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What's the fuss?

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: August 23, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I'm fairly new to video gaming, having only bought my first console a couple of years ago for my young son. But I have grown to love playing, both with my son and by myself. I recently finished all the grown-up games I have (LOL!), and was on the hunt for a new one.

Based on the overwhelmingly positive reviews of the God Of War series, I picked up the first one. And...well...maybe I just don't get it. Maybe I'm too old. Maybe I'm too picky. I can't understand what all the fuss is about. I was TERRIBLY disappointed in this game and feel like I just flushed $20.00 down the toilet.

I feel that the game is juvenile, poorly written, poorly visualized, and...well, kind of lame. The action is ok, but only ok. The sets and characters are so poorly designed that I am shocked they actually made it to the screen (I'm a comic book artist, so maybe my expectations are high). On the whole, from the concept art and designs to the the battles to the unnecessary sex scenes to the character development, this game strikes me as something that came from the imagination of a depressed and angry 14-year-old boy.

Like I said, maybe I'm just too old and picky. I'm glad so many have enjoyed this game. But I'm certainly not one of them, and felt that there needed to be at least one review on here to show that, at least if you're an adult looking for some quality games, God Of War may not be the perfect video game that you expect it to be.

A Gamers Game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: August 20, 2008
Author: Amazon User

This truly is for a real gamer. Beginners barely stand a chance in this game, and I highly don't recommend it if you don't play many video games.
God of War has a great storyboard, though difficult, with a great ending. Play as Kratos, and seek revenge against the God of War himself, Aries, who saved you in a battlefield years before.
As Zues forbids other gods to fight his son Aries, you are guided by Athena to save Athens. If you can save Athens, the gods will grant you forgiveness from your guilty conscious. If you fail, you will join Hades in Hades. Destroy Aries and you betray the one who saved you. What will happen? Play and find out.

Possibly The Greatest Video Game Ever.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: August 14, 2008
Author: Amazon User

All I can say about this game is WOW!!!!!! I got this game a few months back along with God of War II because I had heard how good they are, but haven't been playing video games as much lately as I used to so I hadn't put it in my PS2 to play until last night. Even after reading all the glowing reviews from critics and gamers alike nothing prepared me for this. Right from the start I was in awe. Graphics, sound, gameplay, story, load times, everything is phenomenal. Compare this game to anything on the 360 or PS3 and I don't think there can possibly be anything on those systems that can be any better than this. IMHO the graphics and sound are on par with anything I've seen on the next-gen systems. This is going to make me put off buying a PS3 a little longer. The PS2 still has some life in it with games like this.

The best game ever

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: August 01, 2008
Author: Amazon User

It's the best game i ever blayed ,and i ordered the game and received it in three days and in a good condetion , Thanks .

Perfect!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: July 05, 2008
Author: Amazon User

If you like action/adventure games, you have to get God of War. The graphics are good, the story is good, the puzzle element is time-consuming but won't drive you crazy.

I can't say I would change anything about this game. The replay value is decent, there is no multiplayer but that is forgivable.

It was a must-have when PS2 was the top of the gaming world, now it's a steal at less than $20. Even new Sony customers who just got a PS3 won't be disappointed!

Blood and Souls

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: June 09, 2008
Author: Amazon User

God of War does an unusual thing: it takes the mindless low-brow concept of a fighting slug-fest game and amplifies everything about it to levels approaching high art.

Based in the Greek Mythos (minus some liberties taken), you play Kratos, a powerful warrior who, in a moment of weakness, sacrifices everything that matters to him to become a tool of Ares, the God of War. From here the action builds, but despite the massive amounts of gore, the horrifyingly cruel ways you can kill your opponents, and the terrible torments you inflict upon all, the substance of God of War is just plain satisfying.

What saves God of War from being a cheapened button-masher is its scope and its depth: you have clear goals, just the right amount of cinematic tie-ins, and puzzles that, while not incredibly hard, are also rather satisfying to complete. You also have to think your way through your combat: not knowing when to block or dodge, and which techniques work best, will be your doom. By the time you reach the end, you feel like you've really accomplished something--you work for your achievements, and they truly feel earned.

The only title better than God of War...is God of War II.

Love the combat

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: June 09, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I loved this game. I actually played it a couple of years ago, but whenever I think about a quality game I think of God of War. I played the sequel and loved it as well. I can't wait until GOWIII whenever that is.

