God of War II is a must for any gamer with an interest in either a)brawling, b)Greek mythology, c)brutality, and doesn't mind a puzzle around every corner. The story is rather epic in scope, with Kratos having even bigger fish to fry this time around, ranging across the mythology spectrum from Perseus(played ironically by Harry Hamlin) to Zeus himself. Each boss fight lives up to expectations, and the game has a cliffhanger that is done right; it doesn't let you feel cheated, only excited for whats to come. It helps that the way Kratos dispatches his foes manages to redefine what brutality in video games is all about; many memorable finishes, it almost makes you wonder if they came up with how each encounter and demise would play out before even writing the story itself. The puzzles are rather numerous, and managed to stump me each time in the silliest of ways(I'm stupid). Most of them are somewhat amusing, and its somewhat forgivable due to the mythical setting. What a setting it is. This game definitely pushes the ps2 to the limit without a hitch, providing plenty of locales to gawk at. About as subtle as a kick in the balls by a clown, god of war 2 is an excellent entry in the franchise; a game that will satisfy that craving to punch someone, along with amazing you with its brutality and spectacle.