God of War Collection Review (PS3)
Introduction
This is a HD remaster compilation of God of War and God of War II for PS3. Both games support HD graphics, as well as Trophy support for each game.
God of War HD
This is the first game released in God of War series. Kratos is a fallen Sparta who serves under the Greek Gods. This is to atone his past sins, and his latest task is to defeat the God of War, Ares. As he progresses, he will encounter numerous traps, as well as fighting legendary Greek monsters that will stop him from continuing his journey.
The story is rather interesting and good, with many interesting characters such as Kratos, Ares, and the rest of Greek gods. Kratos' past serve as a solid background story for him, and it is well-told via comic-styled cutscenes. Other characters also have memorable designs, but limited appearances. While Ares is an interesting main villain, he too did not get much exposure other than his role in Kratos' past.
The gameplay is hack-and-slash as well as action adventure game. As Kratos, you must control him and complete puzzles scattered throughout the game, as well as fight legions of Greek monsters such as Cyclops, Harpies, Medusa, and many more. The levels are fairly linearly designed, but the game also have a good amount of hidden areas for you to uncover, which may be rewarding. Puzzles are scattered throughout the game, with a good mix of simple and cleverly designed puzzles. Platforming sections are also present in this game, where you can either jump or climb on ledges.
The upgrading system is simple. As you defeat enemies and open chests, you may obtain Red Orbs. It is a currency that allows you to upgrade your weapons and magic skills. As you upgraded them, they will have increased attack power, effects, and possibly new attack moves. For example, upgrading your Blades of Chaos will increase it's attack power and allow you to learn new moves. You may also upgrade Kratos' health an magic bars by finding collectibles hidden in chests.
The combat system is pure hack-and-slash, and Kratos' main weapon is his chainblades, called the Blades of Chaos. You can do a simple attack combo, or use strong attacks on enemies. You may also do grab attacks on enemies as extra finishers, and finishing enemies with grab attacks may reward you different type of Orbs. You may heal in this game by acquiring Green Orbs, which can be be obtained by defeating enemies or opening certain treasure chests. Quick Time Events (QTEs) are also present in this game, such as in direct combat situations or during scripted combat sequences.
Throughout the game, you may also use magic to fight off stronger monsters, such as the power of Poseidon and Medusa' stone glare. Different magic have different use in combat, and they are useful to use in combat as it allows you to defeat them with more ease. There are also different type of enemies in this game, with different attack patterns and designs.
Back in it's 2005 release, this game looks great despite being a PS2 title. With this HD remaster, the in-game engine graphics look more smoother. However, some of the in-game engine graphics look a bit dated. This game also has not bugs, glitches, as well as technical performance issues.
The soundtrack is bombastic, orchestral, and epic. Lots of good tracks played at the appropriate moments in this game. The voice acting is good, with each voice actor did commendable job in voicing their characters.
The replay value is moderate. You may choose to complete the game in different difficulty modes, collect all Trophies, and complete all Challenges in the game.
This game is a great game. Good pacing, interesting story, interesting story exposure on Kratos, great gameplay, good music, and good graphics. However, this game still has some issues, such as the lack of boss fights, and the hit or miss use of QTEs, Despite those issues, this is a must-play game for any new players who are interested with action adventure games with hack-and-slash combat.
Final Score: 9/10
God of War II HD
This is the second game released in God of War series, taking place after the events of God of War. After becoming the new God of War, Kratos starts a lot of wars in Greece, enraging the gods to the point of stripping his godly powers. Kratos, in a pursuit of vengeance, decided to find the Sisters of Fates to find power to exact his vengeance on the gods of Olympus.
Again, the story is rather interesting, with more exposure on the mythological Greek figures such as Olympian gods like Zeus.This game however, has a cliffhanger ending, which actually leads to God of War III. Kratos does not much character exposure in this game, as this game emphasises a lot more on the myth of Zeus, the Titans, and the Sisters of Fates.
Again, the gameplay is hack-and-slash as well as action adventure game. As Kratos, you must control him and complete puzzles scattered throughout the game, as well as fight legions of Greek monsters such as Cyclops, Harpies, Medusa, and many more. The overall gameplay, upgrading system and combat system remain the same as previous game, but with slightly more refined game controls.
Not only that, this game has more gameplay length, more bosses, and more hidden bonuses. This game also introduces legendary relics, which allow you to use special abilities such as parrying enemy attacks and gliding. This game also has more variety of weapons, such as a spear and a hammer. Not only that, each weapon has it's own movesets that you can use to tackle different combat situations.
This game has better graphics than previous game, with smoother character models. Plus, this game's HD remastered graphics make it another best looking remastered game on PS3. No bugs and glitches encountered while playing the game, as well as no technical performance issues.
Again, the soundtrack is bombastic and epic, with many memorable orchestral tracks. Voice acting is good, with no weak performances by any of the voice actors.
This game has good replay value, as it allows you to replay the game again with your previous weapons and upgrades, and you may also equip different costumes with different effects like the previous game in subsequent playthroughs. You may also complete the Challenges in this game for additional playing time.
Personally, God of War II has the best gameplay, with balanaced amount of combat, puzzle, platforming, and exploration sections, as well as more polished combat system such as more weapon variety and magic. The boss fights are also well-designed, with each boss fight being memorable of it's own.
However, the blatant cliffhanger ending, and the use of QTEs in this game are again, questionable. Kratos himself doesn't have much character development, so he is pretty much a static character in this game. This game would have been much better with a standalone story like the first God of War game or Uncharted games. Regardless, this was one of the best PS2 games, and it still is one of the best PS3 games ever.
Final Score: 9/10
Conclusion
This is a great HD Remastered collection of two excellent action games with hack-and-slash combat. Both games have interesting lore, great gameplay, easy-to-learn controls, great remastered graphics, and music. In gameplay department, God of War II clearly succeeds due to polished controls and more variety in combat options. For new players who are interested with action adventure and hack-and-slash games, get this collection. This game also has decent amount of bonus content such as Trophy support for each game, documentatry, artworks, and etc.
Final Score: 9/10
Pros and Cons
Pros
- A good HD remastered collection of two great games.
- Simple yet interesting stories.
- Interesting lore.
- Easy-to-learn controls.
- Great combat system for both games.
- Brutal and violent combat.
- Beginner-friendly games.
- Good balanced amount of combat, platforming, exploration, and puzzle sections.
- Clever puzzle sections.
- Great boss fights.
- Great HD Remastered graphics.
- No bugs and glitches, as well as performance issues.
- Great soundtrack.
- Good voice acting.
- Good amount of gameplay content.
Cons
- Kratos' antihero character may not appeal to some players.
- God of War II's story is not a standalone story.
- Blatant cliffhanger in God of War II.
- Questionable use of Quick Time Events in both games.
**Images are from Shacknews game page.
This is a HD remaster compilation of God of War and God of War II for PS3. Both games support HD graphics, as well as Trophy support for each game.
God of War HD
Defeat Ares. the God of War to erase Kratos' past sin.
This is the first game released in God of War series. Kratos is a fallen Sparta who serves under the Greek Gods. This is to atone his past sins, and his latest task is to defeat the God of War, Ares. As he progresses, he will encounter numerous traps, as well as fighting legendary Greek monsters that will stop him from continuing his journey.
The story is rather interesting and good, with many interesting characters such as Kratos, Ares, and the rest of Greek gods. Kratos' past serve as a solid background story for him, and it is well-told via comic-styled cutscenes. Other characters also have memorable designs, but limited appearances. While Ares is an interesting main villain, he too did not get much exposure other than his role in Kratos' past.
The gameplay is hack-and-slash as well as action adventure game. As Kratos, you must control him and complete puzzles scattered throughout the game, as well as fight legions of Greek monsters such as Cyclops, Harpies, Medusa, and many more. The levels are fairly linearly designed, but the game also have a good amount of hidden areas for you to uncover, which may be rewarding. Puzzles are scattered throughout the game, with a good mix of simple and cleverly designed puzzles. Platforming sections are also present in this game, where you can either jump or climb on ledges.
The upgrading system is simple. As you defeat enemies and open chests, you may obtain Red Orbs. It is a currency that allows you to upgrade your weapons and magic skills. As you upgraded them, they will have increased attack power, effects, and possibly new attack moves. For example, upgrading your Blades of Chaos will increase it's attack power and allow you to learn new moves. You may also upgrade Kratos' health an magic bars by finding collectibles hidden in chests.
