Playing GoW 2 in 2024, different from playing the first one, was a very good experience! It´s impressive how this game is SO MUCH better than GoW 1, considering they have only 2 years of releasing difference.
Its highs are damn high but its lows are lower than the pits of Tartarus
Probably the most polarising game I've ever played.
I'll preface this review by stating that I started the playthrough on God (Hard) difficulty. An extremely foolish decision on my part, but having beaten the first game in Hard and still feeling let down by the simplicity of the final boss I wanted to ensure that it would be challenging this time around. However, with this games outdated difficulty settings there's no turning back as the only option to change the difficulty is to die repeatedly until you're given the prompt to go straight to easy mode. Too prideful to admit defeat I pushed through around 80% of the game before giving in. Most frustratingly of all it wasn't a boss or even a miniboss that broke me, just a generic room. This is because the way these games scale difficulty is by ramping up enemy health, damage and spawn rates drastically with what appears to be no regulation whatsoever. Consequently, some areas are practically impossible to beat because the player becomes utterly overwhelmed with what I would call artificial difficulty, where the challenge lies in the sheer volume of threats rather than a section that designed specifically to be technically difficult. When this is the case, the player is often forced to brute force their way through, making it lot more tedious and far less rewarding when you do succeed because there was no learning curve. This frustration lead me to shelving the game, nearly indefinitely, however my desire to play the rest of the series brought me back. Reluctantly I played the remainder of the game in easy, and to my surprise it was really enjoyable. Granted, I still wish I had played normal from the start and there's no doubt in my mind I'd have enjoyed the game a lot more if I did, but that's on me.
The saving grace of this game is its story really. I am fascinated by greek mythology and it's always exciting to see various interpretations. This game exceeds the first in storytelling, having some really awesome moments and amazing twists. Boss fights in this title are also much better because they incorporate some really unique mechanics and have creative ways of keeping gameplay fresh. The final boss was really exciting this time around, with a sense of spectacle and a good difficulty level, albeit not the most creative fight in the game.
Some sections of the game were straight up trash, for example fighting Mole Cerberus and the escort level in the Temple of Lahkesis. Both of those make you want to cry because of their obnoxious anti-player and anti-fun designs. The numerous YouTube tutorials for each show I'm not alone on that.
Overall this is probably worth a playthrough if you care for the narrative of the series and while it does have some awesome moments it's nothing too incredible that warrants playing just for gameplay alone. Safe to say I'm glad to be done with this title, but it succeeded in making me excited to play the next installment.
Probably the most polarising game I've ever played.
I'll preface this review by stating that I started the playthrough on God (Hard) difficulty. An extremely foolish decision on my part, but having beaten the first game in Hard and still feeling let down by the simplicity of the final boss I wanted to ensure that it would be challenging this time around. However, with this games outdated difficulty settings there's no turning back as the only option to change the difficulty is to die repeatedly until you're given the prompt to go straight to easy mode. Too prideful to admit defeat I pushed through around 80% of the game before giving in. Most frustratingly of all it wasn't a boss or even a miniboss that broke me, just a generic room. This is because the way these games scale difficulty is by ramping up enemy health, damage and spawn rates drastically with what appears to be no regulation whatsoever. Consequently, some areas are practically impossible to beat because the player becomes utterly overwhelmed with what I would call artificial difficulty, where the challenge lies in the sheer volume of threats rather than a section that designed specifically to be technically difficult. When this is the case, the player is often forced to brute force their way through, making it lot more tedious and far less rewarding when you do succeed because there was no learning curve. This frustration lead me to shelving the game, nearly indefinitely, however my desire to play the rest of the series brought me back. Reluctantly I played the remainder of the game in easy, and to my surprise it was really enjoyable. Granted, I still wish I had played normal from the start and there's no doubt in my mind I'd have enjoyed the game a lot more if I did, but that's on me.
The saving grace of this game is its story really. I am fascinated by greek mythology and it's always exciting to see various interpretations. This game exceeds the first in storytelling, having some really awesome moments and amazing twists. Boss fights in this title are also much better because they incorporate some really unique mechanics and have creative ways of keeping gameplay fresh. The final boss was really exciting this time around, with a sense of spectacle and a good difficulty level, albeit not the most creative fight in the game.
Some sections of the game were straight up trash, for example fighting Mole Cerberus and the escort level in the Temple of Lahkesis. Both of those make you want to cry because of their obnoxious anti-player and anti-fun designs. The numerous YouTube tutorials for each show I'm not alone on that.
