Two of the greatest action games ever made are remastered in HD in all their bloody glory. Go. Buy.
Though both games are still perfectly acceptable graphically speaking on the PS2, Blu Point games have up-res'ed both games to 720p, cleaned up some of the rougher edges of both games and locked in the framerate at 60 frames per second. The results are spectacular considering that little to no work has been done on the character models or the textures themselves which is a testament to how much detail Santa Monica crammed into these games when they were first released.
The newly implemented stability and the processing power of the PS3 has especially helped the original God of War which ran at a "variable" 60 frames back in 05 and suffered some serious vertical screen-tearing due to the immense scale that the game had going for it at the time. God of War benefits most from the visual overhaul with reflections, particle effects and models looking much cleaner in their HD guise than they ever did on the PS2. That being said God of War's artistic styling's were never wholly impressive so you'll be more impressed by the levels of detail on display especially during the first level when you get to battle the famed Hydra in all its HD glory.
Sadly the in-game cutscenes rendered by the engine have been left in SD grittiness and stand out as eyesores as the actual gameplay looks far better in both games. This is by no means the best HD-ified bundle released compared to overhauled titles like the Sly Collection but it's still a faithful recreation if lacking a bit of TLC on the part of Blue Point Happily gameplay has remained untouched which is a good thing given that the God of War formula is as appealing now as it was when it arrived.
God of War is still one of the best-paced action titles to this day, offering a steady difficulty curve complemented by a steady stream of new abilities and combos. Platforming is the weakest aspect of God of War as you really notice the shoddy climbing animation when it's on the big screen in full HD and just the mechanics themselves feel a bit wooden compared to other PS2 platformers of its generation. Puzzles are simple, occasionally frustrating (yes the treadmill/meatgrinder in the desert is still a complete b*tch) and break up the fantastic action nicely. Combat is the main focus and serves up more depth the more you play with new enemies and brutally satisfying ways to finish them off with the iconic whip-based chain blades which is why the game still holds up today.
There's a layer of strategy underneath the button mashing that the series has become synonymous with. As the game progresses you'll have to balance your magic for crowd control, choosing which enemies to execute via a QTE for extra magic or health and when to block vs when to dodge out of the way. The game will always make you feel powerful regardless of the difficulty settings (which can be pretty punishing) and ripping enemies in half, shoving your chain blade down a minotaur's throat and beheading a snake-headed gorgon is still as satisfying as it was back in 2005.
Even the story of God of War is something you should experience. Though it is simple and features one of the most angry characters in recent memory. Kratos' story is brilliantly told as you progress through the game, offering up snippets of his dark past and the reason for why he is so bloody peeved about everything. It's not the best story ever told in gaming but it is one of the most iconic and compelling with sharp cutscenes and good writing to back up Kratos' memorable tale.
God of War 2 on the other hand is probably the best reason to pick up this collection. Released in 2007 the game put the entire PS3 exclusive lineup of that year to shame by coming onto a system which had been quite rightly left for dead in the wake of the HD era. The opening sequence of God of War 2 will remind just why you bought this collection as it is still utterly mind-blowing to this day, almost doubly so once you witness it on a widescreen HDTV. Where scale was only made a reality only occasionally in God of War its sequel ingrains scale and grandeur into the very fabric of the world in which it is set. When you cross a huge chasm on a chain linked to four golden horses the camera pans out to give a sense of the sheer size of the world, always accompanied by a wonderfully grandiose score. The scale looks even more lavish in HD with reflections, crisp lines and general sense of sharpness to everything makes God of War 2 feel like game that was never meant to be the swansong for the PS2 and should rather have been one of the defining games that should have made the Playstation 3 the console to own.
Storytelling is again a surprising highpoint of the second God of War as Kratos shifts from the tragic yet angry anti-hero of the first game to a stoic and utterly dislikable murderer who you can't help but want to watch do something else despicable yet strangely awesome to the people who stand in his way. It's less personal than the last game but far more gorily impressive as Kratos murders his way through popular Greek figures on a quest for revenge on titanic levels. The game plays fast and loose with Greek mythology to great effect and though the last game was hardly historically accurate, God of War 2 will require some suspension of disbelief for those of you who are up on the Greek mythos being adulterated in the name of brutality.
And brutality is the word in God of War 2. You'll struggle to find a more enjoyably violent videogame out there even today and now you can witness Kratos' riotously fun mythological genocide better than ever. Not much has changed in terms of combat from God of War apart from some useless secondary weapons and an overhauled combo set, what is very noticeable and very admirable is the level design which still stands as some of the most ingenious level design for an action adventure game in recent memory, the world's seem alive due to Santa Monica's striking attention to detail and continuity. You'll never know what is waiting around the corner, if it's a puzzle it will be befuddling at first until you apply some common sense and Kratos-ian lateral thinking and if it's a bunch of enemies you'll have a blast tearing them to pieces with verve and a net surplus of bloodied limbs. Throw in a huge number of challenging and entertaining boss fights and you have one of the best, if not the best, hack and slash action titles ever created.
Both of these games are worth your time and you will need plenty of it. All in all it will take you around 30+ hours to round off Kratos' collective outings on the Playstation 2 and in that time you may just develop some serious God of War fatigue. Playing these games back to back will hammer home the notion that not much has changed since Kratos first stood on that deck and proclaimed his murderous intentions to the minions of the underworld. Kratos is not a man for change and the nature of his starring vehicles reflect that but nevertheless this collection is a superlative piece of gaming history and an absolute must play for anyone who hasn't experienced either one of these legendary titles.
It may not be the best HD remastering we've seen from a technical standpoint but when you consider what you're getting for your money, no graphical blemishes can mar what is the most complete action gaming package released yet on the PS3.