KEY POINTS:
After blazing away with dual-wield plasma rifles in Halo3 multiplayer over the weekend, there's a feeling of satisfaction sitting down to god stomping in Sony's just released God of War II (R16) on PS2!
This game's a beaut, after a stellar gore-fest in the original; I was keenly looking forward to the macabre savagery and tweaked gameplay I grew to enjoy in the jaw-dropping original. The awesome environments and crazy Kratos power was a warm welcome after battling lagged States-side players in Halo3. Not only did I stress my flame-chains and my wrists, but I put the PS2 emulation to the test with it's elegant shape and wireless controllers. Yes, I was playing God Of War II on the PS3.
PS2 games do run sweet on this gaming centre! A PS2 game playing well on the PS3 a game that comes as close to a 10 out of 10 and as high as any reviewer can give, it has just come out on PS2 and will work on the PS3!
A decent plot and awesome graphics greet you in this pretty-much faultless sequel to Sony's best ever game that is loosely based on great mythological Greek gods. It tells the odyssey of an angry and vengeful man-god, Kratos.
Almost faultless? Well it's actually hard to quibble over a gripping mix of violence, puzzles, large cinematic-style battle scenes and a storyline that picks up seamlessly from where the previous tale left off.
Once again, there are many characters to fight and take down including the Gods themselves. Those recognisable from the Greek myths include Zeus, Icarus and Perseus as well as the previous bunch of minotaurs, Cyclops's and zombie warriors you slice your way over. There are flight controls in a fun little diversion where Kratos mounts the winged Pegasus and flies, adding another dimension to the game. The unrelenting bloodlust is extreme.
The few puzzles throughout the game are short but can be tricky and there is a heap of unlockable content. The improved combat and tricks include earthquake magic that tosses everything into the air! Visually, the game is stunning and hard to imagine but better than the original in some places.
The controls play perfectly (the fixed-view camera rocks). The atmosphere and audio all blends suitably with the game and voice acting is as professional as you could want. In all, you get about 15 hours of game time but don't expect the story to end there. Yet another sequel is to come and that one will demand you upgrade to a PS3 and a hi-def screen as well!
