14 DAY TRIAL // 
Barely recovering from the disappointment caused by Ghost Rider, just another God of War rip-off, I've been hit by some good news: the demo for God of War 2 had just been released. The first game in the series was brilliant, acclaimed by many and had breakthrough graphics for the pre-next-gen console times. We join Kratos, the mighty Spartan warrior, as he again defies all the gods on Mount Olympus. We already heard about the unlockables in GOW 2, so feel free to find out too.
Story At the end of the first God of War game, the mighty Kratos defeated the ex-god of war, Ares, taking his place. Now, aside from being worshiped by a couple of fine Greek ladies that dwell near his throne, Kratos enjoys the calm before the storm. He's once again thrown into the conflict, when Athena warns him that he should stop destroying the Greek cities, because the other gods are getting angry. Our hero ignores her and descends in Rhodes that was just being attacked. Like all the other gods, Kratos is now "king-size", a colossus version of his former self.
A mysterious crow flies over the new god of war and drains his godly powers, transforming him into a mortal again. In the meantime, the Colossus of Rhodes is brought to life and all hell breaks loose. That's about all the storyline you'll find out while playing the demo. It doesn't seem much, but battling that Colossus sure is one hell of an experience. From what we've found out from press releases and producers, you'll see Kratos battling Zeus and trying to form an alliance with the Titans that are surely no god-lovers. The God of War will go to hell, literally, meet Hades and many other famous heroes like Heracles or Perseus.
Concept & Gameplay God of War 2 is a third person action-adventure game, similar to the Prince of Persia titles, through its camera angle and action sequences. We're dealing with a genre-defining game; I'm talking about the first God of War title, since the second installment's gameplay is basically the same. You'll be performing combos, slicing enemies, using magic and opening chests, while moving some objects around to do that minimalist puzzle part that every game needs. Other than that, it's just blood spilling and god fighting. Kratos will be able to grapple and swing on all sorts of objects from the surrounding environment.
This feature comes in handy when fighting the Rhodes Colossus and trying not to get crushed by his huge hands. Interacting with objects around you doesn't end here and you'll be able to push crates and pull levers to open gates or pass to new areas. Kratos can also do a double jump, at any time and especially in-between combos, dodging and hitting any raving god out there, at the same time. The button mashing from the first title continues and you'll be running out of fingers while trying to master those combos or the special button sequences from the boss fights. For example, when the Colossus of Rhodes grabs you, there's an easy way to escape from his hands: alternatively press the L1 and R1 buttons, till he lets you go. Since the Colossus is the only boss available in the demo, you'll enjoy the fights with the huge creature, especially because the AI is great and he'll give you a hard time. You'll have to strike his hands with magic or combos and he'll eventually give it a rest.
Kratos will do the crazy move we've seen in Robin Hood (the Kevin Costner one) and fire himself out of a catapult straight into the beast's eye. Just like you've seen in the trailer, with that nasty Cyclops, Kratos will go for the Colossus' eyes, pulling them out with his blades. If the vibrations are on, don't think about deactivating the option, since the feeling grows together with your pulse when you're being hit by a creature that's 20 times your size. God of War 2 proves to be a fairly easy game, thanks to features like lit objects that need to be used or average AI in the soldier fights. The analog control system allows you to move the Spartan hero in any direction you please with the left stick or make him roll with the right analog stick. The rolling move will save you from a lot of hits, especially in the boss fights or when some archers have caught you in their sight.
By killing a normal soldier or causing great injuries to bosses, you'll be absorbing souls that can be used in the game's menu to unlock new abilities or upgrade the existing ones. Since this is a demo, you'll start with Poseidon's Rage on and if you've played the first God of War, you'll be familiar with this magic attack. Athena's blades are still our hero's main weapons, but they look more stylish in GOW 2, with that neat shade of blue. Those blades will be seen in action while performing special moves, by holding the L1 button and hitting any of the square, triangle or circle buttons. Kratos will do some sort of a helicopter move with his blades and that surely deals a lot of damage to any group of enemies. Athena's blades have been upgraded or so it seems, because the chains that hold them are now longer and so is the weapon's range. Grabs are also present in GOW 2 and Kratos has learned some pretty cool new ways of killing his enemies in close combat mode.
A magic attack can be activated by pressing the L2 button, and aside from looking good, these attacks will severely damage any opponent. After all, it's the power of gods... You will do even more damage by chaining magical hits when you'll mash the circle button, while holding the L2 button pressed. The normal attacks can be chained too, by using the combos done with the action buttons. There are also a couple of slow-motion combat moves that will allow you to slay your foe while he's in the air, after you'll have thrown him up. Don't expect a 3 hour gaming experience from this demo, as it only took me 10 minutes to finish the whole thing and I wasn't speeding or anything. Back in the main menu, you'll see a "Treasures" option that presents you the unlockables in God of War 2. Watch the "Road to E3" movie or unlock 7 bonus costumes and a couple of new battle modes, like Challenge of the Titans or Arena of the Fates.
Video There's no camera angle problem in God of War 2, unlike the first game, where frustration appeared, when off-screen enemies shot you. That's not the only good thing about the visuals, since the environments are pure gold and any fanatic gamer out there will be pleased to see the beautiful scenery. The demo's action takes place in Rhodes, it's an urban setting, with great Greek architecture, statues, walls and Dorian-style columns. While fighting that nasty Colossus, you'll see his reactions to any of your attacks and he'll be screaming, leaning on one side or holding his injured hand.
The normal soldiers react as funny as they did in the first God of War game, being thrown in the air once they've been hit and disappearing after they're killed. Interaction with the environments has increased and you'll see walls cracking while you're climbing them and the Colossus of Rhodes hits them from the other side. You'll be left open-mouth, when right from the starting battle you can see the giant creature getting agitated in the background and hitting the building where you're fighting. From time to time, a giant hand or foot will appear out of nowhere trying to crush Kratos, but he'll resist those attacks.
Sound This first thing I noticed was the brilliant background music, with its Arabic and Greek influences. Kratos is the usual tough guy, with his manly voice and bad attitude, but we'll just let him be, since he's the god of war. The enemies will be screaming when they're hit and you'll hear the sound of Kratos' blades when performing chains of combos. By far the best audio effects come from the battle with the Colossus, as he screams and growls throughout the fight. Just like the Hydra in the first title, his screams can shake the earth and you'll feel that thanks to the joystick's vibrations. You'll hear the enemies coming from miles away, as they only attack in great numbers and signal their presence with threats and war taunts.
Conclusion Spectacular! That's all I can say about God of War 2, after waiting for so long to get to play the follow-up to one of the best games on the Playstation 2 console. After watching hours of trailers and video footage from the game, playing it was the climax of the whole GOW 2 experience. Keep in mind that this is a preview made after playing a ten-minute demo and the perspective of playing the full game frightens me considering that it will ruin my social life forever.
