It couldn't have been easy for Irvin Kershner to assume the director's chair on "The Empire Strikes Back" after the success and acclaim for George Lucas' "Star Wars," but the result was what is universally regarded as the best movie in the series. Similarly, God of War game director David Jaffe is in more ways than one a tough act to follow (just look at the responses online to the outspoken Jaffe's recent statements on Geoff Keighley's show "Bonus Round"), and after Jaffe declared that he was passing the torch, many wondered whether the unproven Barlog could fill his shoes. But once the phenomenal reviews for God of War II started pouring in, all doubts evaporated as it became evident that the franchise had been placed in good hands.

Barlog, a former visual effects artist, worked on such colon-sporting titles as Backyard Wrestling: Don't Try This at Home and X-Men: Next Dimension before joining Sony's Santa Monica studio as the lead animator on the original God of War. During those rare moments when he's not working on God of War PSP and God of War III, Barlog maintains a blog of his own, where he's been known to touch off a controversy or two himself. Our inaugural installment of Team Assault kicks off today with Part I of our two-part email interview with Barlog, where he discusses how he graduated from lead animator to game director; why he, unlike Jaffe, hasn't lost his love for making epic games; and whether the original game may have had stronger emotional hooks than the sequel.

How did you go from being the lead animator on God of War to director of God of War II?

To be perfectly frank, I have no idea. When I came onto the original God of War, I was actually planning on taking it easy. I liked the game, but I was so used to working way too much on really terrible games that I was not motivated to push myself really hard anymore. I had reached a point where I wanted to have a life, since it seemed I could not catch a break and make a good game. So I decided that when I came to Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA), I would work normal hours and just have fun. If the game turned out good, well then that was a bonus. That lasted all of a day or so...then I got my hands on the Kratos model. I stayed all night working on a series of animations for how Kratos would attack with the Blades of Chaos and I was in heaven. I loved the character and my mind was just racing with all the crazy things we could do. For the first time in a long time, I felt "This could be something really cool. Something I won't be embarrassed to tell people about." From that moment on I worked like crazy and put everything I had into the game. I think that my tenacity and passion for making the game the best that it could be got the attention of those above me. Plus I was using the Jedi mind trick on Dave [Jaffe] every day--"These are not the droids you are looking for. Move along"--so I am sure that didn't hurt either.

After we finished the original God of War, producer Shannon Studstill came to me and asked how I would feel about directing the next game. To be honest, I thought she was kidding. The thought had never really crossed my mind. I took a day to think about it, but that was mostly to not make it look like I was too eager. You know, play it cool. The next day I said I was interested and few weeks later I was writing up story ideas and gameplay outlines. The rest, as they say, is history.

David Jaffe told me last year that he now prefers to make smaller games that are not story-based, or as he so colorfully put it, he'd rather make pop songs than operas. But you're now creatively in charge of the entire franchise, with at least one opera on deck in God of War PSP and presumably one for PS3. Why are you still drawn to making epic story-based games?

I think it is because I love a good story. When it comes to games, both playing and making, that is what really gets me excited. I love to tell stories and to take people on a journey. I hope that I can suspend their disbelief and keep them so engaged with the game that they lose track of time. That is what so many great games and great movies have done for me.

As a kid I would get lost in great stories, escaping the mundane existence of growing up in a town famous for being in Trivial Pursuit as "the town with the most churches per square block." I watched way too many movies (and still do) and read far too much fantasy and science fiction during math class (which explains why I am not a programmer.) To me there is nothing better than being sucked in by a great story or great experience. Well, nothing better from an entertainment perspective, that is.

Don't get me wrong making these games is freaking hard work, and it can drain every ounce of life you have in you to make the 2-3 year haul, but it is worth it. It sounds weird to me to say this, but right now I am doing exactly what I want to be doing. How many people can say that? Until I started working on the original God of War, I absolutely couldn't say that. I was actually thinking about getting out of games at the time. Not sure what I was going to do, maybe become an archaeologist or something like that. But then I would more than likely be slapped in the face by the cold hard reality that I wouldn't get to carry a gun, or a whip, or fight bad guys that wear eye patches and expensive suits. So I would probably just end up coming back to games or making movies.

