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AN EPIC BATTLE IN PLAYSTATION 2 ARENA.


Byline: Redmond Carolipio

Staff Writer

By now, we all know lines from King Leonidas. There's "This is where we fight! This is where THEY DIE!" Or how about, "Tonight we dine in Verb 1. dine in - eat at home
eat in

eat - eat a meal; take a meal; "We did not eat until 10 P.M. because there were so many phone calls"; "I didn't eat yet, so I gladly accept your invitation"
 hell!"

That's the essence of playing "God of War II." You will feel like the baddest dude on Earth.

In perhaps the last epic game for the PS2, Sony has given us the gaming equivalent of the movie "300" -- a body of work that prods at the battle-hungry, rampaging beast in all of us, and then attempts to harness it with breathtaking imagery, epic confrontations and a true franchise character for the ages. It's a joyfully bloody romp through Greek mythology Greek mythology

Oral and literary traditions of the ancient Greeks concerning their gods and heroes and the nature and history of the cosmos. The Greek myths and legends are known today primarily from Greek literature, including such classic works as Homer's Iliad and
 that turns into an unforgettable experience.

You re-assume the role of Kratos, the resurrected Spartan super-warrior who managed to kill Ares, the original God of War, and take his place on Mount Olympus Mount Olympus: see Cyprus; Olympic Mountains; Olympus. .

As fans of the first game might remember, it was Ares who saved Kratos from certain death by granting him awesome powers, but also manipulating him into killing his own wife and child.

Kratos becomes cursed as a result, and he's forced to "wear" the ashes of his dead family (hence his ghostly white skin) and have nightmares about it for the rest of his life. Oh, and he has flaming swords flaming sword
n.
A widely cultivated bromeliad (Vriesea splendens) native to French Guiana, having long, unbranched inflorescences with red imbricated bracts and yellow flowers.
 with chains fused to his arms.

The sequel takes place after the fall of Ares, with Kratos flexing his power as the new God of War and practically decimating everything in sight on the mortal world. The other gods aren't happy about this, but Kratos could care less -- until he's stripped of his godly god·ly  
adj. god·li·er, god·li·est
1. Having great reverence for God; pious.

2. Divine.



god
 powers and becomes mortal.

Greek history primer

The first game was known for its treatment of huge landscapes, where the fixed camera would suddenly zoom out to show the sheer size of a temple entrance or the scene of a city being attacked. There were also visual interpretations of various Greek legends, like the Titans, the Sirens and Pandora's Box Pandora’s box

contained all evils; opened up, evils escape to afflict world. [Rom. Myth.: Brewer Dictionary, 799]

See : Evil
. However, those scenes and legends felt spread out, while the sequel is jam-packed with almost every bit of Greek mythos my·thos  
n. pl. my·thoi
1. Myth.

2. Mythology.

3. The pattern of basic values and attitudes of a people, characteristically transmitted through myths and the arts.
 you can imagine.

In addition to the gods and Titans, you've got the Sisters of Fate, Pegasus, Icarus, The Steeds of Time and Atlas (voiced by Michael Clarke Michael Clarke may refer to:
  • Michael Clarke (cricketer)
  • Michael Clarke (musician)
  • Michael Clarke (politician), Mayor of City of Maribyrnong
  • Michael Clarke Duncan, U.S.
 Duncan) to name a few. Atlas is an entire level by himself -- at one point, Kratos is forced to fight his way back to the real world by climbing up and around Atlas. Few, if any, pure action games on the PS2 operate on that kind of scope.

Visually, the game is stunning. There's magnificent scene with the Steeds of Time where Kratos has to walk on a massive chain to get to his destination. Not only can you see the grooves in the chain, but also the sunlight shining off the steeds' armor plating, even as the camera zooms back to reveal the scene in its entirely.

More fighting

Speaking of boss battles, one of the knocks on the first game was that there weren't enough of them. That's not the case now -- not only is the game loaded with legendary fights, but each major enemy has to be beaten in stages or in specific ways that require some critical thinking.

The combat system is as simple as it was before, where a lot of square and triangle button-pressing is enough to get you through hordes Hordes may refer to:
  • Social and military structures of nomadic Turkic peoples in the Middle Ages; see:
  • Golden Horde
  • Tatar invasions
  • The miniature war game HORDES
See also
 of enemies. However, you'll also get a lot more timed button-press and stick-moving sequences to take out what used to be "lesser" creatures. This adds a lot more tension to the fight, but also leads to a lot more satisfaction.

'GOD OF WAR II' - Four stars

Platform: PlayStation 2.

Rated: M for Mature.

In a nutshell: All hail all hail
interj.
Used to express acclamation, a welcome, or a greeting.
 "God of War II."
COPYRIGHT 2007 Daily News
No portion of this article can be reproduced without the express written permission from the copyright holder.
Copyright 2007, Gale Group. All rights reserved. Gale Group is a Thomson Corporation Company.

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Publication:Daily News (Los Angeles, CA)
Date:Mar 25, 2007
Words:629
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