Overall this is probably worth a playthrough if you care for the narrative of the series and while it does have some awesome moments it's nothing too incredible that warrants playing just for gameplay alone. Safe to say I'm glad to be done with this title, but it succeeded in making me excited to play the next installment.
8,6/10
Melhor God of war da mitologia grega e o plot twist é surpreendente pra mim
It's a well-made hack and slash. The QTEs are obnoxious. The puzzles feel like filler.
God of War 2 feels like an improvement on the first game in almost every way.
There's more weapons and the combat has been adjusted to be more exciting and satisfying. They fixed both of my problems with the first game by making the areas more diverse and memorable and by making it faster to get more upgrades.
Although it did have mostly improvements I feel like this game started to drag it's pace about 1/3 of the way through it and I was only playing it just to finish it at that point which sucks because I still think it's a great game.
There's more weapons and the combat has been adjusted to be more exciting and satisfying. They fixed both of my problems with the first game by making the areas more diverse and memorable and by making it faster to get more upgrades.
Although it did have mostly improvements I feel like this game started to drag it's pace about 1/3 of the way through it and I was only playing it just to finish it at that point which sucks because I still think it's a great game.
An improvement on the first game on every level. Its so fuckin good. The cutscenes are fantastic, the gameplay is improved. The story is really fun. Everything I loved about the first game is here but better.
Takes the formula that made the first so good and just improves in every way, different and new abilities, a few more sub weapons, God Of War 2 does everything the first did and then some.
While the game is better than the first one, it's still not good. The thing I hate most about the GoW games is that the controls are awful, and it's unacceptable for this kind of game, even in the PS2 days. Kratos almost never does what you tell him to do, and it's more frustrating than a game should be. This single-handedly ruins not only the game but the whole series. But whatever, the story is a little better here, though Kratos still sucks as a character. At least the level design is good.
I first started this as a dumb kid who couldn't make it through the first puzzle. Today I'm a slightly less dumb adult that at least had the know-how on how to beat this game, which isn't saying a lot. My verdict is that it's pretty good but can be really frustrating at points. A lot of it felt the same as God of War 1 but slightly harder at times, and with some difficulty spikes at times that made me feel like Santa Monica Studio made them specifically as a "fuck you" to the player. Still an enjoyable game and an absolute must for any GoW 1 enjoyers.
pretty much just the first game but with more variety and cooler spectacle
7/10
7/10
its not bad but its not good either, the puzzles are brain numbing easy and while i get that they exist to break up the pacing, damn it doesnt change the fact that they are boring and unnecessary. Certain combat segments can range from pretty fun to just awful in every way. In particular, the straw that broke the camels back, was the segment where kratos has to push up the guys in a cage to the buttons while getting hit at the same time. Maybe theres a way to get them to stop spawning but i just didnt feel like trying after the previous spree of unfun segments
Violencia 2: mas violento que nunca
Probably skill issue but about half way through the game I stopped having any fun. Enemies got so annoying for me to deal with and combat encounters became a massive slog (playing on normal). I think the combat overall is an improvement over the original but the rest of the game lacks the same memorability. Puzzles feel pretty arbitrary and you just kinda push buttons and move levers most of the time. Despite me playing the HD version, I think this is a pretty impressive game for the PS2. I just wished I enjoyed it more. Apprehensive now about playing the third.
O 1 é melhor
God of War 2 improves upon its predecessor in nearly every department: cinematics are more detailed, setpieces are bigger, and combat and general controls were improved as well. Thankfully, there are way less platforming sections and box shoving puzzles this time around, and the QTEs no longer feel like they were designed to make you destroy your controller's circle button.
Unfortunately, the game suffers heavily from being the second installment in a trilogy. Concluding the story on the more powerful ps3 was the right call to make, but it also left God of War 2 with very little plot development to work with. Most of Kratos' backstory was already explored in the first game, so his character doesn't develop and he starts to feel like a one dimensional revenge machine. There's also a solid two hours in the middle of the game that feel like inconsequential filler and while the level design is never truly bad, it's also not engaging enough to keep players from getting bored.
Luckily, the game ends on a high note, with several impressive boss fights and an excellent setup for the third game. I just really wish it was shorter, as I don't see myself slogging through that middle part again anytime soon.
