The God of War series began with the first game on the PlayStation 2 in 2005. It was then followed by God of War 2 in 2007 and now the series faces its dramatic closer, God of War 3 in March of 2010. With the third installment coming out soon Sony has decided to re-release the first two games as a Blu-ray combo pack with a God of War 3 demo voucher. For those that have already played the first two iterations, you will know that both games pushed the envelope in terms of scale, story, graphics, and game play for a PlayStation title. But for those that haven’t had the chance, let’s do a little recap.
God of War features a Spartan warrior by the name of Kratos bent on seeking the death of an Olympian, Ares, who he claims has betrayed him. Throughout the story you see that Kratos is not your super-duper heroic buff guy but has all of the fallibilities that all humans have. Kratos is tasked with killing Ares to have his request granted by the gods which is the driving factor of the entire game, freeing himself from endless torment.
The second game has Kratos going in the opposite direction and trying to end the gods and all they stand for. Both games are story driven and heavy in the character development department which makes playing the series an amazing experience. The games also are heralded by their sheer size in terms of set pieces and intricacies. Puzzles, traps, and secrets are abound as you progress and keep you on your toes. If you aren’t solving puzzles you are battling your way through enemies to the next ability or power that will help you in your quest. These battles consist of everything from simple minion battles to large scale Quick Time Event oriented boss battles, all of which are tied into your progression. Even though the God of War games are on a single linear path there is a lot to search for, do, and explore while within a certain area.
Now, both of these games have become major hits with the PlayStation 2 community and when backwards compatibility on the PS3 was removed many fans were heartbroken. Well, Sony has done an excellent job in letting those fans without BC PS3s enjoy the glorious, and violent, moments of their favorite Spartan. The God of War Collection includes both games on one disc which is extremely convenient. From the menu screen you choose the game you wish to play or to watch the bonus features that were included on the second disc of God of War 2. The games have both undergone major facelifts and that is pretty much it. With game play that is both fluid and brilliant the updaters, Bluepoint, did not want to touch any of the game’s aspects besides HD capabilities.
With the HD upgrade screen tearing no longer exists and the game runs at a silky 60 frames per second. Kratos’ movements seem to control slightly better and the environments don’t have the edges one would expect to see on an HD screen. However, the in-game movies, those pre-rendered and rendered using the game engine, were not touched. While the CG videos don’t look bad the in-game graphics of the PS2 era are harsh to look at after playing in HD. The jump from HD to non-HD may have one do a double take it is easy to get used to. Coming from a game that pushed the PS2 to its very limits God of War 2 still holds its own with current day titles.
For those that have not experienced the God of War story and epic journey, this is your time to do it. At a price point of $40 getting both games in revamped high definition is certainly worth the cash. Complete with two trophy set lists, upgraded visuals, and the demo voucher for the third and final game the God of War Collection is one definitely worth picking up.