God of War Saga (PS3)

Kratos, the mad mortal whose quest for vengeance against the Greek gods has enthralled gamers since 2005, comes to home consoles once again in the God of War Saga. This collection features five games?four of which are remastered?that tells Kratos's tale, and serve as a warm-up for the upcoming God of War Ascension (due March 2013).

This PS3?-exclusive isn't a straight port of the previously-released games; God of War, God of War II, Chains of Olympus, and Ghost of Sparta all receive the high-definition treatment to give them more visual fidelity in today's HD television-centric world. Priced at $39.99, God of War Saga is an excellent purchase for anyone looking for cinematic, blood-drenched action?especially newcomers who get five titles for the price of one. Longtime God of War fans who've picked up the other series re-releases may not find as much value here.

What You Get
God of War Saga includes every God of War game released thus far, except for the 2D side-scrolling God of War: Betrayal that was released to Java platforms. In fact, God of War Saga is a collection of collections. It includes the games from the God of War Collection (which feature the remastered PS2 games, God of War and God of War II ports) and God of War Origins Collection (which feature the remastered PSP games, Chains of Olympus and Ghost of Sparta), plus God of War III??(the PS3's 2010 high-definition series entry). That's a lot of game for two Jacksons.

Two discs come in the package. Disc one houses God of War and God of War II; disc two has God of War III.

Sony also includes a Chains of Olympus and Ghost of Sparta download voucher, but this comes with a couple drawbacks. One, you must be mindful of PS3 storage space. And two, you can't let a buddy borrow the games.

Cool Carnage
This collection is obviously designed for God of War fanatics or those who like a hefty amount of carnage in their video games. Kratos is essentially the video game version of the Hulk; he growls, rages, and tears opponents asunder (with magic and weaponry rather than bare hands). Many video protagonists violently dispatch foes?Ninja Gaiden's Ryu comes to mind?but developer SCE Santa Monica gave Kratos an extra amount of gore. Besides using his base weapons (which he can level up using red orbs dropped by fallen foes and found within treasure chests), he accumulates new, more powerful ones such as The Arm of Sparta and Bow of Apollo depending on the game played.

These weapons obliterate grunts, but Quick Time Events (QTE) typically bringing down boss-level characters. QTE requires players to tap buttons in time with on-screen prompts in very cinematic sequences that see Kratos severing limbs, ripping torsos opening, and other delightfully gore-filled segments. You'll feel like a bad ass as you mow down enemies?until you Kratos freezes in place and gets pummeled, which happened to me on two occasions.

God of War Saga's visuals are excellent?you'd expect such from the PS3's God of War III, but the PS2 and PSP games look great, too. Naturally, the older games aren't quite as colorful or detailed as the PS3 series entry, but they won't look horrid on your HDTV.

A God-Level Collection
If you're a God of War fan, chances are that you own many if not all of the games in this collection?they've all been previously re-released. God of War Saga is the video game equivalent of a home video's Super Duper Special Ultimate Edition?Sony's hoping for a double (or triple) dip. Unfortunately, there aren't any extras to justify a repurpose. Series newcomers who waited to the tail end of the PS3's lifecycle will find this an excellent bargain, however.

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/S804-_9mqMw/0,2817,2410444,00.asp

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