ALL ABOUT THAT GOD

THE GOD OF WAR

This article is about the video game series

God of War is an award-winning, critically acclaimed, and best-selling action-adventure video game series loosely based on Greek mythology.The central character of the series is Kratos, a Spartan warrior tricked into killing his wife and child by his former master, the God of War Ares. Kratos eventually kills Ares at the behest of the goddess Athena and takes his place as the new God of War, but is still haunted by the nightmares of his past. Kratos is eventually betrayed by Zeus, the King of the Olympian Gods. Revealed to be a demigod and the son of Zeus, Kratos now seeks revenge against the gods for their machinations. What follows is a series of attempts to free himself from the influence of the gods and the Titans and exact revenge. Each game chapter forms part of a saga with vengeance as a central theme.

Games

God of War  was first released in North America on March 22, 2005, for the PlayStation 2. After ten years in the service of the Olympian gods, Spartan soldier Kratos is tasked by Athena to find Pandora's Box; the key to defeating Ares, the God of War. A series of flashbacks reveals that Kratos was once the servant of Ares, who saved the Spartan and his army from annihilation in battle, tricked him into killing his family, and forced his metamorphosis into the "Ghost of Sparta". Kratos eventually finds Pandora's Box, and after finally killing Ares, ascends to Mount Olympus to become the new God of War.

God of War II  was first released in North America on March 13, 2007, for the PlayStation 2. Betrayed by Zeus, Kratos is saved by the Titan Gaia, who tells him he must now find the Sisters of Fate, who can change his fate and prevent his death at the hands of Zeus. Kratos is ultimately successful, Athena sacrifices herself to save Zeus and preserve Olympus, and tells Kratos that he is the son of Zeus. Kratos then joins forces with Gaia and the Titans to attack Olympus.

God of War: Betrayal was released on June 20, 2007, for mobile phones. It is the only game in the series to be released as a 2D side-scroller and released on a non-PlayStation platform. The game's narrative takes place between the events of God of War: Ghost of Sparta and God of War II. Kratos is framed for murder, and rampages across Greece seeking the true assassin. Kratos succumbs to bloodlust and kills Ceryx, the son of the god Hermes—an act that alienates him from his fellow gods.

God of War: Chains of Olympus  was first released in North America on March 4, 2008, for the PlayStation Portable, and a limited edition PSP bundle pack was released in June 2008. Its narrative takes place during Kratos' ten years of service to the gods. Kratos halts a Persian invasion of the Greek city of Attica, and learns that the world has been plunged into darkness by the god Morpheus. Kratos investigates the abduction of the sun god Helios, and prevents the Machiavellian plan of the goddess Persephone to use the Titan Atlas to destroy the world.

God of War III  was first released in North America on March 16, 2010, for the PlayStation 3; an "Ultimate Edition" with exclusive content was available for pre-order. Reigniting the Great War, Kratos is soon abandoned by the Titans. Kratos, helped by the spirit of the revived Athena, seeks the Flame of Olympus. He engages the gods and his former allies the Titans in an epic series of battles across the Underworld and Olympus. He discovers that Pandora herself is the key to pacifying the Flame and allowing him to open Pandora's Box. Kratos defeats the gods and opposing Titans. After killing Zeus, Kratos refuses to help Athena assume the role of new patron of mankind and disappears, his final fate unknown.

God of War: Ghost of Sparta  was first released in North America on November 2, 2010, for the PlayStation Portable with a limited edition PSP bundle and an exclusive pre-order offer released simultaneously. Set between the events of God of War and God of War: Betrayal, Kratos, the God of War, is still haunted by visions of his mortal past and embarks on a quest to discover his origins by finding his mother, Callisto. He learns that his brother Deimos was taken by the gods and imprisoned by the God of Death, Thanatos, and decides to find and save his sibling. Although successful, Thanatos engages the brothers in combat, and kills Deimos. Kratos then kills Thanatos and returns to Olympus, now enraged at the gods.

God of War: Ascension  was first released in North America on March 12, 2013, for the PlayStation 3 with a "Collector's Edition" available for pre-order with exclusive content. The game is a prequel to the entire God of War series.^[27] Set six months after Kratos killed his wife and child, Kratos has been imprisoned by the three Furies for breaking his blood oath to Ares. With the help of the oath keeper Orkos, Kratos learns that Ares and the Furies plan to overthrow Mount Olympus. The Spartan escapes his imprisonment, subsequently killing the Furies, and Orkos, who begs for release. Although free of Ares' bond, Kratos begins to suffer the nightmares that will plague him for years.^[28] God of War: Ascension is the first game in the series to feature multiplayer (up to eight players) for both competitive and cooperativeplay.

