God of War II

Plot synopsis:
=== Setting ===
As with its predecessor, God of War II is set in an alternate version of ancient Greece, populated by the Olympian Gods, Titans, heroes, and other beings of Greek mythology. With the exception of flashbacks, the events are set between those of the games Betrayal (2007) and God of War III (2010). Several locations are explored, including a real world setting in the ancient city of Rhodes, and several fictional locations, including a brief scene in the Underworld, the Lair of Typhon, the Island of Creation and its locales, Tartarus, and a brief scene of Mount Olympus.
Rhodes, its skyline dominated by the massive statue, the Colossus of Rhodes, is a war-torn city under assault by Kratos, the God of War, and his Spartan army. The Lair of Typhon, hidden in an unknown location, is a snow-topped mountain and prison of the Titans Typhon and Prometheus. The Island of Creation is a vast island located at the edge of the world and home to the Sisters of Fate. The island is host to deadly traps, puzzles, and monsters. On the outskirts of the island are the Steeds of Time, and on the island itself are the Temples of Lakhesis and Atropos, and the Bog of the Forgotten, which hides the Gorgon Euryale and is the site of Jason of the Argonauts' last battle. Beyond the Bog are the Lowlands and the Great Chasm: a huge divide that blocks the way to the Palace of the Fates. At the base of the Chasm is the realm of Tartarus—prison of the Titan Atlas, condemned to hold the world on his shoulders. The Temple of the Fates is also filled with traps and monsters, while the final battle occurs on Mount Olympus, home to the gods.
=== Characters ===
The protagonist of the game is Kratos (voiced by Terrence C. Carson), a Spartan warrior who became the God of War after killing the former, Ares. Other characters include Athena (Carole Ruggier), the Goddess of Wisdom; Zeus (Corey Burton), the King of the Gods and the main antagonist; several Titans—including Gaia (Linda Hunt), Atlas (Michael Clarke Duncan), Prometheus (Alan Oppenheimer), Typhon (Fred Tatasciore), and Cronos (Lloyd Sherr)—heroes Theseus (Paul Eiding) and Perseus (Harry Hamlin); the insane Icarus (Bob Joles); the Gorgon Euryale (Jennifer Martin); an undead version of the Barbarian King (Bob Joles); and the Sisters of Fate—Lakhesis (Leigh-Allyn Baker), Atropos (Debi Mae West), and Clotho (Susan Silo). Minor characters include the boat captain (Keith Ferguson) and a loyal Spartan soldier (Josh Keaton; credited as the Last Spartan). Kratos' wife Lysandra, their daughter Calliope, and the Titan Rhea appear in flashbacks. The gods Hades and Poseidon appear in flashbacks of the Great War, and in the final cutscene alongside Zeus, Helios, and Hermes on Olympus.
=== Plot ===
Kratos, the new God of War, is still haunted by nightmares of his past and is shunned by the other gods for his destructive ways. Ignoring Athena's warnings, Kratos joins the Spartan army in an attack on Rhodes, during which a giant eagle suddenly drains him of his powers and animates the Colossus of Rhodes. While battling the statue, Zeus offers Kratos the Blade of Olympus in order to defeat it, requiring Kratos to infuse the blade with the remainder of his godly power. Although now human, Kratos defeats the Colossus but is mortally wounded. The eagle reveals itself to have been Zeus all along, who states he was forced to intervene as Athena refused to do so. Zeus then grants Kratos a final opportunity to be loyal to the gods, but Kratos refuses. Zeus kills him with the blade and destroys the Spartan army.
Kratos is slowly dragged to the Underworld but is saved by the Titan Gaia. Gaia tells Kratos that she once raised the young Zeus, who eventually betrayed the Titans as vengeance for the cruelty inflicted on his siblings by Zeus' father, Cronos. She instructs Kratos to find the "Sisters of Fate", who can alter time, prevent his death, and allow him his revenge on Zeus. With the aid of Pegasus, Kratos finds the lair of Gaia's brother Typhon. Imprisoned under a mountain, Typhon is angered at the intrusion and traps Pegasus, forcing Kratos to explore on foot. Kratos encounters the Titan Prometheus, who is chained in mortal form and tortured at Zeus' directive for giving fire to mankind. Prometheus begs to be released from his torment, so Kratos confronts Typhon to steal his magical bow. He blinds the massive Titan with it to escape and then uses it to free Prometheus, who falls into a fire and dies, finally free of eternal torture. The Immolation releases the power of the Titans which Kratos absorbs, using it to free Pegasus and then fly to the Island of Creation.
