I've seen many sequels over the years. Often they are awful - just trying to get more money for the exact same product. I'm really happy to say that the God of War team did a great job here with God of War 2. They really listened to feedback, worked on their game and created a new version that is even better than the original.
The graphics are just stellar. Sweeping movements, detailed backgrounds, action-filled situations. It's still a little dark for me - in terms of hard to see. You can make a game seem rich and dangerous without having it be a foggy gloom. Still, I appreciate their artistic intent here.
The vocals are stunning. They've won numerous awards for this series and they are well deserved. Epic, beautiful to listen to.
The game really draws you in. From the very first second you are immersed in battles that you really enjoy fighting in. There are varied enemies, each ones that you feel driven to take on and conquer. I admit that sometimes it can be a little confusing - you try repeatedly to take action X, only to discover through trial and error that it will never work until first you do action Y. Still, these types of inconveniences can be found in most games.
Should you play God of War 1 before you move on to God of War 2? I would say yes. There's a lot of storyline and background here - and God of War 1 was definitely a fantastic game. By all means, track down a version of God of War 1 first and play through it. Then load in God of War 2 and see how the game progresses from there, how the characters evolve and change.
Well recommended for any action gamer. My only caveat is that this is rated M for mature - so make sure you're not buying this for a very young gamer. It's rather violent.
Buy God of War 2 PS2 from Amazon.com
