E3: God of War II impressions

The air is sticky, the stench is foul and hype is in the air. A crowd of gamers are huddled around a small kiosk and one can actually reach out and touch the tension. Sony is showing off God of War II, and they're not holding anything back. The sequel to the highly acclaimed God of War was quite the spectacle to see.

The graphics in the demo for God of War II looked much crisper than the original. The level that was being shown had our hero, Kratos, jumping from dock to dock over blood stained water. As he ran through the level, the environment was stunning. Trees, temples and weather were all amped up from the earlier version. God of War II features graphics that are not too different from the original, but are more refined.

God of War II continues the tradition of senseless, unadulterated rage and violence. Kratos is back in full force with his Blades of Chaos. Sony Entertainment of America (SCEA,) didn’t reinvent the wheel with God of War II. In God of War, the controls were near perfection and they still are in the sequel. Combos are easy, quick and devastating and the fighting was seamless, brutal and fun.

In the original game, Kratos was on a quest to destroy the God of War, Ares, so that he could claim that title for himself. This game picks up where the last left off. Kratos, now sitting on top of Mount Olympus after finally achieving his revenge on Ares, is still not rid of the nightmares of his past that plague him. Kratos embarks on a journey to the ends of the Earth against merciless beasts and foes to do the one thing that a god has never done: change his own fate.

Check out God of War II for PlayStation 2 in 2007.