• Main article: Characters of God of War
  
• Kratos – The protagonist of the God of War series. The character is a power-hungry Spartan who, to save his life, was eventually forced to serve the Olympian god Ares. During one murderous rampage, Kratos accidentally killed his wife and child. Kratos renounced Ares, became a tormented soul (including imprisonment by the Furies), and served the gods for ten years in hopes of becoming free of the nightmares. He eventually killed Ares and became the God of War, but was betrayed by his father, Zeus. A series of attempts to free himself from the influence of the gods and Titans followed, culminating in a final confrontation with Zeus, ending in the god's death and the reign of the Olympian Gods. In the aftermath, Athena appeared and Kratos sacrificed himself to prevent her from becoming the supreme goddess of the world. Kratos' final fate remains unknown. The character has been consistently voiced by Terrence C. Carson,^[32][33] and Antony Del Rio voiced the character as a child in God of War: Ghost of Sparta.[34]
  
• Athena – The Goddess of Wisdom and Kratos' mentor and ally. In Chains of Olympus, Athena initially tasked Kratos to find Helios as in the absence of light, the god Morpheus had caused many of the gods to fall into a deep slumber.^[35] In God of War, she charged Kratos with the murder of Ares, as Zeus had forbidden divine involvement, and was instrumental in allowing Kratos to become the new God of War.^[36] Although she begged Kratos to stop his second quest for the Ambrosia of Asclepius in the God of War comic series and lied to him about his brother Deimos in Ghost of Sparta,^[37] Athena was still sympathetic towards Kratos even after he renounced the gods and was betrayed by Zeus in God of War II. Athena died trying to protect Zeus from Kratos, and was resurrected and elevated to a new level of understanding in God of War III. With ulterior motives, Athena became Kratos' ally once more and guided him to the Flame of Olympus surrounding Pandora's Box, which allowed Kratos to kill Zeus and end the reign of Mount Olympus.^[38] The character was voiced by Carole Ruggier in God of War^[39] and God of War II,^[40] and Erin Torpey in God of War: Chains of Olympus, God of War III, andGod of War: Ghost of Sparta.
  
• Gaia – The mother of the Titans and embodiment of Earth.^[41] At the request of Zeus' mother Rhea, Gaia raised and protected the young Zeus to prevent Cronos from devouring him, as he had devoured his other children.^[42] When Zeus grew to manhood, he betrayed Gaia, freed his siblings, and Gaia was banished with her fellow Titans at the conclusion of the Great War.^[43] In God of War II, she saved Kratos from the Underworld after a disastrous encounter with Zeus, and directed the Spartan to find the Sisters of Fate in order to take revenge on Zeus. A successful Kratos plucked Gaia and the Titans from the moment in time before their defeat in the Great War to launch an abortive attack on Olympus.^[44] In God of War III, Gaia was wounded in the assault on Olympus and abandoned Kratos, stating he was a pawn of the Titans so that they could have their revenge. Kratos eventually found and crippled Gaia, but she returned and interrupted the final battle between the Spartan and Zeus. The pair entered Gaia's neck wound, and with the Blade of Olympus, Kratos destroyed her heart, killing the Titan.^[38] The character was voiced by Linda Hunt^[32] in God of War II, and Susan Blakeslee in God of War III.
  
