God of War Collection Final Impressions
By
Tom Mc Shea, Editor
God of War is just as awesome as you remember it, and even better looking.
The word "epic" gets thrown around a lot these days, but there are very few games whose scale is so large and imposing that even the simple act of climbing a set of stairs feels like a momentous experience. God of War is able to turn this mundane chore into something that feels significant--a pivotal moment in your quest to destroy an all-powerful deity--though it's little more than a quick buildup before you get to the real action. Have you never had the pleasure of climbing a staircase carved into the brittle stone of a spiraling rock face? Or have you always wondered how it would feel to make those bold steps in snazzy high definition? God of War Collection turns such fantasies into a full-fledged reality. God of War and God of War II are both included in this budget-priced disc (just $39.99 for two classic games), and though there are few updates aside from the visuals, the epic stair climbing and the blood-gushing combat easily stand up to modern releases.
Of course, the games are still deliciously violent, but you may be wondering if ripping off the three heads of Cerberus one at a time looks as vicious as it did when these games were first released. Have your puke bib handy, because the copious amounts of blood and gore have been painstakingly updated, making them seemingly splash right off the screen in high definition. If you thought it was nasty to see a giant bird eat the savory insides of Prometheus before, then just wait until you see his juicy vital organs gobbled up in exquisite detail.
God of War Collection retains the gross factor and epic scale that helped make the original games so memorable, but this remake doesn't look nearly as good as the best modern releases. Kratos and his enemies are sharp and detailed, but the environmental features are uneven. You can still see miles into the distance in some levels, but the foliage up close is way too pixelated, and the floors look downright bland. The most troubling visual problems crop up during cutscenes, though. Kratos has made the transition to HD intact, but the supporting characters are blurry with lots of jagged edges. The scripted cutscenes have not been updated at all, and the transition between the fancy HD visuals from the main quest and the blurry visuals in these scenes is jarring. These small problems certainly won't destroy your blade-chopping fun, but they do make it obvious that these games were originally created for the PlayStation 2.
Aside from the updated visuals, the biggest addition in God of War Collection is a complete set of trophies to go after in each game. This is an expected feature for PlayStation 3 games now, but that doesn't make it any less fun to go after some of the challenges. For instance, if you can somehow make it to the top of that treacherous spiked column in the depths of Hades without taking any damage, you get a solid gold trophy as a reward. And this may be the first game in which you receive a tangible reward for performing well in bed. There's one for the history books!
Updated visuals and fancy new trophies may be worthwhile bonuses, but those features are for naught if the original action doesn't hold up. That is thankfully not the case in God of War Collection. These two games are both an absolute blast and are still among the best in the genre. The focus of both games is on the vicious combat, but the layers surrounding your bloodlust are what make these games so incredible even years after their first release. The well-crafted, vengeance-fueled story is easy to get sucked into; logical puzzles are a welcome change of pace from the chaotic action; the symphonic score makes your powerful actions carry even more weight; and the beautiful artistic design brings these demon-filled temples to life. These are both outstanding games that are every bit as fun and rewarding as they were when they first came out.
God of War Collection is an awesome update for people eagerly awaiting God of War III's release early next year. These two games have easily stood the test of time, and the updated visuals make it a pleasure to relive Kratos' blood-soaked vengeance on an HD TV. The graphical problems are so slight that they are but a tiny blemish on God of War's otherwise pristine facade. If you have yet to experience Kratos' tale, then God of War Collection is a must-play rerelease. And even if you've already slain a minotaur and ripped out the eye of a cyclops, God of War is worth going back to once more.
By
Tom Mc Shea, Editor
Tom Mc Shea loves platformers and weighty moral decisions. Some call him a T-Rex with bigger arms, some call him a gorilla with smaller arms -- you can just call him the jerk who hates all the things you love and loves all the things you hate.
210 comments
waiting for god of war 3 http://profiles.us.playstation.com/playstation/psn/visit/profiles/creamygel.png
This is a must have and you would be crazy not to run out and buy GOW Collection. Two of the best PS2 games released look good, the framerates have been vastly increased, and there's some pretty good trophies (some of which are pretty tough).
drdoris..i totally agree.. y can't these 'fanboys' just grow up n enjoy the games instead of crapping their a** out about which console is better...
For fecks sake, why must people argue about which is the better toy, the 360 or the PS3? I simply fail to understand it AT ALL. If a person cares about that sort of thing they are a keen video game player, in which case they, like all people who think such things are important, would have a 360, ps3, wii, and decent PC anyway. So why go on and on about it? It's beyond me.
The cutscenes are horrible only on GOW 1, on GOW 2 they look far better. But it looks rly good, I'm just beggining Gow2 and never played it before. Awesome game
The hi-def quality of the gameplay is superb, but most of the cut scenes look fuzzy and/or distorted. This is my only complaint. I never played God of War on the PS2, so I'm not certain if it was a transfer problem or if they looked like that on the originals as well.
These were must have games on the PS2 and now in high-def on the PS3 definitely worth having again and do those combos again and again and again. Can never gt tired of such a great series
This is a great game and two for one at a very reduced price. If you do not have it, you will miss one awesome game.
@ CaptPellean Ps3 doesn't have terrible online gameplay. it competes with the 360 and its free.