I enjoy first person shooters, but really like games where you have to beat your opponents without the use of a gun. The story even makes sense and adds to the game. I usually skip through cut scenes because they often fail to add anything to the game, but GOW cut-scenes added to the experience. If you like up-close fighting action, play this game.

God of Awesome

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: June 02, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I purchased this game on a lark on Amazon because you can get it real cheap and because of solid word of mouth. I was surprised at the depth of this game and I had a great time playing it. It is extremely violent - almost too violent - but there's gratification from completing levels and I was enthralled throughout. I couldn't wait to come home from work to continue the adventure, and isn't that what good games are all about. Highly recommended.

Perfect Story - Imperfect Gaming

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: May 31, 2008
Author: Amazon User

The story in God of War is epic. It's revenge driven, and truly unrelenting. There is no point in the game where you will feel sympathy for Kratos or his plight, but you WILL revel in his bloodlust.

That said, I fear I have to echo some previous complaints, mainly regarding the repetition in the later levels of the game. For example, in some of the more difficult platforming sections of Hades. There are sections that are frustratingly difficult, but you are robbed of any satisfaction upon completeing said section, because there will be an exact copy of it just over the next ledge. This kills the feeling of "epicness" from many of the platforming sections as they become redundant and frustrating instead of the one-off heroic struggles they should have been.

The boss fights truly are epic, well, almost all of them. There's more strategy and thought required in the first and second bosses then there are in the final boss fight. So it all feels a little anti-climactic when the platforming and enviormental elements of previous boss fights are completely removed from the final battle.

Now, imperfect doesn't mean bad, this is still a good game. The story alone is reason enough to struggle through the more frustrating sections of the game. Also, the game does have some VERY epic moments. There are times where you will feel like you were a God. However, the later platforming levels and the limited amount of epic boss battles does reduce the greatness of this game.

God of War is the stuff of legends, literally.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: May 26, 2008
Author: Amazon User

God of War is one heck of an adrenaline rush. The shear immersion of the game is astounding, and you will be left feeling completely devastated by the wake of God of War. If you play this game- Sit down, shut up, and prepare yourself for a roller-coaster ride of intense, heart-pounding action.

Graphics- 10/10. The first thing I noticed while looking at the reviews of "Haze", the new FPS for the PS3, is that the fire textures in God of War actually far surpass those in Haze. This is just one example of the graphical prowess that God of War demonstrates. God of War is just a visual success on so many levels, and what's more, is that God of War does it without hardly any loading times. I cannot remember being interrupted by a loading time during the game, except for the very beginning load. This is so crucial to the game, because no one would want to win a boss fight, be forced to sit through a 30 second long loading screen, then watch the cut-scene.

For its time, God of War had some of the best visuals on the market. Some graphics don't stand the test of time, and go as quickly as they came. Others, like God of War, stand the test of time, and even 3 years later, God of War still is one of the graphical leaders of the PS2. Seeing how the PS2 is on its deathbed, this game will go down as one of the best looking games in the PS2's reign of supremacy.

Sound- 10/10. The music sums up the game very nicely, as the music is a brutal and no-nonsense thriller of a soundtrack. The theme is fully orchestrated and played by some of the worlds best, as shown in the unlockable extra content. I can't think of any other way to put it- the soundtrack is incredible.

The sound effects are also very, very impressive. From the incredibly well done voice acting (whoever voice acted Kratos sounded genuinely angry during the entire game), to the brilliance of slaying an enemy with the blades of chaos, to something as simple as turning a lever- the sound effects do not disappoint in the least.

Fighting System/Game Play- 8/10. God of War desperately tries to hide behind its clever puzzles so people wouldn't see the fact that it is just a simple hack 'n' slash action game. Sorry Kratos, you stick out like a sore thumb. I mean the puzzles do add a new element to the game, and it requires someone to actually think while engaged in the puzzle, but right after you complete a puzzle, you are right back into the monotonous button mashing. The game has quite a few combo moves that are very nice and fun to play with, but eventually, you'll find yourself just slamming on the square button for the blades of chaos.

The combos in the game do look amazing, even if they do get repetitive. You have the option of just a normal attack, a heavy attack, grabbing an enemy with your blades of chaos, throwing an enemy into the air, etc. And if all of that isn't enough, you also get magical attacks to use on your enemies, so if you get tired of just smashing heads with undead soldiers, you can electrocute them. You also have a meter at the bottom of your screen, called "the rage of the gods" which charges up over time, by gathering orbs from the dead or from chests. Basically, this just makes you a super Kratos for a short period of time.

