God of War 2: Bosoms and Brutality

With the release of God of War 2 this weekend, the age old (well, getting ages old) debate about violence and now sex in video games has managed to rear its head. The beginning of the discussion can be found on several major gaming forums, where veterans and those new to the series gather to discuss and help those stuck somewhere along in the game. Amidst threads about puzzles, obscure glitches and speculation about the inevitable third title (not counting the PSP title that is slated to be released), are a few threads devoted to the excessive violence and nudity in the game. Both issues were originally brought up the first time around as it was the first time many gamers saw breasts blatantly displayed in a video game. God of War is rated Mature (17+) as is its sequel.

The original God of War featured a minigame in which the main character Kratos participates in in a threesome for red orbs. This minigame returns in God of War 2 and if the player chooses to play the game enough times one of the women says "I don't be degraded at all" which is clearly a jab at the controversy the game caused initially. Nevertheless, this combined with other nudity has began to garner attention once again. Several female characters in the game have their breasts exposed, much of which can be attributed to the era or the mythology.

By watching the making of either game or watching developers discuss the concept of the game will answer the question as to why there had to be some of the nudity that is included. Clothing and ideology was not as conservative as it is now, which is shown by the sheer tops and robes that may only cover half of the torso. Many have complained that this is blatantly sexual and is meant to entice male gamers, but on the other hand most players won't have the time to sit and stare at one bare breast while the character is attempting to destroy them.