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God of War II
File:Gow2-2.jpgThe NTSC box art for the game, depicting Kratos overlooking the Palace of the Fates
Developer(s)	SCE Studios Santa Monica
Publisher(s)	Sony Computer Entertainment
Platform(s)	PlayStation 2
Release	March 13 2007 April 27, 2007 May 3, 2007
Genre(s)	Action-adventure
Mode(s)	Single player

God of War II is the sequel to the popular God of War video game. It was released in America on March 13, 2007 for the PlayStation 2 video game console. The game was released on April 27, 2007 in Europe, and May 3, 2007 in Australia.

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 production. 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 case different from the single disc edition. It also includes different box art, a bonus DVD, as well as the PAL version of the game.

Gameplay

Gameplay in God of War II is the same as in its predecessor. The player controls Kratos in a combination of combat, platforming, and puzzle game elements. Kratos' main weapons are Athena's Blades, 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 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 health and magic levels.

As with many foes in the first game, once Kratos has weakened the enemy, an indicator will appear above it. The player can then initiate a brutal method of killing the foe, many that require the player to hit a button, turn the analog stick, or other control method within a short period when it appears on screen to successfully execute a finishing move. A successful attempt will release additional orbs as a reward, while failure may result in damage to Kratos.

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.

Story

God of War II takes place some time after the events of the first game; Kratos, after his defeat of Ares, takes over as the God of War in Olympus, but he receives no love from the other Gods due to his dark past and deeds. Kratos finds enjoyment the only way he can, and turns to his army, the Spartans, and aids them as they conquer Greece. Athena tries to stop Kratos from this rampage, but he ignores her, and he himself goes to Rhodes to aid his army; however, as soon as he arrives, an eagle swoops in and steals some of his godly powers and brings to life the Colossus of Rhodes to fight against Kratos. Kratos initially suspects Athena of these actions as he fights the living statue across the city. As Kratos wears down, Zeus offers him the Blade of Olympus to finish the battle, at the cost of consuming all of Kratos' power. Kratos accepts, and manages to bring down the Colossus at a tremendous cost to his body. Fallen and exhausted, he can only watch as the eagle swoops down again, and reveals itself as Zeus, who tricked Kratos into putting his power into the Blade of Olympus in order to rid Olympus of Kratos forever. Zeus uses the Blade to kill Kratos.

However, Kratos is taken into the Underworld and learns that Gaia, one of the Titans, has watched his fate and offers her help to restore his powers so that both herself and the rest of the Titans can exact revenge on the Gods for the punishment they suffered when they lost the war between the Gods and the Titans. As he escapes the Underworld, she tells him that he must find the Sisters of Fate to change his past, and gives Kratos the help of Pegasus to transverse the distance to the Fates. Kratos and Pegasus fly to the Island of Creation where the Sisters of Fate await, well guarded in both the air and on land.

Along these travels, Kratos encounters, and in many cases, defeats several heroes and monsters, regaining new powers, weapons, and magical abilities that he lost to Zeus' trap. He finally encounters the Sisters, Lakhesis, Atropos, and Clotho, all three that aggressively defend the Loom that can change the lives of mortal and God alike. They even attempt to change Kratos' past by changing the outcome of the final battle he had with Ares. Nevertheless, Kratos is able to defeat each Sister, and gains control of the Loom. He first tries to go back to the point where Zeus kills him in Rhodes, leading to a lengthy battle with the Father of all Gods. Kratos manages to trick Zeus, wrestling the Blade of Olympus from the God and is about to impale him when Athena appears and takes the fatal blow instead. In her dying words, she reveals that Zeus' actions are meant to break the cycle in Olympus of son killing father and, in turn, reveals to Kratos that he is the son of Zeus. As Athena dies, Kratos vows to extract retribution on the Gods of Olympus for their acts of self-preservation above all else.

Returning to the Loom, Kratos uses it once again to go back further in time, right between the end of the war between the Gods and Titans, and offers the Titans the chance to come back in time with him to finish their war with Olympus with Zeus weakened and the other Gods in a state of confusion. The game ends with the Gods of Olympus, in the present, watching in horror as the Titans climb up Mount Olympus, led by Kratos shouting "Zeus! Your son has returned! I bring the destruction of Olympus!"

Characters

Main characters

Kratos

At the start of God of War II, Kratos is the God of War after defeating Ares but not being released from his torment made his sorrow boil into hatred. He turns to his mortal army of Sparta to wage war on cities across the land, which raises the anger of Zeus and the other gods. Soon, he finds he is betrayed by Zeus and reduced to a mortal. Kratos must travel to the Sisters of Fate to exact revenge and destroy Zeus once and for all.

