God of War: Origins Collection Preview

Heaven’s gates are now open.

PS3 owners, fear not, for your favorite warrior is back. Porting over some of the all-time best-selling PlayStation Portable games, God of War: Origins Collection is a beefed up PS3 version of two classic titles: Chains of Olympus and Ghost of Sparta. Oh yeah, that’s right, two for one, just like the apple pie deal at Mickey D’s. But the guy in red paint isn’t Ronald Macdonald; it’s of course the most awesome anti-hero of our generation, Kreayshawn... uuh err I mean... Kratos. Slashin', slashin', kick 'em, kick 'em, find out who’s his fatha. So far I know it’s not Darth Vader, but maybe after winning the Mortal Kombat tournament, his search shall continue.

Despite the re-mastering to fit the 1080p HD graphics, Origins still features titles originally for the PSP, so the storylines haven’t changed much, and it’s still the gruesome, eye-stabbing, neck-breaking collection everyone wants to have. From first-time players to hardcore God of War-heads (mmm... warheads), controls are easy to grasp and you’ll be destroying foes with 25+ hit combos in no time. Trophy achievements are available for both games separately as well. So after racking up all awards in one title, flip to 'B' side, and do the same for the other.

Chains of Olympus begins where it left off, with Kratos still serving the Olympians and letting the Persian army know that he'll "still whoop yo ass”. Actually, it’s a bit of a feel-good story. Kind of like a family movie, really. Kratos plays the rebellious son of the Gods, who sometimes has to remember to take it easy. But we know that’s not happening because then it would be God of Peace, and instead of handing out ass-kickings, he’d be dishing out flower hats and special brownies. So as it goes, Mr. K easily breezes through enemies one by one as they fall to his deadly sword-axes and swinging chains of pain.

Arguably the better of the two titles, Ghost of Sparta instantly starts off in the shits. Captain K slashes his way through demonized foes, on his journey to shore, while sailing a Pirates of the Caribbean Black Pearl-type ship. Camera angles pan in and out giving a personal feel to the story. Music scores are full of epic intensity and helps build dramatic flare to scenes. Eventually without notice, I begin to merge with my controller, I am no longer Devin, for I am... KRATOS! GOD OF WAR! *flexes muscles* I had some M&Ms while I was playing and actually had to put them down to focos on all the action. And I don't put down M&Ms for nothing.



Much of the same can be expected from Origins: interactive scenery is in full force, from breaking boxes in order to pick up colored orbs for upgrades, health, etc., laying down dead bodies over ground levers as weight distributors, and of course the noise of an occasional violent grunt or two. Character rendering is smooth and clear—after playing for a couple of hours I forgot I was playing a PSP original.

This time around, Ready at Dawn Studios has taken the reigns over from SCE Santa Monica Studio as game developer for this Playstation 3 edition. Ready at Dawn has followed up on their base design and has come with an exciting and enjoyable PS3 version of the PSP classic. Controller layout is simple and resembles the makings of the Prince of Persia series. Heavy with sequenced button pressing, it can make for repetitive fight scenes, but what lacks in monotonous “mini-games”, the finishing kills and cut-scenes pick up the slack.

You just can't go wrong with God of War: Origins Collection, especially when it’s selling at the very affordable price of 40 bucks. Look for it to slice the competition September 13, 2011.