God of War II

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God of War II
God of war 2 logo.jpg
God of War II logo
Studio SCE Santa Monica Studio
Publisher Sony Computer Entertainment
Senior Developer Cory Barlog ( Game Director and Lead Designer ) ,
David Jaffe ( Creative Director )
Shannon Studstill ( Executive Producer )
Tim Moss (Lead Programmer)
composer Gerard Marino, Ron Fish, Mike Reagan, Cris Velasco
Erstveröffent-
lichung		 North AmericaNorth AmericaMarch 13, 2007 April 27, 2007 May 2, 2007 October 25, 2007
EuropeEurope
GermanyGermany
JapanJapan
platform PlayStation 2 , PlayStation 3 , PlayStation Vita
Game engine Kinetica
genre Action-Adventure , Hack and Slay
Subject Fantasy , Greek mythology
Game mode Single player
control Gamepad
medium DVD-ROM , Blu-ray Disc , NVG Card , download
language German , English , French , Italian , Spanish
Age rating
USK from 18
PEGI recommended for ages 18+

God of War II ( GoW II for short ) is a video game from the action-adventure genre and the direct successor to God of War . It was developed by the Californian SCE Santa Monica Studio and published in 2007 by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2 (PS2 for short) game console . As in the predecessor, the player controls the protagonist Kratos, a former Spartan military leader, through a fantasy world based on ancient Greece and its mythology . Kratos, who took his place in Olympus after his victory over the god of war Ares , is robbed of his divine power and killed by a trick at the beginning of the plot by the god father Zeus . Rescued by the titan mother Gaia , the Spartan seeks out the three Moirs to turn back time and take revenge on the gods together with the titans.

Like its predecessor , God of War II was received positively to very positively by the trade press . Above all, the graphics and their technical implementation on the PS2 game console, which was comparatively weak at the time of publication, were praised. The small improvements in the gameplay compared to the previous part were also positively noted, especially the larger scope of the game with more bosses and more complex puzzles. The game won several awards and was featured on numerous leaderboards. With over 4.2 million copies sold, it was as commercially successful as its predecessor. In April 2010 it appeared in Europe together with the first part as the God of War Collection with revised HD graphics for the PlayStation 3 . A port for the handheld console PlayStation Vita came on the market in May 2014.

action

Scenario and background

As in the entire game series, the scenario of God of War II forms a fantastic version of Greek antiquity, in which gods , titans , mythical creatures and heroes of Greek mythology appear as characters. The plot is mainly told in cut-in scenes, which are shown either in the game graphics or in pre-rendered video sequences.

In flashbacks , some mythological backgrounds, in particular the relationship between titans and gods, are introduced and thus the motivations of the characters involved are explained: The titan Kronos devoured all the newborn children of his wife and sister Rhea for fear that they would rise up against him. Finally Rhea devised a ruse. She had her youngest son Zeus brought by an eagle to a distant island and deceived Kronos with a bundle of stones that he devoured. Rhea's mother Gaia let Zeus grow up guarded and protected and encouraged him to free his brothers and sisters from Kronos. But soon Gaia regretted her pity for Zeus, because his thirst for revenge turned not only against Kronos, but against all Titans. A huge war broke out between the titans and gods, the Titanomachy . At the height of the battle, Zeus created the Blade of Olympus , a powerful weapon that ruled the Titanomachy in favor of the gods. The Titans, including Kronos, Typhon , Prometheus and Atlas , were banished and cruelly punished by Zeus.

history

Even after Kratos was accepted into Olympus as the new god of war by Athena after his victory over Ares , he was tormented by the terrible nightmares and visions of his previous deeds (see God of War # plot ). With his Spartan army, he rages, shunned and hated by the other gods, even more cruelly than Ares before. When he is warned by Athena, who is the last to stand by his side, he turns away from her and intervenes in favor of his Spartans in the conquest of Rhodes . But a giant eagle robs Kratos of part of his divine power and thus enlivens the Colossus of Rhodes , a huge mechanical bronze statue. Kratos initially considers this to be a betrayal of Athenes, in truth Zeus has assumed the form of an eagle and deceives Kratos by offering him the blade of Olympus as an aid in the fight against the colossus. Kratos only needs to transfer all of his divine powers into the sword. Kratos falls for the trick and becomes mortal. When he turns down one last offer from Zeus to submit to him, the god father kills Kratos with the blade and destroys his Spartan army. Kratos is torn into Hades , but is saved by Gaia and brought back to the realm of the living. Gaia offers Kratos her help in the fight against Zeus: Kratos should visit the goddesses of fate, the Moiren , in order to return in time to the moment before Kratos was betrayed by Zeus.

