Having never played the God of War series, I decided to purchase the Collection DVD for the PS3 this weekend. Sat down yesterday morning and set out to beat the first game (while the girlfriend worked on her painting). It took some getting used to the old graphics (particularly the terribly blurry, jagged cutscenes and the blurred textures) and moreso to the archaic camera system but overall had a blast hacking a mile in Kratos' shoes.

There story itself was great, dark and intriguing à la good old Legacy of Kain (they need to release that series with new graphics, along with Prince of Persia Sands of Times series). I originally thought the bleached Kratos look was lame, but when you finally find out *why* he's so pale, it just fits really well. The combat was just brilliant, first with the blades of chaos, later with the bad ass two hander sword (damn shame I don't have it in the second game).

It took me around 9 hours to beat, and would have gotten done a lot faster had I not pumped my head at the horrendous jumping/balance puzzles during Hades' Challenge (cieling beams with rotating blades) and Hades itself (Big spinning logs with blades on it, and moreso the ones you have to climb up and dodge goram blades. I wanted to throw my controller by that point :P).

Still, I had a blast. Will try and get on with the 2nd sometime this week, beat it and eventually rent the third game, which is coming out this week.

Anyone else recently experience the God of War series for the first time? Who's looking forward to GoW3?

I discovered it just before GOW 2 came out. I also have the PSP game, which isn't bad. The PSP version is the only one I've beaten on God mode. Irregardless, it's a great franchise. GOW 2 is really long and has plenty of OMG moments.

I am so excited for God of War 3. The series is my favorite of all time. I'm currently trying to beat GOW2 on Titan before I play God of War 3 (it's taken me about 11-12 hours of playtime, + 5 more of probably death time, but I'm alllllmost there). GoW1 on God was too easy

The only thing that really gets me in the game is how they gave Kratos a black man voice. I swear he'd suddenly bust a rap and I wouldn't even be surprised.

The pillars with blades on it is where I stopped playing the first one. It's just a bad design.

I loved the PSP GOW. Other than that, kinda meh.

If you liked the GOW games though play Dante's Inferno. It's magnitudes better if you ask me. IGN rated it crappy because they said it was a GOW ripoff, but to me it does the genre much more justice.

Plus Dante > Kratos.

From what I understand, Dante's Inferno got all around bad ratings not because it was a God of War rip off, but because level design, character design and story all got increasingly worse the further you got in the game.

Pah, I've never played any of the God of War games but the remastered games aren't available in the UK unless I want to buy some £100 collectors set along with the 3rd game, a lot of extra crap and a Pandora's Box replica.

Is it worth ordering the collection from overseas?

I'm pretty sure you're better off paying the price for the collectors edition than actually trying to import. It'll probably cost around the same minus extra filth and the 3rd game.

Nope, £30 for the collection, £100 for the collectors edition.

Yea but you're not getting the 3rd game, which will be 60$ at best. The north american God of War Collection package is GoW 1 and 2 and bonus content. Whereas, they are only releasing the God of War Ultimate Trilogy edition which includes all three titles in the UK.

Yeah but the 3rd one isn't going to cost me £70.

[I also happen to have a gift card that I could use on the 3rd.]

I just couldn't get into the series. I tried, I seriously did. Just couldn't do it.

I played them both in December. Loved them. Will get the third when I can afford it (bought a motorcycle instead).

I'll probably get it sometime in the coming month, but I'm splitting the cost 50/50 with my old man. (we buy most of our ps3 games like that and just share)

I'm trying to go in on it with my buddy, but he "DUN'T LIKE HACK EM SLASH EM GAMES."

The only thing I'd change is removing the quicktime button events. Then those games would be amazing. Instead I get really bored after an hour. I can play most games for hours, but not GoW.

The only thing I'd change is not letting Kirby play it.

My one issue with the quicktime buttons was more a personal one. I'm bouncing from Xbox to PS3 to PC constantly, leaving me not so familiar with the buttons. So when a quicktime prompt comes on screen, I need a split-second to remember which button is *that* shape. But the prompt deadline is so short I've already missed it.

