Summary Did SCEA succeed in having the coveted lightning strike twice with the second game in the God of War series?

Description Sony Computer Entertainment of America had a phenomenal hit with their 2005 classic God of War, and now it's time for them to take a stab at milking that franchise with a sequel, although I really can't say it surprised me when they announced it. Overall, God of War II delivers an epic story with incredible gameplay. A sequel of this magnitude hasn't been seen since Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando exploded past the original in almost every single way possible. Story: After Kratos journeyed for the power of Pandora's Box and laid waste to the God who had betrayed him, the Gods of Olympus refused to leave the throne of the God of War empty, so they filled the void with the lone mortal who had killed Ares. As time passed, Kratos, the new God of War, became drunk on his own power and laid siege to the many city's of Greece. During his assault on Rhodes with his Spartan army, and after a warning from Athena, telling him that the Gods will no longer protect him if he continues, Kratos leaps from the peak of Mt. Olympus to finish the conquest when the Colossus of Rhodes comes to life and tries to stop the God. During a valiant battle with the much larger Colossus, Zeus grants Kratos the strength to defeat the towering beast, the Blade of Olympus. Kratos is told to drain all of his godly powers into the blade to imbue it with the power necessary to kill the Colossus. As Kratos defeats the Colossus, and all of his strength still in the blade, the Colossus deals one last devastating blow and cripples Kratos. Knowing that his only means of survival was to re-take his powers from the blade, Zeus descends from the heavens and seizes the blade and all of Kratos' power with it. Zeus confronts Kratos and tells him that Olympus has warned him, then strikes him dead with the Blade of Olympus. Kratos awakens in the depths of Hades to the voice of the Titan Gaia (the narrator from the previous game), the mother of nature. Granting him life, Gaia tells Kratos to journey to see the Sisters of Fate, who have the power to turn back time to the moment when Zeus had betrayed him... Gameplay: The blade whirling dynamo returns with his signature chain swinging, monster maiming ways. Again, your main weapons are the Athena's Blades (Blades of Chaos) and throughout the course of the game you'll also obtain new weapons and magic. Not too much has changed form the gameplay of the original God of War, but the action game worked so well in the past, I was glad to jump back in with no transition to a new control scheme. Sadly, again the game can be beaten just by mashing on the square and triangle buttons. Although very little other than your standard attack (square) and strong attack (triangle) is needed to best most enemies, you are given a lot more options for combat. You will obtain, a Spear, the Barbarians Hammer, and after beating the game, a certain Sword you normally only wield for a brief stint at the beginning of the game. Just like the powers of the Gods of Olympus, as Kratos journeys to the Sisters of Fate, he will be granted magic spells used to aid him in battle. Chronos' Rage - Furious orbs of lightning are left in a stationary position, arcing off and damaging all enemies who come into range. This power is granted to Kratos by the Titan Chronos, who has been banished to carry Pandora's Temple on his back 'til the day the unforgiving sands of the desert rip his flesh from his bones. Typhon's Bane - A bow and arrow imbued with the element of wind. Typhon's Bane is aquired form the Titan Typhon in his icy lair. Atlus Quake - Obtained from the Titan Atlus, forever banished to carry the world and all of it's burdens on his shoulders, this power unleashes a devastating earth quake, damaging all enemies in range. Euryale's Head - The head of Medusa's grotesque sister Euryale has the same petrifying gaze Medusa's head has. Context Sensitive Attacks are also a major component to GoW2. Once an enemy is damaged to a certain degree, a button icon (usually circle) will appear over the enemy's head. At which point, you press that button to initiate a deadly attack, or combo attack. After you initiate the CSA, you will have to hit a series of buttons in a timely fashion to mutilate and kill your foe. All bosses will have to be beaten using Context Sensitive Attacks. Graphics: As I mentioned in my God of War (1) review, the graphics are waaaaaay behind it's time, and unfortunately, it's the same case with God of War II. When held in contrast to the original GoW, 2 has far superior graphics, but still leagues behind other Playstation 2 titles. From a distance, everything looks great, but "ew" is your first thought when you see any character/creature mode up close. The high-res CG cutscenes look great, but they are far too few. That would be strike 2 for graphics, God of War. Don't disappoint us with God of War III, OK? Sound: Not too much has changed from the epic soundtrack in the original game. It's not great, but it could've been far, far worse. I do suppose that it's fitting for the overall tone of the game though. Bonus Disc: Like most Limited/Collectors Edition game, God of War II is packaged with a second bonus disc. Like most of these collectors Edition DVDs, this one is an extra nugget that you'll probably watch only once. One special thing about this collectors DVD is that it doesn't just come as a limited edition, you will get it in every single copy of the game, even in the Greatest Hits print of the game. On this disc you'll get: - Deleted Levels - Voices of God of War II - God of War II: The Music - Bringing God of War II to Life Overall, God of War II take all of the right steps forward, with the exception of a couple of flaws remaining from the original. I wouldn't quite say that I'd be fully justified in my buy if I had payed $50 for it, but now a Greatest Hits title, God of War II is a more sound investment that anybody with an interest in Greek mythology, or in their Playstation 2/3, can enjoy. Other Scores God of War II Received Game Informer - 9.75 (out of 10) Electronic Gaming Monthly - 9.0, 9.0, 9.5 (out of 10) Gamepro - 5 (out of 5) GameSpot - 9.2 (out of 10) IGN - 9.7 (out of 10) Review Page Hits: 2 today (22 in the last 30 days) Create Your Own Review or