God of War II by Bradygames (2007, Paperback)

God Of War II continues that thrilling and bloody tale of Kratos, the mortal warrior who challenged the war god Ares for his throne. He succeeded, but his journey does not end there. In God Of War II he rules over 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.

If you played the first GOW, you know how the game is played, if not, i recommend to play the first GOW so you can at least learn the story line and follow along in this one. the graphics are very good and the game play is sweeter than the first one. similar controls but, better.

the main differences from the first one is the boss battles or mini boss battles, there are more than the first one... like 3-5 times more, which is great because you need to think more on how to defeat them other than just square, square square.

the next thing is the weapons/magic you obtain. there is the lightening from the first one carries to this game but instead of one AOE (area of effect) attack you start out with only targeting 3 enemies at once, then 5ish at level 2, then big AOE attack once maxed. in the first one you got the huge sword (man that was one sweet sword...), in GOW2, you obtain 3 new weapons other then your blades you get a hammer, a spear and a sword.

another sweet feature about this game is after you have beaten the game (took me 16:30 game hrs) are the bonus features. just like the first one...you get costumes which give you special abilities on the next game play. in GOW2 you get 2-3 costumes when beating the game, and you need to collect the cyclops eyes to obtain another costume and need to do other things to unlock all 7 of them. but you only get to use these in the "hardness" you beat it on and easier. (i.e. i beat it on normal and only able to use costumes and bonus stats on normal and easy). there are other items you can collect along the way like the magic urns which give you special bonus stats when re-playing the game (same deal with costumes).

there is so much stuff i can tell you about this game, but if you liked the first GOW, you will LOVE GOW2, hands down. more enemies, more weapons, more and different magic skills, and yes, there is a "girl" scene just like in the first one (but you have to find it, hint hint first level above the water). this game is one of the best games for PS2 and may be one of the last, i can't wait if/when they make a GOW3 for PS3.

the extra DVD is worth watching, a lot of behind the scenes and you get to meet the voice actors

GET THIS GAME!

Fast shipping, i bought this stragiry guide and it was new as he offer and he shipp it the next day.

these guides are very important to find answers to traps , treasures , and a better understanding of the storyline of the game . play it without a guide is fun but then you either end up losing out on important items or knowing how to take out power bosses and mini games in alot of games .

It's great. I love the game. And the strategy guide is not to cheat, but to really get the most out of the game. It's full of lots of helpful info. And I just love it. I also bought it, so if I ever decide to sell my game I have the book that goes with it. But it's great.