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God of War II

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God of War II
File:Gow2-2.jpg
Kratos,
overlooking the Palace of the Fates
(North American box art).
Developer(s)SCE Studios Santa Monica
Publisher(s)Sony Computer Entertainment
Capcom (Japanese release)
Director(s)Cory Barlog
David Jaffe (creative director)
Designer(s)Cory Barlog (lead designer)
Programmer(s)Tim Moss (lead programmer)
Writer(s)Cory Barlog, David Jaffe (story)
Cory Barlog, James Balrog, Marianne Krawczyk
Composer(s)Gerard Marino
Mike Reagan
Cris Velasco
Ron Fish
SeriesGod of War
EngineKinetica
Platform(s)PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3 (as part of God of War Collection)
ReleasePlayStation 2
God of War Collection
Genre(s)Action-adventure
Mode(s)Single-player

God of War II is an action-adventure video game released for the PlayStation 2 in March, 2007. It is the first sequel to God of War and the second installment in the series. Loosely based on Greek mythology and focused on protagonist Kratos, the game forms part of a saga - the God of War series - with vengeance as a central theme.

In this chapter, Kratos, now the God of War, attempts to overcome the betrayal of the gods by seeking out The Sisters of Fate and changing his destiny.

Gameplay

Gameplay is very similar to the original installment. The player controls the character Kratos in a combination of combat (both normal and quick-time), platforming and puzzle game elements. Many of the familiar combination attacks reappear, the game features four times as many boss fights and improved puzzles in comparison to the original.[4]

Kratos' main weapons are Athena's Blades (or Blades of Athena), with other new weapons including the Barbarian Hammer, the Spear of Destiny and periodically, the Blade of Olympus. Although Kratos initially begins the game with Athena's Blades and the magic ability Poseidon's Rage at maximum, these abilities are lost after an encounter with Zeus.

There are several relics also available, including the previously acquired Poseidon's Trident, and new additions, the Amulet of the Fates, Golden Fleece and Icarus' Wings.

Magic is available via "Typhon's Bane" (actually a weapon), "Cronos' Rage", "Head of Euryale" (an object) and "Atlas Quake". Kratos also acquires a special ability called Rage of the Titans, which replaces Rage of the Gods from the previous installment.

Health and Magic upgrades - Gorgon Eyes and Phoenix Feathers respectively - reappear, with six items needed for an upgrade. Rage of the Titans can also be replenished. All three upgrades are found in a chest of corresponding colour (health green; magic blue and Rage yellow) in addition to other chests (red) that provide experience yielding orbs. There are also three special chests that provide an upgrade to Health, Magic bars and experience respectively. Several urns are also hidden in the game and on completion of the Challenge mode will unlock special abilities.

The sex mini-game included in the previous installment returns (being an encounter with two hand maidens), a revised challenge mode (seven trials called "Challenge of the Titans") that unlocks the abilities in the urns found during the first playthrough and the new "Arena of the Fates" which allows players to create their own battles.

Plot

Kratos is now the God of War, having defeated the Olympian god Ares. Shunned by the other gods and still haunted by nightmares from his past, Kratos decides to join an army of Spartans in an attack on the city of Rhodes. Kratos also ignores a warning from the goddess Athena that his lust for revenge is alienating the other gods.

During the battle, a giant eagle drains Kratos of his godly powers and also animates the Colossus of Rhodes. After a series of skirmishes with the statue, Kratos is offered the Blade of Olympus by Zeus- Kratos now only needing to infuse the blade with the remainder of his godly power. Although Kratos defeats the Colossus, he is mortally wounded while human (being crushed by the collapsing Colossus' hand). Zeus reveals himself as the eagle, and grants Kratos one final chance at being a loyal servant of the gods. Kratos refuses and is killed by Zeus with the Blade of Olympus, who also destroys the Spartan army.

Before Kratos is dragged completely to the Underworld, he is saved by the Titan Gaia, Mother of Earth. Gaia explains to Kratos that he must now find the Sisters of Fate, who can change his fate and prevent his death at the hands of Zeus. With the aid of a winged Pegasus, Kratos is first directed to find Gaia's brother Titan Typhon and enlist his aid. After an aerial battle with griffins and harpies, Kratos finds the Titan imprisoned in an arctic location under a mountain.

