God Of War II: The End Begins

The latest video game to grace my living room is God of War II: The End Begins, developed and published by Sony Computer Entertainment of America (SCEA). It was released last week, and it’s another game title I saw revealed at last year’s 2006 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), and I’m glad to finally play the full version.

God of War II is the sequel to God of War (2005) and made exclusively for the PlayStation 2. It played just fine with no bugs on my PlayStation 3, but I’ll tell you upfront that this is no game for the keiki. The gameplay is fairly violent and takes you back to the fierce world of Greek mythology where you as Kratos, the vicious ex-Spartan warrior, was left atop your godly throne as the new God of War. In God of War II, you must journey to the far reaches of the earth and defeat untold horrors and alter fate, which no mortal or god has ever done.

The game sets an epic stage for a devastating mythological war to end all wars. Armed with deadly blades and blistering rage, you’re aided by new breathtaking magic and brutal combat moves. The journey will take you through vividly striking environments where you’ll be faced with a labyrinth of challenging puzzles and mini-games intricately woven into the story. The violence will come to life in gory detail as you (Kratos) encounter new mythical characters and competes in epic boss battles in your quest.

Use your favorite combo attacks from the first God of War along with new moves and magic. It took me awhile to figure out, but you can use your acquired magic using the directional buttons, and then executing your move/combo required to unleash it. Certain magics are useful only for specific parts of the game, and it’s based on nature’s elements, including utilizing the power of wind or ice.

New characters added on include the Cyclops, Cerebus, and my favorite Flying Gryphon, along with numerous more challenging enemies and bosses. Each encounter seems to come at the right time, and the same goes for the puzzles. Everything just falls into place as you solve intelligent, challenging and complicated puzzles with brutal elements intricately woven into the story. As far as exploring goes, you’ll continue your previous experiences in the dark world of Greek mythology and test your agility through more levels while traversing treacherous and brutal terrain.

God of War II is probably one of the last great action adventure games you’ll see for the PlayStation 2. Heck, this game is even better than some other titles I’ve seen for the next gen PlayStation 3. If you’re a fan of the first God of War, into Greek mythology, or just plain enjoy lots of action/gore, this is a must-have game.

God of War II: The End Begins is single-player, rated M for Mature (ages 17+) and will cost you $49.99 at your nearest GameStop (www.gamestop.com), CompUSA (www.compusa.com) or Best Buy (www.bestbuy.com). It comes with an extra bonus DVD with over two hours of behind-the-scenes content Keep your eyes open for a God of War game for the PlayStation Portable (PSP) handheld system to be released soon.

Additionally, a God of War II soundtrack is available for $9.99 on iTunes (www.itunes.com), Sony Connect (www.connect.com) or at various retailers. It features a mix of orchestral, electronica and hard rock music, which is accented in the game.