God of War for PS2 (2005)

Original ad featured in the April 2005 issue of EGM (no. 190).

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The best publicity is a good game

The original Greek mythology action game featured some very solid advertising. Equally as good as the game, actually.

As I wrote some time ago, 2005 was a fantastic year for gaming. Not only did we get Resident Evil 4, but also, just to name a few games: Shadow of the Colossus, Psychonauts, Devil May Cry 3, The Warriors, We Love Katamari, Great Theft Auto: San Andreas, Forza Motorsport, Gran Turismo 4, Fatal Frame III, Guitar Hero, Dragon Quest VIII, Jade Empire and Burnout Revenge. That's a superb list of franchises, most of the still going strong to this day. 

Coincidentally, God of War has recently been revamped for the PS4. Critics agree it's great game, but it will never match the original in terms of innovation and all around technical solidity. Add a superb story, high production values, and a story deeply soaked in Greek mythology, and you have Game of the Year material. It's more Clash of the Titans and less Troy, and that boded well for the medium.

The God of War series is synonymous with tight gameplay. It started on the PS2, which at the time had some very good action games, like Metal Gear Solid 2 and 3, but none of them featured the responsiveness Kratos demonstrated on Sony's black monolith of entertainment. The game was tough, but not unfair. It was a bit repetitive, though, but the great storyline made you grind through the monotony just so you could reveal the mystery behind your troubled hero's past. 

Let's talk about the add itself. It's simple, yet effective. I like the ceramic-like texture (could be papyrus, since we saw this on a printed magazine) and the overall arrangement of the graphic elements. Notice the way the graphic designs created depth by punching some holes in the ceramic bricks. That's some nice 3-D effect right there. The in-game graphics are very well placed and faithful to the actual game, which at the time was breathtaking.

 God of War print copy

A new myth will be written in the blood of the old

Only on PlayStation

www.godofwar-thegame.com (link no longer works)