God of War II

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God of War II
The North American box art, depicting Kratos overlooking the Palace of the Fates
Developer(s)	SCE Studios Santa Monica
Publisher(s)	Sony Computer Entertainment
Designer(s)	Cory Barlog, David Jaffe
Engine	Kinetica
Aspect ratio	16:9 / 4:3
Native resolution	480p (EDTV)[1] 480i (SDTV)
Platform(s)	PlayStation 2
Release date	NA March 13, 2007 EU April 27, 2007 AUS May 3, 2007
Genre(s)	Hack and slash, action-adventure
Mode(s)	Single-player
Rating(s)	BBFC: 18 ESRB: Mature PEGI: 18+ USK: 18
Media	DVD-9

God of War II is a hack and slash action-adventure video game and the sequel to the God of War video game for the PlayStation 2. It was released in North America on March 13, 2007, in Europe on April 27, 2007,^[2] and May 3, 2007 in Australia.^[2]

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.

Contents 1 Gameplay 2 Plot 3 Characters 3.1 Main characters 3.2 Common enemies 3.3 Bosses 4 Items and abilities 4.1 Weapons 4.2 Magic 4.3 Relics 4.4 Urns 4.5 Costumes 5 Animal cruelty controversy 6 Critical reception 7 Soundtrack 8 Additional Game Information 9 References 10 External links

[edit] 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."

[edit] 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, an eagle (which Kratos believes to be Athena in disguise but it is actually Zeus the god of gods) 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 eagle 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 Pegasus to traverse the distance to the Fates. Kratos and Pegasus, after a detour to a mountain that houses the Titan Typhon and former Titan Prometheus(who had been rendered mortal by Zeus), fly to the Island of Creation where the Sisters of Fate 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, (Kratos kills him too), and the Barbarian King from the original God of War (it was this barbarian whom almost killed Kratos but was slain after Kratos offered his service to Ares, thus being indirectly responsible for Krato's downfall in the first place). They battle one last time, but, despite the Barbarian King summoning undead warriors to aid him up, one of which is the same man that Kratos left to die in the Hydra's mouth and dragged down into Hades so he could escape Kratos wins and sends him back to the Underworld from whence he escaped. Kratos also encounters a haggard and crazed Icarus who tackles Kratos off a cliff. While both are falling Kratos rips off Icarus' wings and sails below the Earth where it is being held up by Atlas as Icarus 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. It was Kratos's fault that Atlas was tied to the Earth anyway, as explained in God of War Chains Of Olympus. 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 and helping Kratos back to the surface so that he may continue his quest. After an expedition through the Sister's 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) illusion), 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 he 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 vengenace. 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 fall!'

Returning to the Loom, which is now collapsing, Kratos uses it once again to go further back in time to The Great War to tell Gaia and the titans that "All on Olympus tremble at my name! Zeus is weak, Ares and Athena are dead, and I wield the blade! We can win the great war, but not in THIS time", suggesting that the Titans travel through time with him. Meanwhile, Zeus rallies his fellow Gods together, urging them to unite and defeat Kratos. As Zeus spits out pridefully "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!"

The game finishes with a prophetic warning: The End Begins....

[edit] Characters

[edit] 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 wisdom, defensive war and industry. Though a constant companion in the first game, Athena appears only three times in this sequel: once to warn Kratos that his actions are displeasing the other gods, a second through a statue (as in the first game), and the last to save Zeus by stepping in the way of Kratos' killing blow. (Ironically, when Athena's mother, the Titaness Metis, was pregnant, Zeus attempted to kill both for fear that the child be the prophesied overthrowing son.)
• Gaia: Mother 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 also acts as the narrator.

• Lakhesis: The middle (matron) of the three 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 oldest (crone) Sister of Fate who was inside Lakhesis until she split off to fight Kratos. She mocked Kratos' attempt to change his fate, demonstrating her power by altering the event from the first God of War and attempting to destroy the Blade of the Gods so that Kratos would die by Ares' hand. Kratos is forced to fight in his own past (with the final battle of the first game raging in the background) in order to defeat her and preserve his existence.

• Clotho: The youngest (maiden) Sisters of Fate that Kratos encounters, although she looks like anything but. She is a morbidly obese silkworm-like 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.