• Zeus – The King of the Olympian Gods and the main antagonist of God of War II and God of War III. Zeus and Ares believed the destruction of Olympus would come at the hands of Kratos' brother Deimos, so they had Deimos imprisoned and tortured by Thanatos.^[45] Many years later, in God of War, Zeus aided Kratos against Ares by bestowing him with the magic, "Zeus' Fury", and as the mysterious gravedigger. In God of War II, it is revealed that Zeus had become infected with fear. He tricked Kratos into draining his godly powers into the Blade of Olympus, stating it was required to deal with the new threat actually created by Zeus. Kratos, stripped of his power, was mortally wounded while human, and killed by Zeus. With the help of the Titan Gaia, Kratos used the power of the Sisters of Fate to return to the moment Zeus betrayed him and defeated Zeus after extensive combat. Zeus was saved by Athena, who sacrificed herself to preserve Olympus. Before dying, Athena revealed that Kratos is Zeus' son, and that Zeus feared a perpetuation of the son-killing-father cycle, as Zeus imprisoned his father Cronos.^[44] This was confirmed in God of War III when Kratos discovered that Zeus was infected with fear when Kratos first opened Pandora's Box and used its power to kill Ares. After a lengthy battle and an enlightening encounter with Pandora in his psyche, Kratos finally overcame and killed Zeus.^[38] The character was voiced by Paul Eiding in God of War,^[39] Corey Burton in God of War II,^[40] God of War III, and God of War: Ascension, and Fred Tatasciore in God of War: Ghost of Sparta's after-game "Combat Arena" mode.^[34] Zeus is a downloadable playable character in PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale, released on March 19, 2013.
• THE ALL NEW AVATARS :

God of War: Blood & Metal

God of War: Blood & Metal
EP by Various artist
Released	March 2, 2010
Genre	Heavy Metal
Length	29:24 (6 track version) 36:56 (7 track version)
Label	Roadrunner Records

The God of War: Blood & Metal EP is a heavy metal homage by various bands on the Roadrunner Records label, and features original music inspired by the God of War video game series. The EP was released for purchase on March 2, 2010, and is available from ShockHound^[76] and from the iTunes Store.^[77] The EP was also released as downloadable content via the God of War III Ultimate Edition (North America) and Ultimate Trilogy Edition (Europe, Australia, and New Zealand) collections and included a bonus track.^[65][78] The second track, "Shattering the Skies Above" by Trivium,^[76] and the bonus track, "Even Gods Cry" by The Turtlenecks,^[79] were made into music videos.

1UP.com (2.5/5) said, "it's not offensive to [the] ears" and "mainstream listeners may enjoy [the album]".^[80] Square Enix Music Online (8/10) stated the album is a "good selection of metal music" and listeners will be "surprised with the variety of music".^[81]

Track listing
No.	Title	Music	Length
1.	"My Obsession"	Killswitch Engage	3:44
2.	"Shattering the Skies Above"	Trivium	4:44
3.	"Raw Dog"	Dream Theater	7:33
4.	"This Is Madness"	Taking Dawn	4:18
5.	"Throat of Winter"	Opeth	5:47
6.	"The End"	Mutiny Within	3:18
Total length:			29:24

THE STORY LINE :-

The story is told mostly in flashback story, after being framed with a scene from the present wherein Kratos, standing atop the tallest cliff in Greece, laments how the gods have abandoned him and tosses himself into the waters below.

While the player starts the game three weeks prior to this event, Kratos' background is told by the Narrator during the game (revealed to be the Titan Gaia in God of War II). Kratos was a fearsome Spartan warrior, and grew his fifty-man squad into an army of thousands via strategy, tactics, ferocity and conquest. However, in a battle against a barbarian horde, his army was massacred, and, in a desperate measure, Kratos offered his life and service to Ares, the God of War, in exchange for Ares defeating the Barbarians. Ares, sensing enormous power in Kratos, accepted his offer and destroyed the Barbarians. He also granted Kratos the Blades of Chaos, curved blades forged in the pits of Hades that were attached to long chains which were fused to Kratos' arms.

Kratos then became Ares' servant, leading his Spartan army in conquering much of Greece. In one battle, they came across a village that worshiped Athena and put the residents to the sword, and their homes to the flame. There, Ares put Kratos into a blood lust driven rage and it made him kill anyone standing in his way. Despite his own foreboding feelings and the warnings of the local oracle, Kratos entered the village's temple and slaughtered all within. Unfortunately, after his blood-lust cleared, he realized that his two last victims had been his own wife anddaughter; Ares explained that this village had been a test of Kratos' power, severing the last of his humanity. The village Oracle cursed Kratos, binding the ashes of his dead family to his skin; this new pale coating gave rise to Kratos' new title, "the Ghost of Sparta." and it made everyone in Greece fear him. Kratos renounced his service to Ares and began to wander the Earth, lamenting his deeds, while serving the other gods of Olympus for ten years.

