HD God of War I & II due this holiday

Even though its new $299 slim model has drawn praise from cash-strapped consumers, the PlayStation 3's lack of backward compatibility remains a contentious issue. Today, though, Sony announced that two of the most popular PlayStation 2 games will be playable on its younger sibling, courtesy of a Blu-ray rerelease of God of War and God of War II.

Due this holiday for $39.99, the God of War Collection will feature both fantasy-action titles, which were developed at Sony's Santa Monica studio. The games' critically praised graphics will receive a high-definition upgrade, running in anti-aliased 1280x720 resolution at 60 frames per second. The remastering is being handled by Bluepoint Games, the Austin, Texas-based developer behind Blast Factor, and will add PlayStation Network Trophies to both games.

(Warning: Reviews below contain spoilers.)

Released in 2005 to stellar reviews, God of War tells the tale of Kratos, a rugged Spartan with a grudge the size of Mount Olympus against Ares, the titular god of war. To take down the renegade deity, players must kill all manner of foes out of the Greek mythological pantheon, including minotaurs, cyclopes, and harpies. The 2007 sequel, which received similar critical hosannas, saw more supernatural slaughter, with Kratos taking on Zeus and other deities from Mount Olympus.

God of War and God of War II were followed by the PSP prequel God of War: Chains of Olympus in 2008. God of War III is set for release in March 2010 and was a central draw at Sony's E3 2009 press briefing in June.