• Zeus: The King Of Olympus who created the Blade of Olympus. He is the father of Ares, Athena and Kratos. He betrays Kratos in the beginning of the second game. Zeus is the antagonist in the second game.

[edit] Common enemies

See also: List of God of War Monsters

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.

[edit] 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.

• 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. 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 smashing the door on his 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 him this last duel with Kratos for revenge. After Kratos knocks the King off his horse, he uses his own hammer against him, breaking his spine before finally braining him with a crushing blow. In another throwback to the original game, the ship captain whom Kratos let perish inside the Hydra is one of the souls the Barbarian King summons. If you kill him, it marks the third time in the series you let him die.

• Cerberus - A black, three-headed hound who is faster, stronger and can breathe fire, Kratos discovers it has eaten Jason (of the Argonauts) and the Golden Fleece along with him. Kratos must retrieve the Golden Fleece from within the beast. He first stabs two of the heads then sticks his hand inside the last ones mouth ripping the fleece from inside of him killing him.

• Euryale - Medusa's sister, a much larger, heavier gorgon. She wishes to avenge the death of her sister, who was slain by Kratos in the original God of War, and she praises the Sisters of Fate for luring Kratos to her temple. Her petrification energy is red, as opposed to other gorgons' energy being green. Kratos struggles with her at first but finally slices her head off. When defeated, her head can be used to turn enemies to stone. This is similar to "Medusa's Gaze" from the first game.

• 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 must first destroy his helmet to remove his invisibility then break his sword into pieces, at which point Perseus is down only to his sling and the blinding magic of his shield. After weakening Perseus, Kratos smashes his head into a wall, drowns him into unconsciousness then takes Perseus's shield and throws him through a wall into a hook, killing him instantly.

• Icarus - Kratos runs into an elderly Icarus upon reaching the Great Chasm. He appears to have lost his sanity, reacting violently to Kratos' arrival. This causes a tussle that takes them both over the edge. Kratos manages to tear off his wings, causing the old man to fall to his death.

• The last Spartan - 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 him 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. He 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 during the battle with the Kraken.

• Kraken - Appears after the battle with the Spartan. 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 (in the form of Kratos' wife) that he will be eternally tormented by Zeus unless he changes his fate. After a few rounds of battling the monster, 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 mouth.

• 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. The final sister, Clotho, awaits Kratos a few levels away. While Kratos makes his way to her head he disables five 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, 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, Kratos 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 an electrical storm attack from Zeus, Kratos tricks Zeus by telling that he gives up and to end his life. Kratos, with the use of the Golden Fleece, reverses Zeus' attack and uses the Blade of Olympus to nearly kill him until Athena interrupts. Kratos, while trying to run Zeus through, accidentally impales Athena who threw herself in the path of the killing blow and mortally wounds her while Zeus escapes with no concern for his fallen daughter.

[edit] Items and abilities

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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), "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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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]

[edit] Critical reception

Publication	Score
1UP.com	9.5/10
Game Informer	9.75/10
G4's X-Play	5/5
GamePro	5/5
GameSpot	9.2/10
IGN	9.7/10
Total Gamer Zone	9.4/10
EGM	9.2/10
Official PlayStation Magazine (UK)	9/10
Official PlayStation Magazine (Australia)	10/10
Hammered Bros.	5/5
Game Rankings	93%
PSM	9.5/10
Edge Magazine	7/10
Gaming Trend	94%[6]
Metacritic	93%[7]
Wazap	92%[8]

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.

[edit] Soundtrack

Main article: God of War II Soundtrack

[edit] Additional Game Information

• The game's working title was God of War II: Divine Retribution. The title used in promotional material leading up to the game's release, including in-store displays and television commercials, was God of War II: The End Begins.
• By achieving a 999,999 hit combo,^[24] 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^[25]), and another countdown ending on April 24 at midnight.^[1] 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."^[26]
• 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.^[27]
• Gaia and the Narrator are voiced by Linda Hunt (born April 2, 1945) an American film, stage and television actress. She is perhaps best known for her Academy Award winning role in 1983's The Year of Living Dangerously.
• It is clarified in Chains of Olympus that Hades (the armoured god) and Posiedon (tallest) are present during Zeus' attempts to sway them.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• GodofWar.com
• God of War: The Island of Rhodes
• God of War II at the Open Directory Project
• God of War II at MobyGames

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