God of War II

The North American NTSC 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.^[3] The European/Australian PAL version comes in two different editions: a single disc standard edition and a two disc "Special Edition" that comes in a different case than the single disc edition. It also includes different box art, a bonus DVD, as well as the PAL version of the game.

God of War II won a Golden Joystick for "PlayStation Game of the Year 2007" at the 2007 Golden Joystick Awards.

Gameplay

The gameplay of God of War II is very similar to that of its predecessor. The player controls Kratos in a combination of combat, platforming, and puzzle game elements. Kratos' main weapons are Athena's Blades, which are blades on the ends of long chains that Kratos is able to swing in destructive paths but also able to use to scale rock faces or swing from special hook points. Kratos received Athena's Blades at the end of the original game. Other weapons and magic abilities are acquired as the plot progresses and can be used in conjunction with the Blades to dispatch enemies. Defeating foes using a combination of attacks, including chaining attacks together in combos, will release red experience orbs, used to power up Kratos' weapons and magic, and green, blue, and yellow orbs to replenish health, magic power, and the Rage of the Titans power, respectively. Chests distributed throughout the levels can also release these orbs, as well as providing Kratos with special artifacts to increase his maximum health and magic levels.

As with many foes in the first game, once Kratos has weakened an enemy, an indicator will appear above it. The player can then initiate a Mortal-Kombat-style fatality minigame, which may require the player to hit a button, turn the analog stick, button-mash, or some combination thereof when prompted on-screen. A successful attempt will release additional orbs or life as a reward, while failure may result in damage to Kratos. Bosses can only be finished via these minigames, allowing the programmers to guarantee them graphic and cinematic demises.

New features in God of War II include additional relics introduced in the game. These allow Kratos to reflect magic spells back to their target, to slow down time when near special statues, and to open locked doors. Additionally, Kratos takes flight on the back of Pegasus with the combat similar in nature to rail games such as Panzer Dragoon Orta. A new "Challenge of the Titans" mode allows the player to attempt 7 different challenges with increasing difficulty after they have completed the main game once. There is also an "Arena of the Fates", in which the number and types of opponents can be customized. The experience points gained therein carry over to the main game. An overall rank of Titan must be achieved in the Challenge of the Titans in order to unlock the Arena of the Fates. Finally, a series of Grecian urns hidden throughout the game allow the unlocking of additional abilities when starting a New Game Plus, known in this game as a "Bonus Play".

Plot

God of War II takes place some time after the events of the first game; Kratos, after his defeat of Ares, has become the new god of war, but has not been accepted by the other members of the Greek pantheon due to his ruthless treatment of the other Greek city-states. Kratos is still haunted by memories of the deeds from his past while working under Ares. He finds enjoyment the only way he can, by leading and aiding his Spartan army in conquering Greece. Athena pleads that Kratos stop, telling him that she cannot protect him much longer from the wrath of the gods and that he should not turn his back on her because it was she who made him a god. Kratos replies that he owes nothing to her and descends to Rhodes to assist his Spartan army.

As Kratos arrives to destroy the city, a bird (Zeus), which Kratos believes to be Athena in disguise, robs him of almost all of his godly power, infusing them into the Colossus of Rhodes and bringing it to life to kill Kratos. After a protracted conflict with the metal giant that rages across the city, Zeus offers Kratos the Blade of Olympus, which Zeus himself used to overthrow Cronos and the Titans. At Zeus' behest, Kratos infuses the blade with his godhood, rendering him mortal but enabling him to to destroy the Colossus from the inside. As Kratos jumps from the falling Colossus, he shouts to the gods if he needs to prove anything more to them. However, Kratos is crushed and severely wounded by the Colossus' falling hand after the battle. Kratos realizes he must retrieve the Blade of Olympus to save himself. As he slowly gets up and limps his way to the sword, Zeus reveals himself as the owl that stole his power. Zeus explains he betrayed Kratos to save himself and Olympus from the same fate as Ares. He then offers Kratos one final chance at being a god, provided that he forever serve Zeus. Kratos says he serves no one, and Zeus, claiming Kratos has left him no other choice, slays him. Zeus tells Kratos that the path was his own choosing and, though mortally wounded, Kratos still defies Zeus, saying that 'a choice from the gods is as useless as the gods themselves'. An enraged Zeus drives the blade further into Kratos' chest. Zeus whispers that everything Kratos has ever known will suffer for his sacrilege - Kratos will never be the ruler of Olympus and 'the cycle ends here'. He then pulls the sword out of Kratos and uses the weapon's power to destroy the fighting warriors of Sparta and Rhodes. Kratos' final words to Zeus are "You will pay for this Zeus! Be certain of that!". Kratos then falls over dead.

