Discriminating Gamer

Ahh, Kratos… please accept my apologies, I put off tackling your second adventure for an embarrassingly long time. I knew it would be an unbelievable gaming experience and you did not disappoint, but I got caught up in the razzle-dazzle of next generation gaming and you slipped through the cracks. How wrong I was to ignore you.

I just finished slicing and dicing (and stabbing and twisting and gouging and ripping and… you get the idea) my way through God of War II and I couldn’t be more pleased with the experience. God of War II, like it’s predecessor, embodies most, if not all, of the ideals I look for in video games:

1. Smooth and intuitive controls with depth
This game provides maximum carnage with minimum effort. Guiding Kratos and executing killer combos feels natural, as if the DualShock controller is an extension of your hand. The game is by no means a button masher, however, as making use of the dodge (mapped to the right analog stick) and block/reverse (L1) functions becomes increasingly necessary as the game progresses. The learning curve is smooth and rewarding.

Also, I have read some criticism of the interactive cut-scenes pioneered by Resident Evil 4. Many have written the technique off as another hackneyed video game cliche, but the God of War series incorporates the timed button-pressing sequences with an unrivaled cinematic flair that draws you in and adds to the overall experience.

2. Tight design with the right amount of variety and very little filler
One of the best aspects of the game is there are no sequences that feel like they were crammed into the game or tacked on to increase play time. Every segment drives the story. There is a ton of variety, but nothing seems tacked on or superfluous. Plus, there are a whole slew of cool boss fights to test your mettle, mentally and reflexively.

3. An engrossing story with compelling characters
Kratos is the ultimate anti-hero. His nastiness knows knows no bounds. He is brutal, vengeful and vindictive throughout the game, and I couldn’t help but love every minute of it. I love the way the writers took familiar characters and stories from Greek mythology and tweaked them with their own creative twists. Upon completing the game, I felt compelled to spend a couple of hours clicking around Wikipedia to further investigate the source material the game’s producers used as inspiration.

4. Most importantly, the game is extremely fun to play
The bottom line is that the controls, story, variety and action add up to a game that’s fun to play. Yeah, I died a bunch of times because I was impatient, but that was my own fault. Only once or twice did I become frustrated. There’s definitely no rotating blade-pillars like in the Hades level of the first God of War, thankfully.

This perfectly paced and expertly crafted masterpiece suits my tastes so well at this point in my gaming “career” it’s scary, even if it is technically a “last-gen” affair. After finishing it, I had to resist the urge to immediately begin playing through it again at a greater difficulty. This game served as a reminder of what it means to be a discriminating gamer and why I bother playing video games at all. When the time comes, I definitely won’t be putting off God of War III. In fact, I’m pretty sure it will be the reason I finally pony up for a PlayStation 3.