God of War Collection

One Blu-Ray disc, two of the greatest action adventure games of all-time. God of War and God of War II have been released for the PS3 under the God of War Collection, with the two PS2 classics available in their entirety, with nothing drastically changed other than some visual improvements. So if you for some reason didn't play these games when they came out originally, whether you were one of the few people on the planet who didn't own a PS2, you have been living under a rock, or have some other quirky excuse as to why you still haven't played God of War, here is your chance to finally redeem yourself.

Whether this is your first time playing the God of War titles or you're just looking to revisit some of your favorite games, there's no need to worry about how the games will compare to what you have been recently playing. The simple combat system (which is nearly identical in both games) feels as fun and as brutal as it did back in 2004. Slicing up Greek mythology is a crazy idea in its own right, but add some of the coolest weapons in recent gaming history and you get one special combat system. Although it is very button-mashy, the various combos to be mastered with Kratos wielding his Blades of Chaos keeps things from getting too repetitive. Magic is also at your disposal in limited amounts. If the gameplay doesn't feel as fresh as it did once upon a time, that's only because it set the standard for what almost every action game has tried to duplicate ever since the first God of War released.

God of War isn't purely about ripping out the eye of a cyclops, though. Some of the games most memorable moments come from the challenging puzzles. The two games are paced excellently. Just when you think you can't bear to see another pint of blood spilling from an enemy, there's a puzzle awaiting, urging you on to continue the adventure. Some puzzles take a hefty chunk of time to complete, but you'll be satisfied when you finally figure out the solution to the puzzle. Sure, there are a few generic puzzles here and there, but both games have plenty of creative challenges that I haven't seen incorporated in a game before. But it wouldn't be any fun if I spoiled them for you, now would it?

For their time, both God of War I and II were some of the best looking games on the market. If you went out and picked up the original PS2 copies, both games would be playable, and wouldn't even be outstandingly bad, even to the most visually spoiled gamer. With that being said, the subtle changes made really make a difference. With all the action taking place on screen at once, having a silky smooth 60 frames per second makes the combat more easily admirable. 1080p resolution also really makes things pop, and you don't have as much muddiness. Some low detailed textures look ugly, but it's easily forgivable when there's those moments when you can't even tell that these games were released last generation.

However, while the in game graphics are slightly updated, cutscenes remain completely untouched. Some cutscenes are CG, and those still look incredible (and they make me anticipate the day when video games can look that good). But there are some cutscenes made out of the in-game engine, and seeing the game jump from HD to SD, then back to High Definition isn't pretty. At least this can make you appreciate the work they've done in making the actual game look better than it used to. The story also remains unscathed, with the same memorable tale of the anti-hero Kratos on his journey for revenge at all costs. After all these years, so many games don't touch on the level of storytelling that God of War I and II both accomplished back on the PS2. The score, which would have been good enough to be used in a high budget film, and just the excellent scenery accompanying the games help create one of gaming's greatest experiences.

If two games that add up to around 20 to 25 hours for single first-time playthroughs isn't enough for you, there is plenty to give you more bang for your buck. Each game has its own challenge mode (Challenge of the Gods in I, Challenge of the Titans in II) in which you have to work your way up through a specific objective to advance to the next round. There are 10 rounds in God of War I and 7 in II. The challenges are tough, but fun, and they are also rewarding. Upon completing the challenges you will receive alternate costumes which you can start a new game with. You'll probably want to replay the game simply to enjoy the experience for a second time, but the costumes give you even more of an incentive to play again, with new abilities and a different appearance.

With the third installment on the way, you owe it to yourself to play these games if you haven't already and you happen to own a PS3. If you have played both God of War I and II before, it's hard to recommend you to pick up the God of War Collection. If you're a big trophy “you-know-what”, the Collection offers a platinum for both games. If you absolutely can't get enough of the series and are dieing to see it running in HD, this is for you. Otherwise there isn't much of a reason for you to get this again when you could just dust of your PS2 copies to get in the mood for God of War III. It might have been nice to get the PSP exclusive Chains of Olympus included in the package, but you can't complain with getting two of the greatest games, possibly of all-time, for just $40 in their best looking form.

Logan Smithson, Noobfeed