Just before reaching the island, Kratos fights and kills Theseus to awaken the gigantic stone Steeds of Time—a gift to the Sisters of Fate from Cronos in an attempt to change his own fate—which grants Kratos access to the island. There, Kratos encounters and defeats several foes, some of whom-themselves are also seeking the Sisters of Fate, including an undead version of his old foe the Barbarian King, the Gorgon Euryale, Perseus, and Icarus. He eventually encounters the imprisoned Titan Atlas, who initially resents Kratos for his current predicament. After Kratos explains his intent, Atlas reveals that Gaia and the other Titans also seek revenge on Zeus for their defeat in the Great War. Atlas also reveals that the Blade of Olympus is the key to defeating Zeus and helps Kratos to reach the "Palace of the Fates".
After evading traps and defeating more enemies, including the Kraken, Kratos encounters an unseen foe, revealed to be a loyal Spartan soldier also in search of the Sisters. Before he dies, the soldier informs Kratos that Zeus has destroyed Sparta in Kratos' absence. Outraged, Kratos is further motivated and frees a phoenix, riding the creature to the Sisters' stronghold where he confronts two, Lakhesis and Atropos. After they refuse his request to alter time, Kratos battles them. During this, the Sisters try to change the outcome of Kratos' battle with Ares, but Kratos kills them both, then confronts the remaining Sister, Clotho. He kills her using her own traps, and acquires the "Loom of Fate" in order to return to the point at which Zeus betrayed him.
Kratos surprises Zeus, seizes the Blade of Olympus, and finally incapacitates him. Athena intervenes and implores Kratos to stop, as by killing Zeus, he will destroy Olympus. Kratos ignores her and tries to kill Zeus, but Athena sacrifices herself by impaling herself upon the blade, granting Zeus escape. Before she dies, Athena reveals that Kratos is actually Zeus' son. Zeus was afraid Kratos would usurp him, just as Zeus had usurped his own father, Cronos. Kratos declares that the rule of the gods is at an end, then travels back in time and rescues the Titans just before their defeat in the Great War. He returns with the Titans to the present, and the gods watch as their former foes climb Mount Olympus. Kratos, standing on the back of Gaia, declares that he has brought the destruction of Olympus, setting up the events of God of War III.

Tags: violence

Review:
Well, if there's anything that comes close, it's this game.
I'm a huge fan of the first game, and as a seasoned gamer I can honestly say that the first level of the first game and the battle with the Hydra is one of my most memorable gaming experiences.
The moment where Kratos is climbing the rope ladder on his way to take on the last (and easily biggest) Hydra head as the music beats out a score that is on par with some of John Williams' creations and as you climb you follow the neck going up...
The scene was set perfectly, and the action throughout the rest of the game never let up.
You'd think nothing can get more epic than the cinematic brilliance of God of War. Needless to say, I couldn't wait for number 2.
Most certainly.Kratos is an evil guy.
Never during this game will you be saying 'yeah right, he could never beat that', Kratos is a guy who is tirelessly fueled by being wronged and getting revenge at any cost.
How can one man (former God, granted) take down the divinely-animated and superpowered Colossus of Rhodes?
This is what makes him one of the most fun characters to play in any video game, ever.
Each time you battle something, anything, in the game, from the smallest foe to the hugest behemoth, you know you're getting your money's worth.
Just like the first game, almost every battle will end in a violent, totally brutal cinematic as Kratos dispatches anything that dares challenge him in the most horrible way you can think of, and it's these sequences that give the game its greatest strength.
All the spectacular moves from the first game are here, with some entertaining new weapons and awesome new Godly powers thrown in, and all can be upgraded to make them more versatile and powerful, and the good thing is, they are all useful and fun.
