The God of War Series (as of October 18th, 2010)
Few game series are successful at telling one cohesive story while growing in technical achievement with each release. With the God of War series, this is not only accomplished, but perhaps shines as the best example of how to execute on an idea and improve what you do best every step of the way. Quite truly, you can pick up any game from the GOW series and it plays the same as the very first God of War, released for the Playstation 2 in March of 2005 – developed by Sony’s Santa Monica studio. Instead of reviewing each game in the series, outlined below, this is a review of the series itself.
- PS1: God of War, God of War 2
- PSP: God of War: Chains of Olympus, God of War: Ghost of Sparta
- PS3: God of War Collection (HD version of GOW 1 and 2), God of War 3
As someone who has played every version of each game in this series, save for the yet to be released Ghost of Sparta, you can trust me when I write that this series will stand the test of time. Why? Let’s start with the reason we all play games: entertainment value. Everyone has their unique definition of what entertains them. In other words, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. For the masses, including myself, entertainment from video games comes from sanctification. If you are not satisfied with how you’ve spent your money or time, then you’ll constantly feel slighted, and thus not entertained. So, if you enjoy the satisfaction from mowing down hordes of enemies with a wide variety of combo-moves and weapons, GOW has you covered. Throughout the series, the combat basics remain the same. You have a light and heavy attack button, with enhancements along the way to various items that lead to greater damage and magical attacks. In terms of atmosphere, Santa Monica tied the games’ music, scenery, acting, color, and pacing together to reinforce the lead character’s emotions. Kratos is a brooding man who has betrayed himself and his family. The events that take place in GOW 1 set the wheels in motion for what is a thrilling ride mixed with violence and good old Greek mythology.
As noted above, GOW 1 and 2 were remastered in HD for the PS3. This is the definitive way to play these games. If you have a PS3, get the collection. Importantly, I must also touch on the portable GOW. At this point I can only comment on Chains of Olympus. This game also stays true to it’s console versions and is one of only a handful of games that truly make you feel like you own a “portable” Playstation. If you are fortunate enough to own any of these games, share them with your friends. They’ll be so happy they may learn to trust you with critical life-changing decisions.
Worth: Buying. Period.
Did well: Consistent story telling combined with true entertainment. A great value for the dollar.
Did poorly: Some boss fights can be frustrating. Also trophy hunters beware, you have to be at Matt’s gaming level to platinum these GOW 1-3.
Would my wife sit and watch: Haha….good one.
Score: 9/10
10 of 10 at $100 or less when purchased together