God of War

It is clear to me now that (the majority of) God of War was made extremely well, with an impeccable plot and excellent level design. The game doesn't shy away from very challenging trials, but at the same time, the last checkpoint is never far behind, and so it is difficult without being frustrating - most of the time anyway. A few schlocky lines and awkward segues aside, the cinematic elements are extremely good. But, I say the 'majority' is made well because, again, the first part of the game is just not very fun; it feels like filler, added to a short but otherwise great game, that simply doesn't cut the mustard.

After fighting a giant mechanically-armored minotaur in Hades' wing, I made my way to the Cliffs of Madness, the final area of Pandora's Temple. It isn't really as difficult to navigate as its name suggests, but is a rather fun change of scenery from all the interior dungeon rooms in the rest of the temple. At the end of this area is the tomb of the architect who designed Pandora's Temple, and a final puzzle room before reaching Pandora's Box itself, which will grant Kratos the power to kill Ares.

However! Just when Kratos is about to remove the box from the temple, Ares, with godly omniscence, hurls a stray pillar at the hero, impaling and killing him. The next part of the story is about Kratos's escape from Hades, complete with the absolute evillest areas of any game I can recall. Eventually, upon escaping from the underworld, the final showdown with Ares is had, wherein Pandora's Box gives Kratos the power of the gods - extreme largeness - and an epic battle is had.

In the end, the gods thank Kratos for his service in destroying the reckless and destructive Ares, and invite him to replace the former god of war in Olympus. Awesome.

At some point I'll have to get to the sequel, which I hope has kept the good of this game while neglecting the poor.

Progress: Finished Hero Mode