God of War Collection: Volume II: review

• Format: PlayStation 3
• Unleashed: Out Now
• Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment Europe
• Developer: Ready at Dawn
• Players: 1
• Site: http://uk.playstation.com/gowc2/

It’s been well over a year since Kratos last graced, or should that be gored, the PlayStation 3 in the stunning God of War 3. This new HD collection of PSP titles brings the last of Kratos’ adventures to Sony’s home console, after the well received HD upgrade of the original God of War and its sequel. Both God of War: Chains of Olympus and Ghost of Sparta are undoubtedly two of the best games on the PSP; but how do these handheld games translate to the home console?

Chains of Olympus was created by Ready at Dawn, rather than series creators Santa Monica Studio, but the game follows the basic God of War template very well. Our angry anti-hero Kratos is tasked with stopping the Goddess Persephone from destroying Olympus and the Pillar of the World. Along the way he battles an invading Persian army and finds that the sun God Helios has been kidnapped, plunging the world into darkness; and Morpheus has enshrouded the world in fog, which has caused the Gods to enter a deep slumber. So our hero goes on his quest to bludgeon anyone who crosses his path (in as gory a way as possible) while solving simplistic puzzles.

The combat works as well as it always has in the franchise, with plenty of combos to pull off, and extra powers to acquire, as you play through the game. The Blades of Chaos are your main weapon of choice but you also acquire the Gauntlet of Zeus, which is like a giant boxing glove, and a sun shield. The collection of Gorgon Eyes and Phoenix Feathers increase your health and magic bars respectively, by collecting them from carefully hidden chests. The God of War series brought the ‘quick time event’ back into vogue and it is prevalent in these games, with some of the larger bosses requiring quick button presses to take them down. There is also the obligatory quick time sex scene, which should amuse the teenage audience. It all moves along at a slick old pace, with no sign of slowdown – although we noticed slight pauses when the game was loading the next area, which was only a minor irritation. You also do notice the game’s handheld heritage, with the technical limitation of only four or five enemies on screen at once. The graphics are pretty good, but perhaps not as good as the original PS2 games. The boss fights are not as epic as the original main games, with only the giant Basilisk being particularly inspired. The game also contains a Challenge mode, with the Challenge of Hades, which gives the player set tasks to complete. This is a nice bonus to add extra replayability to the game.

The second game, Ghost of Sparta, follows Kratos as he goes to the city of Atlantis to try to conquer his past demons. After an encounter with the Scylla, a huge sea beast, Kratos meets his ailing mother, who tells the angry warrior to find and help his brother Deimos in Sparta. After a short sojourn to Sparta, Kratos learns he must return to the now sunken city of Atlantis to enter the Domain of Death, and rescue his imprisoned brother. Ghost of Sparta is a lot more technically advanced than its predecessor with some terrific depth of field effects, and the scenery is a lot more awe inspiring, with lava worlds and snowy mountains all wonderfully created. It’s a very impressive feat on the ageing PSP platform (even more so in HD), and it puts a lot of later PS2 games to shame.

Kratos is armed with the Blades of Athena, which are basically the Blades of Chaos by another name. You also acquire the Arms of Sparta, which is a shield and spear combination, which makes long range combat possible. The Thera’s Bane magical power sets the Blades of Athena on fire, which as well as breaking the armour of opponents, can help you burn down environmental obstacles. This has a rechargeable power meter, which sits beside the Magic and Health bars, which are again upgraded with Gorgon Eyes and Phoenix Feathers. You can upgrade Thera’s Bane by collecting Minotaur Horns, which are also found in chests hidden throughout the levels. You can also now rush at your opponent and throw them to the ground and then pummel them senseless, which helps add a bit of variety to the carnage. The game also adds some Uncharted style cinematic sequences which require the player to escape from, for example, a crumbling platform, which adds some panicky moments. Less of a success was the visit to Sparta, which forces the player to walk slowly through the level. It’s meant to add some emotion to Kratos’s journey, but it just ends up frustrating. Ghost of Sparta ups the ante from Chains of Olympus, but again the boss battles let it down. Even the final boss can be quite easily defeated by using the overly powerful Scourge of Erinys magical ability, which was disappointing. The game again adds challenge arenas, this time called Challenge of the Gods, which is a nice extra.

This HD update has been very carefully done, and the visuals are crisp and smooth with a silky frame-rate, with the bonus addition of Trophies, DualShock 3 rumble support, and stereoscopic 3D for those lucky enough to have a capable TV. The main problem with these games is the technical limitations of the PSP. The lack of on-screen enemies is very noticeable, and the games are shorter than the original two games in the series. You can complete both the games in under 12 hours, which is a lot less playtime than the original God of War Collection. Kratos is also not as agile as he was in the PS2 games, which makes controlling him a struggle. The recycling of enemies is also a bit of a problem with Gorgons, Minotaurs and Giant Trolls getting overused, which can get a tad repetitive. But the combat is always good visceral fun and if you’re a fan of the series, itching for more over-the-top violent action, then these games will help scratch that itch, and make the wait for the inevitable God of War IV more bearable.