On the harder difficulty settings the game can become quite tactical, especially during the boss fights, as each one is fought in several stages until you finally wear the boss down and the final cinematic onslaught can begin.
Victory can come down to what power you use, and when, along with how you manage your power meters, which is very refreshing in a pure action game like this.
Sure you can use the same moves over and over, and the trusty Athena's Blades are probably still the most useful weapon in the game, but hopefully you'll find this won't get you as far as you'd think and also, where's the fun?
If you have the means, this is definitely what you want the game to be running on.
Each slash and swing of the blades and earth shaking crash and thump are spot-on, and the utterly impressive music score effortlessly complements the action and the epic scale of the game.
Graphics are top notch, much more polished than the first game (can you believe it?), and really show what the PS2 can do.
this is cinematic gaming at its best.
I know I keep using that word - cinematic, but that's the best word to describe the game in it's entirety.
Kratos himself moves with much more fluidity than the first game.
This game definitely would not look out of place on the PS2's bigger brother as it stands at the moment, and that's really saying something.
You can run the game on a PS3 and while this does give the graphics a noticeable boost, especially on a HD TV, the differences are negligible and the game still looked ridiculously awesome running with my PS2 and my 80cm curved-screen (yes, not even flat-screen) CRT TEAC.
A bigger screen definitely helps, and with a game as epic as this, it's definitely a case of the bigger the better.As with the first, the game's creators' passion for making such a memorable game really shines through, as does their passion for the classical mythology on which the game is based, and yes, I'm a big fan of that too.
You can tell they loved every second of making this game, and they should be very proud of their achievement.
Kratos only knows what they're gonna do with the power of the PS3 to work with for the third instalment, though while after playing through and seeing the end of this game you might (like me) be shouting 'BRING ON THE THIRD", let's hope they take their time to make something even more special.
After what they've done with this game on the now pre-generation PS2, it definitely should be..
God of War could be my favorite game of all-time.
It had non-stop action, blood, gore, nudity, a sex-game, a great story, amazing graphics, neat puzzles....I can go on and on about how great this game is.
Well, the highly anticipated sequel has come out, and man oh man, this baby does not disappoint.Kratos is getting a little power hungry and the higher-ups are not liking this one bit, especially the big man himself, Zeus.
Zeus demands Kratos to stop his actions, but unfortunately for Zeus, Kratos is a little stubborn.
Zeus then takes actions into his own hands and leaves Kratos fighting for his life.
From this moment on the violence kicks into extremely high gear....scratch that, for the reason there was a epic boss battle just moments prior.
Well what follows after Zeus and Kratos have this little showdown is one of the most beautiful, barbaric, action bloodfests I've ever played.
You got the blood, you got the boobs, you got the puzzles, you got the story, the graphics, the screaming, the bosses, the torture, the....whoa.I really didn't find any drawbacks with this game.
If I were to complain about anything, I'd complain about there wasn't enough of the Hi-Res Cinematics...especially in the boob department.
But that's just because I'm an impatient panzy who's broken around a half a dozen controllers.God of War II is easily one of the best games on the PS2 or on any console.
If you're looking for a great action game look no further.
If you're into action games like Devil May Cry, Ninja Gaiden, Rygar or just a lover of great games like Shadow of the Colussus, Gears of War, Castlevanias....this game will definitely make you one happy little gamer.
And if you enjoyed God of War, there is no reason why you shouldn't be playing this baby.
From the moment this masterpiece begins, it is the most cinematic adventure ever captured in the medium of video gaming.
God of War II, the follow-up to the hit action game, follows the anti-hero Kratos on his journey from godhood back to mortality.
After being stripped of his godly powers and forced to watch his armies reduced to dust at the start of the adventure, Kratos makes it his mission to do the unthinkable - kill Zeus.From there, Kratos embarks on an unbelievable adventure that sees him battling a living colossus from the inside-out, ending up with Atlas at the bottom of the Earth, and eventually twisting the very fabric of time in an attempt to achieve his bloody goals.
