Welcome to a very special edition of Press Start. Ever since God of War II was announced for the PS2 it seems like it struck a good vein in the industry as developers left and right are coming out with action/adventure titles.

We are going to be looking at three impressive titles -- so sit back, relax, get a soda, go make a sandwich and get comfortable, because were looking at action/adventure games and shooter games for this month's edition of Press Start.

God of War II for the PlayStation 2; Publisher: Sony Computer Ent.; Developer: SCE Studios Santa Monica; Release Date: March 13, 2007; ESRB Rating: M for mature; Genre: action/adventure; Players: 1; Support: N/A; Online: N/A

The Beginning of a Legacy... again.
Most of us original gamers grew up on the action/adventure genre. We look back on a past videogame era where the technology was limited and the money was scarce, but the passion for making games was never stronger than then, and believe me it showed! Back in the days of the NES, SNES and SEGA Genesis, it seemed like every action/adventure game that came out was a great game and we fondly remember fighting off hoards of bad guys and overly intimidating bosses, using either martial arts or crazy weapons or both.

So what does an action/adventure junkie do nowadays when we live in a videogame era where the technology is limitless, the money is ridiculously abundant, but the passion for making great games looks like it has never been weaker than today, and believe me it shows! It seems like every action/adventure game that comes out now is a huge disappointment filled with a bad storyline, even worse voice acting and bland gameplay. Well, finding an exception to that is usually pretty hard to find, but not in this case.

Thank God that a game like God of War steps out and says, with a loud and booming voice, "This is how to make a great/action adventure game!" and thank God that a game like God of War II takes center stage and also says with a loud and booming voice, "This is how you make a great sequel to a great action adventure game!" You don't believe me? Let's take a look.

I have to warn you. From this point on I will be spoiling information from both God of War and God of War II.

God of War II takes center stage and says with a loud and booming voice, "This is how you make a great sequel to a great action adventure game!"

Spartacus Ain't Got Nothin' on Kratos
Set in the myths and times of ancient Greece, God of War II picks up right where the first God of War left off. Players control the main character Kratos, wielding his signature blades once again. In the first GoW, Kratos is haunted by visions of the death of his family. The gods of Olympus promised Kratos that they would forgive his sins if he agrees to one command. Ares, the current god of war has become too thirsty for blood and power so the goddess Athena commissions Kratos to stop him. Kratos kills Ares and takes his place as the new god of war, but is still not relieved of his horrible visions.

This is where God of War II picks up. Kratos remains bitter and vengeful to his fellow gods for never relieving him of his nightmares, so he is seen as an outcast by the other gods. He is then betrayed by Zeus and seeks revenge for Zeus' actions.

The most amazing thing about GoW II is the unbelievable story. As you play through the game, the story is revealed more and more. The voice acting by T.C. Carson as the voice of Kratos is surprisingly very well done. Another bit of great voice acting is done by Linda Hunt, who returns to the God of War franchise as the voice of the narrator and is later revealed to be the voice of the titan Gaia. The dialog is not only believable and trying to find a better dialog in current feature films would be a difficult task. The writing talent of Marianne Krawczyk, Andy Ashcraft and creator David Jaffe should not go without huge amounts of recognition.

Games on the PS2 have to have a graphical balance. If creators want a game to have great frame-rate, then low-polygon 3D models and low-res texture maps are the sacrifices that must be made (as in Neo Contra). If creators would rather have the game look gorgeous, with awesome 3D models and beautiful maps and lighting, then the frame-rate will chop severely especially when things get fast (as in Star Wars Bounty Hunter). God of War II seems to defy the laws of the PS2 providing beautiful 3D models which are vibrantly animated and dazzling texture maps while still maintaining a flawlessly smooth frame-rate.

The musical score in GoW II is made up of orchestral pieces that cater to each specific mood in the game. When fighting off a group of bad guys and a well-placed giant Cyclops, players will be introduced to some fast paced music with deep drums, horns and even chanting monks. When the action dies down after a battle and the player now has to solve an in-game puzzle the music will slow down to an almost unnoticeable beat of thumps and pops and very low note wind instruments.