Welcome to "To Play or Not to Play" where I'll give you the rundown on games that need your undivided attention or should be put under your table leg to keep it steady. Today I want to talk about The God of War Collection. Let's first take a look at where they came from.
Most of the people who have owned a PlayStation 2 or PS3 have played the original God of War and its sequel at least once if not more. Considering both of them made it to PlayStation's Greatest Hit's I'm pretty sure they did good in sales as well. But gameplay wise, what's there to back up the hype?
God of War one was a game that definitely pushed boundaries, both graphically and content-wise. It was positively gory, had a seamless story and graphics that were pretty damn good for a PS2 game. It followed the story of Kratos, a Spartan warrior general who is now in the service of the great Greek gods of Olympus. Slowly but surely as you work your way through the perilous levels and puzzles you begin to uncover more and more about the Spartan's past and why he's so tormented. The gameplay was just great. You could seamlessly go from just a small slice with the Blades of Chaos to a combo that could fell the biggest bosses with ease. It was a game that made you think outside of the box to find solutions for twisted puzzles occasionally involving something being reamed inside out. I won't say what happens but at the end of the game you help Kratos become the God of War which provides the link directly to the next game.
In the epic sequel, God of War II, Kratos is back with an even bigger bloodlust after being betrayed by the very gods he sat beside. Battered and bruised and pretty much dead Kratos now finds allies with the great Titans of old, the very same that hate the Gods of Olympus. Improved graphics and gameplay with more items, bigger boss battles and even more destructive weapons accompany your journey to the fight you have ahead of you. A key thing to remember about the God of War series is that they use the Greek's mythology to build around Kratos' life and quest, not the other way around. You encounter people you know to have a different part in Greek lore but they are relatively the same as they should be. An example would be the mighty Perseus, vanquisher of Medusa. You encounter Medusa very much alive in the first game, but find Perseus here in the second? You'll just have to play to find out how it all ties in.
Now back the God of War Collection. This compilation contains both God of War and God of War II Deluxe edition (just some bonus features separate from the game) which is made specially for the PS3. The graphics have definitely been upscaled and there is the added bonus of Trophies for the completionist in you as well as a code for the demo for the third in the series, God Of War III (already released but for those of you who are for some reason skeptical, definitely go for it). Other than that, its the same game you've come to know and love over the years and in my opinion, definitely a PLAY.
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