God of War (video Game) - Reception

Reception

God of War received "universal acclaim" from critics. It's received aggregate scores of 93.62% from GameRankings and 94/100 from Metacritic. The game has been highly regarded for its gameplay, graphics, sound, production, presentation, and story. Tom Lane of CNN wrote, "God of War is the type of game that makes you remember why you play games in the first place." Lane said that the gameplay is addictive, it's one of the most violent games, and the action is balanced with a modest amount of puzzle and platforming elements. He also praised how quickly the game progresses.

Raymond Padilla of GameSpy said that the gameplay was excellent and commented on the violence stating that the game has "some of the goriest, most exaggerated, and over-the-top violence I've ever seen." He praised the combo system for being generous as players can easily execute attack combinations, but it can challenge players who "throw themselves into the system." Chris Sell of PAL Gaming Network wrote that the most enjoyable thing of the game's combat is its simplicity. He also said that the QTE's are "suberbly enjoyable" and "highly satisfying," but it's the boss fights where they are the most entertaining. In regards to combining combat with platforming, Sell says that "God of War pulls it off perfectly."

Commenting on the story of the game, Tom Lane claimed that it was "compelling" while Chris Sell claimed that the story is well laid out and that it rarely stalls. Raymond Padilla said it was excellent, claiming that "God of War is the best thing to happen to Greek mythology" since Harry Hamlin played Perseus in the 1981 film, Clash of the Titans. Padilla further praised the sound, claiming that it's very strong. Kristan Reed of Eurogamer said that the game's audio is "a stunningly evocative example of a well-judged dramatic soundtrack and thunderous effects."

Chris Sell praised the graphics, claiming that they're "quite possibly the best on the PS2" and that they rival games on the Xbox. He also said that the character models were excellent and that each level has its own distinctive feel. Eric Blattberg of PlayStation Universe praised the graphics for being seamless, realistic, and capable of being able to run at 480p on a widescreen television. He said that the textures are great, and that the environments are "stunning and unbelievably detailed." Mikel Reparaz of GamesRadar noted the amount of detail in the game, elaborating that as a consequence of the aging hardware of the PS2, "the graphics occasionally stutter or even slow down." However, he gave the game a perfect score concluding, "... these problems are minor nits next to God of War's creative design, riveting plot and sheer balls-out fun. One of the best action titles on the PS2, God of War stands out as an ultraviolent masterpiece."

Of its criticism, Chris Sell claimed that there are very few flaws and that the only one worth mentioning is the camera. He said that although the cameras do a great job of following Kratos, "there are a fair few annoying moments when you’re attacked by something off-screen, or you fail to make a jump because you couldn’t really see the jump properly." Other minor complaints from Sell include its replayability, the amount of time it takes to upgrade items, and the final fight with Ares, which he said was "a little disappointing." Kristan Reed said that there were a few notable occasions where he found some of the platforming balancing acts "a little bothersome." He also stated that players may be overwhelmed by the amount of enemies, but players will eventually get their "brain and reactions in gear and move onto the next gripping section and feel hugely satisfied". In regards to the game's sound, Raymond Padilla felt that some of the voice acting and music tracks were overstated.