Similar to franchises like Devil May Cry, Rygar, and Castlevania, the game draws its inspiration from ancient Greek mythology and boasts a heavy emphasis on exploration and battle strategy. Broken into three to four acts, the game also has a strong focus on story-telling and boast tons of magic spells and abilities. Described as "Clash of the Titans meets Heavy Metal", God of War equips its hero with a pair of sword-like chain weapons that can grab enemies, perform multi-hit combos, and pull off a variety of different aerial attacks. Slight platforming elements and an energy collection system similar to that of Onimusha have been incorporated as well, and players are even able to use certain elements of their fallen enemies as a weapon (re: Medusa's head, for instance, can be used to turn enemies to stone after you've defeated her).

God of War - March 18, 2005
Who wants to go god hunting?

Insider Video Features: God of War - March 19, 2005
The video judgement.

Music: God Of War Soundtrack - March 25, 2005
Sweeping virtual orchestrations and symphonic atmospheria.

Reader Reviews
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God of War - November 12, 2004
Become Kratos and slaughter your enemies to the sound of their lamenting women!

E3 2004: God of War - More Details - May 12, 2004
Sony Santa Monica's first title is a doozy. Mixing Clash of the Titans with Heavy Metal, they hope to impress gamers all over the world with their ultra violent action title, God of War

E3 2004: God of War - Hands-On - May 12, 2004
We become Kratos, Spartan super soldier bent on killing Ares.

Pre-E3 2004: God of War - Preview - May 4, 2004
Name: Ares. Company: Olympian Gods Incorporated. Occupation: War God. That's right... How you doin', bitch?

SCEA Santa Monica Gamers' Day: God of War Impressions - February 19, 2004
Sony wows us with a surprise blast of mythical mayhem.

The Influence of Literature and Myth in Videogames - May 18, 2006
How have myth and seminal writers of horror, science fiction, and fantasy shaped today's videogame landscape? IGN taps the literary roots of the industry for answers.

Digital Adventuring - March 24, 2006
We chat with industry veterans to gauge the state of the adventure genre.

GDC 06: Jaffe and Lanning on Games - March 24, 2006
The Odd Vs. God session on the state of game development.

Top 10 Tuesday: Tom's Favorite Videogame Weapons - February 28, 2006
If it bleeds, I can kill it.

DICE 2006: David Jaffe Speaks - February 9, 2006
The God of War designer on life, liberty and the gaming industry.

Comics: Games-to-Comics Wishlist - January 30, 2006
Halo, Gears of War and other games that should be turned into comic books.

Xbox 360: IGN Xbox Editors' Favorites 2005 - January 4, 2006
Doug, Charles and Jon reveal their top ten games of the year.

Music: The Musical Side of Spike TV's VGA - December 8, 2005
Breaking down the three musical categories and telling you who we would have chosen versus the actual winners.

Insider: Roundtable #140: Game of the Year - October 27, 2005
Our early picks and picking on each other.

Insider: Fight Poll - October 20, 2005

Battle of the Badasses - June 27, 2005
Which PlayStation 2 character is the master of the digital universe? Cast your vote and decide!

The Top 10 Best Looking PS2 Games of All Time - April 20, 2005
These are the titles that get all the oohs and ahs. How did your favorite do?

Insider Video Features: God of War Video Tips - April 7, 2005
The final battle.

God of War 2: The Essentials - April 5, 2005
By the gods, the sequel had better be good.

Insider Video Features: God of War Video Tips - March 31, 2005
Pandora's Guardian

Game of the Month: March 2005 - March 31, 2005
One of the closest battles ever, it was Kratos vs. Dante when all was said and done.

Music: God Of War's Sonic Fury - March 25, 2005
Composer interview and soundtrack review.

Music: Winifred Phillips Talks God Of War - March 25, 2005
Composer reveals the tricks behind her portion of the in-game score.

Insider Video Features: God of War Video Tips - March 21, 2005
Guidance for mere mortals.

Dirty Dozen: The Games of Spring 2005 (Part 1) - March 7, 2005
Spring is in the air... And so are these freaking games!

God of War: Oracle Found - February 24, 2005
How can a champion kill a god? Only the Oracle knows.

God of War: Athens on Fire - February 4, 2005
As Ares' army rapes and murders its way through the ancient city, Kratos the Spartan nears.

Dirty Dozen: The Class of 2005 - November 18, 2004
We take a closer look at the twelve games you MUST own next year.

God of War Interview - June 10, 2004
Getting under the skin of this brutal new game.

Insider: Sony: E3 2004 Booth Report - May 14, 2004
Plenty of games -- and a whole new handheld. The Sony booth in a nutshell.

