[Pre-E3 2006] God of War II
We're given a sneak peek at SCEA Santa Monica's epic follow-up.
Published: April 24, 2006
God of War II might bear the roman numeral of a sequel, but it's not. The gameplay isn't constructed that way, the storyline doesn't flow that way and the developers certainly don't think of it in that way. Instead, the game is a direct continuation of the original game, picking up right where it left off and slowly building in all of the elements that couldn't make it into the first game.
Part of the reason for this, we were told by original God of War director Dave Jaffe at special screening of the event last week, was that the development team was really still figuring everything out as they were making the game -- not just in terms of the game itself, but how the different personalities of the team meshed and complemented (or opposed) each other. The lessons learned from the making of the first game were almost immediately poured into the second creating another "Act" rather than a full-blown sequel.
That's not to say God of War II doesn't carry all the usual pluses that a sequel would have; it's longer, more refined, the puzzles are more tightly integrated, the action paced more methodically with the storyline, the story itself becoming more of a guiding part of the narrative and the game's combat system is built atop the incredibly solid foundation that the first game built. But it's not a sequel, it's a continuation, something that both Jaffe and the second game's new director, Cory Barlock, were keen on pointing out a couple of times.
And so, with that said, we were finally treated to a first look at a trailer (which you can see here) that expanded on the little everyone in attendance of the Phil Harrison keynote at GDC last month got to see. Then it was time to check out the game itself.
The level we toured (by way of video only, though it was being played as we watched) is the same that you'll see in most of the trailer; a dirty, dark, overgrown area long abandoned by all but monsters and the creeping march of time. It retained most of the look and feel of the first game (albeit a bit darker), with plenty of chained combos and more than a few of the awesome timed button press events used to take down even common monsters. Kratos, despite being, well, the God of War, still looked and felt as he did in the first game. We'll have to take a peek at things first-hand at E3 before we'll know of the way he plays is any different.
As we mentioned before, though, the focus here is on the story -- which certainly hasn't stopped just because Kratos has killed Ares and become the new God of War. In fact, thanks to the well-recorded history of the Gods thanks to mythology, we know chilling near Mt. Olympus just means you're that much closer to the constant soap opera that is a bunch of petty, backstabbing beings that like to toy with mortals.
The ultimate dramabomb is set when Kratos is -- of course -- betrayed, nearly killed, and has to slice, maim, dismember, gut and bludgeon his way back from the arms of death. With death overcome, he seeks out the Sisters of Fate in an effort to go back in time to the moment of his betrayal, armed with the knowledge of what's to come and what we're sure is going to be one of the best "wtf?" moments for the would-be assassin. We can't wait.
E3 will (hopefully) give us plenty of time to explore Kratos' new -- sorry, continued -- adventure, and we'll be sure to write back with an update then. See you in two weeks!
Part of the reason for this, we were told by original God of War director Dave Jaffe at special screening of the event last week, was that the development team was really still figuring everything out as they were making the game -- not just in terms of the game itself, but how the different personalities of the team meshed and complemented (or opposed) each other. The lessons learned from the making of the first game were almost immediately poured into the second creating another "Act" rather than a full-blown sequel.
That's not to say God of War II doesn't carry all the usual pluses that a sequel would have; it's longer, more refined, the puzzles are more tightly integrated, the action paced more methodically with the storyline, the story itself becoming more of a guiding part of the narrative and the game's combat system is built atop the incredibly solid foundation that the first game built. But it's not a sequel, it's a continuation, something that both Jaffe and the second game's new director, Cory Barlock, were keen on pointing out a couple of times.
And so, with that said, we were finally treated to a first look at a trailer (which you can see here) that expanded on the little everyone in attendance of the Phil Harrison keynote at GDC last month got to see. Then it was time to check out the game itself.
The level we toured (by way of video only, though it was being played as we watched) is the same that you'll see in most of the trailer; a dirty, dark, overgrown area long abandoned by all but monsters and the creeping march of time. It retained most of the look and feel of the first game (albeit a bit darker), with plenty of chained combos and more than a few of the awesome timed button press events used to take down even common monsters. Kratos, despite being, well, the God of War, still looked and felt as he did in the first game. We'll have to take a peek at things first-hand at E3 before we'll know of the way he plays is any different.
As we mentioned before, though, the focus here is on the story -- which certainly hasn't stopped just because Kratos has killed Ares and become the new God of War. In fact, thanks to the well-recorded history of the Gods thanks to mythology, we know chilling near Mt. Olympus just means you're that much closer to the constant soap opera that is a bunch of petty, backstabbing beings that like to toy with mortals.
The ultimate dramabomb is set when Kratos is -- of course -- betrayed, nearly killed, and has to slice, maim, dismember, gut and bludgeon his way back from the arms of death. With death overcome, he seeks out the Sisters of Fate in an effort to go back in time to the moment of his betrayal, armed with the knowledge of what's to come and what we're sure is going to be one of the best "wtf?" moments for the would-be assassin. We can't wait.
E3 will (hopefully) give us plenty of time to explore Kratos' new -- sorry, continued -- adventure, and we'll be sure to write back with an update then. See you in two weeks!