However, as Kratos is being dragged towards an eternity of torment in Hades, he is saved by Gaia, the mother of the Titans and the franchise's narrator, who offers an alliance. When the Titans were defeated by the Olympians, they were punished and humiliated, and they want Kratos' help to exact revenge. Kratos escapes the Underworld and is bidden by Gaia to find the Sisters of Fate in order to change his past. She gives Kratos the aid of the magical horse Pegasus to traverse the distance to the Fates. Kratos and Pegasus, after a detour to a mountain that houses the Titan Typhon and the former Titan Prometheus, fly to the Island of Creation where the Sisters of Fate (the Moirae) await. As he explores the island, Kratos encounters the likes of Theseus, whom he kills in battle to determine who is the greatest warrior of Greece, Perseus, who is there to change the fate of his beloved Andromeda, and the Barbarian King from the original God of War. Kratos also encounters a haggard and crazed Daedalus who tackles Kratos off a cliff. While both are falling Kratos rips off Daedalus's wings and sails below the Earth where it is being held up by Atlas as Daedalus falls to his death far below.

Kratos lands upon the Titan Atlas below the earth and tries to communicate with him. At first Atlas refuses to help Kratos, bent on crushing the human for his new imprisonment since their last meeting. However, Kratos manages to persuade Atlas to help him so that he may change his fate and kill Zeus, with the Titan accepting the offer, giving Kratos some magic and helping him back to the surface so that he may continue his quest. After an expedition through the Sisters' Palace, where he learns that Sparta has been destroyed, Kratos, despondent and bereft of the will to carry on, is inspired by Gaia to continue the battle. She promises Kratos that Zeus will fall, saying 'this battle is just the start of a great war that is to come...'

Kratos finally confronts the Sisters, Lakhesis, Atropos and Clotho, who operate and defend the Loom of Fate, which rules the lives of mortals and gods alike. Kratos first encounters Lakhesis. She reveals that it was she who decided the Titans lose the Great War and allowed Kratos to come this far. They fight and Kratos defeats her, but she then summons Atropos who takes Kratos back to the time of his final fight with Ares in the first God of War. As Kratos and Ares disappear (as Kratos fights to protect his family in an illusion caused by Ares), Atropos attempts to destroy the Blade of the Gods - the sword that Kratos used to kill Ares - reasoning that if the sword is destroyed, Ares can kill Kratos, causing him to die in both the past and the present. He stops her and goes back to the present to face Lahkesis one more time. As he fights Lahkesis, Atropos intervenes from the three mirrors in the room, meaning Kratos must fight both at the same time. Kratos destroys Atropos' first two mirrors, then traps Lahkesis and Atropos in the last mirror and destroys it, trapping the two Sisters in the past for eternity, and opening the path to Clotho who pleads with Kratos as he approaches that his manipulation of fate will destroy everything. Upon reaching Clotho, Kratos impales her in the head with a swinging blade, leaving him to control the loom.

He first goes back to his death at Zeus' hands in Rhodes, reclaiming the Blade of Olympus and inciting a lengthy battle with the King of the Gods. At the end of the fight, Zeus is striking Kratos with an unstoppable lightning storm, leaving Kratos to call out to Zeus that he surrenders. Kratos asks him to release him from his life and his torment, and as Zeus is about to execute Kratos, stating that "I will end your life, my son, but your torment is just beginning", Kratos dodges the blow and pins Zeus's hands to the rock with his blades. Kratos then takes the Blade of Olympus and begins driving it into Zeus' abdomen.

