5. God of War - PS2

If you told me a few years back that one of the best action games of all time would come from the dude who created Twisted Metal, I would have thought that was about as likely as Sony flubbing the launch of their next console. Luckily no one asked me, so not only did I avoid potential egg on my face, I got to play one of the most thoroughly engaging games of all time. God of War came seemingly out of nowhere in the Spring of 2005, making a huge splash and changing what people thought about the current state of video games. Taking graphics on the PS2 beyond what was thought capable, delivering a control scheme so intuitive players wondered how they were ever able to play third person action before, God of War is easily one of the high points of the entire life of the Playstation 2.

The game puts players in the shoes of Kratos, a fictional Spartan hero with a vendetta against Ares, the Greek God of War. Armed with a sword and blade/whip/chain things attached to your hands (ps – these are awesome), Kratos sets off to kill a bunch of dudes and solve a bunch of puzzles, all to get a chance to battle Ares mano a God. The simple but well presented story of a warrior in Ancient Sparta provides a wonderful backdrop for action, as an assortment of human and mythological creatures alike are ready to be felled by your blades. Gameplay is fast and well balanced, generally alternating between intense battle sequences and challenging, but fulfilling puzzle sequences. The game is a solid length, running about 12-15 hours, and never moves too fast or too slow. Combine this with a stellar soundtrack and easily the best graphics to grace the PS2, and you’ve got one of the most complete gameplay worlds and experiences ever created.

A running theme through many of the games on this list has been the importance of controls, as I have given major points to games on this list with controls that are effective and intuitive. Maybe more than any other game on this list, God of War just feels right. Action games can often get complicated in the execution of combos and difficult jumps/maneuvers, but in this instance the controls never get in the way of the game. If a puzzle or battle is challenging, it is by design, not because you’re trying to work around a half-assed control setup. This is particularly evident during the games’ stellar boss battles, though while infrequent, rank among the most memorable of all time.

God of War earns a spot so high on this list because it truly is more than the sum of its parts. Third person 3d action games are a dime a dozen, so when one rises so far above the tide it deserves special attention. This game is about as close to perfect as games ever get.