Athena

The goddess of civilization that initially aided Kratos in defeating Ares, but now warns Kratos of his actions displeasing the other gods in the hopes that Zeus won't take revenge on Kratos if he stops attacking villages. Kratos accidentally kills her at the end of the game, when she takes Kratos' killing blow which was meant for Zeus.

Gaia

One of the Titans, and connected to all things of the Earth. Along with the other Titans, she was banished in the War of the Titans, and seeing Kratos' quest for revenge on Zeus, offers to lend her power to his cause, she helps Kratos throughout his journey in hopes that together they can bring about the fall of Olympus. She was the narrator of the original God of War game.

Zeus

The King of the Olympian gods and the object of Kratos' vengeance. He betrays Kratos at the beginning of the game by killing him, in fear that Kratos was plotting to overthrow him, only to have his plan secretly thwarted by Gaia. In his final confrontation with Kratos, he is determined to put an end to his attempt at revenge by demonstrating his power as a giant, and then dueling with Kratos in using his abilities as a god.

Lakhesis

The middle aged Sister of Fate bears a feathered robe and wings along with a staff. She mocks Kratos by telling him that she was the one responsible for deciding both the defeat of the Titans in the Great War and letting Kratos reach the Sisters. She refuses to accept Kratos and tells him that he will fail in his quest to change his fate.

Atropos

The youngest Sister of Fate who was inside Lakhesis until she split off to fight Kratos. She mocked Kratos' attempt to change his fate. She demonstrated her power by altering the event from the first God of War by destroying the Sword of the Gods, so that Kratos would die by Ares' hand. Kratos is forced to fight in his own past in order to defeat her and preserve his existence.

Clotho

The oldest of the three Sisters of Fate that Kratos encounters. She is a morbidly obese creature with multiple arms and breasts that sits within the multi-leveled Loom Chamber. She spins the thread of every mortal, god and titan. Kratos must defeat Clotho and learn how to work the loom in order to kill Zeus and change his fate.

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, Cyclopses, 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

• Colossus of Rhodes - The first boss in the game. It is brought to life by Zeus (in the form of a bird) who drains Kratos' power and gives it to the statue. As Kratos fights his way through the city, the Colossus attempts to destroy him. Kratos eventually fights the Colossus from within. When completely drained of its power by Kratos' use of the Blade of Olympus it begins to collapse. Kratos escapes through the mouth onto a platform. He is then crushed and nearly killed by the hand of the falling colossus.

• Zeus - After being severely injured by the Colossus of Rhodes, Zeus takes the Blade of Olympus and fights Kratos. Kratos is too weak to win and is eventually impaled with the blade, causing him to die.

• Theseus - A famous Greek hero, he wields a twin-bladed spear and can summon ice crystals and Frost Minotaurs. He serves the Sisters of Fate as the 'Horse master' and keeps the key to the chapels on the backs of the Steeds of Time. Kratos offers Theseus' life in exchange for the key he possesses for the door; however Theseus challenges Kratos to a duel to the death to prove who is the greatest warrior in Greece. Like most of the other Greek heros, he believes the "fallen god" is no challenge. After an extended battle, Kratos uses Theseus' own spear against him by impaling him to the door, using the key to open the door, then repeatedly slamming the door against Theseus' head until he dies.

• Barbarian King - One of the characters from the original game to return, the Barbarian King was seen repeatedly through the cutscenes in that game as Kratos' adversary who nearly defeated him, forcing Kratos to make a pact with Ares. Kratos is seen decapitating the King in the first game, but in this game he is a corpse riding a decrepit horse and he tells Kratos he is thankful that the Fates granted this last duel with Kratos for revenge. After Kratos knocks the King off his horse, he uses his own hammer against him, slamming it repeatedly onto his head, before ripping it off a second time.

• Dark Cerberus - A black, three-headed hound who is faster, stronger and can breathe fire, Kratos discovers it has eaten Jason who had found the Golden Fleece. Kratos must retrieve the Golden Fleece from within the beast who consumed it. Kratos breaks its jaw and pulls the golden fleece out of its mouth.

• Euryale - Medusa's sister, a much larger, heavier gorgon. When defeated, Head of Euryale is available for use by Kratos with Euryale's head. This is similar to "Medusa's Gaze" from the original God of War.