The game also has some interesting RPG elements, as Kratos levels up in the game. Throughout the main story, Kratos will gain new weapons and magical powers, and all of these can be leveled up. There is a total of 6 of these weapons and powers that can be leveled up, and besides the item just getting stronger in general, you will be able to do new moves and combos with the items, and they will usually change in color or appearance of some sort. I'm not going to say what the weapons are, or what the new combos will be, because for me, that might have been the most fun part of the game. You can also "level up" your health and magic meters, by obtaining Gorgon Eyes and Phoenix Feathers.

While playing through the story, Kratos also gets "special" powers that are either bestowed on him by a god, or he gains by defeating a god, and these are very, very fun to play around with. Again, I'm not going to say what they are, but I feel it necessary to tell the reader of these, because they make for some serious plot twists and some epic boss battles that are definitely the high points of the game. During these boss battles, and even in some non-boss battles, you are required to hit a series of buttons, according to what buttons are on the screen to pull off some real sick kills. These mini-games have a very cinematic feel to them, and you'll never forget the Hydra that you have to slay in this manner, during the opening part of the story.

Controls- 6/10. This is probably the biggest issue with God of War. The fact that you cannot control the camera is a major issue, and can really hamper game play. The camera guys do their best to try and point out places you need to be and things you need to grab that are essential to the game. There is really only so much they can do, as things can still be easily missed. Besides just missing things, at times Kratos isn't even visible to the player as he is smushed between two enemies, and this can be very frustrating. For a game that the makers obviously put so much time into, I find it weird that this wasn't corrected in some way. While making it so the player can't control the camera is strange, it isn't that big of a deal. Usually players will get the general idea of what to do in the game, and getting smushed between enemies to a point that you can't see Kratos is so rare, that it isn't as big of a deal to most as it is to me. Besides the non-camera decision, the controller layout is like you might expect, and it is highly functional. Square is normal attack, triangle is heavy attack, L1 is block, L2 is to use magic, the left stick is to walk/run/climb, and instead of doing the obvious thing and making the right stick a camera control, Kratos will dodge enemies when you move it.

Replay Value- 5/10. For those who don't know there is NOT multiplayer for God of War, but the makers of the game do try to throw in some extra content after you beat the main story. If you beat the story on any of easy, medium, or hard settings, you will unlock some extensive footage showing the making of God of War, which is actually quite entertaining. You will also get an arena full of enemies that were cut from the game, God Mode, which is a new difficulty that is very, very hard, and a mini-game type challenge in which you have 10 challenges to complete. God mode is the most rewarding of all of these, as you will get even more replay value if you complete that, including new outfits for Kratos, and a pair of secret messages from the game's creators.

Frankly, the bonus content you get for completing the game doesn't add on that much replay value. The real replay value is just playing the story mode again, as it is one heck of a ride.

Story- 10/10. Based on Greek mythology, the story is the heart and sole of God of War. You play as Kratos, and your task is to murder a god, not just any god, but the God of War. Kratos was once a great warrior, but during a battle that he knew he could not win, Kratos sold his sole to Aries (He's the God of War, for people who don't know), vowing that he would serve Aries for the rest of his life. In return, Aries killed all of his enemies for him during that battle, and embedded the "Blades of Chaos" on his back. Kratos is haunted with this decision every day after this, and becomes bent on getting his life back from Aries, by killing him. If I were forced to sum up the story in one word, it would be epic. At first, the story doesn't overwhelm you with details that you don't need, rather, it just gives you the basic gist of what's going on. However, once you get deeper into God of War, the story thickens, and has plot twists a plenty, and will leave you begging for more. For being a game that is based so heavily on the story, the story mode is actually very short. I completed it in about 18 hours on the medium difficulty, but I was playing casually. If you wanted to, you could probably sprint through the main story in 10-12 hours. I promise though, you will want to play the main story more than once, and if you try to play through the God mode, you will get a significantly longer experience, not from added levels, but from the shear difficulty of it. The story is just such a refreshing change from all the first-person shooters being put out there right now, that focus on shooting first, and story second. The awesome thing about God of War, is that it succeeds at both the game play and story.

God of War is the thinking man's Hack 'n' slash game. That may sound like an oxymoron, but it's true. Fans of smashing up some enemies and getting wicked combos will definitely be satisfied, while people looking for a strong narrative, and tricky puzzles will be satisfied as well. This game is well deserving of a 9.6/10 in my opinion, and by the end of the game, God of War will have you on your knees bowing down to it's shear greatness.

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