The perfect marriage of nonstop action, challenging combat, clever puzzles and ancient Greek mythology.

Why am I here? This game got quite a few friend recommendations and I love Roman and Greek mythology. Add in the fact the action looked fast & changeling to a degree, I was on board.

In a world ruled by Gods & plagued by monsters, the mighty Spartan warrior Kratos is overwhelmed with vengeance. He sets out on a journey to kill the God of War, Ares, who has deceived him into a violent life filled with hate due to the loss of everything he holds dear.

The story makes great use of Greek mythology. Kratos and his personal tragedy fit in perfectly within the setting, it plays like an old tale told in history or English class. At the end credits, a complete story has been told which only caltipults this gem to the essential list.

The Kinecta engine powers this beast, that engine was previously used for another PS2 exclusive, it’s futuristic racing namesake Kinecta.

Button mash, hack & slash, light/heavy attack combo accumulation can be used to slice through creatures of mythology such as harpies, cyclopes, sitars, warrior skeletons and many more to fall to your blades. One even has the option with the right joystick to dodge & evade making that hard to beat combatant last breath even sweeter.

The fun, easy combo system allows weapon upgrades, the use of magic, plus help from Gods such as Zeus, Athena & Poseidon never hurts. Kratos makes progress on his pilgrimage to find puzzles alongside some platforming & the occasional combination of elements that require intellectual planning which lead to worthy boss fights against Greek's finest baddies including the Hydra, Cerberus, Medusa & a few gods. Be on the ready for some quick time events to make them reside in the underworld for all eternity.

Rendered cutscenes come in great as a small break from the bloody fun. During battle one can easily see a foe fall in pain as the blade strikes right before decapitation into many pieces. The sounds fill the room as the characters come across very believable due to professional voice acting, Kratos himself sounds filled with remorse, vengeance & anger.

Unfortunately there is no replay value except for those who want to relive the adventure on occasion.

God of War comes off as a great start to the franchise and a strong reason for what video games are made to accomplish in the first place: entertainment. The strong Greek influence set this apart from many other titles of it’s generation, allowing freedom in presentation, effect, content & narrative.

Grade wise, A+, must have, must play, must not be missed.

At the time of release, this was the one stop arcade for the big moments from the original trilogy. I wiped the drool from my mouth and ran to this behemoth. Story telling here is at the bare minimum, restricted to the big moments of the original trilogy.

All three worlds/levels/missions, Yavin, Hoth & Endor showcase the dogfighting between the Rebels & Empire. Each area has about three segments each & increases in difficulty as the player progresses in the story. Controls are on rail, you control the crosshairs & that blinking event button occasionally gets pressed to call in some reinforcements.

The Battle of Yavin sits us in Skywalker’s boots during the first battle above the Death Star in the easiest of the three choices.

Hoth may be the longest and is the most visually pleasing due to so much happening, walkers, droids, soldiers, wampas, everyone is running in front of your blaster, this was obviously police training to be on the Rebel frontline.

Endor has a high speed chase opening that requires concentration or a roll of quarters. It has a little more variety than its counterparts; watch out for those Ewoks.

Unfortunately the good stuff is hidden, unless you saw it in the video demo as you stared at the screen in front of the arcade because you were in disbelief you could finally pilot an X-Wing which home consoles couldn’t provide a similar experience at the time. I know I was and I was also dying to swing an imaginary lightsaber.

The Return of the Jedi bonus stages are intriguing but either Vader or Fett require timing & play out like quick time events. The finale above the Endor moon is especially fun, gotta love the Falcon. They serve as nice, quick closers to the story the entire game is telling but it’s a shame they need to be unlocked & can so easily be missed by a few mistakes.

The game is diffcuilt due to the slightly slower response time of the joystick compared to the enemy movement. As with so many arcades the toughness is dialed higher to empty player’s pockets but not so frustrating you walk away never to return. Back in the day I would leave after a $1 spent but eager for more, I could walk away now with half a roll of quarters glad I took the time to experience everything.

Is the game worth seeking out today? Probably no for a younger generation, the game is obviously outdated, hard to find & god help you if it only takes tokens. For myself I have fond memories and due to the fact I grew up a huge Star Wars fan and played this numerous times I would gladly buy it out of an old arcade if the opportunity arose. Gameplay here is better represented in more current titles but nostalgia is such a cruel mistress.

Red Five, standing by. Phew phew!!