally play the game, one may use the 'O' button to grab the enemy and choose what one will do:

1) Press circle again and stab that SOB!
2) Press triangle and rip them apart from the waist to hear that satisfying grunt and squish of blood
3) Press square to fling that enemy like a weapon at another enemy nearby

One of my favorite GoW pastimes is to rip the wings off of Harpies. Ah, the satisfying screech of protest along with a sound of brittle bone breaking.

Wow. Now I'm just sounding like a serial killer.

But the combinations get even better; when one is finishing off a semi-boss, or a little harder type of enemy (such as wraiths), you have to wait to press the circle button. I like to think this is because those enemies are a little more knowledgeable about the ways of fighting. However, sometimes it requires complete attention because you just may screw something up, creating frustration and throwing of the controller, Wii Style. In order to completely obliterate the boss, you have to press the right buttons when prompted, and even move the analog stick at times. Talk about knowing the controller.

Another aspect of the game is that it really plays out like a movie; the angles shown (thought slightly annoying at times, does prove to be part of the gaming challenge as well), the way it pans out and the rare loading times gives the game life. The soundtrack is amazing as usual, and goes really well with whatever is going on around Kratos.

Of course, there's more to this game than discovering your inner Spartan. In this game, Kratos is still bothered (understated, if you ask me) by the memories ailing him in the first game. Though the gods made him the next God of War, he goes on a rampage with the Spartans, in which Zeus decides he's gone too far and strips him of his powers, leaving him to die. However, Gaia decides to take a different turn, whom you find out is the narrator of the first game, including this one. With her help, you take your toll on the islands where the three witches of fate live to turn back time and get your powers back.

Needless to say, there are some parts of the game that just seem rather brutal (and this is besides the fact that you get more power when you get a certain amount of hits, the game cheering you on with "Brutal! +5" or "Ruthless! +20" or "Use this attack to kill the young women and children and feel okay about it!").

Remember the time when you needed a human sacrifice so you took a live, helpless man in a cage, dragged him up a hill to place on an altar where you pressed a button to incinerate him just to open a door? Now you get to pull a Kill Bill, smashing a man's head repeated with a door so you can have his key.

Remember that time when you could have saved that man hanging in the hydra's mouth, but instead you took his key and threw him down to die, then met him again only to use him as a climbing wall with your Blades of Chaos to get out of Hades? Good, because you'll see him, too.

Remember that one time when you said kicking puppies was cruel and disgusting? You'll kind of forget that.

If anything, this game has become smoother, wittier and proves that anything in your past will come back to kick your ass (or at least try). It also gives one a brief knowledge about myths and legends; and who doesn't like to know more about the Greek past?

Between Gorgon eyes, ripping off griffin wings and finally meeting Atlas (and also ripping the wings off of Icarus... and also using an enemies sword to kill it either by yanking it into it or twisting the arm back in such a way that gives a new meaning to "stop hitting yourself"), I give this game Infinity out of the blue-green gelatinous Yeti.

Also, go see 300. In the IMAX. Well worth it.