Typhon is angered at the intrusion and imprisons the Pegasus, trapping Kratos in the mountain. Forced to explore, Kratos battles hordes of foes until encountering the minature Titan Prometheus, who was imprisoned by Zeus and tortured for giving the gift of fire to mankind. Prometheus begs Kratos for freedom, and after defying Typhon by stealing his magical bow and subsequently blinding him, the Spartan returns to Prometheus freeing him, who chooses death by fire. This act of immolation frees the power of the Titans, which Kratos absorbs. Freeing the Pegasus with the Titan's power, Kratos escapes and defeats more aerial foes until finding the Island of Creation.

Kratos then learns from Gaia that she once raised a young Zeus, who, on reaching manhood, betrayed her and waged war against all Titans for the cruelty inflicted on his siblings by his father, Cronos. After battling and defeating a number of foes, including Theseus, an undead version of an old enemy known as the Barbarian King, the gorgon Euryale, Perseus, and Icarus, Kratos encounters the Titan Atlas. Atlas reveals that Gaia and the other Titans seek revenge on Zeus as they were punished and humiliated by the gods after their defeat in the Great War. After revealing that the Blade of Olympus is the key to Zeus' defeat, Atlas aids Kratos by helping him reach the Palace of the Fates.

After evading numerous traps and defeating waves of monsters, Kratos encounters and battles an unseen foe, who is revealed to be a loyal Spartan soldier. Before dying, the soldier reveals Zeus has completed his revenge by destroying Sparta in Kratos' absence. An outraged Kratos is given even greater power by Gaia and eventually finds and rides a phoenix to the Sisters' stronghold. Kratos then confronts two of the three Sisters - Lakhesis and Atropos. After a series of skirmishes (including a failed attempt by the Sisters to change the outcome of Kratos' battle with Ares), Kratos kills both, and then confronts the final Sister, Clotho. After killing Clotho, Kratos uses the Loom of Fate to return to the point at which Zeus betrayed him.

Kratos surprises Zeus and seizes the Blade of Olympus, and, after a protracted battle, incapacitates Zeus. Athena intervenes and begs Kratos to stop, stating by killing Zeus, Kratos will destroy Olympus. Kratos ignores Athena's pleas and attempts to kill Zeus, but Athena sacrifices herself and is impaled by the Blade of Olympus. Before dying, Athena reveals Kratos is in fact Zeus' son, and that Zeus was afraid that Kratos would usurp him, as he himself did to Cronos. Kratos decides the time of the gods is at an end, and travels back in time, rescuing the Titans just prior to their defeat in the Great War. Kratos then brings the Titans to the present, where the gods watch as they climb Mount Olympus. Standing on the back of Gaia and wielding the Blade of Olympus, Kratos tells Zeus he has brought the destruction of the gods and Olympus.

Characters

Main article: List of God of War characters
  • T.C. Carson as Kratos: The protagonist. A former Captain in Sparta's Army and a former servant of the gods of Olympus. Becomes the God of War after killing the Olympian Ares and is eventually revealed to be a demigod himself. Kratos seeks revenge against Zeus for his betrayal by locating the Sisters of Fate.
  • Carole Ruggier as Athena: The Goddess of Wisdom. Athena was Kratos' ally and mentor for many years and is forced to intervene when Kratos abandons Olympus.
  • Linda Hunt as Gaia and Narrator: Mother of the Titans, and connected to all things of the Earth. Rescues Kratos and becomes a steadfast ally.
  • Michael Clarke Duncan as Atlas: A four-armed Titan forced to hold the world on his shoulders due to Kratos' actions, who eventually becomes an ally.
  • Lloyd Sherr as Cronos: A Titan and father of Zeus. Revealed to have attempted to change his destiny by offering the Sisters of Fate the Steeds of Time.
  • Alan Oppenheimer as Prometheus: An albeit miniature Titan who, by Zeus' command, is imprisoned for giving fire to man and tortured daily until encountering Kratos.
  • Fred Tatasciore as Typhon: A Titan imprisoned within a mountain that refuses aid to Kratos.
  • Paul Eiding as Theseus: A servant of the Sisters of Fate who guards the Steeds of Time, and the first of several Greek heroes that Kratos encounters.
  • Bob Joles as The Barbarian King: A former foe of Kratos who returns from the underworld seeking revenge.
  • Keith Ferguson as the Boat Captain: A Captain who was left to die by Kratos. Although summoned by the Barbarian King to oppose Kratos, he flees in fear.
  • Jennifer Martin as Euryale: A gorgon and the sister of the slain Medusa, who also seeks revenge against Kratos.
  • Harry Hamlin as Perseus: The second Greek hero Kratos encounters, and also on a quest to find the Sisters of Fate in order to revive Andromeda.
  • Bob Joles as Icarus: The son of Daedalus and now insane.
  • The Sisters of Fate: Three sisters who control the fates of gods, Titans, and men.
  • Corey Burton as Zeus: The King of Olympus, brother to Hades and Poseidon, and revealed to be Kratos' father. Zeus created the Blade of Olympus to win the Great War against the Titans. Although initially Kratos' ally, Zeus eventually betrays Kratos due to his actions.

