God of War Collection Super Review

[Invictus]

>Screenshots coming [very] soon

You’re talking about glory. About vengeance. About retribution.

You’re talking about one of the most visceral, entertaining, brutal and satisfying experiences to ever grace an interactive medium.

You’re talking about God of War.

As I’m sure many of you know, God of War and God of War II were both re-released on a single Blu-ray Disc, complete with 720p graphics and trophy support - this was the result of a survey Sony sent out a few months back. When asked what kind of goodies they’d like to see in a God of War III Collector’s Edition, many fans requested updated versions of those two classics.

So many, in fact, that Sony went the whole nine yards and released them for general retail, instead of a Collector’s Edition Exclusive. And having destroyed both games already, I’d like to give you a run-down of how they turned out.

God of War Collection:

THE REVIEW

by Invictus

Developer: SCE Studios Santa Monica (original); Bluepoint Games (port)
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Date of North American Release: November 17th, 2009
Date of European Release: TBA 2010
Trophies: Yes

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God of War

Kratos is the ultimate badass - he’s hardened, he’s muscular, and he inspires fear. His tactics are brutal, and his moral compass is a little, well, gone.

However, he’s on a quest for absolution - once a captain in the Spartan army, he sold his soul to Ares, the god of war, in exchange for victory over his opponents. Ares accepted, and Kratos went into his service. However, Kratos did something so awful that even he was shaken by it. Since then he served Olympus as a whole, in exchange for forgiveness for his crimes.

The game opens with Kratos attempting to kill himself by jumping several thousand feet into the rocky Aegean Sea. Just before impact, the scene cuts back with a classic “Three Weeks Earlier” message.

You’ll find yourself in a graveyard of ships under attack by the vicious Hydra. After fighting your way across several derelict hulls, and gaining some help from Poseidon, you’ll kill the beast and sail to Athens.

Athena will explain that Ares is attacking the city, and the gods of Olympus need your help doing what they themselves cannot: killing one of their own.

This will involve a romp through the delightful Temple of Pandora, where you’ll retrieve the fated box which supposedly can help you defeat Ares in battle.

The gameplay is quite addicting - Kratos’ sadistic combat style make him amazingly fun to fight with, and many of the puzzles are quite challenging to complete. In addition, all enemies killed and many special chests will award you with Red Orbs, which can be used to upgrade your weapons and magic.

You can also locate hidden items which will help buff you up. Gorgon Eyes and Phoenix Feathers, when certain numbers are collected, will boost your maximum Health and Magic levels, respectively; and finding two Muse Keys allows you to enter a hidden room where similar bonuses can be obtained.

Doing so is a tad unnecessary, though, unless you’re going for a trophy or are on at least Spartan (hard) difficulty. The game will be very easy, and will almost play itself at certain areas. And even on Spartan, the game goes by too quickly - I did a speedrun that clocked in at exactly two and a half hours.

There are also balancing issues. Many of the powers and weapons bestowed upon you by the Olympians are less useful than others, and so with each playthrough you’ll more than likely find yourself using the same basic style over and over - I myself never used anything but the Army of Hades and Wrath of Poseidon when I had the choice. Zeus’ Fury and Medusa’s Gaze were only ever helpful during the moments when they were actually required. This may lend itself to boredom if you’re planning on multiple playthroughs, although it’s not an issue at first.

The puzzles can often be a little too hard as well. I remember spending an hour on one of the later puzzles in the game involving a box that must be kicked across a room so you can jump up to the next level - all before the timed spikes shoot up from the floor, killing you. Another piece required you to assemble stone blocks in a particular space like a jigsaw puzzle. It’ll be pretty hard for people who aren’t visually gifted, and more than likely will require a look at a walkthrough or guide.

And my final issue is a small one - many of the gods and enemies had weird-looking proportions. Some of them looked almost like cartoon characters, while others seemed very lifelike in their features. This conflicting character design turned me off many times, and was almost jarring on one or two occasions.

Despite all this, game is still amazingly fun to play. You’ll be racing through as quickly as you can to see the story through, and some particularly well-scripted (and well-rendered) cutscenes will leave you chomping at the bit for more. And unlockable treasures will offer a little more story explanation and gameplay, like a set of Challenge Objectives or bonus costumes.

And the updated graphics still aren’t anything compared to nowadays, but the game does look good in HD, and the trophies are funny little nods to pop culture that you’ll enjoy unlocking.

