Easily has to be one of the best improvements from its predecessor. I can understand a lot more of the complaints about the first game now with having the second God of War as a comparison. This game just FEELS so, so, so much better. Your attacks actually feel rewarding, as the enemies are significantly less spongy, and the move sets you learn throughout feel much more effective.
The boss battles are awesome, and even more immersive than the first game, with some even having really unique and cool elements that help them stand out in comparison to other games (Perseus' invisibility comes fresh to mind). The game moved a lot more smoothly, with barely any backtracking in comparison to God of War 1, and with a fun variety of environments and enemies that kept the story more engaging.
The story was still dumb, just like the last one, but was also more fun to explore and figure out. There was a lot more reference to different Ancient Greek stories, and even featured the Titans as prominent characters! Again, stuff isn't the most historically accurate, but I don't think it's too expected when God of War is clearly an entertainment > education kind-of game, so it's not something to really knock against it. The "twist" with Zeus being Kratos' father didn't get much reaction from me, and seemed too hellbent on forcing in a twist à la Star Wars without much thought besides it allowing a twist into the story. I think it would have had more impact on me if it was someone I was used to hearing about throughout the series' story, like if Ares was revealed to be Kratos' father instead, making the story force him to question his killings even more so, but at this point, I don't think the game actually wants to make Kratos come to terms with his actions lmao (at least not yet)...
Overall though, God of War II is a very, very fun game with not much more to it. I had a really good time playing it, but don't think it's something I'm going to rush back to play again anytime soon. It is absolutely a high-recommendation I'll give to someone looking for a gnarly hack and slash, though! Won and done!
3.5/5
The boss battles are awesome, and even more immersive than the first game, with some even having really unique and cool elements that help them stand out in comparison to other games (Perseus' invisibility comes fresh to mind). The game moved a lot more smoothly, with barely any backtracking in comparison to God of War 1, and with a fun variety of environments and enemies that kept the story more engaging.
The story was still dumb, just like the last one, but was also more fun to explore and figure out. There was a lot more reference to different Ancient Greek stories, and even featured the Titans as prominent characters! Again, stuff isn't the most historically accurate, but I don't think it's too expected when God of War is clearly an entertainment > education kind-of game, so it's not something to really knock against it. The "twist" with Zeus being Kratos' father didn't get much reaction from me, and seemed too hellbent on forcing in a twist à la Star Wars without much thought besides it allowing a twist into the story. I think it would have had more impact on me if it was someone I was used to hearing about throughout the series' story, like if Ares was revealed to be Kratos' father instead, making the story force him to question his killings even more so, but at this point, I don't think the game actually wants to make Kratos come to terms with his actions lmao (at least not yet)...
Overall though, God of War II is a very, very fun game with not much more to it. I had a really good time playing it, but don't think it's something I'm going to rush back to play again anytime soon. It is absolutely a high-recommendation I'll give to someone looking for a gnarly hack and slash, though! Won and done!
3.5/5