God of War II vs God of War III
God of War II is an action-adventure game from Santa Monica Studio (2007) while God of War III is an action-adventure game from Santa Monica Studio (2010).
Quick answer: God of War II has the higher Metacritic, 93 to 92.
God of War II
God of War III
What each one is
God of War II is filed under Action-Adventure. In contrast, God of War III under Action-Adventure.
God of War II is a 2007 action-adventure game developed by Santa Monica Studio and published by Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE). First released for the PlayStation 2 on March 13, 2007, the game is the second installment in the God of War series, the seventh chronologically, and the sequel to 2005's God of War. It is based on Greek mythology and set in ancient Greece, with vengeance as its central motif. The player character is protagonist Kratos, the new God of War who killed the former, Ares. Kratos is betrayed by Zeus, the King of the Olympian gods, who strips him of his godhood and kills him. Slowly dragged to the Underworld, he is saved by the Titan Gaia, who instructs him to find the Sisters of Fate, as they can allow him to travel back in time, avert his betrayal, and take revenge on Zeus.
God of War III is a 2010 action-adventure game developed by Santa Monica Studio and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. First released for the PlayStation 3 on March 16, 2010, it is the fifth installment in the God of War series, the eighth chronologically, the sequel to 2007's God of War II, and the first mainline title to be produced without the involvement of series creator David Jaffe. Loosely based on Greek mythology, the game is set in ancient Greece with vengeance as its central motif. The player controls the protagonist Kratos, the former God of War, after his betrayal at the hands of Zeus, King of the Olympian gods, whom he learned was his father. Reigniting the Great War, Kratos ascends Mount Olympus until he is abandoned by the Titan Gaia. Guided by Athena's spirit, Kratos battles monsters, gods, and Titans in a search for Pandora, without whom he cannot open Pandora's Box, defeat Zeus, and end the reign of the Olympian gods to have his revenge.
Story, characters and reception
Plot
Setting As with its predecessor , God of War II is set in an alternate version of ancient Greece , populated by the Olympian gods , Titans , heroes , and other beings of Greek mythology. With the exception of flashbacks , the events are set between those of the games Betrayal (2007) and God of War III (2010). Several locations are explored, including a real-world setting in the ancient city of Rhodes , and several fictional locations, including a brief… (Wikipedia)
Characters
Main article: Characters of God of War The protagonist of the game is Kratos (voiced by Terrence C. Carson ), a Spartan warrior who became the God of War after killing the former, Ares . Other characters include Athena ( Carole Ruggier ), the Goddess of Wisdom; Zeus ( Corey Burton ), the King of the Gods and the main antagonist; several Titans—including Gaia ( Linda Hunt ), Atlas ( Michael Clarke Duncan ), Prometheus ( Alan Oppenheimer ), Typhon ( Fred… (Wikipedia)
Reception
Reception God of War II received "universal acclaim" from critics, according to review aggregator website Metacritic . The game is regarded as one of the best PlayStation 2 and action games of all time. It has been praised for its story and improvements over its predecessor, such as gameplay and graphics. (Wikipedia)
Plot
Setting As with previous games, God of War III is set in an alternate version of ancient Greece populated by Olympian gods , Titans , heroes , and other characters from Greek mythology. The events of the game are set between 2007's God of War II and 2018's God of War . The game is set across several locations on Mount Olympus , including the Tomb of Ares , the ancient city of Olympia , the Path of Eos , the Labyrinth , several areas of the Palace of the… (Wikipedia)
Characters
Main article: Characters of God of War Kratos (voiced by Terrence C. Carson ), the protagonist of the game, is a Spartan demigod warrior who became the God of War after killing Ares and seeks revenge on Zeus for his betrayal. Other characters include Greek gods such as Athena ( Erin Torpey ), the Goddess of Wisdom and Kratos' mentor and ally; Zeus ( Corey Burton ), King of the Gods, Kratos' father and the primary antagonist; Poseidon ( Gideon Emery ),… (Wikipedia)
Reception
Reception God of War III received "universal acclaim" according to review aggregator website Metacritic , Adam Sessler of X-Play said that the game "finishes the trilogy on an exceptionally high note", and it "blends all of its best attributes into a stellar experience. " IGN s Chris Roper said that God of War III "practically redefines" scale in video games, singling out the size of the Titans as being "larger than entire levels in other games". Mike… (Wikipedia)
At a glance
| God of War II | God of War III | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | — | — |
| Steam rating | — | — |
| Critic aggregate | 93/100 | 92/100 |
| Price | Unknown | Unknown |
| Install size | — | — |
| Steam Deck | Untested | Untested |
| Released | 2007 | 2010 |
| Developer | Santa Monica Studio | Santa Monica Studio |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
God of War II vs God of War III, point by point
Each facet side by side. A round is marked won only where a figure settles it; feel and "which is better" carry no mark, because no number we hold decides them.
Genre and premise
God of War IIAction-adventure gameGod of War IIIAction-adventure gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
God of War IINo descriptive tagsGod of War IIINo descriptive tagsThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
God of War II ✓Metacritic 93God of War IIIMetacritic 92Metacritic's critic aggregate, from the game's Wikipedia reception where it was never on Steam.
Price
God of War IIUnknownGod of War IIIUnknownRead live from Steam and subject to change.
God of War II takes 1 of the marked rounds to 0. That is only what a number can decide, not which you will enjoy more.
Which to pick, by what you want
- The better reviewed of the two: God of War II (Metacritic 93)
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, God of War II is middle-of-the-road on difficulty. God of War III is middle-of-the-road on difficulty.
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Common questions
How different are God of War II and God of War III in scope?
God of War II lists little scope data. God of War III lists little scope data.
Is God of War II or God of War III better?
Neither carries enough reviews for us to score it reliably, so we do not call a winner. The table above shows what each does have.
Which is cheaper, God of War II or God of War III?
One or both do not have a current listed price, so a straight comparison is not possible. See the table above.
Should I get God of War II or God of War III?
God of War II has the higher Metacritic, 93 to 92. It also depends on what you want: the "which to pick" section above calls out which is cheaper, lighter on storage, better on a Steam Deck and the safer bet by weight of reviews.
Do you rank one above the other for a fee?
No. Neither game, nor anyone else, pays for placement or a verdict here. The order and every figure come out of the same public data the rest of the site uses.
Related comparisons
All comparisonsHow we compare, and what we will not do
The GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment (adjusted for sample size), the critic aggregate and popularity, computed by the same code every ranked list on this site uses. The Steam rating label is Valve's own, reconstructed from the positive percentage and review count. Prices are read live. We do not write an opinion of which game is "better": we report the numbers and say which wins each measurable question above.