SCEA Santa Monica Gamers' Day: God of War Interview - February 20, 2004
Talking about gore, violence, and Greek mythology with David Jaffe.

FAQs: Game Help Q&A; 2005 June 3 - June 3, 2005
Questions on Gran Turismo 4, Midnight Club 3 DUB Edition, Doom 3, God Of War, Area 51 answered.

FAQs: Game Help 2005 May 27 - May 27, 2005
Questions on TimeSplitters, Pokemon Emerald, God Of War and more answered.

FAQs: Game Help Q&A; 2005-April-15 - April 15, 2005
Questions on Splinter Cell Chaos Theory (Xbox/PC), God Of War, Resident Evil Outbreak, The Settlers Heritage of Kings, Sonic Advance 3, Metal Gear Solid (PSOne), Tony Hawk 2X answewred.

FAQs: Game Help 2005 April 1 - April 1, 2005
Obscure, God of War, Splinter Cell Chaos Theory, LEGO Star Wars, Thief Dark Project, Thief II Metal Age, Thief Gold

Joseph Olin: In the Eye of the Storm - February 16, 2007
AIAS President discusses the Capcom awards controversy and the immaturity of the media.

Top 100 Games: Readers' Choice - October 20, 2006
The complete listing of all your top-rated games is now up. What game is #1?

Music: Video Games Live Comes To Gen Con - June 19, 2006
Videogame concert experience invades Indianapolis.

Music: Winners of the 4th Annual Game Audio Network Guild (G.A.N.G.) Awards - March 27, 2006
If you love videogame music, then this list is for you!

Games: Gaming Sequel-itis Podcast - March 9, 2006
Is there still room left for truly unique ideas in videogames? The IGN editors discuss.

SCEA Announces Two New Greatest Hits - March 1, 2006
Kratos and GT4 join the PlayStation's elite club.

Games: Gaming News Round-up Podcast - February 2, 2006
Feeling ignorant? Let us plant the seed of knowledge with a podcast about this past week's gaming news.

Cheats: Bug Report 2006 Jan 6 - January 6, 2006
Some bugs reported for God of War, Prince of Persia, and SOCOM 2

Games: IGN's '05 Rewind Podcast - December 22, 2005
Have a listen to our take on the biggest news and the best games of 2005.

Games: IGN's '05 Rewind Video Feature - December 20, 2005
Take a tour through 2005 without reading a thing.

Now Playing in Japan - November 28, 2005
A flood of new imports, in time for the holidays.

Capcom Plays God in Japan - September 11, 2005
God of War set to get the Japanese treatment.

Cheats: Bug Report 2005 July 29 - July 29, 2005
Bugs on KillZone and God of War.

Games: Top 100 Games of All Time 2005 Edition - July 29, 2005
Find out why this game made the cut and where it placed!

Movies: Games to Film: God of War - July 27, 2005
The latest game headed to Hollywood.

God of War Goes Hollywood - July 27, 2005
Universal Pictures secures film rights to PS2 blockbuster.

Cheats: Bug Report 2005 July 15 - July 15, 2005
Bug fixes for Wipeout, GTA, God of War.

Cheats: Bug Report 2005 July 1 - July 1, 2005
Bugs on God Of War, San Andreas, and more.

Cheats: Bug Report 2005 June 17 - June 17, 2005
Some bugs on GTA San Andreas and Untold Legends.

Cheats: Bug Report 2005 June 10 - June 10, 2005
Latest bugs and oddities on Psychonauts, God Of War, Fable, and more.

Cheats: Bug Report 2005 June 3 - June 3, 2005
God of War, Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 2

Cheats: The Bug Report 2005 April 1st - April 1, 2005
Bugs and glitches are not a joke.

PSP: PSP Videos To Go (Vol. 1) - March 25, 2005
Week in review, event coverage, video reviews, and much more are ready for your PSP.

God of War Commands Retail - March 22, 2005
Action fans and Classics majors, pay attention.

Jaffes Takes EB - March 21, 2005
Respected God of War creator wants to say thanks to fans.

God of War 2? - March 15, 2005
The final copy of Sony's utterly amazing God of War hints at a sequel / prequel.

God of Voices - March 15, 2005
Here's a complete list of every actor in God of War.

PS2 at G-Phoria - August 1, 2004
Playable Killzone, Ratchet and Clank: Up Your Arsenal, and more.

SCEA Santa Monica Gamers' Day: The Truth About Dark Odyssey - February 19, 2004
AKA: clearing up the confusion.

SCEA Santa Monica Gamers' Day: Sony Announces God of War - February 19, 2004
Greek mythology, chained double swords, and a ton of action; First trailer and screens!