Release Date:	March 22, 2005
	Platform:	Playstation 2
	Genre:	Murder
	Developer:	SCE Studios
	Publisher:	Sony
	MSRB Rating:	E (for Extreme)
	Price:	$20.00

Let's get one thing straight right off the bat. There has never been an action game that stomps as much ass, kicks as much face, and rapes as much leg as God of War. Enter Kratos; half man, half god, all Chuck Norris. A bad ass that’s so bad, and so ass, even the ancient gods of mount Olympus need too plead with him for his life demolishing services. Perhaps the only thing with more limb removing ability then Kratos is the game itself. Fresh out of SCE Studios Santa Monica; God of War will leave you feeling aflame, accomplished and aroused as you try to keep up with all the destruction.

One of God of War's most prominent qualities is its production value. The sounds, the scenes, the screams, it all blends together so nice like your favorite cup of fresh mountain brewed punch in the face. After a gorgeous introduction cinema showing Kratos trying to commit suicide (just for laughs), you’re gently eased into your first mission by landing face first into a giant pile of crazy ass zombies armed with nothing more then your trusty Blades of Chaos. From that moment on you'll be engulfed in a blissful bubble of more Greek mythology, aerial acrobatics, insane hell demons and unprotected sex then you could ever hope for. The in game camera lends its hand to the overall cinematic feel of the adventure by always being locked in a picturesque position. Each and every level is presented with the utmost grueling detail such that you not only see and hear God of War but you feel God of War with all five of your original senses plus two you didn’t even know you had.

God of War is not simply in or part of the action genre, it defines the action genre. Other so called "action" games play like coma simulations in comparison to this masterpiece. Game play is mainly divided into three categories, combat, platforming, and puzzle solving. Just kidding; it's all combat. First let’s examine what you have at your disposal and what you are to dispose of. Not only do you have a variety of outrageous attacks with your Blades of Chaos weapon (which are two swords on chains, welded to Kratos’ arms), but you can upgrade them with experience points to unlock even more powerful assaults. Adding further to the carnage is the opportunity to earn five other types of weapons or spells that can each be upgraded like the Blades of Chaos. With so many weapons and abilities one would naturally expect to have a hefty gallery of opponents to unload on and the developers don't disappoint. Whether it be zombies, minotaurs, gargoyles, serpents, Cyclopes or gigantic ugly monsters that seem to bend all the laws of mother nature, there’s more than enough to annihilate anyone's fancy.

You have a certain amount of freedom as far as how you want to murder your enemies. About the only thing that remains constant with each and every option is the complete extreme to the max execution. You may want to whack at a pile of raging zombies with your blades until what's left of them falls to the ground. Maybe you want to rip a Harpy out of the sky, slam its face into the floor and rip off its wings. Perhaps you're more of the kind of person who enjoys ripping off your enemy's own arm and beating him to death with it. No? Don't want to get your hands dirty? That’s simple enough. Just release an army of demons straight from the darkest pits of hell to do the work for you. Or just say fuck the bullshit and drop kick them all in the face so hard they explode. Those are just a few examples of the mayhem that can be unleashed upon everything in the game. I’m not going to be getting too detailed about the boss battles as they are something you just have to experience for yourself to fully understand. Very lengthy, high flying combos are introduced during boss battles that spice up the combat and truly distinguish these battles apart from normal combat. While there may only be three big bosses in the game, the fights between any one of them is so unique and fun; you won’t be left feeling unsatisfied.

The developers decided to occasionally toss in some slightly less extreme gameplay elements to prevent players from having a stroke. While you fight your way through the city of Athens and beyond you will find yourself walking narrow ledges, climbing up mountains, across ropes, dodging strange out-of-place mechanical traps and literally slamming straight through solid stone wall. Often times the camera will cause frustration at such points. For example, while climbing up a pillar with many dangerous obstacles along the way the camera may be positioned in such a way that it will throw off the centering of the controller and result in player misjudgment and one unhappy Kratos. It would have been nice to have somewhat limited control over the camera but it's not the end of the world.