Athena arrives and defends Zeus. Kratos angrily battles her, snarling at her for having the gall to stand against him. Athena replies she doesn't wish to fight, but she will defend Olympus. The badly wounded Zeus attempts to escape, telling Kratos he has started a war he cannot hope to win, as the Fates have already deemed Zeus victorious. As Kratos tries to charge forward and slay Zeus as he flees, Athena interposes herself, saving her father at the cost of her own life. Her dying words reveal that Zeus' actions are meant to break the cycle of son killing father, which goes back to Cronos killing Uranus, and Zeus defeating Cronos. By killing Kratos (the son) before he can kill Zeus (the father) Zeus had hoped to break the cycle - thus confirming that Kratos is, in fact, Zeus' own son, and begs him to relent in his quest for vengeance. After a moment of apparent shock and shame, Kratos darkens and snarls that he has no father. Athena dies in Kratos' arms, saying that all the gods on Olympus will deny Kratos, defending Zeus so Olympus will prevail. Kratos then vows to exact retribution on Zeus and any god who will deny him his vengeance, screaming that their time is at an end, swearing that 'If all on Olympus will deny me my vengeance, then all on Olympus will die!'

Returning to the Loom, which is now collapsing, Kratos uses it once again to go further back in time to The Great War as it ends, bringing Gaia and the titans back to the present with him. Meanwhile, Zeus rallies his fellow gods Poseidon, Hades, Hermes and Helios together, urging them to unite and defeat Kratos. As Zeus spits out triumphantly, "Olympus shall prevail!", the entire temple of Olympus begins to shake. The gods run over to the balcony to see the Titans brought forward in time by Kratos beginning to scale the mountain and bearing Kratos with them to end the Great War between the gods and the Titans once and for all. As Zeus looks down in horror, Kratos shouts up to him, "Zeus! Your son has returned! I bring the destruction of Olympus!"

Characters

Main characters

Common enemies

Most of the common enemies that Kratos faces are based on mythological creatures including several that return from the original God of War; these include the undead, skeletons, wraiths, harpies, nymphs, gryphons, minotaurs, Gorgons, Cyclopes, Cerberus hounds, Sirens, satyrs, juggernauts, and the armies of the Fates. Many of these common foes can be dealt a more violent finishing blow to earn more experience orbs and other benefits, though can also be finished off by repeated attacks.

Bosses

Items and abilities

Weapons

Kratos' main weapon is "Athena's Blades", bestowed on him by the goddess Athena. They function as the same weapon as the Blades of Chaos, but these were given to Kratos as he ascends to Godhood by Athena, and after Ares had taken the Blades of Chaos from Kratos during the final battle. During the game, Kratos also gains the "Barbarian Hammer" (a slow but powerful close combat weapon originally wielded by the Barbarian King), the "Spear of Destiny" (a fast weapon with piercing attacks originally used by the Dark Rider), and the "Blade of Olympus" (a divine sword so powerful it was the blade that allowed Zeus to defeat the Titans.) Each weapon can be powered up with experience orbs to increase their power and add new attacks. However, the Blade of Olympus, normally a weapon provided solely by plot developments, can only be used when during the fight with the Colossus, fighting Zeus in the last bit of gameplay, and via Bonus Play.

Magic

Kratos is bestowed with magical powers as he successfully completes certain tasks during the plot. Initially, Kratos starts with the "Poseidon's Rage" magic, carried over from the original game, but loses this after sacrificing his magic power in an attempt to defeat the Colossus. However, Kratos gains other magic spells, including "Typhon's Bane" (a bow-like long range attack weapon), "Cronos' Rage" (an attack using electricity to strike multiple targets), the "Head of Euryale" (similar to the Medusa's Gaze from the first game, able to turn enemies to stone), and "Atlas Quake" (a wide area ground pounding attack). As with his weapons, Kratos can improve the potency and abilities of these spells by spending experience orbs.

