Winner: God of War II
Sony | PS2

Kratos' latest monster-stomping, mass-murdering adventure built on the epic scope, storytelling and visual prowess of its predecessor, but other than a few new powers and a Pegasus level, what did it really bring to the table that was new, gameplay-wise? Nothing, and that's just the way we liked it. God of War II essentially perfected what was already an outstanding gameplay formula, giving us exactly what we wanted out of a sequel while not tampering too much with what worked. The hack-and-slash was brutally satisfying, the puzzles were just as diabolical (but not unreasonably so), the Simon Says button-press sequences were tighter and the sense of scale was huge.

Normally, we like to harp on about the need for innovation and novelty in games, but sometimes the same thing can be a good thing. And God of War II is an excellent example. It gave us (a lot) more of what worked the first time around, and we loved every second of it.

Honorable mention: GRAW 2
Ubisoft | 360, PS3, PC

Released just one year after the original, GRAW 2 is hardly a proper sequel. But with the graphics, plot, AI and multiplayer enhanced to a surprising degree, this quasi-expansion pack is completely worthy of its full game price.