God of War II

God of War II
SCEA (PS2)

Upon its release last year, God of War was immediately christened the pinnacle of the 3D action genre, easily one-upping strong efforts like Devil May Cry and Prince of Persia in terms of pure adrenaline gaming and complete conceptual realization of its subject (read: Brutal Spartan violence). The hugely-anticipated God of War II answers the question "Can lightning strike the same place twice?" the only way it knows how: Through the glorious thunder and hammer of Zeus himself.

Yes: God of War II trumps the original PS2 masterpiece in every way imaginable. The graphics? PS3-worthy. The story? As epic as a battle versus the almighty Zeus can possibly be. The gameplay? Tighter than a Trojan Horse stuffed with soldiers.

In God of War II you once again take control of Kronos, a testosterone-fueled mortal hell-bent on wreaking havoc on any being that crosses his path--mortal or otherwise. This time around Kronos challenges the Zeus himself after the people of Sparta suffer under the unfair domination of the Thunder God. Zeus, ever scornful, banished any powers Kronos possessed to be held in the Blade of Olympus. What a jerk!