• Perseus - The Greek hero appears to be on his own quest to seek the Sisters of Fate, to bring his love (presumably Andromeda) back from the dead. Perseus uses the Helmet of Hades that makes him invisible, a sling, a sword, and a reflective shield, all of which he received from various gods. He attempts to kill Kratos believing that the confrontation is a test to prove his worth for an audience with the Sisters (or at least he can bask in the glory of slaying Kratos). Kratos first destroys his helmet then breaks his sword into pieces. Perseus uses his shield to reflect sunlight into Kratos blinding him, when Kratos regains his standings Perseus is near the back of the pool. Kratos renders Perseus vulnerable by smashing him into a wall, then holding him underwater until he loses consciousness. Kratos takes Perseus' shield and throws him through a wall into a hook killing him instantly.

• Icarus - Appears as an old man about to cross the Great Chasm. He appears to have lost his mind since the time of his supposed death, though he also could possibly be Icarus' father Daedalus who is seeking the Sisters of Fate to bring his son back to life. He reacts violently to Kratos' arrival ("I will see the Sisters and no one else!!") This causes a tussle that takes them both over the edge. Kratos manages to tear off his wings, causing Icarus to fall to his death.

• Young Spartan warrior - Silhouetted against the sky from behind a framed glass window, Kratos fights this opponent as a shadow. Neither man knows the truth as to who they are fighting until Kratos wins by tackling the Spartan through a window, discovering to his horror that it was the Spartan he had told to defend the city at the start of the game. The Spartan tells Kratos that Zeus had destroyed Sparta and he had hoped to gain an audience with the Sisters of Fate to change the outcome. The Spartan dies having faith in Kratos' ability to save the Spartans. Kratos uses his body to place on a pressure plate several times before the Kraken devours his body.

• Kraken - Appears after the last Spartan battle. At this point Kratos has been through so much that he gives up fighting and will not lift his blades. He now believes he cannot change his fate and wishes Zeus to face him at that very moment. This allows the Kraken to firmly grab hold of Kratos who is still enraged. Kratos regains his fighting spirit after being convinced by Gaia that he will be eternaly tormented by Zeus unless he changes his fate. After a few rounds of battling the Kraken, Kratos stabs its tentacles, knocking it off balance, allowing Kratos to use a lever to extend a bridge, sending the bridge straight through the Kraken's head.

• The Sisters of Fate - In order to use the Loom to change his past, Kratos must battle the Three Sisters of Fate that are defending it, frightened that Kratos will bring doom to the world should he use it. Lakhesis confronts Kratos alone trying to kill him using a combination of melee attacks and magic with the use of her staff. When bested by Kratos Lakhesis releases Atropos from within her. Atropos carries Kratos through the mirror back to the time when Kratos fought Ares. She threatens that she could kill Kratos in the past by destroying the sword he used to kill Ares. Kratos defeats Atropos, bringing him back to Lakhesis' throne room. Both Lakhesis and Atropos fight against Kratos. He defeats them by throwing them into one of their inter-dimensional mirrors, and then destroying it, trapping them in a void between realms. After trapping the sisters in the mirrors and destroying them Kratos has one last sister to battle. The final sister, Clotho, awaits Kratos a few levels away. When Kratos makes his way to her head he disables three of her smaller arms blocking his way up. Once at the top level, he disables her two main arms giving him time to bring up a giant swinging blade. With this blade he impales Clotho through her head killing the last of the Sisters of Fate and granting him the power to change the past.

• Zeus - After using the Loom to return to when Zeus drives the Blade of Olympus into Kratos, he must fight Zeus for control of the blade in order to change his future. Toward the end of the battle Kratos uses both Athena's Blades and the Blade of Olympus to bring him down. After a electrical storm attack from Zeus, Kratos tells Zeus that he gives up and to end his life. Kratos then reverses Zeus' attack with the blade of Olympus and nearly kills him until Athena interrupts. Kratos, while trying to impale Zeus, impales Athena and kills her while Zeus escapes with no concern for his daughter.

Items and abilities

Weapons

Kratos' main weapon are 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 what 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 can only be leveled up during 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 regains other magic spells, including Typhon's Bane (a bow-like long range attack weapon), Cronus' 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. A new feature of the Rage of the Titans allows the player to activate and deactivate the power whenever they wish; unlike Rage of the Gods which cannot be turned off when used.

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 that lets 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 (Challenge of the Titans), 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.

Armor

By completing the game or through other special criteria, the player can unlock armor for Kratos. The armor changes both Kratos' appearance and alters the benefits from the orbs in both positive and negative ways, thus altering the difficulty of the game. The armors include different costumes: a fish costume, making him the "Cod of War," armor made from the Hydra Kratos defeated in the first game, and even complete appearance changes to either Athena or Hercules. The player can also wear the armor worn by Kratos at the start of the game in Rhodes which is the armor of the "God of War." The player can only change armor when starting a new game on bonus play.

