[The original] God of War saw Kratos, a mortal warrior, set upon an epic quest to dethrone a God. But his journey did not end there. In God of War II, Kratos sits atop his Olympus throne, as the new God of War – far more ruthless than Ares ever was. To end his continued torment, Kratos must journey to the far reaches of the earth and defeat untold horrors and alter that which no mortal, or god, has ever changed, his fate.

God of War II sets an epic stage for a devastating mythological war to end all wars. In God of War II, players retake the role of Kratos. Armed with the deadly blades and blistering rage, players are aided by new breath-taking magic and new brutal combat moves. The journey takes them through vividly striking environments where they are faced with a labyrinth of challenging puzzles and mini-games intricately woven into the story. The violent world of Greek mythology comes to life in gory detail as Kratos encounters new mythical characters, and compete in epic boss battles in his quest. [SCEA]

Perhaps one of the finest games to ever grace the PlayStation 2, God of War gave players fabulously gory third-person battling, fantastic enemies, glorious combos, satisfying finishing moves, clever and challenging level design, and – perhaps most importantly – a truly compelling storyline. God of War II looks set to not only continue those qualities, but extend them far beyond anyone could have hoped. For this particular edition of Review Round-up, there’s no question of choosing between ‘Spend’ or ‘Lend’…there’s only one option to select, and it’s not ‘Lend’.

100% - GameSpy - "How could God of War II possibly live up to the successes of its predecessor? The answer, my friends, is astonishing, because GoW II completely eclipses its forefather by adding even more of the stuff that we loved, namely: blood, puzzles, cinematic presentation and fifteen minute long combos."

98% - Game Informer - "While the story issues and a slight "I’ve done this before" factor stop it just short of perfection, God of War II is a title you simply cannot miss. It never stopped being one of the best games I’ve ever played."

97% - IGN - "God of War II may in fact be the best action game ever made. It outdoes the original God of War in every way."

95% - 1UP - "There are a few brilliant core improvements, such as the beautifully implemented grappling system that lets you swing around with your blades. But for the most part, the game's best features are context-specific things rather than features that change or improve the title as a whole."

95% - GameZone - "It’s not just one element that turned the game into a masterpiece, it’s every element – the controls (perfection), world design (unbelievably creative), combat (exciting and challenging), and enemy selection (unreal) are just a few of the reasons why this is PS2’s best first-party release."

Verdict: Spend