God of War review

Kratos is in a bad mood. No, wait, that's an understatement. He's in the worst mood imaginable, and he's ready to take out his anger on the entire Greek pantheon if it means getting revenge on the god who drove him mad.

A mythological epic, God of War casts players as Kratos, a rage-fueled maniac with a pair of nasty-looking swords chained to his arms. His life destroyed by Ares, the god of war, Kratos wants to find Pandora's Box and use its power to kill his divine nemesis. Standing between him and the box is the stunningly beautiful, usually dangerous Greek countryside and an army of monsters straight out of legend. And before he's through, Kratos will literally rip them all to shreds.

With its simple, visceral 3D action, God of War plays a little like Devil May Cry.  But instead of using acrobatics and gunplay, you commit horrifying acts of rage against the assorted minotaurs, satyrs and gorgons that get in your way. Kratos deals some serious damage right out the gate, swinging his magic swords around like whips and bringing down monsters hundreds of times his size. Smacking enemies around has a fun, natural flow to it, and it's easy to bust out elaborate combos by just mashing buttons.