The player becomes involved in Kratos' story as he is approaching Athena's city, Athens, under siege by Ares' army. While in the Aegean Sea, Kratos's ship is attacked by Ares's forces. After impaling the massive heads of the fearsome Hydra, Kratos is approached by Athena, who wants him to stop Ares and save her city. Kratos agrees on one condition; that the gods relieve him of the nightmarish memories of his past crimes, as well as allowing him a chance at redemption. Kratos fights his way through the attacking forces to find the Oracle of Athens, and learns from her that only Pandora's Box can give a mortal the power to kill a god. Unfortunately, due to the gods' fear of this power, the box is locked deep within Pandora's Temple, constructed on the back of the Titan Cronos, whom Zeuscursed to wander the Desert of Lost Souls until the sands rip the flesh from his bones.

Kratos makes his way to the Temple, defeating many foes and evading the many traps built into the Temple by its crazed architect, Pathos Verdes III. He recovers Pandora's Box, but Ares senses his success, and throws a pillar from Athens to the Temple, impaling Kratos on a wall and killing him. As Kratos was pinned to the wall dying, Ares steals Pandora's box and Kratos is sent to the Underworld. However, Kratos is able to escape the Underworld with help from a mysterious grave digger, who refers to Kratos as "my child". He returns to Athens, regains Pandora's Box, and confronts Ares.

When Kratos proves that he isn't just a mortal after all, Ares makes a desperate attempt to drive Kratos mad by making him relive the death of his family. Opening a portal, Ares traps Kratos in an illusion. Ares recreates the temple where Kratos slew his wife and child, along with images of Kratos's Family. Ares then creates copies of Kratos which attack his wife and child. After this fails, Ares strips the Blades of Chaos from Kratos' arms, taking back the weapons he had given him, and impales Kratos' family with them with Kratos watching in horror. Freed from his own mind but without weaponry, Kratos is at the mercy of Ares until he spots a very large metal sword, which was formerly used as an ornamental bridge inside Athens. With it, he engages, defeats and kills his former master, the God of War.

After receiving the congratulations from the gods, Kratos asks Athena to remove the nightmares of his past. Athena explains that the gods can only forgive him for his sins; the nightmares, unfortunately, are permanent. Feeling abandoned by the gods, Kratos climbs back to the bluffs overlooking the Aegean Sea and, as the game comes full circle, tosses himself over the edge. However, as he breaks the waves below, he is pulled out by Athena. He has served the gods well, she explains, and there is a throne waiting for him that currently has no occupant: the throne of the God of War. Kratos makes his way to Olympus through a mysterious portal, and claims the throne of The God of War.

 ENEMIES:

Undead Legionnaires - Ares' army of the undead. Dressed in the armor of ancient Greek warriors, they appear as demonic skeletons with bits of decaying flesh clinging to their bones. A frequently encountered enemy, they sometimes come in clusters and are quite varied; early on they wear little armor and wield short swords, but as the game progresses, they begin to appear wielding larger swords and wearing heavier armor, and eventually end up wielding massive shields and scythes.  Undead Archers - A unique variety of Undead Legionnaires, they engage Kratos in combat by attacking him from afar with flaming arrows that explode on impact, and carry no swords, shields, or other melee equipment. They usually appear either in pairs or in groups. Though their arrows are strong, and Kratos can easily be killed in a barrage of them, the archers are among the physically weakest of the legionnaires when engaged in hand-to-hand combat.            Minotaurs - A species of anthropomorphic bulls, appearing to be about eight feet tall. They walk on their hind legs and carry a variety of massive axes. Over the course of the game, the Minotaurs that Kratos encounters become larger, more powerful, and more heavily armored and well armed. Kratos can kill them by thrusting a sword in their open mouths and out the back of their heads. Cyclops - Squat giants with a single eye in the middle of their foreheads. They resemble the stereotypical depiction of cave men. They attack Kratos either with their fists or with giant clubbed weapons. Harpies - Monsters with the heads of bald, deformed women, and the bodies of bats. They usually appear in large groups to attack Kratos. Individually weak, they can easily overpower Kratos as part of a group attack. In addition to biting and slashing Kratos with their fangs and talons, they can cause their own bodies to start on fire and dive bomb Kratos. Wraiths - The vengeful ghosts of those who died in combat opposing Ares; utterly consumed by the rage in which they died, they now attack any living thing that comes near them. They appear as eyeless, emaciated humans with decaying flesh and bladed arms. Instead of legs, their waists terminate in clouds of black smoke from which they float. They can collapse themselves into this smoke and float around beneath the earth, exploding up from beneath Kratos' feet to attack him. Gorgons - Humanoid-sized, green, reptilian creatures with the heads, arms, and breasts of women and the bodies of snakes; instead of hair, their heads are covered by masses of writhing asps. They emit beams of energy from their eyes which can turn living things to solid  stone. Sirens - Creatures which resemble deformed women with long bangs obscuring their monstrous faces. Dressed in flowing white tunics, they float around the Desert of Lost Souls, singing songs to lure treasure hunters to them, and then killing said treasure hunters. Their death shrieks emit sonic waves which reveal and open the path to Pandora's Temple. Another group of Sirens later attacks Kratos just before Pandora's Temple, and later on inside the temple. Satyrs - Giant, anthropomorphic goats 6-7 feet tall that walk about on their hind legs. Skilled warriors, they wear heavy armor and wield giant ornate staves with large blades on either end, which they either use as axes or to attack with spinning motions. They are the most skilled enemies in the game in terms of hand-to-hand combat, and the most capable of putting up a sustained defense against Kratos' attacks. Centaurs - Servants of Hades, they only appear in the section of Pandora's Temple built to honor him, and in the pits of Hades itself. They are half human, half horse; their human half is comprised of a demonic, armored man from the head to the waist. The waist transitions into a horse's body, the human half of the Centaur taking place of the horse's head and neck. They wield swords, spears and sometimes have bows and arrows which they shoot as they circle around you. Cerberus - Giant, three-headed demonic dogs/wolves about 8-10 feet tall that breathe fire. They are the most physically powerful enemy that Kratos faces aside from Cyclops. They can also spawn infant Cerberi, which rapidly mature into Cerberus if not killed. Cerberus Seeds - Tiny, puppy-like demonic dogs that breathe fire and are capable of curling themselves into a ball, engulfing themselves in fire, and lunging at an enemy. If left alive, they rapidly mature into Cerberus. THE BOSSES Hydra - A massive multi-headed sea serpent. As the game's main narrative begins, Kratos has been assigned by Poseidon, god of the sea, to kill the beast, which has been challenging his sovereignty by destroying ships and killing sailors. Many of Hydra's heads attacked the fleet, forcing Kratos to battle them, until he found theHydra King, the central, largest head that controlled all others, which also heals the other heads. Kratos kills it by impaling it's main head on the mast of a ship; when the Hydra King dies, the smaller heads follow, bursting open in grisly fashion. The Hydra is the first boss in God of War and may be considered to be the one which started the God of War' tradition to implement epic, gigantic boss fights. Medusa - the Queen of Gorgons appears as a sub-boss early in the game. She is amongst the army of Ares which besieges Athens. Her attacks and appearance are similar to other Gorgons, but she has more health.Aphrodite considers her an abomination and requests Kratos to kill her. Kratos obeys the Goddess and rips offher head and uses it against his enemies. Pandora's Guardian - A 20 foot tall, undead minotaur wearing nearly impenetrable armor. It guards the tomb of the Architect's son in the segment of the Temple of Pandora dedicated to Hades. Judging by the fact that a ballista is present in the Guardian's chamber, it was apparently placed there as a final test to anyone who had made it that far through the temple in an attempt to claim Pandora's Box. Kratos kills it by first chipping away its chest and hand armor and helmet and then firing the ballista at it, impaling it to a door; in its death throes, the beast's hoof smashes open a sealed door, allowing Kratos to proceed. Ares - The God of War himself. He is the one who gives Kratos his power, Blades of Chaos and madness, and the one responsible for the death of Kratos' family. He appears as a giant, massive human with flaming hair, wearing dark red armor. When Kratos claims Pandora's Box and takes all its power into himself, he becomes nearly the same size and capacity as his nemesis, and the final battle ensues. In one-on-one battle, Ares summons six sword-like tentacles out of his back. During their battle, Ares trapped Kratos in an illusion which required Kratos to battle his Doppelgängers, having to prevent them from killing his family again. Although Kratos did succeed in killing the Doppelgängers, Ares made the Blades of Chaos redo the killing of Calliopeand Lysandra. Kratos defeated Ares using Blade of the Gods, and then impaled him, causing him to explode.