I fed the bomb to God of War last night and I’m happy to report the game is everything it’s cracked up to be. God of War is one of those games that you play for a lot of different reasons; it has a good storyline, the levels are cleverly designed, combat is unapologetically brutal, and the mini-games appear at odd yet pleasing moments (like the rip-the-head-off-Medusa game), but what really sets this game apart is that it’s just fun to watch. They’ve done a spectacular job with the visuals in this game and everything from combat to the cut-scenes is worth ogling. I can’t say enough about the graphics of the game and I’d rank this particular game right up with my PC for graphic appeal.

Watch that first step.

The game plays very well and should have appeal for beginners as well as experts at console gaming. It’s a little easy at first, but combat is entertaining enough that it never gets boring as you’ll continually discover new and gory ways of dispatching your foes. I’m not a big fan of studying the art of fighting combos, but by the end of the game I was working out long combo strings up into the 20 to 30 hit range just for fun. And that’s what a game should be.

BAD DOG!

I did find the game to be frustrating at times - it’s suffers from “easy level, impossible boss” syndrome - but I learned eventually that some bosses just require a particular strategy to beat. Patience is the key in a lot of situations, and that’s strange given how insane the general combat is. Strangely enough I found that the game was easier to beat with the original PS2 controller than with my 3rd party controller - something about the button action just made the mini-games more responsive. The longer the game goes on the more important this becomes. I should also warn you that this is definitely a mature-rated game. Apparently not only were the ancient Greeks terribly violent, but they hadn’t yet invented the woman’s shirt. It was breastacular.

Kratos is also the Dental Hygienist of War

You should definitely play this game if you own a PS2. I’ve always complained that the title selection is better for the PS2 but that the X-Box owns the “must have” franchises, but this game breaks that mold in a big way. I put this one down in 10 hours of game time, and maybe 15-20 hours of real time, but it’s got good replay value because the more times you beat it, the more special features you unlock.

If you have a PS2, play this game; if not, go to Jeff’s and don’t leave till he lets you play or unleashes the hounds on you.