Critical reception

Upon its release, God of War II garnered overwhelming critical and commercial acclaim. The game is considered one of the PlayStation 2's best games, and also one of the best action games of all time. It is considered to be far superior to the original, with four times as many boss fights, and improved puzzles.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.

In North America, by the end of March 2007, the game had sold over 833,209 units, twice as many copies as the next-best selling game. In its first week of release in Europe, the game took the top spot in the UK charts as well.

Cast

Trivia

This article contains a list of miscellaneous information. Please relocate any relevant information into other sections or articles. (June 2007)

• By achieving a 999,999 hit combo, the player is treated to a secret web site. www.islandofrhodes.org. The site became active on midnight of April 12, 2007, and contains videos with commentary on the first two levels, a story about the Colossus of Rhodes and an exclusive wallpaper. Further material is available through solving the several puzzles on the site, including other videos with commentary, a story about the Isle of Creation, a method to run God of War II in a resolution slightly higher than 480p at the cost of rendering speed (only on NTSC versions of the game), and another countdown ending on April 24 at midnight. This second countdown led to the site announcing the PlayStation Portable game, God of War: Chains of Olympus.
• In the web-based video series, God of War II: From Myth To Legend, David Jaffe hints at the future of the series. He says, "God of War explains, or ultimately will explain, why there are no more Greek myths."
• This marked the second time Harry Hamlin took the role of Perseus, the first being in the 1981 film Clash of the Titans; Hamlin was cast specifically for this role.

• Korn's frontman Jonathan Davis said in an interview with Blender that he is a fan of the series.

See also

• God of War
• God of War: Chains of Olympus
• God of War III
• List of games that have been considered the best ever

References

1. ^ Kotaku - Isle of Rhodes Site Unlocks GoW 2 HD Mode, New Countdown
2. ^ "IGN: God of War II". IGN PlayStation 2. Retrieved 2007-02-21.
3. Roper, Chris (2007-02-12). "IGN: God of War II Review". IGN PlayStation 2. pp. 3 of 3. Retrieved 2007-02-21. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
4. "God of War II". Gaming Trend. Retrieved 2007-04-12.
5. "God of War II". Meta Critic. Retrieved 2007-05-01.
6. "God of War II Review - PlayStation 2". GameZone. Retrieved 2007-03-12.
7. "GameTrailers.com - God of War II (PlayStation 2)". GameTrailers.com. Retrieved 2007-03-12.
8. ^ "IGN: God of War II Review". IGN PlayStation 2. Retrieved 2007-03-12. Cite error: The named reference "IGN Review" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
9. "CANOE -- WHAM Gaming - PS2: 'God of War' sequel a PS2 epic". Wham.Canoe.PA. Retrieved 2007-03-12.
10. Electronic Gaming Monthly, April 2007, p.90
11. "GameSpy: God of War II Review". GameSpy PS2. Retrieved 2007-03-12.
12. "God of War II for PlayStation 2 Review - GameDaily". GameDaily.com. Retrieved 2007-03-12.
13. "Review: God of War II for PS2 on GamePro.com". GamePro.com. Retrieved 2007-03-12.
14. "Game Informer Online". Game Informer. Retrieved 2007-03-12.
15. "GamingTrend Review". GamingTrend. Retrieved 2007-03-12.
16. "GameSpot: God of War II Review". GameSpot PlayStation 2. Retrieved 2007-03-19.
17. "IGN: NPD: Kratos is God of March". IGN Playstation 2. Retrieved 2007-05-10.
18. "gamesindustry.biz: UK charts: God of War II takes top spot". gamesindustry.biz. Retrieved 2007-05-13.
19. ^ GamePro: Interview with Cory Barlog
20. GameTrailers: 999 999 hit combo in God of War 2
21. Kikizo - No High-Res God of War II for Europe
22. God of War II: From Myth to Legend (Part 1 of 6)

External links

• God of War II Official Site
• God of War II on IGN
• God of War II on GameDaily
• God of War II on GameSpot
• God of War II E3 Trailers from G4
• God of War II Gametrailers.com preview
• God of War: The Island of Rhodes
• God of War II at MobyGames
• God of War II on GamerHelp.com

• Articles with trivia sections from June 2007
• PlayStation 2-only games
• 2007 video games
• Action-adventure games
• Mythology-based video games