first of all this has to be one of the goriest games on PS2 as it includes arm ripping, decapatation and all round slaughtering, but that aside this game is phenominal, a must buy (probably as good as GOW2 and easyier to complete)a brilliant gorey yet tactical game, a must buy... Tom

god of war is one of the best games I've ever played,I would recommend this game to everyone.

This is a game set in ancient Greece and concerns Kratos, a spartan warrior.At the start of the game we seem him throwing himself off a cliff, in an attempt to escape the nightmares he is having. And then the game starts 3 weeks earlier, concerning itself with the events leading up to this point.
God of War is a fighting game, with some puzzles thrown in along with some boss fights.Does this sound like a run of the mill game? It may do, but what God of War does is perform everything so much better than all the similar games that have come before it.This game stands head and shoulders above every game in this genre. But why?
Graphically it is superb.The levels, characters and backgrounds are crisp, well-defined and actually 'feel' solid.Kratos himself is rendered with such care and attention it puts other games to shame. The cut-scenes are excellent too. They move the story along, and tantalise you, rather than bore you like some other games do. These cut scenes punctuate the action and give your weary fingers a break from mashing the joypad!
The music is superb too.It is classic orchestra music that adds to the atmosphere perfectly - it doesn't interfere with the game play or cut scenes, but adds to the experience of the game.Couple this with the superb voice acting and you have a game that has covered all its bases in the sound department.
The moves Kratos performs are genuinely exciting to watch - stylish and bloodthirsty. As the game progresses he enhances his weapons, and his magic and i was genuinely excited about levelling-up and learning the new moves. The finishing moves are brilliant, and all the bigger characters have different killing moves. From troll-like creatures, to the Minotaur to a genuinely innovative way of killing Medusa this game shows that a lot of thought has gone into making the game interesting and challenging.
There are moves for when Kratos is climbing walls or crossing rope bridges and these are really stunning - he grabs someone, and bashes him into the wall before throwing him down!!
There are plenty of good puzzles too though they are fairly standard - collect piece a and b and put in slot c, but again the developers have tried to make things different by putting time restraints on the puzzles, or making you go the long way round to get an item you need. There are also plenty of hidden caches of items too that you need to watch out for, and playing through the second time i am going 'aaaaah - i missed that the first time around!'
As for the difficulty of this game it is probably the best i have played on.It starts off as a challenge that is easy to pick up and play, and gradually gets more difficult unlike some that just go from easy to impossible in one level!This has a perfect learning curve, so that by the time you reach the later levels you will have a mastery of moves and magic that will enable you to beat the hardest bosses.
It has great characters too - Medusa,Hydra,the Minotaur,the Harpes and various Gods including Athena,Zeus,Poseidon and Aries.
There is definite replay value too - once completed there are two more difficulty levels to be played, the hardest of which is God mode.I am playing through again in God Mode and it is a real challenge, and much tougher!You definitely have to play much more tactically to get through this difficulty level!

And there you have it.In my view this is a brilliant game that every ps2 owner should have in their collection. It is not my favourite sort of game genre, but God of War has converted me. I am still playing it now and still enjoying it. I would recommend this to everyone above the age of 15 - any younger and it is way too gory, and i wouldn't want my children playing something THIS violent, so beware parents!
This is what games should be like - well thought out, well planned and well executed.
And the good news is that God of War 2 is out at the end of April 2007 - and that promises to be the PS2's superb finale! In the meantime, before buying that, get this - it will set you up perfectly for the sequel. And if you never quite got round to buying this, PLEASE get it now - trust me, it is well worth your money!!!

25th June 2007 - Finally completed all the challenges, and unlocked all the secrets of the game.The Challenge of the Gods series is really tough, but worth it for the extra costumes - Kratos in a cow suit, with plastic milk cartons to replace the Blades of Chaos is reward in itself! The Challenge of the Gods is hard , and took me a while to complete.
Now i can go back to having a life...........before starting God of War 2!

I hadn't thought about buying a new ps2 game for ages as I was saving up for the ps3 until someone recommended this one, and i'm glad I bought it as the game is excellent, the story is superb, graphics are excellent and the whole game just plays so well.

Fans of extreme, indiscriminate violence and bloodshed will not be disappointed, nor will those looking for a great storyline - at the outset, Kratos is set up as a bloodthirsty madman (which, let's be honest, he is) but the more you play through the game the more of his history is revealed and we see the man that became the monster.

It's not just about mindless killing, though - there are points where fast reflexes and quick thinking are vital to your survival. Some of the puzzles once you leave Athens are one-hit kills (as in "they hit you once and you DIE!"), others can wear you down slowly until you hit upon the solution, but no matter how much this challenges or infuriates you, I promise you will keep coming back for more. And just to make sure, the "Spartan" and "God" modes add an extra challenge (the latter of which is essential for unlocking some of the "Treasures")