God of War II turns 14

Il March 13 2007God of War II was released on the never too beloved Playstation 2. Probably many expected a simple sequel to a game that, just two years earlier, by mixing Greek mythology with Devil May Cry gameplay, had achieved a success as great as it was unexpected; perhaps not even Sony imagined what would have come out of that second chapter of the bloody epic of the Phantom of Sparta.

If it is true that the second album is always the most difficult in an artist's career, this concept is equally applicable to the sequel to a video game that had put both audiences and critics together. According to what has just been written, GoW II could have repeated the numbers of its illustrious predecessor as much as it could have become the most classic of flops, compromising any dream of glory of Santa Monica Studio.

It's very easy to talk in hindsight, especially when we are at the fourteenth anniversary of the game's release, but you have to give Caesar what is Caesar's (or Kratos): God of War II succeeded in the not easy task of overcoming his " big brother ”, expanding almost all aspects of its gameplay and making the series one of the flagship franchise on the Sony roster.

In the following lines you will not only find lavish (but deserved) praises to GoW II, but also an analysis of what that second iteration represented for its genre of belonging, for the growth of the Playstation brand and, of course, for one of the most acclaimed action adventure sagas ever.

Let's go back in time 16 years ago ...

… More precisely on horseback between spring and summer 2005. It's starting to get hot, Benedict XVI has just become Pope, the first law regulating same-sex marriage has been approved in Spain, Revenge of the Sith is literally breaking the box office around the world and Playstation 2 sets out on the path that will soon see it become the best-selling console in the world. At that time, players from all over the world discovered (or are discovering, depending on the latitude) the first God of War, the story of a Spartan soldier who, driven by his thirst for revenge, kills none other than Ares, the god of war.

The game, with more than 4 million copies, will become the fourteenth best-selling game on PS2. To the delight of the fans, the credits say Kratos will be back, so we have to wait.

Fortunately, the wait does not last long: about two years later, God of War II makes its debut, picking up the subject exactly where it was left off. The Spartan warrior has become the new god of war, but his thirst for blood is not yet extinguished: he is not yet satiated and begins to feel the desire to roll some other "divine head". Worried by Kratos' insane intentions, the great leader of Olympus, Zeus himself, decides to intervene and punish our hero for his arrogance, depriving him of all his powers and killing him.

Shortly before reaching Hades, Kratos meets Gaia, one of the Titans defeated by the Olympians; this gigantic creature reveals to him that he can change his fate: he just needs to find the tre parche, defeat them and rewind the "thread" of his existence, thus changing the outcome of the clash with Zeus.

From this moment on, our protagonist will be called on a new journey into the myths of Ancient Greece, but always with the same purpose in mind: to obtain his revenge.

A new level

As you will have been able to deduce from the previous lines, GoW II has managed to resume the formula of the first game, raising the qualitative bar a lot. From a narrative point of view, we are always dealing with the usual pissed off and bloodthirsty Kratos, and the standard won't change that much even with the final episode of the Hellenic story arc. However, new "actors on stage" are introduced (i Titans above all), new environments and, of course, new boss fights even more adrenaline and with even more bloody kills.

From a technical and aesthetic point of view, God of War II has been defined by all as the "Playstation 2 swan song", Even managing to rival graphically with the first exclusive Playstation 3. In this respect, the second chapter of the Sony saga represented a new standard for its generation of consoles, entering an Olympus (not even on purpose!) Includes titles from the the likes of The Last of Us, Uncharted 4, The Last of Us: Part II and very few others.

Wanting to dwell on the gameplay, the title pushes even more on Quick Time Event (when it was still "legal" to do so) to involve the user even more in the game action. More space has been given to magic, who played a marginal role in the first episode; the fights, on the other hand, have been slightly retouched, making the movements of our Kratos more fluid, but let's face it: it was the aspect that needed less intervention.

Finding flaws in God of War II is really a difficult task and, if you really want to nitpick, you could cling to a plot that, in fact, ends on the most beautiful, forcing fans of the Ghost of Sparta to wait another three years to enjoy the final chapter of the saga (but believe me when I tell you that it was definitely worth it).

The importance of being God of War II… in 2021!

When we find ourselves writing about the milestones of our favorite medium, we often end up describing something that, basically, exists only in the editor's head. How many times have I happened to replay the pearls of my videogame past, realizing how badly they had aged.

Il time he is the most severe and ineluctable judge.

A young gamer would probably not be able to come close to such a game. And how to blame him? How could any member of Generation Z be asked to tolerate, in 2021, fixed-shot stage? To turn a blind eye to the "invisible walls", which prevented you from going to certain areas? Without dwelling too much on other technical problems such as bad clipping, masked in the best possible way with the most disparate systems.

Well, despite the passage of time, the evolutions of the industry and those of the Kratos saga itself (which broke all ties with its illustrious past) it is undeniable that God of War II has kept much of its charm intact, both from a technical and "historical" point of view. In the first case, the best scientists in the world will still be wondering how a game like this could run on a limited hardware like that of Playstation 2; in the second, on the other hand, it is undeniable that it was this chapter that made everyone understand that the first GoW was not a coincidence, but only the first episode of a saga that still had to give its best.

It is almost useless, then, to underline how much the title in question has driven PS2 sales, helping to make the Playstation brand synonymous with video game and paving the way for it also in a next gen perspective. Be honest: how many of you have bought PS3 just to be able to play God of War III?

In conclusion, if even today we talk about God of War as one of the most loved franchises by fans, capable of improving with each iteration, the merit lies almost entirely in the success of that second chapter, which established itself as one of the best games. action of all time.

So: happy birthday, God of War II! And know that if, on March 13, 2021, we are all still anxiously awaiting news on Kratos' new adventure in Scandinavia, the "fault" is yours alone.