My ideal revamps would be for Metal Gear Solid 1-3 , Silent Hill 1-4 (as if), Kingdom Hearts 1+2 , Final Fantasy X+X2 and Devil may Cry 1-3.
wow, this is still under review, hmm, ive played it and its really quite phenomenal, its a definite must have for those who have a PS3 and are fans of God of War. OR for those who purposely bought a PS3 just cause of God of war 3. its just so damn epic of a game.
The only reason why this will never hit the 360 is because Sony produces this, not because it does well on the console. A lot of so called exclusives have gone over to the 360 or the PS3 because they made a lot of money on either console (Resident Evil, Bioshock etc). If you can afford 2 consoles than do it. 360 has the best online experiance (it works out to like 5/month and people pay 15/month for WOW) and a lot of great exclusives (older exclusives though). The PS3 has more exclusives coming out in the next little bit that are going to be amazing, but the online is pretty terrible. So get both, play the shooters and other games online on the 360 and play the exclusives on PS3
Been playing this for awhile now, looks great! No, this will never hit the 360 and it's pointless to beg for it anyway. Just buy both systems and play the exclusives on each console. I'm terribly disappointed that they are putting Metal Gear on 360, it's cheesy. You get the GoW3 demo with this game and it looks pretty impressive as far as demos go. Incidentally, Kratos would turn Link into an elven sh*t sandwich. Only Sam Fisher or Chuck Norris could kill Kratos fool.
you can get it at gametraders highrisk12345 i saw it at the gametraders in northland in victoria
hey you show off yerfinalfantasy we dont care what the heck youve got it on we want to know if you liked it. OH I HAVE A 60GB PS3 good for you
I would get this, but I already have them on PS2 and I have a 60gb PS3. Don't know if some updated graphics are worth $40. Same reason I won't buy Metroid Prime Trilogy.
For those saying they should release this on the 360, that idea is as crazy as saying Nintendo should release a Zelda game on a different platform. The GoW series is a system seller, so it's out of the question.
The Graphics wasn't the best, but the game play and replay value is great! Worth the pennies, pick this one up.
@Tevi lol you so mean, but to be honest, the best exclusive games only come out on ps3, every thing else is on al systems.
Awesome. I never got to play God of War I and II, so I think I will get this revamped bundle!
this game will never come out on 360 because its playstation exlusive go play halo 3 or something
I loved the games on ps2 and I think they were one of the greatest game of the ps2, but now there is so many good games. I think I will buy the GoW3 when it comes and leave the part 1 and 2 in the past. They are good but there are so many good games already.
My first exposure to the GOW series was on the PSP. I was so enamored with the PSP version, that I was chomping at the bit to get ahold of the GOW collection. The result was that I have not played CODWM 2 on my 360 in three days, which is unusual for me. The GOW collection allowed me to warm up the unused innards of my PS3 and stretch its virtual legs for the first time in over 5 months.
@MC_Bally_Who I wasn't suggesting to have them release GOW III on the X360 as well. That would be crazy, as it's one of PS3's most important exclusives and I do realize what exclusives are meant for. The point is that GOW I&II, while exclusive to the Sony platform, they are 1 generation old exclusives. Sony could afford to drop those on a competing platform as well. And as said before, it would give X360 users who never played GOW the chance to see what the franchise is about, get them excited, and maybe convince them to buy a PS3 when GOW III comes out, as a PS3 exclusive. I know this will never happen anyway, but I still think it would make sense.
@Vlad27145, that kind of thing is just never going to happen. The reason exclusives exist is to promote a particular platform and allow a company to recieve good sales of their consoles. The only way that kind of thing would happen would be if Microsoft and Sony collaborated, which is pretty much an oxymoron in itself :P
The PS3 is an absolute beast to own at the moment. This Collection and Demon's Souls may just have signed the death warrant for my social life :)
I regret missing the God Of War games, so I am seriously thinking of buying this collection as I wait for the new instalment.
@Mulder_000 I recently bought a PS3 and played the heck out of Infamous (great game btw). Currently playing the first Uncharted before I start up on the second one. Couldn't be happier. It's a great system.
Well this Xbox 360 fanguy has finally added a PS3 to my collection, and this was one of the 4 games I bought with my system. I have Chains of Olympus on PSP, but this is 10 times better. Loving inFamous and Drake. My Wii is now in my closet where it belongs :)
Final impressions? Shouldn't it be time for a review already? Hasn't the game been out for a while now?
This remastered version is epic. I tried playing GOW2 on the PS2 on my 42 inch HDTV and it looked so horrible that I just could not play it for long. But after playing this I could not believe my eyes. The visuals are so crisp it almost seems like a current gen game. Now only if they would release SOTC remastered I would play that nonstop.
Sony should release this for the X360 as well. It would make sense from a business perspective: They get the dough from another platform, plus they leave the X360 users hungry for more, maybe convincing a few to get a PS3 when GOW III comes out.
Now if this was done on the Wii, ala The Res Evil games, everyone starts complaining. I have a PS3 though, and I will be getting these, but i'd also like to see Metal Gear collections and so on.
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God of War Collection
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- Publisher(s): SCEA
- Developer(s): Bluepoint Games
- Genre: Action
- Release:
- ESRB: M
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