Marketing

On March 1, 2007 Sony held a media event - featuring scantily clad women and a dead goat[5] in Athens as part of the game's marketing campaign.[6]

In April 2007, the Daily Mail learned of the event from the UK Official PlayStation Magazine and condemned it as a "depraved promotion stunt" with a possible boycott of Sony products as a result.[7] Sony responded by stating the event had been sensationalized based on hyperbole and the article contained several inaccuracies, but also apologized.[5][6]

Release

The game was released in North America on March 13, 2007, in Europe on April 27, 2007,[8] and May 3, 2007 in Australia.[8]

The North American version of God of War II is packaged in a two-disc set. The first disc contains the game, and the second disc is dedicated to the game's development, including a diary of the game's production.[9] The European/Australian PAL version was released as two different editions: a single disc standard edition and a two disc "Special Edition" with different box art and a bonus DVD.

Both God of War II and the original God of War, were released in North America on November 17, 2009 as part of the God of War: Collection, featuring ports of both games to PlayStation 3 hardware with up-scaled graphics and support for PlayStation Trophies.[10] The collection was released in Japan on March 18, Australia on 29 April 2010 and the UK on 30 April 2010.[11]

On November 2, 2010, God of War: Collection was released as a digital download on the PlayStation Store (the first product containing PS2 material to be available via download).[12]

Soundtrack

On April 10, 2007, God of War II: Original Soundtrack from the Video Game - composed by Gerard K. Marino, Ron Fish, Mike Reagan and Cris Velasco - was released on CD (66 minutes and 41 seconds in length) by SCEI.

Track listing
No.TitleMusicLength
1."Main Titles"Marino2:59
2."The Glory of Sparta"Reagan3:10
3."The Way of the Gods"Marino2:13
4."Colossus of Rhodes"Marino2:22
5."The Bathhouse"Reagan2:02
6."Death of Kratos"Marino4:12
7."The End Begins"Marino1:57
8."Typhon Mountain"Reagan3:14
9."Waking the Sleeping Giant"Velasco1:49
10."Battle for the Skies"Reagan2:12
11."Exploring the Isle"Marino2:19
12."The Isle of Creation"Velasco3:20
13."The Summit of Sacrifice"Fish2:35
14."An Audience with Cronos"Fish2:07
15."The Barbarian King Returns"Velasco2:00
16."Bog of Lost Souls"Fish2:19
17."Battle in the Bog"Reagan2:00
18."Crossing the Lowlands"Marino2:07
19."Atlas"Fish3:37
20."Palace of the Fates"Fish2:46
21."Phoenix Rising"Velasco2:16
22."Ashen Spire"Marino1:06
23."Athena"Marino0:56
24."The Battle for Olympus"Marino3:11
25."Junkie XL Colossus Remix"Junkie XL4:24
26."Blood of Destiny"Shadows Fall2:43
27."God-Like"George "Tragic" Doman2:14
28."Atlas Remembers" (Bonus Track)Marino4:11
29."Kratos and Atropos" (Bonus Track)Fish1:33
30."Pursuing Destiny" (Bonus Track)Velasco3:36
31."Theme Of Fates" (Bonus Track)Marino2:11

