(continued from previous page) ...the first game, but there are plenty of fresh faces to destroy too. Some of the returning creatures didn't really need to be brought back (those annoying ground-burrowing stabby dudes and spear-wielding goat men come to mind), but they also took special care with some of the finishing moves and animations for the new ones: you'll finally be punting devil puppies and pulling out cyclops eyes just like you always wanted to. The combat itself isn't much deeper outside of a couple new moves you'll pick up, but it's more well-balanced and won't see you relying on only a few choice moves by the end of the game. Three of the magic powers you pick up are all new visually, though they serve exactly the same purpose as their equivalents from the first game. Similarly, there are a couple of new secondary weapons, but it's tough to want to use anything else when your default Blades of Chaos are so much fun. You can still button-mash your way to victory much of the time, but most of the bosses and mini-bosses require you to dig a bit deeper into your repertoire.

Boss battles were definitely a highlight of Kratos' first adventure, though they were few in number. Thankfully they've upped the count noticeably for this installment, with fairly menacing foes capping off almost every new area you hit. There's a nice variety too, as the developers found ways to make the smaller scale, human-sized battles as interesting as the colossal ones you're used to from the series. I would give examples, but it's really half the fun experiencing it fresh for yourself (though I will say that there are at least two occasions where the boss itself becomes a level - very cool).

Think cap

It's really personal preference whether you prefer it, but many of the puzzles you'll solve to progress in GoW2 take quite a bit more "outside the box" thinking than the first, and will likely halt your journey on more one occasion. The original GoW usually showed you what you needed to do and left it up to you to figure out how. GoW2 often gives you no indication outside of a closed gate, really forcing you to experiment with the interactive items around you. It's not that they're abstract, they just involve new mechanics for the series that you don't know that you can do until you perform them (like picking up dead bodies, which you'll be doing several times). As a result the better puzzles in the game really make you feel like a genius when you figure them out, they're just not as consistent as you might expect.

As large a scope and narrative vision that the game works with, its focus is ultimately still its greatest strength. It's still completely linear through and through, every second outside of combat only having one way to go and one way to do things. It may seem like a bad thing on paper, but it helps keeps your progress logical and natural, regardless of how huge a role you're serving in the world. And regardless of how violent, chaotic and intense things get, you always feel in control, and it goes a long way to just letting the game be fun at its own pace.

The end begins

It's an unfair complaint to level, but it should be said GoW2 just couldn't possibly have the same impact as it's predecessor. God of War was such a visceral, mature expression of combat and mythology, all of David Jaffe's violent game design fantasies impeccably realized. God of War 2 expands its scope and expounds on its epic story, but it's simply a great sequel to a classic game instead of a classic in itself. It's still miles ahead of almost every other game in the genre though, a polished, gorgeously presented expression of raw energy, exploration and fun. There are dozens of "wow" moments, whether it's uttered at the site of a translator's face being bloodily slammed into a stone tablet, a hideous snake woman's hideous exposed breasts, or simply cutting off a griffon's wings midair. The PS3 is looking more and more tempting for those who haven't yet made the generational leap, but make sure you check out the PS2's departing love letter, ... (continued on next page)