With so many stellar titles already under Sony’s wing on the Playstation it is hard to pick the top tier franchise that defines the Playstation brand and stands out as the ultimate best.  While the likes of Konami, Rockstar, Insomniac and Naughty Dog have all released innovative and popular franchises, Sony’s own God of War is perhaps the best series to have ever graced the Playstation 2, and thanks to a new update fans can now enjoy the adventures of Kratos in full HD with PS3 resolution.

For those of you who have not yet played any of the God of War games, you definitely have to give this collection a try before God of War 3 hits next year.  Whether you are a fan of Greek mythology or just killing ferocious beasts without mercy, there is sure to be something here to whet your appetite.  For those of you who are not familiar, the two games focus on the adventures of Kratos, an unfortunate warrior who is soon wedged into a battle with the Gods of Greece.  Although the game has been out for years we will not spoil anything for those latecomers of the series, but just note that the stories are both exceptionally well written and anyone with a flair for mythological storylines will be heavily entertained.

The combat hasn’t changed one bit but it is still as accessible and easy as ever.  Kratos has his standard light and heavy attacks and swinging around his Blades of Chaos are fun and deadly to use.   Probably perhaps the biggest innovation of the God of War series that is being used heavily in the gaming community are the button-pressing mini games that require you to press buttons as they appear on screen to take down the bigger foes.  These segments are still fun and engaging to perform and it is still amusing to see Kratos totally destroy these behemoths without beating a sweat.

God of War is perhaps known for its over-the-top battle sequences and gigantic set pieces and you will not be disappointed if you are venturing into these battles or areas for the first time.  The opening segment of God of War 2 alone is hands down one of the best moments of the series and watching it on an HDTV only makes the experience better.  Such other sequences that involve Kratos venturing into Hades’s domain, battling Icarus as you fall through the sky or climbing atop massive Titans all exhibit plenty of visual flair to surprise you with tons of enjoyment that never feels repetitive.

As far as gameplay is concerned nothing much has changed at all, but the increase in visuals definitely makes you feel like you are playing an entirely new game altogether.  It is most notable during boss battles where the higher resolutions and sharper framerate allows you to experience these battles in top-notch visual efficiency.  The cutscenes, although still in standard-definition, still look quite good and depending on your TV can look quite spectacular compared to the original PS2 versions.  The only thing that is to be faulted are perhaps the in-game cutscenes that use the game’s action engine that look really poor and seemed to have not been giving the extensive visual upgrade.

Still, the whole game looks fantastic and it is worth your while to play through these games again just to see them shine in a whole new light.  The sound is still as great as ever and the soundtrack, although not enhanced, still holds up very well and is performed beautifully depending on the situations.  The voice acting also deserves credit for being exceptionally executed with some high-caliber stars leading support.

The God of War Collection might be more of the same, but taking two of the best games on the PS2 and upgrading them to look like PS3 games can offer little arguments from anyone.  Play this if you are itching to view the story again in time for God of War 3 or if you just want to kill dozens of mythological beasts.  Whatever your pleasure, you will not find a better bargain (only $40) out right now and coupled together with a God of War 3 demo, there is plenty of action available to keep you entertained till next March.

Final Score 9.0 | Recommendation: Buy It

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About This Author: Josh Schwartzman

Been into gaming for as long as I can remember and have enjoyed every minute of it. I enjoy playing with everyone and anyone online and I am an avid PS3 and Xbox 360 player.

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