Posted: Thursday, April 21, 2005 7:00 pm
Before I even get into talking about how great a game "God of War" is and how much fun I had playing it let me point out something important: It is definitely not for kids. Nudity and gruesome violence are abundant throughout, and that mature rating is there for a reason.
With that out of the way, "God of War" is an absolutely amazing game. Instead of creating an OK game that is something completely different, Sony took an old standard the hack-and-slash action game and perfected it.
You play as Kratos, an ex-Spartan warrior in ancient Greece looking to destroy Ares, the powerful god of war, and stop the horrifying visions of his past actions. With the backing of the other gods and a wicked pair of swords chained to his wrists, he fights his way through hordes of monsters from Greek mythology harpies, gorgons, minotaurs, you name it. He doesn't particularly care about anyone who might get in his way, innocent or not.
The combat system the most important part of any action game is just about flawless and beautiful. As Kratos progresses through the story, he unlocks special moves that send his swords flying in dizzying tornados of fire. In addition, he learns special magical moves, such as Medusa's Gaze, in which Kratos holds up Medusa's head and turns his enemies to stone, which he then promptly shatters with his swords.
Puzzles pop up throughout, and they're neither too easy nor too hard. In the words of Goldilocks, they're "just right."
The graphics really push the PlayStation 2's limits. The action is smooth and the backgrounds are gorgeously rendered. Especially noteworthy are the water and reflection effects easily among the best I've seen on the PS2.
The music is exciting and fits well with the action, and Kratos himself is wonderfully voice-acted.
If you buy one action game this year, or really any game at all, it should be "God of War."
If swords and mythology aren't your thing, consider "TimeSplitters Future Perfect."
The third installment finally takes the first-person shooter series where it should have gone with TimeSplitters 2: online.
Although the single-player story mode is certainly fun and definitely full of humor, it's very short (about six to eight hours) and at times feels like any other FPS. The storyline is simple: You play as Cortes, the tough, yet surprisingly charming, hero who has to travel to different time periods in search of time crystals to save the world.
It's in multiplayer where "TimeSplitters" really shines. Story mode can be played as a two-player cooperative mode, and there are arcade and challenge modes that would keep anyone busy for a while.
In addition, there are more than 150 characters to unlock, from futuristic soldiers to gun-wielding monkeys. A mapmaker tool lets gamers create their own levels for multiplayer play.
Even better is the online multiplayer. As many as 16 people can play at a time on Xbox and eight on PS2, with a choice of 11 online modes, including the requisite deathmatch and capture-the-bag modes.
While those buying the GameCube version will miss out on the online fun, the offline multiplayer reminiscent of the "GoldenEye 007" days on the Nintendo 64 still is well worth it.
The sheer variety of unlockables and the longevity of multiplayer make "TimeSplitters" one of the better choices for shooter fans.
Reach Aimee Hatfield at 473-7326 or Aimee.Hatfield@lee.net.
God of War
Sony Computer Entertainment America, for PlayStation 2
Rated: Mature
Cost: $49.99
Grade: A
TimeSplitters Future Perfect
Electronic Arts, for Xbox, PlayStation 2, GameCube
Rated: Mature
Cost: $49.99
Grade: B+