God of War (2005)

It is the start of the incredible series and it does not disappoint. This game is really good and considering when it was released... no words.

Game: God of War
Genre: Action
Developer: Santa Monica Studio
Publisher: Sony
System: Playstation 3 (PS3)
Year of Release: 2009
Length of Playthrough: 9 Hours

Total Score: 86/100
Value Score: 8.6/10

• Story: 8/10
• Characters: 8/10
• GamePlay: 8/10
• Graphics: 9/10
• Sound: 10/10
• Music: 8/10
• Length: 6/10
• Replay Value: 9/10
• Player Value: 10/10

Pros
+Remastered in 720p and 60 FPS
+Trophy Support
+Packaged with God of War II as part of the God of War Collection

Cons
-Game is in 720p rather than 1080p
-Controls can be frustrating at times
-Cutscenes look dated and not upscaled

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Game: God of War
Genre: Action
Developer: Sony Santa Monica Studio
System: Playstation 2 (PS2)
Total Score: 85/100
Value Score: 8.5/10

• Story: 8/10
o God of War's story stars Kratos a Spartan warrior who was a general in the spartan army, he had been conquering and defeating his enemies for such a short time however in one battle he and his army were overwhelmed by the Barbarians. Right before the killing blow was about to be given to him he calls out to Ares the god of War for his assistance and he pledges his loyalty to him. As a result the Barbarians were destroyed by the power of the god of War and Kratos was given the blades of chaos as a gift to his loyalty. Kratos ended up continuing his war plans however one road block occurred. He ended up killing his wife and child, a obvious trap set up by the god of War. Kratos pledges to himself that he will murder the god of War who has brought him so much pain and regret. Kratos goes through Athens, the deadly deserts to find the titan Kronus, through the ancient chambers of Pandora's Temple and the Underworld in order to get hands of Pandora's box and to defeat the god of war.

• Characters: 8/10
o You play as Kratos a vengeful warrior on towards the path of murdering a god, that by itself is enough to give the character score of the game a high number. However there are a few other characters, much more than the usual action game however majority of them play a very minor role or no role at all but only through mentions. You have Ares the deceptive god of War who is on warpath to destroy the City of Athens, Athena a goddess who called out for assistance from Kratos and has given him a deal that he could not refuse, the wife and child of Kratos who is briefly mentioned and seen face to face somewhat later in the game, and the endless number of monsters and gods in the Greek Mythology.

• GamePlay: 8/10
o God of War is a action game with some adventure/puzzle elements. For the most part you'll be progressing in a linear fashion throughout the Aegean Sea Ship yard, Athens, and the rest of the world of God of War. What is filled with the world is a endless army of greek mythology's greatest beasts, puzzles, traps and a lot of treasure. More than likely the game will be a button masher when it comes to attacking but with minimal dodging. You have the strong attack and a weak attack and you can combine them to do some pretty awesome combos or finishers. You'll be grouped up against several enemies at once and you can use your attacks to damage one at a time with normal attacks or with a grapple (which allows you to finish a enemy in 3 different ways depending on what button you push). You get red orbs similar to the Devil May Cry series where you can use to upgrade your abilities (which are obtained by gods of olympus in different parts of the game) and your weapons. Leveling up each will increase the power and the number of skills you can do. Other than red orbs there are green orbs and blue orbs which heal both health and Magic (to use the abilities) respectively. You can break pots, jars, and different parts of the environment to get these orbs along with some enemies and npcs who drop them upon getting hit or killed. Throughout the game you will have to solve some puzzles which can range from pushing a object, collecting some items, pushing a switch and timed events. You will also travel through the game in more ways than walking such as climbing, walking on narrow paths and using ropes to traverse across the world of God of War.

• Graphics: 9/10
o God of War brings out the best of the PS2's emotion engine with amazing spectacular graphics not usually seen in games. The environment is nicely designed with each speck of detail from blood to the rocks being brimmed with artistic design. The animation can be a bit jaggy from time to time but overall not that noticeable. The cutscenes are nicely designed and look different from the actual graphics of the game which are still not that bad looking however you will notice some differences between the npcs such as the Oracle who looks completely different in each scene.

• Sound: 10/10
o God of War uses voice overs in both cutscenes and in actual gameplay which is quite rare around the time when the game came out, most games did not feature such voice work so it was a pretty amazing thing at the time. Along with that the grunts, attacks, slashes and every piece of sound effect in the game is well made and nothing sounds the same or repetitive because it goes through probably 3-5 different sound notes before repeating actually.

• Music: 8/10
o God of War's OST isnt as spectacular as most video games but it does have a soothing relaxing and at times heroic themes. A lot of the tracks are actually remixes of the main theme song with a few twists here and there depending on the situation. The more calmer tracks are quite memorable and are worth getting the OST for by itself.

• Length: 5/10
o Where God of War dominates in gameplay, it lacks in length however. Possibly the weakest aspect of the game. The game (without any actual exploration) should take you about 5-6 hours while an actual thorough exploration in each area will take you about 7-10 hours. You can finish the game in a day if you want with frequent breaks (if you have nothing else to do). Though thankfully the game makes up for it in its replay value.

• Replay Value: 9/10
o God of War's replay value is extensive even before actually finishing the game itself. You have access to many documentaries that explain how the design of the game came to be and what was taken out. Trailers and other key notes are also included but you also get the entire cutscene library once you complete the game. You also get the chance to do some challenges which increase the game's playing value by itself and you also unlock God Mode which is a extra difficulty mode for the main game with the reward of some exclusive cutscenes mentioning the future of the series. They even added a tele service where you can use the phone number and call and receive a message.

• Player Value: 10/10
o God of War is an amazing video game which all Greek Myth fans, action fans and fans of violent bloody games will enjoy. The game has a casual length with a decent storyline, character and environmental setting. The music and sound effects are well made and go well with the game. Although not as refined as other action games, this game will surely suffice for any lack of action games you may of add and can start your journey into the rest of the series.


Pros
+Original storyline with a popular theme
+Innovative (at its time) gameplay system to the action genre
+Well done voice acting
+Well done animation
+Soundtrack fits perfectly with the game's atmosphere
+Multiple difficulty levels
+Secret bonus unlockables which can be obtained by playing different difficulty modes
+Trailers featuring development and design included

Cons
-Really short, can be beaten within 6 hours
-Some parts of the game can be really annoying to navigate through
-Some parts of the gameplay feel stiff or forced upon (not that noticeable)
-Way too linear in design (unable to go back to older parts)