Kratos also gains the "Rage of the Titans" power from Prometheus, which is similar to the "Rage of the Gods" from the first game. This power can only be activated initially when a meter has been filled either due to Kratos taking damage or collecting yellow/gold orbs from defeated foes. Activating the power increases Kratos' attack power for a short time and makes him invincible to knockback, stun, and petrify effects, though not invincible to damage. The player is allowed to activate and deactivate Rage of the Titans whenever they wish, unlike Rage of the Gods which had to be fully charged and then could only be fully drained.

Relics

There are two primary types of relics in the game that Kratos will collect. The first are special keys to open locked doors throughout the game, but otherwise have no power of their own. The other type of Relics are those that provide Kratos with a special power. Kratos starts the game with the "Trident of Poseidon" which allows Kratos to swim and breathe underwater indefinitely. Kratos also gains three additional Relics of this nature in the game: The "Amulet of the Fates" that allows Kratos to slow down time when close to a Fate statue, the "Wings of Icarus" that allow Kratos to glide after jumping, and the "Golden Fleece" which Kratos can use to reflect directed shots back at their sender.

Urns

In the game the Urns give Kratos special abilities and attributes when activated in a bonus play, which is unlockable after you beat the game, such as by giving Kratos infinite magic or Rage of the Titans. The Urns are either found during gameplay in well hidden spots or earned in Challenge of the Titans. The six urns are the Urns of Gaia, Gorgons, Olympus, Prometheus, the Fates, and Poseidon. In which you gain all your godly powers

Costumes

By completing the game or satisfying other special criteria, the player can unlock various costumes for Kratos. The costumes change both Kratos' appearance and effect changes in gameplay by adjusting the values of the various types of collected orbs in both positive and negative ways, as well as affecting other factors such as Kratos' resilience and attack power. The range of costumes includes: a fish costume, making him the "Cod of War"; armour made from the Hydra Kratos defeated in the first game; Dark Odyssey, which is essentially Kratos with darker skin and gold markings; General Kratos, Kratos as he appeared before the Oracle of Athena cursed him into the Ghost of Sparta, and even complete appearance changes to either Athena or Hercules. Also, with God Armor, the Blades of Athena keep their gold regardless of what level they are at. The player can only change costume when starting a new game in Bonus Play mode.

Animal cruelty controversy

Sony's marketing campaign included the presence of a decapitated goat at a party held in Athens for the launch of the game.^[4] Distribution of an issue of the "Official PlayStation Magazine" containing photos of the event was halted after condemnation from animal rights groups.^[5]

Soundtrack

Track listing
#	Title	Music	Length
1.	"Main Titles"	Marino	2:59
2.	"The Glory of Sparta"	Reagan	3:10
3.	"The Way of the Gods"	Marino	2:13
4.	"Colossus of Rhodes"	Marino	2:22
5.	"The Bathhouse"	Reagan	2:02
6.	"Death of Kratos"	Marino	4:12
7.	"The End Begins"	Marino	1:57
8.	"Typhon Mountain"	Reagan	3:14
9.	"Waking the Sleeping Giant"	Velasco	1:49
10.	"Battle for the Skies"	Reagan	2:12
11.	"Exploring the Isle"	Marino	2:19
12.	"The Isle of Creation"	Velasco	3:20
13.	"The Summit of Sacrifice"	Fish	2:35
14.	"An Audience with Cronos"	Fish	2:07
15.	"The Barbarian King Returns"	Velasco	2:00
16.	"Bog of Lost Souls"	Fish	2:19
17.	"Battle in the Bog"	Reagan	2:00
18.	"Crossing the Lowlands"	Marino	2:07
19.	"Atlas"	Fish	3:37
20.	"Palace of the Fates"	Fish	2:46
21.	"Phoenix Rising"	Velasco	2:16
22.	"Ashen Spire"	Marino	1:06
23.	"Athena"	Marino	0:56
24.	"The Battle for Olympus"	Marino	3:11
25.	"Junkie XL Colossus Remix"	Junkie XL	4:24
26.	"Blood of Destiny"	Shadows Fall	2:43
27.	"God-Like"	George "Tragic" Doman	2:14

