God of War Collection Review
- Posted November 24th, 2009 at 13:12 EDT by Adam Dolge
- 30 Comments
Review Score
- PSU Review Score
- 9.0
- Avg. user review score:
- 9.1
Summary
God of War Collection is the ultimate package for fans of the series, and the HD overhaul gives Kratos a well deserved makeover.
We like
- Having both God of War I and II on a single disc
- The enhanced visuals
- The utterly brilliant story and gameplay
We dislike
- Some cut scenes were not as visually impressive as we had hoped
See PSU's review on Metacritic & GameRankings
When we first heard that Sony was planning on releasing God of War I & II on PlayStation 3, we were more than a little excited to get our hands on the disc and see how Kratos stacked up in high definition. Developed by SCE Studios Santa Monica, God of War remains one of Sony’s most celebrated franchises to date, and, while we still have to endure a few more months of waiting for Kratos’ next outing, the newly released God of War Collection gives fans plenty to see and do while we wait for the hotly anticipated God of War III. For anyone who hasn’t tried their hands at God of War or its sequel (originally released on the PlayStation 2 in 2005 and 2007, respectively) this compilation is well worth your time and hard-earned cash.
This double pack is a compilation of both God of War I and II, released on a single Blu-ray disc and sporting new high definition graphics and Trophy support. This is one of the best ports to date, and allows you to play two great PS2 titles on your PS3, without the need of a backwards-compatible black box. Both games on the disc are completely unchanged, minus the visuals. The improved frame rate also affords a better gameplay experience, though it’s barely noticeable in comparison to Kratos’ last-gen antics. Still, the games do indeed run smoother than their PS2 counterparts.
Even with both titles receiving a graphical facelift, it’s pretty easy to tell the visual differences between God of War I and God of War II. The latter looks noticeably more polished than its predecessor, but both are still amazing in their own right. It is important to remember that the core gameplay elements have been unchanged. You still use the Blades of Chaos, collect health and magic orbs, and slash away at hordes of enemies. The boss battles are still epic, the puzzles are thoughtful, and the voiceovers and music remain as competent as ever. As we fired up each outing, we were instantly reminded of why we loved the games when they came out several years ago – the stories are so enormous, deep, passionate, and elaborate. Kratos is still enthralled in a mythological world, fighting to gain his title as God of War, and then losing it almost as quickly as he attained immortal powers.
The stories are brought to life by two different styles of cut scenes. The first style uses the in-game engine while the other uses sumptuous cinematic scenes. Admittedly, the cut scenes that utilize the game’s engine are a little lacking. They’re not overtly bad by any means, but they actually don’t look as good as regular gameplay. Where the game truly excels is during the cinematic scenes. These brutal and violent flashbacks are astounding and they give us quite a bit to look forward to for when GoW III comes out. Overall, the visuals have received a significant overhaul, though some aspects of the game’s graphical presentation aren’t quite as polished as we had hoped.
If you own or played either game than you probably now they both came with plenty of extras, predominantly in the form of unlockable videos. Like everything else in this compilation, these extras are available in God of War Collection. You’ll find the extras in God of War II in the Video section of the XMB, complete with standard video controls. The extras from God of War are available in the actual game, and therefore do not include any special controls. This isn’t a big deal; we just thought you’d like to know. Still, the video extras are not all that breathtaking from a visual perspective, echoing a similar situation to that of some of the in-game cut scenes.
As fans are no doubt already aware, gamers can also get their mitts on a demo of God of War III when you purchase God of War Collection. This was a very smart decision by Sony, and gives fans a taste for what they can expect come early 2010. It is interesting to see how all three games look different, although in HD, they all look strikingly similar. Ultimately, God of War Collection is absolutely packed with quality content, making it an ideal purchase for fans and newcomers alike – throw in an attractive budget price point of USD $39.99, and you can’t really go wrong. Take the plunge and relive one of last generation’s finest slices of entertainment in sumptuous eye-popping HD glory.
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Comments
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KlNG_DEADEYE
- 8:19am EST - November 24th, 2009
- 1
God Of War is dope, I can't wait for the third installment.
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NotoriousBOB
- 8:27am EST - November 24th, 2009
- 2
I didn't get the chance to play the originals. With the collections edition for 39.99 it's not even a gamble. My thoughts on the game so far is the gameplay is really good and the story is top notch. The graphics are as good as some current PS3 games. This is based on the fact i've only played and finished the first game.
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alrightiwill333
- 9:26am EST - November 24th, 2009
- 5
waiting for my friend to go to america and buy it so he can give it to me >.> damn euro sony... major inconvinience :p
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jamesobachand |
snake2112- 10:36am EST - November 24th, 2009
- 7
I need to play these games, I feel I may have missed out. I just had to go get married.
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Trojans24601
- 11:27am EST - November 24th, 2009
- 9
I am going on a search today after my college class! Must! Buy! KRATOSSSSSSS!
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hillybilly
- 11:31am EST - November 24th, 2009
- 10
why oh why are Sony shunning EU by not releasing this elsewere, it will sell like mad here - and before someone says 'import', ofc im importing but I have many fellow PS3 friends who would LOVE this game and frankly they didnt even know about it being remastered before I told them :|
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PSU_fail
- 12:50pm EST - November 24th, 2009
- 11
This review seems like a direct rip off another site, it essentially makes the same points, just worded differently. And if you do not notice a significant increase or 30 FPS vs. 60 FPS, you need to get your eyes checked, or get a better connection to your TV. There is a giant difference in visuals.
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the_jim |
clear_as_night- 1:22pm EST - November 24th, 2009
- 12
@11- You made an account for this site just to slate it... thats a bit sad dont you think?
Back on topic: I really want this game- Why can't they just release it in the EU too?! I have both the originals for PS2 but i want to play them in HD XD (with trophies, extras and the demo of the 3rd installment). I'm sure it would sell here, why wouldn't it?
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PSX_Legend
- 1:47pm EST - November 24th, 2009
- 13
@11 yep its a ripoff from GT probably.
@12 Whats sad its PSU telling us only what we already know, they should have a more independent perspective.
None of the less GOW Colection is a must have!! I just hope the game feels better with DS3 controler than the briliant DS2.
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leo313rd
- 3:09pm EST - November 24th, 2009
- 14
sweet I just bought it from ebay and i cant wait to get my hands on it, even though i already beat both on ps2 but now i only have gow2 so i needed this. also i recently replayed chains of olympus so i am ready for this and i cant wait to get my hands on the gow3 demo. its gona be awesome
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coverton341
- 3:35pm EST - November 24th, 2009
- 15
I just wish I could find it somewhere. Nowhere near me has it and I have never played either game.
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residentevilrocks91
- 4:57pm EST - November 24th, 2009
- 18
I think it should've got a 9.5 but still a great review.
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