The first story was ultimately revealed to be a tragedy; that Kratos had accidentally killed his wife and son while in an Ares-induced berserker rage. After the opening chapter of the sequel, it's revealed to be a quest for vengeance against an even more powerful god than Ares, Zeus. Were you concerned about going into development with a story that doesn't have quite the emotional power of the original?

He is still haunted by his past, but I wanted to show that there were more characters out there pulling the strings. I wanted to show the deception and pettiness of the Gods that is so prevalent in the mythology, as well as open the story up to reveal Kratos' importance to the entire mythological world. I knew that I did not want to make this story about his wife and child. I wrote a few drafts that included the daughter and more reflection on the nightmares of his past but none of them allowed me to set up the larger story without feeling out of place. Plus I didn't think Kratos where he was ready for absolution. I think the tough part about writing this story is that killing your wife and child, and wearing their ashes like some sort of mythological "Scarlet Letter" is such an incredibly powerful moment that it really is hard to top. (I know that sounds strange, but I am speaking from the dramatic perspective.) So I decided that I wasn't going to set out to top it, instead I was going to tell the story as it needed to be told. The way I would tell it.

I loved that the Great War between the Titans and the Gods paralleled World War I so much, and I wanted to explore that "what if" concept. Like what if the Titans had a second shot at the title? Would they win? Would they rule justly as implied by the mythology when it is said their rule was "a golden age of peace and prosperity." Or would they be just as corrupt and petty as the Gods were? Knowing how Kratos fit into this world I wanted to explore the idea of the role that one man could have in changing the entire landscape mythological world.

It breaks down like this--but beware--there are major spoilers for both games ahead.

First, I didn't think that Kratos was ready to get over the death of his wife and child, nor did I think he would deal with this loss in a normal fashion. In the original God of War, Athena promised to rid Kratos of his visions only to renege at the last minute and deny him that which he so longed for. So he feels he is left with no other choice but to take his own life, believing that is his only escape. But he is denied again and asked to serve as the God of War, which would probably be a great honor to anyone but Kratos. Think of Charlie Brown--it's like every time he goes to kick the ball, Athena pulls it away at the last second. He is numb, and the only solace he can find lies in what he knows best: battle.

Moving into God of War II, Kratos is trying to find something to replace what he has lost, not just his family but his humanity. He attempts to find this with his Spartan brothers, the warriors he commanded before his life went to hell. With his newly acquired power he leads the Spartans on a rampage through all of Greece, running away from his past. Now I am not sure I did all that good of a job setting this connection up, because later in the game when Kratos discovers that he has killed the last of the Spartans--in effect the last of this somewhat dysfunctional surrogate family--he experiences that feeling of loss he's been running away from all over again. I will admit the bond with the Spartans is not as inherently strong as the bond with his wife and child, mostly because I did not include enough establishment of this relationship to make it strong. But I do think it is pretty good.

You now have Zeus, who fears that Kratos will attempt to overthrow him just as he overthrew his father, so he not only sets out to kill Kratos but goes all the way to Sparta and mercilessly wipes out every Spartan but one. This Spartan is forced to set out in search of the Sisters of Fate in order to change the fate of his people, to undo what Zeus has done. Kratos has been a puppet of the Gods his entire life and now once again they have placed him in a situation where he has killed someone close to him. To add insult to injury, it is the last member of the only family he has left. So now Kratos is out to kill Zeus not only because he was stripped of his powers and left for dead, but also to avenge, or even prevent the demise of his Spartan brothers. To me that is a powerful moment, but perhaps it could have been better told in order to more clearly drive that point home.

All of this leads to a final confrontation with the most powerful deity in the pantheon of Gods who also happens to be Kratos' father. (A moment that is somewhat watered down due to those damned bonus movies from the first God of War.) This also leads to another decision I made that has some a little despondent: the fact that Zeus does not die at the hands of Kratos at the end of the game. I still feel that keeping him alive--much like Vader not dying at the end of "Star Wars" or "The Empire Strikes Back"--is a very good decision. It keeps with that theme of the finish line getting moved each time Kratos thinks he has reached the end of his journey. Plus they have far too much unfinished business to just end it there. There is a bigger story to be told, one that will hopefully be finished if we get to do another God of War....

I honestly have no idea if I answered your question with all of that. It seems this answer has kind of turned into a story post-mortem for me. Hopefully you will get as much out of it as I have.

Next: The Cory Barlog-Fumito Ueda Mutual Admiration Society, revealed.