The Best PlayStation Game Every Year 1994 - 2024
18. 2007 - God of War II
The PS2 itself was the ultimate sequel to a great console in the original PlayStation and, coincidentally, it was home to many great sequels, many of which we’ve already discussed. However, it seems appropriate to end this era with one last such game.
God of War II followed on from the success of the 2005 Santa Monica Studios original by fulfilling its promise. Combat flows better and is more versatile, and there’s far more enemy variety for Kratos to cleave through. Platforming is tighter and more diverse. The quick-time-events were more forgiving, allowing players to actually enjoy the cutscenes rather than anxiously sit waiting for button prompts.
But one of God of War II’s greatest strengths lies outside of just how good it feels to play and that’s with its pacing. It had less ill-desired chokepoints compared to the first game but, equally, it knew when it pull back and let players breathe. In a game largely focused on intense combat, this was an impressive skill and gave room to establish scenes, show the sense of scale and put the artistry of the presentation on display.
And God of War II was nothing if not a tour-de-force of awesome spectacle, with plenty of location variety, stunning boss fights and a well-put-together story of vengeance and fate. It was a delicious cap on many player’s time with the PS2 that showed the best it had offer as the console’s time came to a close.