Every other scene is a mini artistic masterpiece come-to-life, with some of the most jaw dropping visuals ever created in any medium.
You simply cannot beat God of War II in terms of story, visuals, gameplay, and all-around fun.
Games simply do not get much better than this..
Kratos returns....
A very long time to wait (2 years) and there we have God of War II !!!
GOW I is one of the best PS2 games and this second part is even better: more action, more slashing, more weapons,...
First the pros: - The voice acting is just fantastic (TC Carson - Kratos, Linda Hunt - Narrator, Gaia, Corey Burton - Zeus,...), - The environments are again beautiful (Rhodes, Typhon Mountain, Isle of Creation,...) - The game play (no explanation needed) - The soundtrack (speaks for itself) the cons: - the storyline wasn't bad but I liked the first game more, Kratos seeking revenge for what Ares did to his wife and child and hoping the gods would forgive his past.
- the additional weapons: 3 new weapons: the blade of Olympus (Strong weapons but difficult to wield and you can only upgrade it in bonus play), The barbarian Hammer (Powerful yet to slow for me) and the Spear of Destiny (Something in between the previous 2 weapons)Overall: Your PS2 collection isn't complete without this masterpiece 9,5/10.
God of war 2 is an truly astonishing game that excels in all areas and easily stakes its claim as the PS2's last great piece of software, it really is an awe inspiring gaming experience.Continuing the bloody adventures of kratos, God of war 2 expands and improves on everything that made the first game such a classic.
The play time is longer, the graphics are better, the combat is more visceral , the plot is more epic -it will make you want to play until you loose the feeling in your hands!
The games ONLY problem is the same one that plagued its predecessor: bad replay value .
Just like in god of war, you have to complete the game again in an incredibly difficult "titan mode" to gain all of God of war 2's extra goodies.
The game is so damn good that you'll find your self attempting to complete the game again in titan mode but there's a good chance that it will just prove to be too hard and prevent you from getting full value from the game.
Hopefully things will improve with the next game.Bad replay problems aside, God of war 2 is an essential title- its a thrilling , exhilarating game that will surprise , excite and even scare you at times!
Bring on God of war 3.......
any one who ever says a bad thing about this games needs to be eating ...no really ...
this game, holy crap, is the greatest thing since the first one ..and it was the greatest game i have ever played ...
same basics as the first one so they didn't screw up the mechanics (thankfully) same great look in scenery, characters, and the general over all feel of game play is great.
it combines all aspects of good gaming...
they are good but not so complex and boring like some games named resident evil ...
where yo u spend 5 minutes killing 5 zombies then another 3 hours solving one puzzle to do it all over again ...in this game you don't need "3 pieces of the painting to unlock the heart door to get the square key to .." instead you need to pound this guys face into a book so he can traslate his own scrafice to the fates so you can fight giant demonic sea monsters ...lol....
your doing so much all the time its keeps you to busy to be bored ...and thats the point of a video game ....
and honestly if they make the movie it ad better be done by the exact same people as the game and they need full controll other wise it will be the same crap thats been falling out of the now "poop shoot" cinima super cloner known as Hollywood, big visuals and nothing else .....so we can only hope (4), vocalist - GOD IN A MACHINE.
As a first-timer, I've never really played a God of War game before.
I absolutely enjoyed every last aspect of the gameplay down to the plot line, as well as the character development.
Nothing is extensively flawed, which is a nice touch for a change, and I'm already experiencing the bitter seduction of God of War III....At times, especially after beating the games, I feel rather drawn to the plot line.
Either way, this makes this incredible sequel an instant smash.
I hope to see where the plot goes when I fight my way through Mount Olympus in the next installment..
Now Kratos wishes to exact revenge upon Zeus..
Yes, Kratos is back and he is the God of War. At least for a couple of minutes into the game he is.
Well this turns out to be a trick by the king of the gods himself, Zeus and Kratos is killed.
However, this is only the beginning, with the aid of Gaia one of the titans Kratos begins a search for the sisters of fate in a quest to undo the betrayal by Zeus and to kill Zeus.
You get to go through more levels this time as there is less backtracking than there normally is in a game like this.