Lastly, a note on the ps3 port: as with the first game, the GoW collection presents the game in 16:9 widescreen, cutting off the top and bottom of the original 4:3 image in the process. I've encountered some minor glitches and a lot of performance issues (mostly due to fire and particle effects) during my time with the game. None of that is really game breaking, as the game is mostly running at 60 fps, but there are certainly better remasters out there.
Unfortunately, the game suffers heavily from being the second installment in a trilogy. Concluding the story on the more powerful ps3 was the right call to make, but it also left God of War 2 with very little plot development to work with. Most of Kratos' backstory was already explored in the first game, so his character doesn't develop and he starts to feel like a one dimensional revenge machine. There's also a solid two hours in the middle of the game that feel like inconsequential filler and while the level design is never truly bad, it's also not engaging enough to keep players from getting bored.
Luckily, the game ends on a high note, with several impressive boss fights and an excellent setup for the third game. I just really wish it was shorter, as I don't see myself slogging through that middle part again anytime soon.
Lastly, a note on the ps3 port: as with the first game, the GoW collection presents the game in 16:9 widescreen, cutting off the top and bottom of the original 4:3 image in the process. I've encountered some minor glitches and a lot of performance issues (mostly due to fire and particle effects) during my time with the game. None of that is really game breaking, as the game is mostly running at 60 fps, but there are certainly better remasters out there.
God of War 2 is the weakest entry in the series, mainly because of the story pacing issues and way too many block-pushing puzzles. It often feels that the puzzles are unnecessary and there just to make the game longer. There are sections where it's hard not to be bored and annoyed for the fact that reward for solving a puzzle is always a new puzzle.
Improves upon everything from the first game. Better sense of scale, a more satisfying difficulty curve, and some surprisingly intricate puzzles. Only big knock against it are the two weapons that aren’t the blades of chaos are worthless.
Had version played via god of war saga
One of the greatest action games of all time, only matched by the recent god of war entry
The Wraiths are soooooo annoying 🙄
Platform: PlayStation 3
Date Started: April 10th, 2023
Date Finished: April 20th, 2023
Time Played: 7 Hours
"If all those on Olympus would deny me my vengeance, then all of Olympus will die."
A huge improvement in every way over the original title, God of War II builds upon each aspect that made the first game successful and amplifies things to make it a more memorable, more fun and more engaging time.
We see more variety in both the environments and game-play here, with some fun flying sections and the great Wings of Icarus item, and the puzzles feel more engaging and satisfying whilst not being too frustrating of a challenge. The Titans are a really cool set of allies for Kratos and show just how powerful he is as we see him going into battle with literal giants by his side against the pantheon, although I would have liked to have seen a little more of the individual titans throughout.
Kratos continues to be a great protagonist, and after hours of fun combat with interesting spells such as the magical bow and an earth-quake type deal (which are basically just aesthetic alternatives to the previous game's options, and I never used the sub-weapons, although they were nice inclusions), the game finishes up on a strong cliff-hanger that perfectly sets up an epic conclusion.
Date Started: April 10th, 2023
Date Finished: April 20th, 2023
Time Played: 7 Hours
"If all those on Olympus would deny me my vengeance, then all of Olympus will die."
A huge improvement in every way over the original title, God of War II builds upon each aspect that made the first game successful and amplifies things to make it a more memorable, more fun and more engaging time.
We see more variety in both the environments and game-play here, with some fun flying sections and the great Wings of Icarus item, and the puzzles feel more engaging and satisfying whilst not being too frustrating of a challenge. The Titans are a really cool set of allies for Kratos and show just how powerful he is as we see him going into battle with literal giants by his side against the pantheon, although I would have liked to have seen a little more of the individual titans throughout.
Kratos continues to be a great protagonist, and after hours of fun combat with interesting spells such as the magical bow and an earth-quake type deal (which are basically just aesthetic alternatives to the previous game's options, and I never used the sub-weapons, although they were nice inclusions), the game finishes up on a strong cliff-hanger that perfectly sets up an epic conclusion.
PS2
I thought this game was a decent amount of fun. I liked the mythological side of the game a lot and loved how it is used in the game. I like the concept of going around to the different gods and "interacting" with them. Still, the story hasn't aged very well and the gameplay isn't outstanding.
One of the first games I ever played, I used to play a lot on my uncle's ps2, then I got a good pc and emulated to play again because it was so fun.
Smoother gameplay than the original, but not quite as good a story. Still an excellent game I'm glad I'm finally getting around to.
The story builds off the original splendidly and the much larger amount of boss fights add more value to the combat. This is how all sequels should add onto their originals.