I feel bad for arguing with David Jaff in my post a few weeks ago, not because I thought he was right, but because I actually think he's a damn good game designer. His work had advanced action games worldwide, so much so that the phrase "God of War style" is now common usage across the Web.

Concepts pioneered in God of War are now in a huge number of games and are employed with varying degrees of success. What are the three most popular features that developers have ripped off?

Hit the jump to find out....

Brute Force Combat

Kratos is a formidable opponent. His constant scowl, menacing growl, and frankly terrifying baldness create a character that could easily make anyone want to commit suicide rather than face him in battle.

This terror created by his character design is emphasized by God of War's gameplay, which pits you against dozens of enemies at a time without breaking a sweat.

A major part of what makes the game so fun is this power that you posses. It's rare to see an enemy that you fear to take on, and in normal combat this confidence is well placed, with your Blades of Chaos simply slicing through wave after wave of enemy.

A much more subtle sign of Kratos's power, however, is the way in which he interacts with the most mundane of objects. You don't open health-refueling boxes with a single button press like in most other games before it; the player must mash a button repeatedly to get at their contents.

You often open doors in a similar fashion, and who can forget the scene around halfway through the first game where Kratos rips the skull off a dead body to use as a key.

This interaction doesn't just add a little more interactivity to some of the most traditionally banal aspects of action games, but it also develops the protagonist's character by emphasizing the sheer power he possesses.

Also seen in: Too many games to count -- but a couple that come to mind are Tomb Raider: Underworld for its smashing vases for collectables and, more recently, Batman: Arkham Asylum for its smashing open grate covers.

Defining the Hack-n- Slash

Though clearly God of War is nowhere near the original hack-n-slash game, it nevertheless created the template that a huge number of games in the genre now adhere to, which needless to say makes writing this article a whole lot easier.

How many games have you played involve the use of a long-range melee weapon akin to the Blades of Chaos? Heavenly Sword blatantly ripped this feature off, but countless others have done a similar thing.

How many games use the now standard "heavy" and "light" attacks seen prominently in God of War? How many of these games even map them to the same buttons? How many -- yeah, you get the picture.


I'm not trying to say that God of War invented any one of these things, simply that it did them so well, creating such a solid system of combat that it made sense for other games to use something similar. It's gotten to a point where -- as previously mentioned -- a "God of War-style" game means you can be pretty certain it'll control in this way (quality, of course, is the wild card).

Also seen in: Dante's Inferno, the aforementioned Heavenly Sword, and certain aspects of Brütal Legend.

Cinematic Gameplay

Here we have the most dividing influence God of War brought to prominence, but it's worth noting that quick-time events isn't what made God of War such a cinematic experience.

The oft-overlooked uncontrollable camera employed by the game not only allows for the right analog stick to be used for dodging but also allows for the creation of some amazing camera angles, giving the game the cinematic quality it's so lauded for.

But it's the quick-time events that God of War's known for, because it's one of the only games to do them well. Zero Punctuation's Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw says quick-time events in most games hardly ever amount to more than a "Push X to not die" button prompt appearing onscreen, which is hardly very interactive, and never much fun.

Whereas most of its imitators throw button prompts at you without any warning, often leading to a quick reload of your last save, God of War makes sure that you always know when such an event is approaching. It makes sure you're the one who initiates it, usually by pressing the circle button by a stunned enemy, so you're never on the back foot and able to actually enjoy the cinematic animation as it plays out in front of you.

The backlash created by the overuse of quick-time events means that it's unlikely that you'll find them in many of this holiday's releases, which is certainly a shame because when used in moderation -- and above all, when done well -- they can make the ends of boss fights all the more satisfying.

Also seen in: Uncharted: Among Thieves, X-Men Wolverine: Origins, The Bourne Conspiracy, and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed.

Are there any other games that have spawned so many imitators in recent times?