god of war collection |

Publisher: SCEA

Developer: Blueprint Games

Release Date: 11/17/2009

Available On

What happens when you put two of the best action-adventure games created on one disc? Ultimate satisfaction. Both God of Wars have been updated in widescreen format with slightly polished visuals for HD display and running at a lightning-fast 60 FPS. If you bought the game new, you will have received a code to download the God of War III demo, but as of now, this code is useless since the demo is now on PSN and the game is due out in just over a week. Other than that, nothing else has changed for the PS3 except trophies, which were the main drive for me to purchase these games all over again. So here is a separate review for each game.

God of War

Being released in 2004, it does feel a bit old. There are more flaws in this game than in the first, but let’s start with the good things. Apart from revolutionizing games and the action-adventure genre single-handedly, the game is amazing and epic. The game is full of huge towering bosses, waves, and waves of enemies, a deep, dark story full of Greek mythology, a fluid, almost perfect combat system, and boobs. Yes, that’s right, boobs. At the time of release, I had never seen a game with so much nudity before, but it shouldn’t really shock gamers as much these days. The game also has some very intricate puzzles that end up being whole levels that you have to solve, such as Pandora’s Temple. The combat system is pretty fast and fluid on its own.

With Kratos whipping his Blades of Chaos around, you feel like you have complete control over him. Another combat element that revolutionized games was quick-time events. After weakening an enemy enough, you press the corresponding button (usually a circle) over them, and a series of buttons flash on-screen. If you don’t press it on time, the enemy knocks you down, and you have to start over. Of course, you can just kill them normally if this gets dull for you. The best QTEs, however, are during boss fights. It just feels awesome to plow a mast through a 200-foot-tall Hydra. Now you do need to realize that there is magic here as well. You get four different powers throughout the game, such as Medusa’s Gaze (freeze enemies), Poseidon’s Rage (shock), and Hade’s Army (souls that continuously attack enemies). These, plus your weapons, can be upgraded by collecting red experience orbs. As you upgrade all your items, you get new moves and increased power. If you’re asking about your health and magic, you can collect Phoenix feathers and Gorgon eyes for magic and health, respectively. These are all found in hidden chests throughout the game, so keep an eye out.

The camera is fixed, so it frees up the right analog stick for dodging moves. The camera does a perfect job of following the action without any problems. Sometimes you can scale up walls and even fight there or on ropes. Combat is pretty much anywhere Kratos goes, and this keeps things mixed up. The level’s traps and puzzles are very well designed and require you to really think or be on your toes.

The story is very deep and memorable. We see Kratos as a fallen Spartan leader who gives his life to Ares if he slays the barbarian leader who is about to behead him. Ares makes Kratos his servant for eternity, but Kratos becomes a raging killer who kills the wrong people. He becomes set on a path to free the nightmares from his mind and kill Ares in the process.

If I were to nitpick about what’s bad about the game, it’s that the game looks kind of dated from today. The textures are a bit low-res and blurry, and there are some collision detection problems when jumping around. The game is also extremely difficult to play, even in the normal setting, so God Mode becomes virtually impossible. The game has a decent length of about 8–10 hours, but other than that, the game is great for the first outing. If you finish up the game, you get to unlock hidden costumes, Challenge of the Gods, and some other hidden treasures.

God of War II

If you think the first game was epic, wait until now. With visuals that surpass the first game twofold and even more huge epic bosses, God of War II became the best game to ever grace the PS2. The story follows just after the events of God of War. Kratos is still sent on a warpath to avenge his nightmares and kill Zeus for killing and betraying him. He must find the Sisters of Fate, turn back time to the moment Zeus betrayed him, and kill him.

The combat system is slightly upgraded but pretty much the same. It feels a bit more fluid, and we even get some more moves. The controls are a bit more refined, and we get new powers. We get some new secondary weapons, such as a hammer and staff, that can be upgraded. The puzzles aren’t as hard as in the first game, but there are a lot more of them this time around. The game also seems to be a bit harder, with even tougher enemies. We get a new grapple hook for swinging around, so this adds a lot to the gameplay. The game also feels more fluid and has a lot more epic moments than the first game, but most of these come towards the end of the game.

While God of War II is pretty much like the first, all the new content makes it an epic and thrilling sequel. The only issues with the game are that it looks a bit dated, and the game can be very tough at times as well. The game is about the same length as the first, but the game obviously feels and plays five times better than the first game. There are plenty of extras, as well as a full-length version of the section on the disc for God of War II.

So if you think all this sounds good, you can now pick up the game brand new for $30. $15 apiece for two of the best games ever made is a great bargain to me. With a separate set of trophies for each game, HD resolution, and faster FPS, this is a huge package that is exploding with awesomeness. God of War Collection is probably one of the best deals to grace consoles since The Orange Box, so don’t hesitate; every PS3 owner has to have this collection or you aren’t a true gamer.