God of War II – PS2 – Preview 4

In the
middle of a vicious battle, Kratos is caught off guard when the majority of
his powers are ripped from his body. He was the size of a giant, instilling
great fear in every enemy he towered over. They were frightened from the
moment he first attacked till the moment when his body began to shrink. Kratos
was infuriated by the loss, and is put in danger when the Colossus of Rhodes
is summoned. The Colossus is just as he sounds – a skyscraper-sized monster
with extreme power.

An intense
battle follows. The conclusion? Still to be determined. In the style of any
great movie trailer, this preview ends much too soon.

Of Great
Wars

The latest
build of God of War II is similar to the first in size and presentation, but
is a different take on the game’s many scenarios. Only a few dozen standard
enemies are encountered, leaving room for the demo to focus on Kratos’s
multiple encounters with a boss.

Equipped
with his original trademark moves and several new additions, Kratos strikes
with several ongoing combos. The controls are perfection, going further than
“seamless” and a few steps above “polished.” The cinematic graphics and camera
angles are amazing. A few upgrades are all this game needs to fit in with the
current crop of next-gen titles. Kratos may not have as many polygons as the
leading characters of an Xbox 360 or PS3 game, but his facial expressions
dwarf everything those consoles have currently produced.

The demo
begins with a rush of ballsy enemies. They lose their balls as soon as Kratos
starts to retaliate. Oh no, he’s still powerful! Run! You can chase
after them, but will run into a couple of problems along the way. The second
isn’t much trouble: a simple puzzle that takes about one second to solve. The
first and third, however, are much more difficult to overcome.

Shadow of
the…You Know

With hands
alone that are several times the size of an entire human, the Colossus of
Rhodes has the potential to crush its prey in a matter of seconds. Being the
God of War, Kratos can withstand numerous attacks, but only for so
long. The Colossus’s attacks consist of a ground punch, palm slam, and a
deadly air strike where he swings both arms across a wide range. To dodge his
assault, Kratos must keep moving at all times.

Your first
encounter with him is a little worrisome. Kratos stumbles upon an old
catapult, and it just happens to be loaded with a large boulder. The obvious
thing to do is press the R1 button, as indicated on screen, and watch the boss
get shot in the eye.

Less than a
second after it’s launched, the Colossus holds up his hand and catches the
boulder. With no more ammo in sight, only one option remains: hop in the
catapult and launch yourself toward the enemy.

Kratos takes
the risk, triggering a breathtaking cinema with limited interactivity. Kratos
automatically climbs the monster, digging his swords into the Colossus’s body
for leverage. An icon appears – if the button shown is pressed fast enough,
he’ll jump or swing around the enemy’s head. Two or three additional icons
will appear – each successful action is followed by the continuation of
Kratos’s exciting attack. If you press the wrong button or react too slowly,
the Colossus will pull Kratos from his face and throw him down, causing a fair
amount of damage.

While most
games use the “Simon Says” actions to replace something else, GOWII uses them
to enhance a movie sequence that, in any other game, would’ve been a
non-interactive experience.

Every
portion of the GOWII feels like it was designed with something very specific
in mind. I don’t want to say it’s a scripted experience – that implies a bit
of linearity. But in the midst of a life-threatening situation, the game
unfolds in a way so shocking and jaw-dropping that there is no room left for
an equal.

The preview
concluded with Kratos entering a small room. The room was empty except for
giant eye looking in through the window. I struck the eye immediately, causing
the Colossus to scream in agony. He began to tear down the building, setting
the stage for what was bound to be another incredible battle. The screen
flashes, the demo ends, and a message appears to remind us that GOWII is due
this March.

Are we
doomed to go crazy for another four weeks, waiting for the most anticipated
PlayStation 2 game since Metal Gear Solid 2? That’s unavoidable. But at least
we can check ourselves into the mental hospital knowing that, when the game
finally arrives, it’s going to be worth every second we spent anticipating its
release.