Critical reception

Upon its release, God of War II garnered overwhelming critical and commercial acclaim. Many consider it to be one of PlayStation 2's best games,^[9]^[10] and also one of the best action games of all time.^[11]^[12]^[13] It contains four times as many boss fights and improved puzzles in comparison to the original.^[11]^[14]^[15]^[16]^[17]^[18] The game is also considered to be the swan song of the PlayStation 2 era — in other words, the last great game released exclusively for the console.^[11]^[19]

In North America, the game had sold 833,209 copies by the end of March 2007, twice as many copies as the next-best selling game.^[20] In its first week of release in Europe, the game took the top spot in the UK charts as well.^[21] The game went on to sell over one million copies in its first three months.^[22] As of July 11, 2007, the game has sold two million copies.^[23] On March 13th, 2008, God of War II joined Sony's renowned Greatest Hits list.

Additional Game Information

References

^ ^a ^b Kotaku - Isle of Rhodes Site Unlocks GoW 2 HD Mode, New Countdown
^ ^a ^b "IGN: God of War II". IGN PlayStation 2. Retrieved on 2007-02-21.
^ Roper, Chris (2007-02-12). "IGN: God of War II Review" 3 of 3. IGN PlayStation 2. Retrieved on 2007-02-21.
^ "Horror at Sony's depraved promotion stunt with decapitated goat". Retrieved on 2007-12-23.
^ "Sony 'Goat' Ad Sparks Outrage". Retrieved on 2007-12-23.
^ Reed, Kristan (2007-04-21). "God of War II Review". Eurogamer. Retrieved on 2008-03-31.
^ "God of War II". Meta Critic. Retrieved on 2007-05-01.
^ "God of War II Review". Game Rankings. Retrieved on 2008-06-24.
^ "God of War II Review - PlayStation 2". GameZone. Retrieved on 2007-03-12.
^ "GameTrailers.com - God of War II (PlayStation 2)". GameTrailers.com. Retrieved on 2007-03-12.
^ ^a ^b ^c "IGN: God of War II Review". IGN PlayStation 2. Retrieved on 2007-03-12.
^ "CANOE -- WHAM Gaming - PS2: 'God of War' sequel a PS2 epic". Wham. Canoe.PA. Retrieved on 2007-03-12.
^ Electronic Gaming Monthly, April 2007, p.90
^ "GameSpy: God of War II Review". GameSpy PS2. Retrieved on 2007-03-12.
^ "God of War II for PlayStation 2 Review - GameDaily". GameDaily.com. Retrieved on 2007-03-12.
^ "Review: God of War II for PS2 on GamePro.com". GamePro.com. Retrieved on 2007-03-12.
^ "Game Informer Online". Game Informer. Retrieved on 2007-03-12.
^ "GamingTrend Review". GamingTrend. Retrieved on 2007-03-12.
^ "GameSpot: God of War II Review". GameSpot PlayStation 2. Retrieved on 2007-03-19.
^ "IGN: NPD: Kratos is God of March.". IGN Playstation 2. Retrieved on 2007-05-10.
^ "gamesindustry.biz: UK charts: God of War II takes top spot.". gamesindustry.biz. Retrieved on 2007-05-13.
^ Sony Computer Entertainment Inc (2008-02-26). "Sony Computer Entertainment America to Unleash Kratos in Limited-Edition God of War PSP Entertainment Pack". Press release. Retrieved on 2008-03-18.
^ Kris Graft (2007-07-11). "E3: Sony Puts on a Show". Next-Gen.biz. Retrieved on 2008-03-18.
^ GameTrailers: 999,999 hit combo in God of War 2
^ Kikizo - No High-Res God of War II for Europe
^ God of War II: From Myth to Legend (Part 1 of 6)[1]
^ GamePro: Interview with Cory Barlog

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