Spartan, Slightly Improved- God of War Collection Review

Five years ago, the historical action/brawler was suffering from stagnancy. PS2 titles such as Gladiator: Sword of Vengeance, Drakengard, and Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone did little to elevate the genre. Each game was grudgingly stuck in the rigid trappings of the genre, as players pounded on an attack button to vanquish a myriad of similar foes. In 2005, God of War was released and subsequently revitalized the action game. As players took control of the game’s protagonist, every strike was formidable; attacks felt consistently lethal and often superfluous. Kratos established his dominance, securing commercial and critical success.

Released at a time when the Playstation 3 launch was still garnering headlines, God of War II continued the accomplishments of its predecessor. With four times as many boss battles, and an improved set of puzzles, the game exceeded many players’ expectations and went on to receive several game of the year awards.  With Sony owners anticipating the impending release of God of War III (and the inability of contemporary PS3 to play the older software), now is a ideal time to relive Kratos’ ferocious exploits.

                     “Tonight we dine in…Denny’s? Who let the product placement goons touch MY script?”

The recently released God of War Collection packs both games on a single Blu-Ray disk, allowing all PS3 owners to experience the celebrated adventures. Modern players accustomed to high-definition visual lavishness will appreciate the title’s subtle graphical enhancements, which help bring the title to current graphical standards, and give one delicate boost to the game’s playability.

For better or worse, both games are unwaveringly faithful to their source material. Each title’s assets, animations, and sporadically frustrating sequences have all been preserved. Even the game’s awkward transitions from beast-butchering rampages to precise balance-beam walks have been retained; purists will be delighted that the collections gameplay has been untouched. The one exception is the game’s refresh rate has been improved to a fluid 60 frames per second output. Keen eyes may notice a sporadic flutter, but players should be thankful the original games’ v-sync problems have been rectified.

                                                        Capt. Kratos believes in a short leash for all crew hands

The collection’s improved framerate grants both God of War titles with a slight increase in responsiveness. The spiteful Spartan now zips around the screen with an enhanced vibrancy and he decimates foes. It’s a slight alteration, but one that will be noticed by series veterans. Surely, the slight boost in the sensitivity of the control scheme will help those seeking to obtain the compilation’s two platinum trophies.

With the game’s graphical upscaling to 720P, Kratos and company have rarely looked better (outside of the disk’s access to the GoW III demo). Small details like fabric prints and floor textures appear noticeably sharper, with the games’ protagonist and bosses looking especially well rendered. Regrettably, that means the jump to some of the GoW’s cinematics are conspicuously pixelated. Fortunately, not all the cut-scenes are affected, merely the ones produced using in-game models.

              Few know that Kratos is an accomplished ribbon twirler, taking the gold for Greece on two occasions.