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No-nonsense console gaming. Some would say the genre most suited to console gaming was racing, others football, or beat ‘em ups. But the past few years seem to be proving that it’s 3D action adventure that’s the quintessential console genre. The Devil May Cry games, Ninja Gaiden and the classic Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time have all provided fun, challenges, new heights of character agility and experiences which are a perfect fit for gamepad-controlled play (compared to first-person shooting and role-play gaming, something arguably far more at home on a PC and keyboard).  Where Prince Of Persia: The Warrior Within went tragically wrong, Onimusha 3 and Shadow Of Rome failed to push the envelope in terms of fluidity, and Devil May Cry just felt a little familiar, God Of War steps into the breach. This is no-nonsense console gaming. Sony's game follows the bloody path of Kratos, a corrupted Spartan warrior and “a mortal trained by a god” who, at the behest of Athena, has been dispatched to take down war god Ares. He sets out, armed with two blades that magically sheath into nothingness on his back, but soon acquires new attacks, care of sundry Olympians and characters from this somewhat liberal interpretation of classical Greece and its myths. Power-ups come from Devil May Cry-style red, green and blue blobs of light.  Earning its 18 certificate for “strong, bloody violence” (Pan European Game Information also gave it 18+ and its own logo “contains depictions of violence”) and a smattering of exposed female flesh, it's a brash, confident game, pounding its way through an epic story featuring the towering form of Ares and Kratos hunting for Pandora's Box. What Kratos lacks in Dante’s or Ryu Hayabusa’s agility he makes up for in brute power. And compared to the latter's adventures in Ninja Gaiden, this might require some dexterity, but it’s never as punishing. It’s a game defined by an accessible combat system, unfussy puzzles and context sensitive stuff that results in some cool moves (though the lack of camera movement is a con for the other pros), proving itself as a possible classic title for PS2's twilight years.
Daniel Etherington
God Of War is out now on PS2.
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 godfathergames #110  b-movie mayhemgames #109  conkergames #108  virtual worldsgames #107  alien hominidgames #106
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