Jonas Ward
Produced by Sony Santa Monica and published by Sony Entertainment in 2005, “God of War” introduced players to one of the most powerful characters in video game history Kratos. Selling more than 4.6 million copies worldwide, “God of War” set the standard for action packed fighting games for years to come.
“God of War” is roughly based on Greek mythology. The main protagonist in the game is named Kratos, a Spartan leader who had a rough childhood, but found himself through fighting. Nearly dying in battle, he made a deal with the Greek gods to spare his life by bonding himself with the Ghosts of Sparta and the Blades of Chaos.
After the settlement, Kratos became a god granted with extreme strength, magical powers and the Blades of Chaos. Due to the fact that Kratos was bound with the Ghosts of Sparta, he started to see horrific visions that tormented him. He was unhappy with the outcome and set out to kill the god Ares. Kratos travels across vast lands to hunt down Ares and kill anyone who gets in his way. He was furious and decided to find Pandora’s Box in hopes of defeating Ares with its contents. The story of “God of War” is entertaining for players. Its full of action, suspense and hardcore fighting. Players will thoroughly enjoy the story.
The gameplay of “God of War” is what makes the game spectacular. One of the best combo and fighting systems was devised for this game. Fighting is detailed and full of opportunities in the game. Players will learn a set of combos that only get better the more they learn. Different abilities for Kratos are unlocked later in the story, which makes him more powerful against his enemies. “God of War” has a fixed third person camera angle which can be a little difficult to get used to for players. It displays the heads up display with Kratos’ health and energy. Unlockables in the form of chests will reward players throughout the game and help them on their journey. The gameplay alone is worth it for anyone looking for a great action packed fighting experience in a video game.
The graphics for “God of War” were good for 2005, but they don’t blow any game out of the water today. Remastered for the PlayStation 3, the game gained reworked graphics that made it look more up to date for it being a vintage game. Characters have little facial expressions except for in-game cutscenes. The landscape is better, shows good colors and has movable scenery like water, trees, wind, sand and other characters. When players play this game, it will definitely evoke a vintage feel when it comes to the graphics.
“God of War” was one of the most successful PlayStation 2 games of all time. It was deemed the 14th best selling game of all time for the PlayStation 2, promoting seven sequels to be produced which makes it a huge series beloved by fans. A successful novel based on the game was written by Matthew Stover and Robert E. Vardeman, published in 2010. “God of War” is a must play for anyone who loves gritty combo-based fighting video games with a taste of revenge.
