Time for Vengeance!!!

As you all know, I received a Playstation 3 for Christmas/birthday present, and let me just say: WOW. This thing is impressive. I'm not going to be turning in my Xbox 360 anytime soon, but this thing is pretty spectacular.  I was once the owner of a Playstation 2, and one of my favorite game series was God Of War, so naturally the first games I picked up were not only the third installment in the series, but also the God Of War Collection as well, which will be reviewed right......now:

God Of War Collection (PS3) 

 Replaying both of these games was quite the trip down memory lane, and it's both amazing and a relief to say that both games still hold up, despite the original God Of War being released some 6 years(!) ago. For those unfamiliar with the story, God Of War follows Kratos, a former Spartan warrior who is on a quest to murder Ares, the titular god of war. After offering his life to Ares in order to defeat an invading barbarian hoard, Kratos is given the "blades of chaos", a set of swords which are permanently attached to his wrists, and is tasked with doing the bidding of the gods. This involves everything from destroying cities to dispatching monsters, but when Kratos is tricked by Ares, he leaves, roaming the Earth. The game follows Kratos as he finally comes in contact with the means to destroy Ares: unlocking Pandora's box, and with it, the power to kill a god. The second game has Ares track down the sisters of fate in order to undo his death at the hands of Zeus, and gain vengeance on the rest of Olympus.

The battle with the hydra is one of the best opening levels EVER

One of the great things about the God Of War series is its balance of action and puzzle solving. Normally I'm not entirely thrilled when I have to break up fighting to solve some puzzles, but throughout both GoW games the puzzles are given to you for a reason. None of them are too difficult, and some, like the fantastic "Pandora's temple" puzzle, take up an entire level and never feel like puzzles. Many of the creature designs are great as well, with all of the monsters, gods. and even warriors being given a realistic look to them, while at the same time looking very familiar.

Guess what happens when that hammer comes down?

Of course, I'd be remiss to not mention the action. Both God of War  and its sequel are some of the best action games of all time, and many boss battles will be remembered for many years to come. The game is definitely NOT for a the faint of heart however, as the many ways that Kratos destroys, disembowels, dismembers, and beheads his enemies are extremely violent, with my personal favorite still being the minotaur kill. There's also a surprising amount of adult content in the series. This is a series that not only pushes the "M" rating to the limit, but relishes in it as well.

My only complaint is that I played both games back to back, and the subtle control differences in God Of War 2 took some getting used to. I also found the second installment of the series to be a lot longer and dragged on more than I remembered, but that also may be because I played it right after the first game. The story in the second game isn't as strong as the first, but it's no where near something like The Force Unleashed 2. 


The God Of War Collection is an essential purchase for Playstation 3 owners. Even though you don't need to play it before God Of War 3, if you have the opportunity to go back to the originals with enhanced graphics, why wouldn't you? And yes, I've already played the first level of GoW 3, so expect a review of that soon. If you are a fan of Greek mythology and own a PS3 and you HAVEN'T gotten this yet, then there  is something wrong with you.