The puzzles in God of War are not hard enough to slow down the action too much and at the same time not so easy that it's boring. The developers combine classic block pushing and crank turning with some 2-for-1 "murder something to unlock the way forward". Whichever the case, most of the puzzles will have to be solved within a strict time limit; this ensures rapid progress and an exciting challenge. These types of objectives for the most part are very precise and well fitted within the gameplay. Combined with the combat they span the length of the entire game and keep it at a furiously consistent pace.

This game is not overwhelmingly easy nor is it unreasonably difficult. The developers have found that ever-so-rare middle-ground I like to call "perfect" or “Castlevania”. The challenge will start off low as you will find yourself owning every hostile in sight without taking a lot of damage. As your skill and Kratos' abilities increase the game enemies and traps will increase in difficulty at a relatively quicker pace, upping the challenge. You'll soon find enemies that were once minor annoyances in early stages come back in full armor with bigger weapons.

The graphics are top notch. It certainly pushes the PS2 hardware to get the job done. Without a doubt the most impressive graphical features that stand out are the backdrop and scenery. The depth and realism of each environment is so fleshed out in painstaking detail that you feel as if you are actually roaming the streets of the large city of Athens or high atop an enormous castle in the sky, which ever the case may be. The lighting and texturing on all the environmental surfaces gives it a truly polished look or in many cases a completely destroyed look.

The visual aspects help make the gameplay look very tight and tuned. Fiery trails left behind each beautifully choreographed swing of Kratos' blades show the true force behind each attack as they meet with an enemy. This contact will usually result in a glorious explosion of blood (which coincidentally is Kratos' main source of experience).

God of War has a fully orchestrated original score. The music compliments the game well in every case. During cinematics thunderously epic music helps tell the story the way the story was meant to be told; loudly (they should have had the narrator scream his lines). During game play you will be jumping and slaying to the sounds of mythological rock/metal mayhem.

The sound effects are one of the things that really make you feel this game. When Kratos opens a treasure chest he opens it like he’s trying to impress a girl (which he would never do). The over-dramatic explosion sound effect when the chest is finally opened brings the entire experience to a new level of extremism. The same can be said for any door opening, zombie punching, crate dropping or face stabbing. I'm not entirely sure where a lot of these noises come from but Kratos seems to have no problem performing, which leads me to believe this guy does push-ups in his sleep…or rather does push-ups as an alternative to sleep.

The story as a whole is a heart warming tale of betrayal, vengeance and the love one man shares between himself and his family. The player is immediately brought into Kratos' turmoil upon bringing down the first boss. From that moment on you will understand Kratos' goal and his enemy. Along the way you will run into countless references of Greek Mythology including characters, beasts and geography. Not a history buff? Don’t worry. You will also find loads of original ideas and concepts that are equally as sweet. The final battle and ending of the game are packed with a few surprises that are sure to make any gamer throw up all over the place. Oh, in a good way.

The gameplay is so tight and well polished that even if this game offered nothing else but the core quest it would be well worth the money. The freedom available in combat permits many, many replays. But even that was not enough for the developers. Completing the core quest will unlock alternate costumes, behind the scenes footage, god mode difficulty level, the challenge of the gods and a hell of a lot more. There is nothing quite as sweet as running through Athens dressed in formal business attire slaying much more difficult beasts with your trusty briefcases of chaos. The challenge of the gods is a set of 10 unique combat challenges that will test the truly skillful hardcore players. Naturally, none of you losers will come close to finishing it.

Verdict: FUCKING AWESOME 10,000,000

Buy the game. If you are an action fan you will never find a more well-rounded, slick, flowing, extreme beyond your wildest dreams game. If you have ever awoken in the morning and wished someone would uppercut you so hard you cried fire: this game was made for you. The developers at SCE Studios Santa Monica have completely outdone themselves with God of War and I can’t wait to see what they destroy us with next. (Since I wrote this review God of War 2 has come out and it wrecks balls just as much as the first; can’t wait for the 3rd).