Genre: Action
Developer: Sony Santa Monica
Publisher: Sony
Released On: March 24, 2005
# of Players: 1
ERSB: Mature
MSRP: $49.99
Also On: None
Better Than: All other Action titles
These days, action titles are a dime a dozen. For every Devil May Cry that comes out, we get a game like Cy Girls, and for every Prince of Persia, we get something like Spawn. Though they were miles ahead of the competition, even the good action games didn’t quite perfect their craft; there was always a fairly good amount of things that could have been made better. The levels could have been designed smoother, the enemies could have been more difficult (or less when one considers Ninja Gaiden); there was always something. But like a lightning bolt from the clouds, God of War has arrived, and it has leveled the competition in every area. There isn’t a smoother playing, more satisfying way to lead a one man army through hordes of mythical creatures and demons. Olympus has truly smiled upon us, because God of War is THE definitive action title.
"God of War is THE definitive action title."
|
As you may have heard by now, God of War starts out on a cliff overlooking the Aegean Sea, in Greece. The main character, Kratos, is deep in despair, and within a minute of the game, you watch him plummet to his doom. Suicide, especially when committed by the main character, is definitely a unique way to begin a game. Of course before Kratos hit’s the bottom, the game flashes back three weeks. It’s up to the player to traverse this time period and unravel the mystery behind Kratos’ demise. What begins with suicide eventually paints a well written pseudo-Greek myth, complete with foreshadowing, oracles, and insurmountable odds. From start to finish, the story in God of War is as engaging as any true Greek fiction, and more than any other action game that has come before it.
But what would drive a man to suicide, especially one as powerful as Kratos? The second you start playing you feel as though you’re the most powerful being in the world. The first time you rip an enemy apart from the waist and blood explodes from the center, you’ll know what I’m talking about. I laughed maniacally while playing this game, because there are some really creative ways Kratos disposes of his enemies. This game puts you behind the wheel of a machine of destruction, and it never let’s you forget it. Kratos is quite possibly the most brutal video game character ever. New attacks are always being learned, the combos are beautiful, and the enemies come at your in massive, but manageable waves.
The Blades of Chaos are attached to chains, which are bonded with Kratos’ wrists. In essence, they are as much a part of him as his arms or legs. Kratos seems to control them with as much mastery as one would control their limbs, so it’s only fitting that you control Kratos with the same grace. It’s like the developers made a pact with Hades himself, because God of War is the smoothest action game I’ve ever controlled. As the fiery orange chains fly out from Kratos’ arms for the first time, demolishing the zombie soldiers in your path, you’ll feel in complete control of the Spartan warrior’s weapons. Combos are simple to pull off, but finding the right one for the moment is the key to success, and the dodge (with a flick of the right analog stick) is just as important. Just running from place to place has a polished feel to it, and never once did I curse the games controls.
"God of War is the smoothest action game I’ve ever controlled. "
|
Since the basic controls were nailed with such precision, other, more unique elements that were added feel that much better. When opening doors, Kratos bends down and lifts from the bottom. The player then jams on R2 in order to give Kratos the strength to open it. It’s elements like this that take simple tasks like door opening and makes them feel much more interactive, but in an unobtrusive way. When fighting certain enemies, Kratos needs to pull off a certain combination of buttons in order to deal damage, or a death blow. For example, early in the game you fight a hydra, and after beating it nearly to death, a circle button appears over its head. The player needs to run up and press circle. Then an animation sequence is initiated, where Kratos savagely beats the creature down. During this sequence, more buttons appear on screen, and the player needs to press them on time, in order to complete the challenge. If not, the creature will counter your attack, and you’ll pretty much need to begin anew. Elements like this add a level of depth and flavor to combat, since pounding away on the enemy with combo after combo isn’t all that’s offered.
Kratos is also quite the magician. The gods endow him with their powers, and three out of four of them have great uses. Zeus gives you the ability to throw lightning bolts at enemies across the stage, and Poseidon gives you the ability to shock enemies with a lightning (?) spell that damages the enemies around you. While the Hades soul spell (the dead literally materialize and attack the enemy) is very powerful, its usefulness is limited. The Gorgon Stare is cool, but too slow to use. Basically it turns enemies to stone, like the legendary Medusa. While not usually practical, the first time you turn an enemy into a statue and shatter them will be memorable. Magic is something that runs out easily, so it’s up to the player to be careful with its usage.
God of War’s levels are superbly crafted. The opening stage is set on the Aegean Sea, and Kratos travels from ship to ship to stop a hydra. Looking in the background, one can see the hydra fighting soldiers, and other parts of the massive level, all in real time. The scope and size of the levels is awe inspiring as well. It’s astounding to look over Kratos’ shoulder, only to see the area you were at five minutes ago look like it’s a mile away. There are moments in this game that you unexpectedly are connected with areas you were at earlier in the game, like when you open a door in Resident Evil five to six hours into the game, and walk into a room from the beginning, showing just how cohesive the levels are. Watching this unfold is sometimes a sight to see. It’s also worth noting just how beautiful the levels actually look. Whether it’s a giant fortress on the back of a titan, or the legendary city of Athens, all of the areas in God of War look realistic and gorgeous.
"... a couple of ladies help Kratos really earn this title’s mature rating."
|
All throughout the beautifully crafted levels are some basic puzzles. They keep things fresh, but never really get in your way. There’s also some platforming mixed in here and there, and while you might misstep and screw up a jump, the checkpoint system in this game is among the best I’ve ever seen. The system is automatic, and you’ll probably checkpoint one or two jumps before the one you missed. Some may argue that this takes away from the challenge, but I think it alleviates the frustration of replaying through half a level because of a silly misplaced jump. If you die on something a multiple amount of times, the game will also ask if you want to reduce the difficulty level (of which there are three levels), which I think is a great feature. The difficulty reduction only affects combat and not level design, so if you’re consistently dying on a level sequence (one underwater trap comes to mind), changing the difficulty won’t help you out.
While God of War has an epic story, the games length is ironically one of my only minor complaints. I heard it would take about twelve hours to complete, but I was able to get through it in somewhere around ten, and I found most of the secrets. Also, there are only three bosses in the entire game. At least one more boss would have really helped things out. The game’s unlockables might help to extend the length of this title, however. There’s a sort of endurance mode that’s unlocked called "the Challenge of the Gods", where the player needs to defeat certain amounts of enemies, in certain ways, in a certain time limit to unlock new costumes. Also, among countless behind the scenes videos (some of which are actually quite good); "God Mode" is unlocked. It’s not invincibility, but rather a more difficult setting. You’ll probably need some kind of ”God mode" to get through it though, it’s that hard. There are more secrets available if you beat that mode, but I don’t think many will. Surprisingly, there are some risqué mini-games "hidden" in the title as well. Let’s just say that a couple of ladies help Kratos really earn this title’s mature rating.
Aside from the cheap and tacked-on feeling final boss battle, as well as the relative brevity of this title, God of War is absolutely perfect. It’s definitely the greatest action title to have come out, and is a clear contender for Game of the Year. With its smooth controls, amazing visuals, and brutal combos, no gamer should be without this title.
