Product Reviews
God of War is an action-oriented adventure game with a strong focus on fast-paced combat. Players take control of Kratos, a mystically powerful hero in the ancient Greece of classic mythology. Kratos can perform super-human leaps, agile dodges, and magically enhanced combo attacks, which all flow together in a stream of intense engagement. The fast-paced, over-the-top fighting, combined with the tense environments and computer-directed camera angles, give gameplay the feel of combat-adventures such as Devil May Cry or Otogi. Unlike those earlier blends of survival-horror presentation and combat-minded control schemes, however, God of War is set in a world more immediately familiar to all fans of western fantasy. The ultimate goal of Kratos is a conclusive confrontation with Ares -- the god of war himself -- but the hero must face a deadly succession of monsters and villains from Greek mythology as he pursues this end. The Hydra, Medusa, the Cyclops, the Minotaur, and other legendary creatures will all have their chances to destroy Kratos before he meets his final destiny. As God of War begins, players see Kratos high atop the tallest mountain in the land. They watch as he calmly steps forward off the cliff's edge, in a determined, desperate act of suicide. As the cursed hero begins his decent toward what seems an inevitable, gruesome death, a flashback fades into the story's beginning. Only by playing through Kratos' adventure will players learn what led the hero to take that step toward oblivion. By playing well, they may perhaps yet influence his final fate. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide