God of War Collection

Both games in this collection are remastered in high definition. That might not sound like a big deal, but I am an HD whore. Furthermore, I like my 720p nice and shiny. This game really delivers on shininess and the graphical upgrade is certainly noticeable. However, the cutscenes were apparently not given the upgrade, and as such, look like dog shit (especially GOW1). Still, that should not detract from what is otherwise an awesome experience.

God of War

Ever since it was released in 2005, I always had the intention of playing this game. Somehow, with the advent of Xbox 360, I never got around to it. So let me tell you that when I opened this baby up on Christmas morning 2009 I was freaking ecstatic. God of War follows Kratos as he attempts to kill Aries (the god of war) in order to free himself from a lifetime of servitude. Although the cutscenes look like shit, they are extremely well-narrated and the story is pretty fucking interesting. If you are at all interested in greek mythology or at least don't hate it, this game won't disappoint. Great story aside, this game is really all about action. At first glance, God of War seems like a button-masher that gets by on pretty graphics and satisfying violence, I found it to be much more than that due mostly to the sheer variety of weapons and spells that Kratos has at his disposal. Furthermore, these weapons and spells can be upgraded through experience you collect in the form of red orbs, which in turn unlocks more and more combinations, special moves, and abilities. Just thinking about the many ways to dispatch a baddie (from impaling him on his own sword to ripping him in two) makes me want to play this game through over again. Oh, and there are some nice puzzles to round out the experience. In my mind, this game was almost perfect.

God of War 2

Like its predecessor, this game was a whole lot of fun. I have very few gripes with it. If you like God of War, there is no reason to dislike God of War 2. Still, it almost feels like there is just too much going on. Most like this game more because it feels a bit grander. The scope is certainly larger. Which is a good thing. However, I am not a fan of a lot of the additions to the game. I don't like the Kratos stole wings from Icarus and can now glide (he looks really stupid with wings and it forced me to limit my double jumping). I don't like that Kratos now has a hammer and a spear (two pretty useless, tacked-on weapons if you ask me). I don't like that they took his best move from the first game (jump + L1 + circle) and made it a parry attack. I don't like that he can now slow time in selected areas (this feature was used far too often in the otherwise clever puzzles). I don't like that there are like 10 times as many boss battles compared to the first game (yet it's really hard to differentiate one battle from another). Still, you get to control Kratos and you get to decapitate a whole lot of monsters. There's not much more you can ask for out of a video game. For that reason, this game was great. It just didn't feel nearly as perfect as the original.

Despite my complaints about God of War 2, I cannot wait to play 3. I put my pre-order in today. Just ask Shiang-Huan.