God of War is rated M for "mature," and in this case the rating is genuinely warranted. Kratos' kills aren't any bloodier than in similar games—it's more a matter of how the killing is done. His special attack for stabbing the Minotaur, for example, puts the creature flat on its back while Kratos slowly pushes his blades into the beast's open mouth. God of War doesn't just get the M for violence—it also throws in some random titillation, such as Gorgons (including Medusa) with double-D boobs on display as Kratos wrestles them to the ground for gory decapitation. Sex and violence for their own sake could be funny in a dark-humor way, but instead the extremes in God of War just feel like a cheesy ploy to get attention.

Stabbing Minotaurs through the mouth, for example, grows tedious after the 50th repeat of the same trick. (It becomes a case of classic button-mashing.) True, there's more than one way to skin a Minotaur, and Kratos' basic attacks can take care of just about any beast. But the game still is significantly flawed because of its repetitive nature, and not just in combat.

God of War requires players to backtrack through large parts of the maps (to find a key, for example). New baddies are spawned to fight since the last go-round, and it can be fun to repeat sections, especially if players save the chests filled with life- and power-ups. But mostly it has the "why am I doing this again?" vibe. On a few occasions, players may find hidden chests they didn't notice the first time, but by and large this part of the game's design makes much of the game feel like a rerun.

In a year when many big games are familiar sequels, the makers of God of War at least deserve credit for trying something new. If there's a God of War 2, though, they would be better off focusing on gameplay that's a little less repetitive.