The three goddesses of fate - interpreted by Paul Thumann

A Pegasus brings Kratos to the first stop on his journey to the Moiren, a snowy mountain range where Zeus banished the titans Typhon and Prometheus . The Spartan robs Typhon of a magical bow and thus frees Prometheus from the terrible torments with which he was punished by Zeus. Prometheus' death unleashes the might of the titans, which from now on also gives Kratos additional strength. On his way to the goddesses of fate on the island of creation , he successively meets Theseus , Perseus and Icarus , who want to change their fate themselves with the help of the Moiren and try to stop the Spartan; all three are killed by Kratos in battle.

With the wings of Icarus, Kratos arrives at the mighty titan Atlas , who was banished by Zeus to support the vault of heaven. Atlas helps the Spartan by equipping him with a powerful magic ability and revealing to him that the blade of Olympus is the key in the fight against the gods. It also enables him to reach the Palace of the Goddesses of Fate on the Isle of Creation. There Athena reveals herself to the Spartan in a last attempt to bring him to reason. She warns him that the half-truths of the titans cannot be trusted and tries to explain to him that Zeus only wants to protect Olympus because he fears the destruction of everything he stands for. However, when Kratos learns from the only surviving soldier in his Spartan army that Sparta and the Spartan army have been completely destroyed by Zeus, his desire for revenge is greater than ever - and is further reinforced by Gaia.

When Kratos reaches the fortress of the goddesses of fate, the three sisters Lachesis , Atropos and Klotho , they refuse to help him: Kratos' fate is already completely predetermined by the threads of the Moiren and can no longer be changed. But the Spartan takes up the fight against the sisters. In brutal final battles he finally kills all three and thereby gains control of his thread of fate. With this, Kratos can turn back the time before his death in Rhodes, where a long final battle between Kratos and Zeus ensues. Eventually the Spartan wins the upper hand. At that moment Athena appears, and when Kratos strikes with the sword of Olympus to kill Zeus, she throws herself in between and sacrifices herself to save Olympus. As she dies, she reveals to Kratos that Zeus is his father, which makes him a demigod and Athena his half-sister from birth .

Kratos travels back to the time of the Titanomachy using his thread of fate. There he convinces Gaia that the titans can win the great war if they return to his time with him. The final scenes show how Zeus swears the gods Poseidon , Hades , Helios and Hermes with a speech about an imminent battle, while Kratos on Gaia and the other titans climb Mount Olympus.

Gameplay

General

The game character is controlled with the console's gamepad

The gameplay of God of War II is essentially the same as that of its predecessor. One focus is action-packed fights, in which the character Kratos usually has to compete against several computer-controlled opponents at the same time and defeat all of them. These combat sequences alternate with situations in which puzzles have to be solved by interacting with objects such as levers, switches or blocks in order to be able to reach the next section. As a further component the gameplay contains platformers Run -Abschnitte in which the player character is moved by skillfully jumping, climbing and balancing through the game environment. The player controls them with the left analog stick of the gamepad and lets them jump by pressing a button. As with the predecessor, the view of the camera, which follows the game character in its three-dimensional environment in the third-person perspective , cannot be changed manually. If Kratos is defeated by the opponents or falls into an abyss, the pawn is reset to a checkpoint before the fight or the platforming passage. Any number of attempts are available to the player. The player can also save his game status at special memory points distributed throughout the game world .

Guns and fighting

As in the previous part, Kratos' main weapon are two serrated blades , which are now called "Athene's blades". Chains are attached to them, which are wrapped around Kratos' wrists and forearms. As a result, the character can not only use the blades in close combat, but also use them as long-range weapons up to a certain range by spinning them around on the chains. In the course of the plot, the character also receives a large war hammer , the “barbarian hammer ”, and a magic spear, the “spear of fate”, as secondary weapons. Kratos is also gradually being equipped with some magical abilities, with which he can, for example, shoot wind projectiles, petrify opponents or cause the earth to shake. These magic abilities can only be used if the character has enough magic points .