Reception

On release God of War II received critical and commercial acclaim, regarded as one of the best PlayStation 2 games[17][18] and action games of all time.[4][19][20]

In 2007, IGN listed God of War II at number two on the "top 25 PS2 Games of All Time" list - five ahead of its predecessor.[21]

In North America, the game sold 833,209 copies by the end of March 2007, twice as many copies as the next-best selling game.[22] God of War II attained the highest selling rank in the UK in the first week of release.[23] The game eventually sold over one million copies in the first three months after release.[24] On March 13, 2008, God of War II joined Sony's "Greatest Hits" list.

IGN and Gamespot consider God of War II to be the swan song of the PlayStation 2 era.[4][25]

References

  1. ^ Hight, John (2009-11-17). "God of War Collection Launches Today for PS3!". Sony Computer Entertainment. Retrieved 2009-11-19.
  2. ^ Thach Quach (November 17, 2009). "God of War III: Ultimate Trilogy Edition". PlayStation Blog Europe. Retrieved December 28, 2009.
  3. ^ Kotaku - Isle of Rhodes Site Unlocks GoW 2 HD Mode, New Countdown
  4. ^ a b c "IGN: God of War II Review". IGN PlayStation 2. Retrieved 2007-03-12.
  5. ^ a b "Sony 'Goat' Ad Sparks Outrage". Retrieved 2007-12-23.
  6. ^ a b Statement from Sony
  7. ^ Owen, Glen; Phillips, Rhodri (2007-05-01). "Horror at Sony's depraved promotion stunt with decapitated goat". Daily Mail. London. Retrieved 2007-12-23.
  8. ^ a b "IGN: God of War II". IGN PlayStation 2. Retrieved 2007-02-21.
  9. ^ Roper, Chris (2007-02-12). "IGN: God of War II Review". IGN PlayStation 2. pp. 3 of 3. Retrieved 2007-02-21.
  10. ^ Caiazzo, Anthony (2009-08-31). "God of War Collection – Blu-ray Disc Compilation Available This Holiday Season!". Sony Computer Entertainment of America. Retrieved 2009-08-31.
  11. ^ "God of War Collection Australia".
  12. ^ Caiazzo, Anthony (2010-10-20). "God of War: Collection on the PlayStation Store 11/2". SCEA. Retrieved 2010-10-20.
  13. ^ Leone, Matt (2007-02-11). "God of War II Review from 1up.com". UGO Entertainment. Retrieved 2009-02-22.
  14. ^ Reed, Kristan (2007-04-21). "God of War II Review". Eurogamer. Retrieved 2008-03-31.
  15. ^ "God of War II". Meta Critic. Retrieved 2007-05-01.
  16. ^ "God of War II Review". Game Rankings. Retrieved 2008-06-24.
  17. ^ "God of War II Review - PlayStation 2". GameZone. Retrieved 2007-03-12.
  18. ^ "GameTrailers.com - God of War II (PlayStation 2)". GameTrailers.com. Retrieved 2007-03-12.
  19. ^ "CANOE -- WHAM Gaming - PS2: 'God of War' sequel a PS2 epic". Wham. Canoe.PA. Retrieved 2007-03-12.
  20. ^ Electronic Gaming Monthly, April 2007, p.90
  21. ^ "The Top 25 PS2 Games of All Time". IGN. Retrieved 2009-11-11.
  22. ^ "IGN: NPD: Kratos is God of March". IGN Playstation 2. Retrieved 2007-05-10.
  23. ^ "gamesindustry.biz: UK charts: God of War II takes top spot". gamesindustry.biz. Retrieved 2007-05-13.
  24. ^ "Sony Computer Entertainment America to Unleash Kratos in Limited-Edition God of War PSP Entertainment Pack" (Press release). Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. 2008-02-26. Retrieved 2008-03-18.
  25. ^ "GameSpot: God of War II Review". GameSpot PlayStation 2. Retrieved 2007-03-19.
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