God of War is synonymous with the PlayStation brand as the color red is for stop signs. Each one is meant for each other. Most console gamers love the three God of War games released on the PS2 and PS3, while those who are fans of the PSP had the chance to play two other entries into the series, Chains of Olympus and Ghost of Sparta. In reality though, not everyone played the PSP versions as not everyone who owns a PS2/PS3 owns a PSP. Well fear not, as Sony has given these two PSP titles an upgrade so to speak and brought the little games that could onto the big screen all on one disc for the PS3 called God of War: Origins Collection.
As I mentioned above, Origins is a port of two previous PSP games. The first is God of War: Chains of Olympus. It is a prequel to the first game on the PS2 and has Kratos being sent to the city of Attica to help defend the city from the advancing Persian Army. Upon defeating the army and their king, the world is all of a sudden plummeted into darkness and it is up the Kratos to get the sunlight back, all the while facing twists, turns, and surprises during his adventure. The second game in this Origins Collection is God of War: Ghost of Sparta. This game falls into the time line between the first God of War and God of War II and the focus is Kratos’ search for his long lost brother.
All in all both the game’s stories are solid, with the latter having the edge for enticement. The biggest thing about the stories of these two games, and all the God of War games available, is that they are loosely based on Greek mythology, and the amount of references to Greek gods and icons is amazing to say the least. You’ll find yourself quite enamored to both the game’s narratives and they are something that compliments to overall game experience.
God of War games as a whole are all about killing and dishing out as much damage as possible with the weapons that are wrapped around your arms. The battles are epic, from waves of enemies to monster boss battles that force you to figure out patterns and dodge attacks prior to unleashing a big can of whoop-ass, you’ll find yourself on the edge of your seat more than a few times. Not only is there combat, but there are some puzzles to solve and some platforming to complete. It’s a great gaming experience and should be tried by all those looking for some adrenaline pumping action.
Being that the two PSP games have been ported over from the PSP to the PS3, there are some great enhancements. The most notable, next to the visuals, is the control. On the PSP you were forced to use the analog nub only, but with the Dual Shock 3 you now have dual analog sticks. This enables new control that was not possible on the PSP, so you’ll find old moves new again as you just flick the right analog stick and BAM, it’s done. Kudos to the dev-team for taking advantage of the added analog stick.
For those PS Trophy hunters out there, Origins offers up a full slate of Trophies for you to add to your ever-growing collection. There are also some bonus features for the true fans of the God of War series too, such as costumes, challenge rooms, and a documentary or two for you to view. Overall there is more than just the games for you to play and it is nice to see a little bit of extras for those that shell out the money for the game.
If I had one complaint it was that when I wanted to quit one game, and go to the other, Origins would take me to the XMB rather then to the game’s menu. For the love of God why, I don’t know, but this was a bit of a quirk to say the least. Sure, it is not a deal breaker, but man; it could annoy me more often than not when I wanted to quit one game and head over to the other for comparison.
If there is one area that the PSP games really benefit on the PS3, it is the transition from PSP screen to the world of big screen HD. Origins supports all resolutions of TV, right up to 1080p. Both games look pretty solid for PSP games that have been ported to the PS as lines and textures are cleaner and everything seems a little more solid. Of course the fact that Chains of Olympus is the first PSP game, you can definitely see the difference on the big screen from it and Ghost of Sparta. Animations are better and everything seems to jump off the screen a bit more in regards to Ghost of Sparta. This makes sense though given that Ghost of Sparta was a better-looking game on the PSP then Chains of Olympus. There is no doubt that any gamer will know that these two games were not made for the PS3, but I can’t help but appreciate the games do look better in this “Origins” compilation given that some of the PS3 tricks were taken advantage off. I should note that the game is playable in 3D, but I don’t have the set up to try this out.
The sound is as solid as one would expect from a collection like this. Kratos sounds as angry as ever, while the rest of the voice actors do a great job of interacting with one another, and that goes for the games on the disc. As for the musical score in each game, they too are just as impressive, impactful when it needs too, and emotional when called for. Finally, the sound effects are the final piece of the audio puzzle. From swords clanging, chains rattling, to the sound of large Greek titans lumbering along, everything adds to the whole atmosphere of your gaming experience. Add to this that the game is encoded in surround sound and you’re even more immersed then you were when playing either of these games on the PSP, headphones or not.
After sitting down to play God of War: Origins Collections, I have to say that I am really surprised with how well these two PSP games looked and played on the PS3 console. With some enhancements in the graphics, solid sound, and addictive and engaging gameplay, this two game collection really feels at home on Sony’s home console. The added analog stick of the Dual Shock 3 controller makes these two games so much better to control too. Considering what is offered on this PS3 disc, action fans, and those who love the God of War series, will really have to consider this one as $40.00 makes it too hard to pass by.