Cosplayer dressed up as Kratos

The actual combat system remained almost unchanged compared to its predecessor: The game character masters a light, fast and a heavy, but slower strike as basic attacks. These can be combined into different attack chains (so-called combos ). Opposing attacks can be blocked, countered or avoided by quick evasive movements with the right analog stick of the gamepad. If the opponents are sufficiently weakened, a display appears which signals to the player that they can now be finally destroyed by pressing a button. In the case of bosses and larger normal opponents such as minotaurs , gorgons or cyclops , a quick-time event is initiated in which the player must press the keys displayed on the screen in good time while the character automatically carries out the associated combat actions (see Finishing Moves ). Smaller enemies such as undead or harpies , on the other hand, can be grabbed with a button and then either stabbed with the blades, torn apart or hurled at other enemies. A new action element in God of War II are sections in which Kratos flies through the game world on a Pegasus and has to fight off attacking opponents.

The tactical element known as "the wrath of the gods " from God of War has been implemented in a similar way under the new name "wrath of the titans": By defeating enemies, a display on the screen slowly fills. At the push of a button, a state can be triggered for a short time in which normal attacks are much more effective and additional combos are possible. The titan wrath display will be emptied. In contrast to its predecessor, the anger bar can also be used if it is not fully charged and does not have to be completely emptied when used. Depending on the type of enemy and the type of destruction, the player receives so-called orbs , luminous balls that exist in four different colors: green and blue for filling up life energy or magic points, and red for gaining experience with which weapons and spells can be upgraded ; golden orbs quickly fill up the anger bar.

Exploration, puzzles and skill

Chests with different contents are scattered around the game world. Before and after combat sections, chests with green or blue orbs are used to replenish life energy and magic points. Chests with red orbs or with so-called gorgon eyes and phoenix feathers are mostly hidden, i.e. can only be discovered by carefully exploring the surroundings : these are collectibles that increase the maximum health and magic points. The player can also get red orbs by smashing boxes or vases in the area. A new, very rare and difficult to reach type of chest was introduced in this part. These contain so-called urns with which the player can unlock special abilities, such as unlimited magic points, if he plays through the game again on a difficulty level that has already been mastered.

At numerous points in the game puzzles have to be solved in order to reach the next section. These are often puzzle-like tasks in which, for example, stone blocks or gears have to be put together or mechanical machines have to be operated correctly. Kratos can push large objects across the floor or kick them across the room with one kick. Some puzzles are action-based as they have to be completed within a given period of time or are even directly integrated into a fight. In particular, battles against bosses are generally designed in such a way that they can only be won through the skillful and well-considered use of objects in the game environment. In God of War II , the character is given a new ability that is used in numerous puzzles: Kratos can use a magical amulet to slow down time for a few seconds when he is near certain statues.

The game also contains a distinct platforming component: Kratos has mastered the double jump , which is more common in this genre ; so he can jump a second time while he is in the air during a jump. The play figure has numerous other possibilities of movement with which obstacles in the play area can be overcome: For example, it can dangle along ropes, balance on narrow beams and ledges, and climb nets and, with the help of the blades, also climb rough walls. Kratos can swim and dive underwater. At a certain point in the plot, the character is given the so-called "Icarus wings" with which it can glide short distances through the air. Another innovation in this section is the ability to use the blades as throwing hooks at specially marked points and pull yourself up using the attached chains or swing yourself over an abyss.

development

overview

Like all main titles in the series, God of War II was developed by the California-based SCE Santa Monica Studio , part of Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios . The game was first announced at the Game Developers Conference in March 2006, one year after its predecessor was released. The leading roles of game director and lead designer for this part were held by the lead animator of the first part, Cory Barlog . David Jaffe , the director and lead designer of God of War , withdrew from the actual development work and is listed as creative director in the credits . The producer was again Shannon Studstill , who co-founded SCE Santa Monica Studio in 1999. As a game engine came as its predecessor the self from the studio for the futuristic racing game Kinetica developed (2001) Kinetica engine to use.