The combat system is pure hack-and-slash, and Kratos' main weapon is his chainblades, called the Blades of Chaos. You can do a simple attack combo, or use strong attacks on enemies. You may also do grab attacks on enemies as extra finishers, and finishing enemies with grab attacks may reward you different type of Orbs. You may heal in this game by acquiring Green Orbs, which can be be obtained by defeating enemies or opening certain treasure chests. Quick Time Events (QTEs) are also present in this game, such as in direct combat situations or during scripted combat sequences.
Throughout the game, you may also use magic to fight off stronger monsters, such as the power of Poseidon and Medusa' stone glare. Different magic have different use in combat, and they are useful to use in combat as it allows you to defeat them with more ease. There are also different type of enemies in this game, with different attack patterns and designs.
Back in it's 2005 release, this game looks great despite being a PS2 title. With this HD remaster, the in-game engine graphics look more smoother. However, some of the in-game engine graphics look a bit dated. This game also has not bugs, glitches, as well as technical performance issues.
The soundtrack is bombastic, orchestral, and epic. Lots of good tracks played at the appropriate moments in this game. The voice acting is good, with each voice actor did commendable job in voicing their characters.
The replay value is moderate. You may choose to complete the game in different difficulty modes, collect all Trophies, and complete all Challenges in the game.
This game is a great game. Good pacing, interesting story, interesting story exposure on Kratos, great gameplay, good music, and good graphics. However, this game still has some issues, such as the lack of boss fights, and the hit or miss use of QTEs, Despite those issues, this is a must-play game for any new players who are interested with action adventure games with hack-and-slash combat.
Final Score: 9/10
God of War II HD
Find the Sisters of Fate to exact Kratos' vengeance on the gods of Olympus.
Again, the story is rather interesting, with more exposure on the mythological Greek figures such as Olympian gods like Zeus.This game however, has a cliffhanger ending, which actually leads to God of War III. Kratos does not much character exposure in this game, as this game emphasises a lot more on the myth of Zeus, the Titans, and the Sisters of Fates.
Again, the gameplay is hack-and-slash as well as action adventure game. As Kratos, you must control him and complete puzzles scattered throughout the game, as well as fight legions of Greek monsters such as Cyclops, Harpies, Medusa, and many more. The overall gameplay, upgrading system and combat system remain the same as previous game, but with slightly more refined game controls.
Not only that, this game has more gameplay length, more bosses, and more hidden bonuses. This game also introduces legendary relics, which allow you to use special abilities such as parrying enemy attacks and gliding. This game also has more variety of weapons, such as a spear and a hammer. Not only that, each weapon has it's own movesets that you can use to tackle different combat situations.
This game has better graphics than previous game, with smoother character models. Plus, this game's HD remastered graphics make it another best looking remastered game on PS3. No bugs and glitches encountered while playing the game, as well as no technical performance issues.
Again, the soundtrack is bombastic and epic, with many memorable orchestral tracks. Voice acting is good, with no weak performances by any of the voice actors.
This game has good replay value, as it allows you to replay the game again with your previous weapons and upgrades, and you may also equip different costumes with different effects like the previous game in subsequent playthroughs. You may also complete the Challenges in this game for additional playing time.
Personally, God of War II has the best gameplay, with balanaced amount of combat, puzzle, platforming, and exploration sections, as well as more polished combat system such as more weapon variety and magic. The boss fights are also well-designed, with each boss fight being memorable of it's own.
However, the blatant cliffhanger ending, and the use of QTEs in this game are again, questionable. Kratos himself doesn't have much character development, so he is pretty much a static character in this game. This game would have been much better with a standalone story like the first God of War game or Uncharted games. Regardless, this was one of the best PS2 games, and it still is one of the best PS3 games ever.
Final Score: 9/10
Conclusion
A great collection of two excellent action adventure and hack-and-slash games.
Final Score: 9/10
Pros and Cons
Pros
- A good HD remastered collection of two great games.
- Simple yet interesting stories.
- Interesting lore.
- Easy-to-learn controls.
- Great combat system for both games.
- Brutal and violent combat.
- Beginner-friendly games.
- Good balanced amount of combat, platforming, exploration, and puzzle sections.
- Clever puzzle sections.
- Great boss fights.
- Great HD Remastered graphics.
- No bugs and glitches, as well as performance issues.
- Great soundtrack.
- Good voice acting.
- Good amount of gameplay content.
Cons
- Kratos' antihero character may not appeal to some players.
- God of War II's story is not a standalone story.
- Blatant cliffhanger in God of War II.
- Questionable use of Quick Time Events in both games.
**Images are from Shacknews game page.
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