The best way I think I can describe how fun God of War is, is this way:
You know when you're playing a game, and your really should stop, so
you say to yourself "I'll stop at the next save point." Then you get to
the save point, and you say "Well, maybe one more save point." but deep
down you know you really mean two more. That's this game.
The presentation of this game is top notch. Usually I find cut scenes
get in the way, and I hope that they're short. The style of the
cinematics in this game are fantastic, and kept me engaged. It's just
too bad you can't skip them the second time around. They also chose the
perfect woman to do the voice over. The sound overall is well crafted,
including the beautifully executed music which gets you hyped up for
the action.
Most other aspects of the game are just as impressive. The controls
respond very well, and are easy to both work with and execute special
moves. I only wish that you could move more easily to a block in the
middle of a combo, instead of the animation taking priority. The button
layout is easy to learn, but I found there was too much unnecessary
abuse placed upon the R2 button. Do I really need to repeatedly bash
the R2 button to open gates? I mean, it's not like it makes
gate-opening fun. There's no control for the camera, however the camera
in this game is incredibly helpful. This is one of the best cameras on
rails I've seen.
Then there's what makes this title really shine. The game-play: it's
fun! I felt it was broken up into three types of game-play, all of
which were of great design. There's the puzzle solving aspect of the
game. There's a decent number of switch puzzles in the game. Nothing
too hard, but interesting enough to give a break from that combat that
I really didn't mind. Add to this the odd maze, trap puzzle, and hidden
rooms, and it made for a nice balance among the bloodshed. There's also
some area's that had a little bit of a platforming feeling to it, which
was also a welcome experience. It's kept the game-play variety going,
and broke up the fighting sequences. The final, and most prevalent
part, is the combat. This is where it's at. It's straight-forward,
smooth, exciting and engaging. Thanks to those controls again, it feels
like you are doing more than just button mashing. Through it all you
get a real sense of the strength behind each of your hits. Throughout
most of the game you get 2 melee weapons and 3 magic spells, with a 4th
spell that comes in closer to the end. it may not sound like munch, but
with upgrades available for each, you don't get bored with the tools at
hand, and you get to feel like your mastering what you do have at your
disposal. It's important to say that none of these game-play elements
felt tacked on, or thrown together at the last minute for the sake of
variety. The only aspect that interrupted the fun for me were balance
board sections you'll come across. In certain parts you have to walk
across narrow boards. I wasn't a fan of these balancing acts, and could
have lived without them.
When you put all these pieces together, the game also gives you that
feeling of special something. On paper it may sound like a standard
game, but like many great games it takes a simple core concept, and
refines it to the point of undeniable fun. But most of the fun would be
found the first time around. It does not seem like there would be a lot
of new experiences if you were to play it twice.
Also like great games before it, it has the characteristic that's most
important to me: it feels right. It's hard to put my finger on where
the feeling comes from, but it's there.
Not for the faint of heart, but a definite treasure for those that like intense action.