Design choices

“I'm a storyteller by heart. I love to tell stories. And being in a position where I can tell the story, and I can craft the entire game the way I want it to be told - I'm set. The only other thing higher than this for me is to go direct some movies. I'll go do that, but beyond that, I'll stay in this job. "

“In my deepest heart, I am a storyteller. I love telling stories. And when I'm in a position where I can tell the story, and I can make the whole game the way I want it to be told, then I'm ready. The only other thing that's bigger to me is directing a movie. I'll do that, but I'll stay with this job until then. "

- Cory Barlog

In an interview with IGN , Cory Barlog stated that the main goals for a sequel to God of War would be to continue the plot, expand it with some elements that could not be taken up in the first part, as well as to plan epic moments in the game scenes themselves than to be presented in video sequences. No dramatic changes to the predecessor were planned; But there is a larger selection of bosses and attempts have been made to soften the line between normal opponents and bosses.

Regarding the plot, the aim of the authors was to take the players back into a self-created mythological world, in which Kratos' fight with the gods is told. Barlog said he studied many Greek myths himself for the early drafts of the script in order to select elements appropriate to the plot. However, his colleagues often pointed out to him that the project is “not a history lesson”, but an action adventure. These were valuable points of criticism, because it's about the fun of getting lost in the mythological world, and not about constantly having to ask yourself who this or that character is and how it relates to the others.

Regarding the aspect of the combat system, Barlog and the combat designer Derek Daniels explained that the element-based magic system should play a bigger role than with the predecessor. As a technical improvement, the function was implemented to move the character even during magical attacks. The player can now move sideways to the left and right, for example when aiming with the wind bow. In addition, it is now possible to switch fluently from the primary to the secondary weapon during a physical attack combination. With regard to the puzzle elements, care was taken to maintain the balanced mix of puzzle solving, exploration and fighting from the previous one. Since you now know what worked in the first part and what did not go down well, you can use this for the balance in the second part. With regard to the technical improvements to the graphics of God of War II , Barlog emphasized the higher level of detail in the depiction of the character Kratos himself and in his clothing. In addition, the character now runs a little faster, although the movements could still be kept completely fluid. It was also possible to implement some additional optical effects, for example the so-called light bloom , i.e. light that shines over the edges.

Music and synchronization

The music for the game was composed by Gerard Marino, Ron Fish, Mike Reagan and Cris Velasco, all four of whom had also worked on the previous game. The soundtrack was released on CD in April 2007 ; it comprises 27 pieces of music with a total length of 68:12. In a review of the album for Square Enix Music Online, critic Dave Valentine gave it an 8 out of 10 points. He saw it on the same level as the soundtrack of the previous one and found that this time the individual pieces by the different composers would be more clearly differentiated from each other. In a review for IGN, the game music was described as an impressive orchestral performance that perfectly suited the style of the game, its themes and its aggressive battles. As a result, however, the soundtrack is much better tailored to being a part of the overall gaming experience than an independent musical experience. IGN awarded 7.2 out of 8 points.

As in the previous version, Kratos was dubbed in the English original by the American singer, actor and voice actor Terrence C. Carson and Athene by the British actress and voiceover actress Carole Ruggier ; the role of Zeus was played by Corey Burton . The Oscar -Preisträgerin Linda Hunt set to music the role of the Titan Gaia, which as is also the narrator of the action in the predecessor. English dubbing includes a total of 26 speaking roles. The German voice of Kratos is, as in the predecessor, Ingo Albrecht, known for example as the voice actor for Dwayne Johnson .

publication

Events

God of War II was first released in North America on March 13, 2007 by Sony Computer Entertainment. In Europe, the group launched the game on April 27 of the same year, in Germany and Australia it appeared a few days later. This version, localized to the PAL television standard, contains the English, German, French, Italian and Spanish dubbing. The PAL version came out in two different editions: the standard version with the game on a DVD-ROM and a special edition that contains a second DVD with developer diaries , trailers and artwork . In Japan, God of War II was released under the title God of War II: Shūen e no Jokyoku ( Japanese ゴ ッ ド ・ オ ブ ・ ウ ー ー II 終 焉 へ の 序曲 , about "God of War II: Overture to Fall") on October 25, 2007 published by the local video game company Capcom .

