| God of War review |
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Anchors. The Olympic Games. Ouzo.
These seemingly unrelated things actually share one thing in common; they were all invented by the Greeks. However, likely more forthright in anyone's mind when you mention the Grecian Isles and its inhabitants is their endearing mythology. While every civilisation has its own tales of heroic figures, there is something particularly appealing about the ancient Hellenic stories. Using these as their starting point, Sony Entertainment has reached into the wispy clouds of Olympus and brought down God of War.
And what a heavenly delight it is.
Long ago, a Spartan by the name of Kratos was chosen by the ancient gods as an instrument of their wrath. As the game begins, little more is known about the main character than that. The player, as Kratos, finds themselves aboard a ship in the middle of the sea which is under attack by the dreaded multi-headed Hydra; God of War drops us in at the deep end and leaves us to literally carve our way through the levels. While there is a rich plot line running through the game, to spoil it here would be a shame. Suffice it to say that it is well executed and engaging, drawing on the vast wealth of background material available, but at the same time can be completely disregarded for those who simply want to hack and slash things to pieces.
From the start, the game grabs your attention by the throat and simply refuses to let go, with an opening sequence that will leave you breathless. God of War quickly ensures there are no illusions as to why this game has been given a Mature rating, with gory and brutal content befitting the tales on which it is based (as well as ample use of female nudity thrown in for good measure). Neither is there any doubt as to the type of character the protagonist is. Kratos is a distinct antihero, an embittered warrior who does what he must to achieve his own goals no matter who stands in his way. Armed with this knowledge the player will find themselves imbued with a power like no other, a power that vindicates their actions, leaving them free to crush all that stands in their way and revel in the carnage.
Kratos has been gifted with a set of twin blades (chained to his arms for extended range and efficiency) which are more than capable of the job at hand. However his brute strength means that even when unarmed he is more than a match for anything that's thrown at him and able, quite literally, to tear enemies in half with his bare hands. The game features a nice learning curve meaning the enemies start off relatively low in numbers and come in only a few waves. As the player's skills increase, so do the volume and type of opponents that are put in your way. In later stages Kratos is literally swamped with enemies and required to cut a swathe through them. Thankfully the game manages to strike a fine balance between keeping the combat challenging without being frustrating.
By executing a mixture of light and heavy attacks, players are able to dish out destruction and earn themselves orbs for upgrades. Similarly, Kratos is later bestowed with magical powers and even weapons by the gods to aid him in his quest. These range from a power-up which can be used to make him a more lethal killing machine for a short period of time, through to mythological items which can be brandished to stop enemies in their tracks. Gorgon's Eyes and Phoenix Feathers can also be collected from the numerous magical chests scattered throughout, and these allow an increase in both the life and magic gauges.
All this may sound similar to a certain red-jacket-clad half-demon who also resides on Sony's platform, although God of War is far from a rip-off of the Capcom series. Kratos will feel a little more flexible to first timers, but at the same time giving enough range and combos from the offing to satisfy old hands. Indeed, Devil May Cry stalwarts will find themselves catered for even more when upgrades provide further destructive capability.
Certainly throughout the course of the game Kratos is required to be as nimble as Dante, dodging moves with a flick of the right analogue stick. While on paper it may seem like an unlikely control layout, the game utilises the whole joypad to its full potential, and will quickly feel like second nature allowing players to block, evade, attack and even counter attack with ease.
God of War follows the recent gaming trend of incorporating QTE's. These allow Kratos to pull off a plethora of actions and stunts that would otherwise be impossible and are an integral part of the gameplay, often needed to defeat the massive guardians. However they are also incorporated into the more standard enemies and while optional for dispatching them, can be used to obtain extra life or magic.
Puzzles are also present and act as a welcome break to the combat. Thankfully these are never taxing enough to cause any real headaches but serve to keep players on their toes and do a good job of interspacing the fighting.
The PlayStation 2 may be the oldest of the current console generation, but Sony has proven that there's more than enough life left in the old girl yet, with the game pushing out visuals at a framerate that would be more at home on the Xbox. The game’s designers have really put everything they had into ensuring the game looks stunning, with even the cutscenes looking vibrant and dripping with detail. Characters, enemies and backgrounds are rich and beautifully done, with sumptuous reflections and lighting. Hence it's not just the action in the forefront that will catch your attention. Throughout the course of the game, players can expect to find themselves distracted by the carnage unfolding around them, adding to a sense of atmosphere.
Moreover, some of the levels look and feel huge. The fixed camera is cleverly used to change the sense of scale for both enemies and surroundings and while the removal of player control over the camera is necessary to ensure the consistency of the visual impact the designer wanted (as well as not taxing the console even further) it is no surprise that this does cause problems. Thankfully these are minimal through the course of the game but when they do occur (particularly towards the end) they can prove frustrating, with the player forced to make leaps from platform to platform without being able to see where they're heading.
For those who have the appropriate setup, running this game in Progressive Scan mode and turning off the 'softening' feature is a must. The only downside to the game pushing the hardware this much is that there are numerous noticeable v-sync and screen-tear issues. However these are a small price to pay for something so gorgeous-looking and once engrossed in the onscreen action it will, more often than not, go unnoticed.
Similarly the game also makes clever use of Surround Sound-enabled hardware to bring the action aurally to life. God of War strikes home with a powerful and rousing soundtrack that is enough to draw goose-bumps along the length of your arms and is clearly directly inspired by films such as Clash of The Titans or Jason and The Argonauts.
Additionally everything is wonderfully streamed from the disk, so on the very rare occasions where the Loading text is present in the corner of the screen, it only rears its head for a few brief seconds; even the transition from in-game to cutscene and back again is done seamlessly.
Sadly, God of War is rather short and capable of being completed in around 10 hours. However the game packs so much excitement and roller-coaster thrills in that timescale, it really does feel like a much longer experience and is certainly worthy of a replay; if only just to experience the euphoria of its greatest moments all over again. For those who wish to take the time to explore every area and soak up the atmospherics, the game will certainly provide a longer initial playtime.
Emerging almost from nowhere Sony has provided a must-play game for anyone who owns their console (and is of course old enough to meet the age restriction). Very few titles this generation have managed to cram as many unadulterated thrills and spills onto one disk and as an overall gaming experience, God of War will wholly satisfy any player's gaming hunger. |
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System: Sony PlayStation 2
Genre: Action
Developer: S.C.E.A Santa Monica
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Players: 1
Version: United States
Reviewed: Apr 2005
Writer: Jamie Davies
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Pros:
- Jawdropping visuals from beginning to end
- Blistering pace and use of story
- More action and adventure than some series can muster over two/three titles
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Cons:
- Camera can be a pain
- It ends too quickly
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