Overall, while God of War hasn’t improved all that much, it certainly hasn’t worsened, either. And that means this is still an industry landmark, and one of the best purchases you can make right now. And did I mention it comes bundled with a sequel...?

FINAL SCORE: 9/10 Amazing

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God of War II

Kratos is the new god of war, and he loves his job. However, not everyone loves his work ethic - when the gods of Olympus ask Kratos to stop favoring Sparta in battle, he ignores them, and so triggers another downfall.

Just like Ares before him, Kratos drops to Earth to aid his army in giant form - this time, in Rhodes. Seizing his opportunity, Zeus empowers the Colossus of Rhodes, and the bronze, well, colossus starts a lengthy fight with Kratos.

Unable to defeat it alone, and still unaware of Zeus’ betrayal, Kratos drains his godly power into the Blade of Olympus when Zeus provides, and uses it to defeat the Colossus.

Now mortal, he is vulnerable when with its dying breath the Colossus crushes him. Injured and exhausted, Kratos tries to reach the Blade and regain his status - but Zeus steps in, toys with him, and then kills him.

Ready to give up, Kratos begins to fall into Hades. But Gaia gives him a pep talk and reinvigorated, he fights his way out once more. He decides to take her advice and he flies to the Island of the Fates to change his destiny.

The same amazing gameplay is present in God of War II as well. The fluid, powerful movement of the Blades of Athena makes for great fights, and the magic has been improved a lot since the last game. Gone are the balancing issues - you’ll find use and genuine enjoyment from all secondary weapons and magic.

Additionally, the puzzles are more skill-based than thinking-based. This means a lot more timing sections and button combination deals, and they’re more fun to play - when you solve one you feel accomplished, as opposed to feeling dumb for not spotting the solution earlier.

And of course, there are WAY more boss fights. God of War offered you the Hydra, Pandora’s Guardian and Ares himself, and that was all.

This time around, everyone's joining the party - from the Colossus of Rhodes to the Sisters of Fate; from Perseus and Theseus to Zeus (twice), you’ll find that that the fights are more varied and a lot more story-driven.

God of War II took the good portions of the original and gave them a straight infusion of awesome - all the good parts are more present then they were, and the whole experience is longer. I mean, come on:

• More boss fights
• Balancing issues fixed
• Lengthier playthrough
• (Slightly) harder Challenge mode
• Arena of the Fates - SO MUCH LOVE
• Much more story
• Improved graphics - even before the HD makeover
• Better art design

The only issue I can find with this game is one I’ve never encountered myself: I’ve heard reports of trophies being glitched for some people, and it’s a major bummer to play some of the more difficult bosses multiple times trying in vain to unlock the same trophy.

But everything else about this game is amazing. From the sex mini-game to the bonus costumes, this sequel sets the bar even higher than God of War did. It’s hard for me to see how III can top this.

FINAL SCORE: 10/10 Flawless

[Ariel]

Best review so far in my opinion. You should have stayed on the Review Team. =/

[Gotakibono]

Best review so far in my opinion. You should have stayed on the Review Team. =/

I concur! Great review man.

[Invictus]

These need some work yet, but I appreciate the sentiments, guys

[Jukez18]

good tread and please and some videos or pics

[The_Evil_Genius]

Amazing job, man.... Very well reviewed, super detailed, and it does the game as much justice as it deserves!!

+REP for sure.

[the Pirate King]

God of War I and II are both awesomly amazing games and I agree with your review except, in my opinion, I found GoW, on God Mode, harder than the Titan difficulty of GoW II and, for that reason, I actually would have gave the first game a 10 and the second a 9. You made good points and I agree it's going to be difficult for III to top the previous two. Well, even if it's not as good as the previous games (which I'm sure I don't have to worry about) at least I'll get that badass Pandora's Box replica! Haha. Also, one of my favorite scenes (and the scene that I found most funny in Gow II), is when

Athena tells Kratos that Zeus is his father and he looks at Athena, then looks away and says "No. I have no father." Like he has the ability to refute his birth parents. Haha.
YouTube- God Of War II - Athena's Sacrifice

[Invictus]

Also, one of my favorite scenes (and the scene that I found most funny in Gow II), is when

Athena tells Kratos that Zeus is his father and he looks at Athena, then looks away and says "No. I have no father." Like he has the ability to refute his birth parents. Haha.
YouTube- God Of War II - Athena's Sacrifice

Lies. The funniest is when

The Captain makes an appearance during the Barbarian boss fight xD