By the Gods! The bloody great HD remastered collection is worth the double dip.
Most game compilations are usually not all that difficult to review. Many times, publishers just shove all the original games onto one disc and call it a day. God of War Collection for the PlayStation 3 is a little different however. Bluepoint Games, with the help SCEA Santa Monica, have found a way to remaster the PlayStation 2 versions of God of War and God of War II in high definition, lock the framerate at 60fps and improve the image quality substantially. Not only that, they've added PlayStation Trophy support for each game, and included each and every extra from both titles, including the whole second "Making Of" DVD from God of War II. For under $40, the God of War Collection is a fantastic deal for those looking to gear up for God of War III's anticipated release in early 2010. For those who have never actually played or owned a God of War title, this is the absolute best way to get acquainted with the series.
Back in March 2005 when God of War 1 was released, the Greek mythology-based action title was received incredibly well. David Jaffe and the SCEA Santa Monica Studio put together an imaginative and incredibly brutal game filled with breathtaking set pieces, great gameplay and high production values. From the dramatic motion picture-quality score and voice acting, to the epic boss battles, the game may have been ahead of its time. Kratos was a badass anti-hero and people loved him.
Two years later, God of War II was unleashed upon the world, and it was better in every way. Even as HD consoles were beginning to pick up steam, the God of War sequel was an incredible accomplishment with some of the best visuals the PS2 would ever see. The game started with a bang, and the bloody action never let up. By the end of the game, soon-to-be PlayStation 3 owners were salivating at the prospect of a God of War III.
I consider myself a fan of God of War, and I've played through the series quite a few times (both on a PS2, and via backwards compatibility on a launch PS3) over the years. This is by far the best the games have ever looked or played. While the originals had some combination of widescreen support and even a bonus "High Resolution" mode in the case of II, neither looked all that spectacular on a large HDTV. In the GoW Collection, both games are being natively rendered and output at 720p, with 2x anti-aliasing and a rock solid 60fps framerate that barely ever dips. The PS2 versions of I and II, as great as they looked, suffered from fluctuating framerates, and in the case of God of War II, some serious screen tearing problems. Widescreen and 480p options were available, though they had some minor image quality and performance drawbacks when enabled. In the Collection, none of this is an issue. Yes, people have unbelievably whined "why isn't it 1080p and 4x AA, wah wah", but having a 1080p set, I can't see how the game would look much better based on the original assets. Both titles look pristine from an image quality standpoint.
The games look super sharp, yet there are no jagged edges or overly blurry textures. The widescreen fills out the screen perfectly now and there's even an Full Screen option for those with HDTVs that have adjustable overscan or "Full Pixel" settings. I spent plenty of time looking for image quality problems or framerate hitches, and there were none that I could find. The complete lack of screen tearing in God of War II makes it look like a whole different game in parts. The HD rendered visuals do have a downside or sorts. It's far easier to point out the more simplistic character models and environments. Due to it being so far ahead the original from a tech standpoint, God of War II suffers far less. The textures and effects hold up surprisingly well in both, and there are a number of instances in II where you may swear you are playing an actual HD developed game and not just a PS2 title. The CGI story sequences (such as the intro) look excellent upscaled. The in game, pre-rendered video sequences don't hold up as well. They were originally created using game assets so they would approximate the look of the game on the PS2. Now that the actual game looks so much better, these short scenes don't hold up well. They are relatively brief and infrequent, so it's not a huge issue.
Thanks to the completely solid framerate and higher resolution, both games feel like they play even better than they did originally. It may be a placebo effect (or experience), but having a better view of everything going on definitely helps during the more difficult, hectic sequences. Other than what looks like a higher resolution font and some minor tweaks to look better in HD, the user interfaces in both games look nearly identical to how they did in the original releases.
In terms of audio, the God of War Collection sounds at least as good as the original PS2 games do. They sound hasn't been remixed in any way, and the audio is still output as stereo even if the PS3 is set to send a PCM signal to your receiver through HDMI. Some of the audio effects (reverb for example) have apparently been reworked to an extent. It's really hard to pick up on usually, though I'd say that the audio sounds a touch more crisp than before. Either way, the soundtrack for the series is still one of the most memorable out there, so it's a pleasure to hear it all again.
What's great about the God of War Collection is that every bonus and unlockable feature included on the original discs are present here. There was no shortage of extras in either game, so the Collection is really jam packed with everything that God (or Cod) of War fans would hope for. In addition to the original extras, each game features a full complement of unlockable PS3 Trophies including a Platinum Trophy each for I and II. As mentioned earlier, they even found a way to bundle the excellent, bonus GoW2 documentary DVD all on this one GoW Collection Blu-ray Disc. And since the package also includes a code to download a God of War III demo, it's difficult to think of a single other thing they could have actually added.
God of War and God of War II were solid "A" games when they were originally released onto the PlayStation 2. The brutal, violent gameplay and intriguing mythological storyline still holds up rather well today. Even with the enhancements, it's not exactly fair to compare them to modern games especially when it comes to visuals. Do they look anywhere near as stunning as Uncharted 2 or the upcoming God of War III? Not a chance. Do they look as good or play as or better than some early next generation games? They do actually, thanks to the high production values, especially II. In the end, they are still PlayStation 2 games with PlayStation 2 assets. So what do you base a review score on? Even though they are dated, having both HD remastered games on a single Blu-ray Disc with all the extras and bonus content, and now Trophies, for under $40 (or $36.99 at Amazon) is really a great deal. With that being said, in preparation for God of War III it's hard not to fully recommend the God of War Collection for those new to the series as well as fans.