Controversy over a promotional event

Sony Computer Entertainment was heavily criticized in the run-up to the game's release for a promotional event in Athens that used the body of a decapitated goat as a decoration. The British tabloid Daily Mail picked up a report from a games magazine about the event and published an article in its Sunday edition with the headline “Slaughter: Horror at Sony's depraved promotion stunt with decapitated goat” "). The newspaper quoted a spokesman for the animal welfare organization IFAW , who described Sony's action as despicable, stupid and completely unjustified. The British Labor MP and campaigner against violence in computer games Keith Vaz accused Sony of a failure in its social responsibility as a global entertainment company, according to the Daily Mail article. He would therefore understand if not only the game itself, but also other Sony products were boycotted. A Sony Computer Entertainment spokesman said in a statement that the Daily Mail article contained false statements and exaggerations. In particular, the dead goat was taken from a butcher and brought back to him after the event. Nevertheless, the action is tasteless and is below the company's high standards of conduct. The spokesman apologized for the incident and announced investigations to clarify the exact circumstances.

Ports and compilations

Sony Computer Entertainment released God of War II together with its predecessor God of War on November 17, 2009 in North America and on April 30, 2010 in Europe on a Blu-ray Disc under the title God of War Collection for the PlayStation 3 . The Texas development studio Bluepoint Games remastered both games in high-resolution graphics ( 720p resolution with a frame rate of 60 frames per second and double antialiasing ) in just three months. Since October 2010 the God of War Collection has also been available as a paid download from the PlayStation Store . In August 2012, Sony Computer Entertainment released God of War II as part of a compilation of the first five parts of the God of War series on two Blu-ray Discs under the title God of War Saga in North America for PlayStation 3. In localized HD -Version of God of War II a single video sequence was changed: A young woman, depicted naked in the original version, was covered with a cloth.

PlayStation Vita handheld console

A port of the God of War Collection for the PlayStation Vita handheld console was released by Sony Computer Entertainment worldwide in May 2014. The Californian developer studio Sanzaru Games was responsible for the implementation , which was mainly responsible for the development of the part Sly Cooper: Hunt through the era of the platforming and stealth game series Sly Cooper and for porting its predecessors to PS3 and PS Vita had become known. For the graphic representation of the two games of the God of War Collection whose original video resolution is 720 × 408 pixels to 960 x 544 pixels of the PS Vita screen upscaled . The handheld console's touchscreen is used to change the character's magic abilities ; the touchpad on the back of the device replaces two buttons on the PS2 gamepad that are missing on the PS Vita.

Sales figures

God of War II was by far the best-selling computer game in its release month of March 2007, with over 830,000 units sold. According to Sony Computer Entertainment, the first-released PS2 version of the game had sold more than 4.2 million copies worldwide by the end of May 2012, of which around 1.6 million were in Europe. It was just as successful as its predecessor (approx. 4.6 million worldwide and also approx. 1.6 million in Europe). In addition, more than 2.4 million (Europe: approx. 510,000) units of the PS3 version had been sold as part of the God of War Collection up to this point . The website VG Chartz estimates the number of copies of the PS Vita version sold by March 2017 at 220,000 (Europe: approx. 70,000).

reception

Reviews

Meta-ratings
Database Rating
GameRankings 92.68%
Metacritic 93/100
reviews
publication Rating
4players 92%
Eurogamer (UK) 9/10
Famitsu 37/40
GamePro 95/100
GameSpot 9.2 / 10
GameSpy 5/5
IGN 9.7 / 10
Game tips 93/100

God of War II received positive to very positive reviews from critics: Metacritic , a website for media reviews, scored 93 out of 100 points for the game. At GameRankings , another aggregator service, it achieved an average rating of 92.68%.

Chris Roper named God of War II the best action game of all time in a review for the online magazine IGN . It surpasses its predecessor in every aspect, even if only slightly. It is more of an evolutionary step than a revolutionary leap in development, but it perfects the formula that established the original game. The plot uses even more borrowings from Greek mythology with a large number of locations and characters, which this time also make plot motifs such as power and greed clear. In addition, the course of the game, with its alternating battles and puzzles, creates a gaming experience that progresses at a perfect pace. The enormous proportions of the scenarios, which had already impressed in the first part, were surpassed in God of War II , for example in a section with mechanical horse statues that are so large in relation to Kratos that he could easily walk along on their reins. As further improvements, Roper praised the significantly larger number of bosses and their diversity, as well as the fun and "cool" looking action flight scenes on the Pegasus.

