[PS2] God of War

[Welverin]

In addition to the Jade Empire Limited Edition, I've been meaning to mention God of War for the PS2, which I got a demo disc for.

It includes a couple videos, a commntary track for the first level (you watch someone plaing while one of the people who worked on it talks about), along with just about all of the first level (it cuts out in the middle of the what I assume is the final boss for the level).

Based on the playable level and the videos, it has the potentila to be a very good action game.

 

[Welverin]

you people really need to check this one out.

Well I let a friend borrow the demo and after playing it she immediately added it to her list of must buy games, which consists of about three games.

Also while they didn't review it, what with it coming out so late in the month, EGM said it's not to be missed.

 

[John Crichton]

Just finished playing normal mode and am checking out the extras.

What a FANTASTIC game! I believe I said in my initial thoughts (in another thread) that this may be the last Great PS2 game and now I know it. I'm a huge Final Fantasy fanboy and I know that FFXII will be cool but it will be hard pressed to be as consistantly fun as this game.

From start to finish (with the exception of the platforming stuff late in the game) the experience of simply fighting enemies was exhilarating. Yeah, the boss fights were few and far in between but they were certainly worth it. My favorite may still be the first fight with the hydra. Every hit, combo and slash really felt like it had some UMPH behind it. Certainly helped out by a decent surround sound system and a 16x9 prog scan TV for the visuals but I imagine that it would look great and play great on any TV.

It's obvious that much care went into every aspect of this game. The level design is smart and fun. The levels just keep getting better and better as the game goes on. They have a life all their own. As do the beasts and enemies. There are only 10-12 in the entire game but when combined with the environments and each other that's all that is needed to make a fair but challenging adventure.

And the design of Kratos and his powers is something that must be played. Just his basic blades are enough but then you get to upgrage them and gain new attacks (which lead to new combos) over the course of the game. I think my highest combo was in the area of 130-150 and was it ever damn satisfying! Fun, fun, fun.


SPOILER WARNING

The story was also well done. There was just enough of it to make the tale work and drive the action forward during the cutscenes. And the way it was integrated as part of the final 3-tiered boss battle was certainly refreshing.

The best moment for me, after all was said, done and slain was after the credits: Kratos Will Return.....

Hopefully on the PS3.

 

[Welverin]

It's about bloody time someone replied to this. It's like no one wanted to believe it was as good as I said.

Certainly helped out by a decent surround sound system and a 16x9 prog scan TV for the visuals but I imagine that it would look great and play great on any TV.

It does.

And the design of Kratos and his powers is something that must be played. Just his basic blades are enough but then you get to upgrage them and gain new attacks (which lead to new combos) over the course of the game. I think my highest combo was in the area of 130-150 and was it ever damn satisfying! Fun, fun, fun.

I think I eventually got up to around two-hundred (lots of magic), but even that pales to the 700+ I saw mentioned in a review.

 

[John Crichton]

It's about bloody time someone replied to this. It's like no one wanted to believe it was as good as I said.

Looks like it's another gaming thread that we have to keep alive until others decide to join in. It's not like it hasn't happened before. And it's not like the game is bad or anything...

I think I eventually got up to around two-hundred (lots of magic), but even that pales to the 700+ I saw mentioned in a review.

Ba-guh!? 700? That's nuts. I'm sure it can be done. I really felt like I could mow through armies as Kratos.

Minor spoilers ahoy (for those of you not named Welverin)...


My favorite non-boss part was where the trap wall started from the left of the screen and slowly made its way right and hordes of legionaires would keep appearing, almost to the point of stopping all Kratos' movement. The final combo to clear that point ended with me barely pausing the game, spiking the controller on the floor and doing a fist-pump. The part wasn't hard - more just damn cool. Just thinking about it makes me want to try God-mode....

 

[Welverin]

Looks like it's another gaming thread that we have to keep alive until others decide to join in. It's not like it hasn't happened before. And it's not like the game is bad or anything...

We should spread our posts out a bit, which will make it easier to make real posts and not simple bumps.

Ba-guh!? 700? That's nuts. I'm sure it can be done. I really felt like I could mow through armies as Kratos.

oh, yeah. he's a real dawn/dusk caste.

Just thinking about it makes me want to try God-mode....

I thought about it and for the most part I think I might be able to handle it, despite reading it is really hard, but the cyclopes’ and the last few fights (Hades and the other bit) give me pause.* Throw in the fact I replayed large swaths of the game anyway and all the other stuff I have yet to finish and it just isn't likely to happen.

*most of my deaths were caused by plummeting to my death, which got annoying in its own right, but even more so when after the tenth or twentieth the game would ask if I wanted to start over again in easy mode, the only difference is weaker enemies!

 

[Brother Shatterstone]

I picked this game up when I was on leave, huge used game sale, but I didn't take my PS2 on my leave, think vacation, so I haven't tried it yet but the review on G4 looked really, really, awesome. I think I'll give it a try when I get home tonight.

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

I picked this game up when I was on leave, huge used game sale, but I didn't take my PS2 on my leave, think vacation, so I haven't tried it yet but the review on G4 looked really, really, awesome. I think I'll give it a try when I get home tonight.

Not until you finish KotOR!

Slacker!

 

[Brother Shatterstone]

Not until you finish KotOR!

Slacker!

Humph! Look who's calling that kettle black.

 

[Welverin]

Not until you finish KotOR!

Ignore him, play God of War!

The game is frikkin' awesome!