The recent news that Sony was publishing God of War 1 and 2 onto Playstation 3 came as a surprise. To know what to expect, I looked it up on our very own Gamespot website. For the low price of 39.99, the God of War collection will have both games packed onto a single Blu-Ray disc. They will be remastered graphically into HD format with 1024 x 720 Widescreen support. And they will have PSN Trophy support. And whats more, the God of War collection will release during the holidays of this year. What does this mean for Playstation 3?

It's certainly a new step in the right direction for a console. God of War 1 and 2 were among the few PS2 games that offered the best graphics that the system could produce. Watching Kratos demonstrate ballets of dismembering and eviscerating his foes on the PS2 was quite enjoyable for me. It was so enjoyable that I did wonder where they could go with it? And then with the announcement of God of War 3 for the Playstation 3, I knew fully well that this would be a game that would show just how powerful the Playstation 3 could be like its predecessors before it.

Just imagine watching this fight in HD on your Playstation 3...

Sony would be the ones to pull off something as dramatic as this. It does beg the question of where a move like this will go when it comes to other publishers and developers. A few noteworthy PS2 titles that could use an HD overhaul and potential trophy support...

-Xenosaga 1, 2, 3. This series had one of the most elaborate stories present in a video game. Set forth by their PS1 predecessor, Xenogears (which is actually the sequel to these games!), this trilogy released within 5 years of one another on the PS2 and boasted impressive visual displays coupled with elaborate gameplay. Unfortunately, the series feels just like Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. You're watching the story unfold more than playing it out. The series does deserve an HD revamp...and beneficial trophies might include say completing an episode prior to playing its next installment in addition to the import bonuses (such as extra costumes and items) that the original games afford, as well as trophies for completing the various side quests and tackling bosses.

-Final Fantasy 10, 10-2, and 12. Admittedly, Final Fantasy 13 will be the first Final Fantasy to have reason to tackle everything in the game with Trophy and Achievement support. But why not re-release the titles that helped support the PS2 into HD quality? Even though the games were beautiful graphically, they were not intent on pursuing any graphical quality compared to lengthy gameplay for RPGs. The games would benefit from trophy support, however. 12 in particular had hunts that could be completed for rewards and experience, and the later fights were quite challenging.

-Okami. This game became a huge success on the Playstation 2 due to its intensive cel-shaded graphics and unique adventure-based gameplay. A simple game that escalates into a more challenging perspective when you approach the later parts of it. It would be easy to sharpen the graphics up and port them onto the Playstation 3...with a few trophies.

-Resident Evil. This is a series that deserves a revival of its earlier counterparts. Resident Evil 1, 2, and 3 established themselves into the Playstation 1's library and the gaming world. Resident Evil: Code Veronica X followed the original template that the others had done before it, and then Resident Evil 4 refreshed the series with sharpened graphics, revamped gameplay, and a continuation of a great series. Resident Evil 5 released 6 months ago to critical acclaim and a high volume of sales. I am one of those people who have never played the games preceding the 4th title. So why not re-release them onto a single disc with trophy support?

I could go on and on, listing more titles that deserve a revival. But Sony will definitely keep churning out the list of Playstation 1 titles onto the PSN for download. And knowing many of the major publishers and developers out there, they will definitely consider the idea. But will it be implemented? We'll find out in the future.

I have found all the collectibles, unlocked all the challenges, found all the chronicles of Arkham, and beat the Game on Normal. So, there will not be any surprises for me when I tackle the Hard mode and try to beat that. Add in the challenges I have to complete, I will potentially be able to 100% my first PS3 game.

What am I saying? That's not news! Well...it is...but its not big news that draws people in...but I have been promoted to Officer ranking in the Japanese Gaming Union. I want to thank the key members: Asian_Pride69, Jaykho213, Cookie_On_Fire, Shiizuki,and others for considering me for this position and awarding it to me. -victory sign- STRIKE-U...! XP...of course, as a drawback to me in particular...I've already hit my maximum number of Unions. So I can't join anymore.

Well, in recognition of a nice milestone...since 15 is such a nice sounding number...the time has come to put me in the spotlight and interrogate me. So, do your worst...

Its sure a lot of hard work getting to that new level...but getting a new badge added to my list...makes me happy. Anyway. here's an August review follow up:

Batman: Arkham Asylum (definite 9/10): The graphical presentation is amazing. The controls are very adaptive, and the story is good. It just makes you wonder how it ends...it's like an animated movie in the works that pulls you in, wondering 'How is Batman going to get out of this situation?'... And just like any good movie, it's about the story. Batman thwarts the Joker's latest caper and hand delivers him to Arkham Island to the island's criminal asylum for the insane. However, the Joker somehow has planned on being delivered to Arkham and escapes, taking control of the entire island. And it is up to Batman to stop his archnemesis...and all the bad guys in between. Yes, bad GUYS. The game also has appearances from villains such as Bane, Victor Zsasz, Harley Quinn, the Riddler, Poison Ivy, and Scarecrow. The story mode is a few hours long, especially if you manage to tackle the Riddler side quests. Accomplishing things in game unlocks character trophies (not PS3 trophies, but more like still models of characters), challenge maps (the first map alone can't be beaten unless you unlock a good portion of your combos and gadgets since it'll give you better opportunity to chain and vary your combos for a higher score), and special bios of various characters in the Batman universe.

Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box (9/10): Has anyone played the first game, Professor Layton and the Curious Village? Get to it. It's good. It's a simple adventure story focused around Hershel Layton, who is a university teacher and avid puzzle specialist, and Luke, his apprentice. This game picks up where the first one left off, involving the two in the murder of one of Layton's fellow colleagues. This same colleague was studying an artifact known as the Elysian Box, rumored to kill whomever opens the box. When they go to visit him, they find his body, but the box has vanished. Instead, they find the man clutching a train ticket for the Molentary Express with no destination inscribed in the ticket. Therein begins the adventure. You get over 150 puzzles to solve in the progress of the game. Add in the fact there are more animated cutscenes and even more voice overs available in the game, the second installment of the Professor Layton series delivers on what made the first game great, and brings in some new blood. And did I mention that Level 5 (the guys who did Dark Cloud 1 and 2, Rogue Galaxy, Dragon Quest 8, and the upcoming White Knight Chronicles) produced these games, or that Studio Ghibli did the animations?

Crystal Defenders(8.5/10): Now, I am a big Final Fantasy fan. But I am also a fan of the Ninjatown game that released on the Nintendo DS last year. When I saw Crystal Defenders available on the PSN, I gave it a shot. My first thought: "Hey, Square Enix ripped off Ninjatown!" It's basically Ninjatown set in the Final Fantasy Tactics Advance 2 Universe. And graphically it's the same kind of game right down to the pixellated avatars. Each map has a winding road set up that various enemies will tackle in order to get from Point A to Point B. Your goal? Keep them from getting from A to B. How? Spend Gil that you accumulate with killing enemies to buy and upgrade various classes. Place them in ideal positions on the map, and hit Square. Watch the simplistic mayhem ensue. Enemies come in Waves, with each wave having higher HP levels and sometimes various attributes that make them harder to kill (like resistant to magic or physical attacks, or airborne enemies, or they move so quickly that weaker soldiers might not kill them quickly enough...) Anyone who's played Final Fantasy Tactics or Ninjatown will probably like this game. Everyone else? Play the demo and make your judgment. Plus, it is only 10 bucks. The drawback? It would have done better as a DS game. But the people who made Ninjatown might not have liked that. Hah.

Yes, I know. The August lineup's been pretty slim pickings. I assure you though...that'll change. I'll post a September blog for some monthly reviews for the following:

-For the DS: Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, Scribblenauts, Laevatain Tactics (RPG coming out from Aksys, the guys who ported Hoshigami: Ruining Blue Earth Remix for the DS), and maybe Mini Ninjas. Not many September PS3 releases...well, maybe if they announce any new PS1 classics coming out for the PSN.

Anyway, anyone who likes what I contribute can feel free to send me a friend invite and spread the love around.

PS3: Borderlands, Fallout 3 GOTY Edition, Assassin's Creed 2, maybe Dragon Age: Origins or Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Heavy Rain, and White Knight Chronicles

DS: Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, Nostalgia, Sands of Destruction, Phantasy Star Zero/0, Golden Sun DS, A Witch's Tale

Thank God, I have a job, huh? For now, I'm enjoying Batman: Arkham Asylum, inFamous, LittleBIGPlanet, Crystal Defenders, and Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4...I won't even bother to mention the huge shelf of DS games I have that I still need to play through...

Well, folks. I may not have the nerve to go all the way up to Gamestop for a midnight opening for this great game, but I know I'll be going here right after I get my school stuff done and buying this. Plus, I got a coupon for 25% off any used game when I buy it with Batman. So I'm debating between InFamous and RE5. I played them both. All I need in RE5 is to work my way back up to Professional and beat all the chapters on it. And get a few 'special' trophies for headshots and special weapons...and then for inFamous, the only GOLD trophy involves the hard campaign. Which DOES become easier when you're EVIL...=P so between the two of them, inFamous has more playability, but RE5...x_x it'll take a long time...

I completed the entire Metal Gear Solid pack on LittleBiGPlanet. And I had completed the tutorials, getting all the gadgets I can get ahold of. So now, I've got a level in the works. It'll be really substantial if other LBP players play it as Snake...so I might have to edit it so the speech bubbles are very generalistic. But expect a few of the following:

-Boss Battles, definitely! They won't be on the scale of what the LBP makers did, but I'll do what I can. Expect both Metal Gears to make an appearance.

-Enemies. This'll be tricky. There's ton of Gekko stickers galore, but the hard part of finding out how to carve them into material to make actual objects.

-Challenges. Gas? Check. Energy guns? Check. Tanks? Check. Electricity and fire? Check and check.

-Size? I plan to do a massive level, but unfortunately, the presence of enemies does cut down on the total content you can allow in a level. So you can either attempt a level with dangers and no enemies...or a small level that involves enemy busting and be very short.

Well, I'll do what I can. It'll take time. But my first attempt will be something.

Well, kiddies. Looks like we won't be returning to Rapture anytime soon. I was hoping for this game come November. Then it got delayed to January 5th, 2010. Now, it got delayed further. Now it looks like I'm going to need to get something in its place. Maybe Demon's Souls or Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2...or I'll stick it out till February and get Heavy Rain when I get White Knight Chronicles...

Here's a list of all the games I own or plan to get with online play:

-Crystal Defenders

-LittleBIGPlanet

-Borderlands

-Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

-Demon's Souls

I'm looking for any Gamespot users with PSN Access to buddy up with who own or plan to get these games in the near future. Plus, if you want some nifty PSN Username cards, go to ps3trophycard.com and get a customizable one with your Username, trophy collection, and level/percentage score. Free to get and even has a BBCode signature you can paste into your Gamespot Signature to show your friends. Updates itself every day with free membership to the site!