God of War Collection (Side B)
Monday, November 16th, 2009
Posted in Reviews by Aaron Leach
Now that Plachy has done a bang up job of giving anyone who hasn’t played God of War yet enough reasons to go pick up God of War Collection, allow me to have a few words with those of you who have been around the block with Kratos once or twice before. If you are anything like me, then saying that you are a huge fan of the franchise would be a titan-sized understatement. You have likely guided Kratos to the bloody conclusion of all three available installments and loved every messy second. So is it worth it to throw down another forty of your hard earned dollars, in the midst of a holiday season full of great titles, for games you’ve already played before? Let’s find out.
God of War Collection’s biggest selling point is that it has been remastered to run natively at 720p and runs at a silky smooth 60fps. The big question then is simple. Does it look better here than on the PS2?
The answer to that is a resounding , abso-freakin-lutely. The clarity in the gameplay portions of both games is astounding. Colors are rich on both character models and backgrounds. While textures haven’t really been added to the backgrounds, the bold colors help to make up for it. Reflective surfaces also appear sharp as ever. However, what stood out the most was the level of depth and dimension that was created with the heavy coat of anti-aliasing that was applied to the game. Colors don’t ever appear to bleed into each other, and there is an almost 3D quality at times as Kratos really looks as though he is physically inhabiting the space instead of just lying flat against it. It appears that the developers took a PS2 game and polished it until their fingers bled, and I will happily buy them some bandages because the work was well worth it.
If only the cut-scenes had faired as well as the gameplay. This brings us to the only real problem with God of War Collection. The cut-scenes that utilize the in-game engine do not appear to have received the same love and attention as the rest of the game. While the pre-rendered scenes still look breathtakingly crisp, the in-game cut-scenes often look dark and muddy. Edges are generally soft, and there is even some color distortion from time to time. It might not have even been so noticeable if the team hadn’t done such a phenomenal job on the gameplay. However, when it jumps between the game to a quick scene and then back to the game, the visual difference is quite jarring. Darker, nighttime moments, of which there are plenty, fair especially poorly in these scenes with plenty of artifacting creeping up in the sky areas and around characters. Brighter scenes, however, don’t necessarily look as bad and won’t result in the same amount of shock once the gameplay resumes.
As far as the frame rate goes, they absolutely nailed it. This game is smooth. Kratos zips around the screen stabbing everything in sight with a flow that never breaks or slows down. However, it’s the character animations that really steal the show here. Running at 60fps really allows the unique movements of not only Kratos but also of every enemy type to really stand out. The hard work of Santa Monica Studio’s animation team becomes very apparent.
There really isn’t much more to say about God of War Collection that you don’t already know from playing the games before. These are the same genre-defining games that you know and love with a few visual tweaks to get it ready for the PS3. Which brings me to my closing thoughts.
As I stated earlier, the biggest selling points here are, for the most part, all graphical enhancements. The only problem I see with that is that God of War I or II never really suffered in the graphics department to begin with. The result is a visual difference that is, for the most part, better than the originals, but may not have the impact that some gamers might be expecting when they load this up for the first time. What playing these updated versions really did for me was simply make me wish for full-on remakes, much like last generation’s Resident Evil remake. Playing the included E3 demo only pushes that sentiment further because even with the improved graphics of this re-release, this early build of the third installment feels insanely more detailed and alive.
It just makes me wonder if these remastered releases are going to be Sony’s answer to backwards compatibility every time a big franchise is about to get a PS3 installment. And while the value here is undeniable for two games, if this becomes a trend, that value starts to decrease every time you lay down $40. The sales of this game could dictate whether or not we get remastered versions of Jak and Daxter, Sly Cooper, both Team Ico games and let’s not forget the stable of Final Fantasy titles just begging to be double-dipped. At $40 apiece, is that still value in the long run?
All that being said, God of War Collection is still an incredible, if not the best, way to experience the first two games of one of the best franchises in video game history. After popping the older versions of each game into both the PS2 and my 60gig PS3, the difference is pretty clear. God of War Collection is the definitive version for your library and a fantastic way to revisit the series before we get its undoubtedly epic conclusion. If you haven’t played these games recently, God of War Collection will definitely look better than you remember. So, I urge you to pick it up regardless of having played them or bought them before because, seriously, you haven’t played them like this.
Pros:
-Gameplay portions look and feel better than the original releases.
-Moments of near 3D quality happen from time to time with different camera movements.
-An outstanding price for a great package that even includes all the original bonus materials.
-Includes E3 demo for God of War III to whet your appetite and leave you wanting more.
Cons:
-In-game cut-scenes often look muddy with noticeable artifacting, especially in darker scenes.
-Could start a double-dip trend on a system that should still include backwards compatibility anyway.
Final Verdict: Buy It
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