Paul Kautz from 4Players magazine came to a similarly positive assessment, who was astonished above all by the technical implementation of the game on the PS2 hardware, which was already decrepit at the time: “A technical unbelievable, which incidentally was also problem-free and sustainable to the gamepad ”, so Kautz in his conclusion. A few small technical difficulties can still be noticed. This leads to jerky images in places and sometimes the graphic problem of so-called screen tearings occurs. But God of War II consistently offers great action that begins with a "bang" that makes every other action game look "like a snail", going from one superlative to the next for 15 hours, and all the locks again for the final battle open. One can reproach the game with the fact that it hardly offers any innovations compared to its predecessor in terms of the fighting principle, but with its “unbelievable casualness and elegance” of the attacks and its “wonderfully dirty brutality” it is “the best action cinema for adults”.

Alex Navarro from the online magazine Gamespot also saw God of War II as at least equal to or slightly superior to its predecessor in all aspects and described the game as a " swan song " for the PS2, which could not be better imagined. The game tells an interesting story precisely because it does not focus on Kratos himself, but develops a background for the chaos into which Kratos brought himself with the myths and legends about gods and titans. Somewhat frustrating in this context is the open ending, which simply refers to a continuation with a cliffhanger without working up a few loose ends. Navarro was also a little disappointed that the combat principle had hardly any innovations compared to its predecessor. At least in the lower two levels of difficulty of the game, the fights would still require little attention, as impressive combos can be triggered by simply pressing the attack buttons. However, the reviewer noticed an improvement in the "cleverly designed" puzzle sections and the jump-'n'-run passages, which are significantly less frustrating than in the predecessor.

The technical implementation of the HD port of God of War II in the God of War Collection for the PlayStation 3 was widely praised by the trade press. The PlayStation Vita version of the collection, however, received only average reviews (see God of War # ports ).

Awards, nominations and leaderboards

God of War II won several video game awards and was nominated for more. The game received two awards at the British Academy Video Games Awards 2007 for "Plot and Figures" and for "Technical Merit", and it was nominated in three other categories. At the 12th presentation of the Satellite Award film and media prize , it won the award for “Outstanding Action-Adventure Game”. It won the Golden Joystick Awards in the “Play Station 2 Game of the Year” category. The game also received nominations for “Best Action Game” and “Best Original Soundtrack” at the Spike Video Game Awards .

God of War II is at the top of various leaderboards. The editors at IGN rated it as the second best PS2 game in 2009, behind Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas . In a similar list of the top 25 PS2 games by online magazine GamesRadar , God of War II was voted first in 2016 ahead of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas .

Further social reception

As with other parts of the series, some aspects of God of War II were placed in connection with the general social discourse on computer games, in particular the elements of violence and the representation of female characters. Some reviews, especially in German-language publications, warned potential buyers about the violence of the game or described it as unnecessarily exaggerated. For example, Paul Kautz from 4Players issued the warning: “Oh yes: God of War 2 is brutal, brutal as hell.” So not only mythological creatures would perish in “lakes of blood and individual parts”, Kratos also had no problem with that one or make other needed human sacrifices. In a review of God of War II at Stern.de , the reviewer described the game as “digital action fireworks” that one “must have”, but at the same time warned that “moral concerns are just as misplaced here as Children in front of the screen ”. The game is “a bloody slaughterhouse, peppered with cruelty, without which the title would not be a bit worse”. In view of the depictions of violence, Clemens Eisenberger from the online magazine Spieletipps.de was astonished that the game in Germany, completely uncensored, received a problem-free release "from 18 years of age" by the entertainment software self-regulation (USK). Although a scene in the previous game God of War had already been censored for the PAL version, the USK initially refused to give it an age rating, so that it was only after a submission to the Federal Testing Office for Media Harmful to Young People (BPjM) and a subsequent renewed examination by the USK could be published in Germany (see God of War # Controversy over the publication in Germany ).