Then you get to see other characters from Greek mythology and you normally get to see Kratos rip them apart in very unpleasant ways.
There are a couple of good boss fights in this one, most you have to figure some trick to defeat them.
At one point when I was fighting the Kraken I just could not figure out why it was not dying, then I figured out the trick necessary to kill him.
The fighting is pretty much the same as the first game, but then if it is not broke do not fix it.
Though as with the first game they give you extra weapons, but the default blades are still the best.
The game is not perfect though, there are one to many timing puzzles that drove me crazy, and the game is once again on the short side.
Still, it is nice to play a game that is not tailored to the online crowd and I am hoping that God of War III is also just a very grand single player adventure..
best god of war game.
After defeating Ares in the first game of God of War 2, the new god of war Kratos is punished for a mistake, and then he swears to kill Zeus.
God of War 2 has the Wilhelm scream.
There is another Wilhelm scream when Kratos attacks a young Spartan off the walkway.
Other games and movies that have the Wilhelm Scream are Tropic Thunder, The Command, Ninja Assassin, A Man Apart, Star Wars, The Beast Within, Don't forget 174 titles of the Wilhelm scream congrats, Plot keywords: Wilhelm Scream, Action adventure, Fantasy, Kraken..
God of War II is a must for any gamer with an interest in either a)brawling, b)Greek mythology, c)brutality, and doesn't mind a puzzle around every corner.
The story is rather epic in scope, with Kratos having even bigger fish to fry this time around, ranging across the mythology spectrum from Perseus(played ironically by Harry Hamlin) to Zeus himself.
Each boss fight lives up to expectations, and the game has a cliffhanger that is done right; it doesn't let you feel cheated, only excited for whats to come.
It helps that the way Kratos dispatches his foes manages to redefine what brutality in video games is all about; many memorable finishes, it almost makes you wonder if they came up with how each encounter and demise would play out before even writing the story itself.
The puzzles are rather numerous, and managed to stump me each time in the silliest of ways(I'm stupid).
This game definitely pushes the ps2 to the limit without a hitch, providing plenty of locales to gawk at.
About as subtle as a kick in the balls by a clown, god of war 2 is an excellent entry in the franchise; a game that will satisfy that craving to punch someone, along with amazing you with its brutality and spectacle..
An excellent Kratos adventure, just like the other games.
As a warning, I took a point off for the ludicrously difficult Titan mode.
GoW 2, as well as the entire GoW series, is fantastic, a thrill to play from start to finish.
First off, the story is the starting point of an adventure that will determine the fate of Olympus itself, revolving around the protagonist's (Kratos) thirst for vengeance.
Saved from death by Gaia, Mother of Earth, he must go to the Sisters of Fate to return to when Zeus (the villain) betrayed and killed him.
What could be a better plot for the second installment of the GoW series?
From the city of Rhodes and the mountain of Typhon to the grand Palace of Fates and the Titan Atlas, the worlds of this game are truly magnificent.
The boss battles are equally brilliant.
My favorites so far have been the Colossus, Kraken, Euryale the Gorgon, the Sisters of Fate and Perseus.
And of course, Kratos himself is as great as ever.
His personality makes him one of my favorite video game characters of all time..
Actually, I don't think it does contain a spoiler, but I wasn't sure if this would qualify as a non-spoiler review.This was the first game of its kind that I have ever played.
The game that contains the kind of things that make you nuts and play it over and over again.
The best game of 2007, except for maybe Gears of War, and definitely the best game ever to grace the PlayStation 2.
The game play is incredible.
The gore is a little over the top, but fun part is just slashing them, giving a kind of guilty pleasure.
Neither have boss battles or platforming.
My God!
And it contains some of the biggest boss fights I have ever played.
You're just going to have to play this yourself.) The fights are nuts, you fight some ridiculously fun ones, all of in which you do some of the goriest, most violent things imaginable.
And you actually do them.However, while this game is superior in game play, it is inferior in character development.
Kratos is a jerk in this, whereas in the first game, you want him to finish his bloody quest.
The story is cool though.You must play this.