Lists seem to be really popular on the FD blogs lately, so I’m going to jump on the bandwagon and make my official “Why I loved God of War II list”. Here goes:

1. Something new for your old PS2
I thought the PS2 was almost done for until I got GoW2. Even though my PlayStation is long gone, I found access to one and spent the next 25 hours beating the game.

2. The first GoW, but better
This game had everything great about God of War I, but more - flying on a pegasus, more Greek mythological characters, cool new moves such as using your blades to swing from objects, using Icarus’ wings to fly, plus new magic like the ability to slow down time, as well as bigger and better weapons.

3. Button mashing
Who doesn’t like mashing buttons yet having your character do moves that leave people oohing and ahhing over your skills? You can definitely do a lot of that in GoW2, but it won’t last you through some of the more difficult enemies, which in the end require more of a block/counter technique.

4. Huge maps
Usually this is a complaint, but for GoW2, I love the fact that you’ll enter one section of a map, go through a maze, fight some dudes, solve a puzzle, finish off a mini-boss and then somehow exit a random hole which will put you back to where you started on the map. The maps range from jaw-dropping temples and structures like the Steeds of Time to inside the body of Atlas, one of the Greek Gods.

5. The puzzles
I didn’t find the puzzles as difficult as the first GoW, but nonetheless, it was still nice to have a puzzle once in a while. I have to admit that some of these were a bit tricky, but I also found myself thinking too hard sometimes when the answer was so straightforward.

6. Cool bosses
From Perseus to Kraken to Euryale, the bosses ranged from grotesque to invisible to bigger than life. Defeating final bosses generally took me from 3 to 50 tries. Like most bosses, it was just a matter of memorizing patterns and being patient.

7. Extensive storyline
The game continues where the first God of War left off. Although I had to read up to refresh myself on the 20 continuous hours I spent on the first game, the basic gist of the sequel is that Kratos has to find the Sisters of Fate in order to change his past. This leads to a long and complicated journey through many lands, high and low. As for the ending, let’s just say that there will be a sequel.

8. Unlockables
You know how us gamers are - we love those unlockables! You can obtain some special unlockables by doing a handful of challenges - some by beating the game on certain difficulties and others independently of the game itself. One of the best unlockables has to be the “female God of War” character.

9. Movie music
God of War continues to be one of the only video games I have ever played with movie soundtrack quality music. Don’t get me wrong, there are TONS of great video game soundtracks out there, but in my opinion, God of War has one of the best ones.

10. Graphics
GoW2 definitely utilizes the PS2 engine to the max. I don’t think graphics can get better than this for the PS2. I won’t really go into this because I think the gameplay graphics speak for themselves.

In a nutshell, I highly recommend this game. It’s addictive, fun, and challenging. Even if you don’t have a PS2 (like me), go find/borrow one! It will be worth your time.