Sections
“Everything is different, boy. Try not to dwell on it.”
God of War represents a radical shift in the classic franchise, which used to live and die by the quality of its many jaw-dropping set-pieces – the reason why its more modest portable outings never stood a chance with their limited budget and scope. Now, with this sequel/reboot, the whole approach has been revamped, resulting in a game that is much more concerned with the depth of its characters and their troubled relationships than with the scale of their many battles. If God of War as a series used to be about outward spectacle, this game revolves around inner conflict. And it’s all the better for it.
The first [...]
The first attempt at bringing the God of War franchise into a portable system was not very successful. Chains of Olympus has a story that only becomes interesting when it’s finishing, as well as a shallow combat system that further reduces the complexity of mechanics that were never originally complicated, to begin with. Ghost of Sparta, then, represents a new chance to make the franchise work on the PSP, and, while it corrects some issues from the previous title, it makes new mistakes that negatively affect the quality of the experience.
In Ghost of Sparta, Kratos, after becoming a god himself, begins to have mysterious visions that lead him to the city of Atlantis. [...]
The God of War franchise’s success is largely based on the spectacle it provides. The first three main titles boasted huge environments that contained titans, monsters, and gods fighting battles, while the protagonist, Kratos, was dismembering his enemies and shouting in fury. But they also tried to add to the combat system with each installment, either by adding new weapons and spells or by increasing the number of enemies that require unique tactics to be defeated. Chains of Olympus marks Studio Santa Monica’s first attempt, in partnership with Ready Dawn Studios, to bring the franchise to a portable system. However, contrary to what one would imagine, instead of narrowing [...]
God of War III is all about spectacle. During the intro, Kratos is tearing his enemies apart on the back of a titan who, in turn, is climbing Mount Olympus and battling a gigantic aquatic creature controlled by Poseidon. The camera is constantly moving in and out of the action to display how the scope is now even larger than before, allowing for truly stunning set pieces.
The premise of the game is very straightforward: Kratos must climb Mount Olympus and kill Zeus if he’s to fulfill his desire for revenge. In order to defeat the god, the Spartan needs the power of the Olympian Flames, which are conveniently stored inside Pandora’s Box. The journey to get the box [...]
God of War 2 is a fairly safe sequel that capitalizes on the same elements of the first game for great effect, bringing a violent revenge-driven protagonist, and a simple yet effective combat system, while expanding the scope of the adventure. It brings some new ideas to the table, but they could have been developed more.
In the story, the protagonist, Kratos, after becoming the God of War himself, cannot control his violent instinct and thirst for blood, raging unmotivated war throughout the lands. Consumed by hatred, the warrior has become the second version of his archenemy, Ares. To contain the Spartan’s violence, then, Athena and Zeus plot his downfall, which will [...]
The traits of the classic Greek hero differ substantially from the ones of a contemporary one. While the latter is tied to the morality of their society, the former is in no way concerned with notions of right and wrong: their vocabulary, instead, circles around the concept of glory. Kratos, the protagonist of God of War, is one of those heroes. He massacres the innocent, commands vast armies, scales titans, escapes from deadly traps, faces colossal monsters, and even attempts to kill a god. He does terrible things, there is no doubt, but also incredible things.
God of War begins with its most fantastic battle: Kratos needs to eliminate a huge Hydra that is sinking ships in [...]