The God of War franchise was also repeatedly criticized as a negative example of sexism in video games. As part of the so-called Gamergate controversy , in which game developers and editors of game magazines who campaigned against sexist portrayals of women were insulted and threatened with hateful comments , the online publication International Business Times published a list of the most sexist video games. In it, God of War II was placed in third place behind the Japanese puzzle and platformer game Catherine (2011) and the sports game Dead or Alive Paradise (2010) from the Dead or Alive series. The Canadian-American media critic and video blogger Anita Sarkeesian criticized in her project Tropes vs. Women in Video Games launched the God of War series for their sex mini-games , which reward the player with experience points if he has successfully had sex with one or more women. This element was introduced in the first part and established itself as a typical running gag of the series. According to Sarkeesian, video games that depict women as sexualized donors of experience points reduce them to sizes in a mathematical equation that is directly linked to an increase in male power. When asked whether the way God of War II portrayed sexuality and violence was a deliberate choice to appeal to male gamers, and whether these elements might scare off female gamers, Game Director Cory Barlog replied that neither was the case be. But it was a conscious decision to make the game the way the team wanted it to be. There are also many video gamers who he knows that they like God of War II .

Novel about the game

In February 2013, a novel version of God of War II was published by Del Rey Books (later Random House ). The author was the American science fiction and fantasy writer Robert E. Vardeman , who - together with Matthew Stover - had already written a novel adaptation of the previous game. The German translation was published under the title God of War II: Roman zum Game in July 2013 by Panini-Verlag .

successor

God of War III logo

With God of War III , Sony Computer Entertainment released the sequel to God of War II for the PlayStation 3 console in March 2010 and thus concluded the main main trilogy of the God of War franchise. The action of the game continues the open ending of the previous one. Kratos and the titans climb Mount Olympus to destroy the gods. First, Poseidon confronts them and is killed by Kratos after a long, brutal fight. But Zeus banishes Kratos with his thunderbolt: abandoned by Gaia, Kratos plunges into the underworld river Styx . Like the other two parts, God of War III received very positive reviews from the specialist press; at Metacritic the game scores 92 out of 100 points. It won several awards including two Spike Video Game Awards, as well as an award and two other nominations at the British Academy Video Games Awards . In July 2015, a revised version of the game for the PlayStation 4 was released under the title God of War III Remastered .

In the period between the release of God of War II and God of War III , two further offshoots of the game series came onto the market: the mobile game ( Java ME platform ) God of War: Betrayal in June 2007 and the game God of War: Chains of Olympus for Sony's handheld console PlayStation Portable in March 2008. The two parts, however, are not a continuation of the second part, because their action takes place at the time when Kratos is the god of war as the successor to Ares, i.e. between the first and the first second part. Chains of Olympus was published together with the PlayStation Portable game God of War: Ghost of Sparta in November 2010 in a revised HD version under the title God of War Collection Volume II for the PlayStation 3. The fourth part of the main series, God of War: Ascension , published in March 2013 , is also a prequel , the action of which takes place almost ten years before the first part.

literature

  • Robert Cassar: God of War: A Narrative Analysis . In: Eludamos. Journal for Computer Game Culture . Vol. 7, No. 1 , 2013, p. 81-99 ( online [accessed March 31, 2017]).
  • Tony Mott: 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die . Hachette UK, 2011, ISBN 978-1-84403-715-5 ( limited preview in Google Book Search).

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Michael Krosta: God of War II: Demo available. In: 4Players. April 24, 2007, accessed March 31, 2017 .
  2. ↑ a b Raul Copaciu: God of War II - Game Script. In: GamesFAQs. May 31, 2007, accessed March 31, 2017 .
  3. ↑ Antonia Seitz: Page 2: The story of God of War - why so angry? In: GamePro. March 13, 2013, accessed March 31, 2017 .
  4. ^ Rob Taylor: God of War: The story so far. Page 3. In: Gamesradar. March 3, 2010, accessed March 31, 2017 .
  5. ↑ a b c d e f Paul Kautz: Test: God of War 2. In: 4Players. April 26, 2007, accessed March 31, 2017 .
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This version was added to the list of articles worth reading on May 15, 2017 .