Hmm, there was perhaps a lack in enemy diversity, but the level design wasn't bad at all. The story was a fairly simple one to begin with. Man betray's woman who bet her soul to the devil that he would not, and for this he tromps through the layers of hell to face Lucifer himself to free her.

Not really much of a story, but it's all you really need.

BTW, GoW 3 fixes this by moving the quick time events to the side of the screen. So no longer does a big button icon just pop up in the middle. Now since they are either on top, bottom, right or left, you know what button to press instinctively, plus you can watch more of what's going on and just use your peripherals.



I understand people not liking quick time events, but in all reality in GoW, the only time the quicktime events are absolutely mandatory are 1. Against a boss 2. When you have to use a grapple / QTE death to solve a puzzle (ex GoW 2 where you have to grapple the sirens before you cross the steeds of time rather than kill them). So I mean, I'd say that the quicktime events are pretty far and few in between in all reality unless you choose to use them all the time. There is some strategy to them as well on the higher difficulties because the QTE kills dole out different amounts of orbs/magic/etc. In GoW 2 it starts out with a lot, because, well, it's a boss. And frankly, how would you fight the Colossus of Rhodes in any other style when he's the size of a building and you arent'? The next time a NECESSARY event comes in GoW II after Rhodes I believe is when killing the sirens (that isn't even a QTE sequence, it's just one button), and then the finishing move on Theseus (as always for all the bosses). And I can guarantee that's more than an hour after the Rhodes part of the game. So if you don't like QTE, don't use them. A lot of times you get more Red orbs / XP that way, so you are rewarded.

I always do the quicktime events to get orbs, like you said. And I don't find them difficult, I just find them annoying and tedious. They take me out of an otherwise emmersive, rich game. The story and gameplay in GoW games are perfectly balanced EXCEPT when I have to play DDR suddenly in the middle of a boss fight or worst grind in order to beef a weapon up to match enemy health so the game doesn't become too mindlessly hacking and slashing.

You know, I actually liked the Quicktime for killing Medusas and Minotaurs. Made me feeling I was really driving the pain home. Cyclops on the other hand, made me want to throw my controller each time.

Kirby, I'm unsure what you mean. You get orbs either way. You ALWAYS get red orbs regardless, you'll get less though on certain enemies if you use the QTE. So if you are really looking to beef up weapons, you shouldn't be using QTEs in the first place. For example, kill a Medusa or Minotaur without a QTE and you get red orbs, but if you use the QTE you get less red orbs and some blue ones as well (or sometimes no red orbs at all). The only time a QTE is beneficial with an enemy is if you really need health or magic.

So if you are looking for max red orbs, simply just stop using QTEs

I love the series. Will be picking up the third game tomorrow since Toys R Us has a deal where you can acquire a $20 gift card upon purchase. Probably won't get to playing it straight away though due to Final Fantasy XIII, Bayonetta, and Heavy Rain.

Picking up my pre-order tomorrow after work. It's available at midnight tonight...but I'm practicing self control and waiting.

Sounds to me like it's more laziness vs eagerness then it is self control

I've also had too many beers tonight to be able to drive myself there

C'mon Murc, Gamestop on State Street isn't THAT far away from your place by the stadium. LAZY

I tried Bayonetta. That is just not my cup of tea. But then I rarely have a good time playing female protagonists. Too much emphasis is put on their sex-appeal and little on their character and what they do.

Hah...I've moved to the FAR west side since then (Verona area). The walk would be a bit more dangerous now

I considered getting the Collectors edition of GOW3, just for resale later, but it never came available on Amazon for some reason.

I admit; I still prefer Kratos, Ryu Hayabusha, and Dante more compared to Bayonetta, but the game is still great. You definitely need a lot of skill to go through the damn Alfheim challenge missions and the higher difficulties of the game. Boss encounters are amazing in this game thoug.

I had forgotten about this until I started playing it last night. It really pulls me out of the game since it's SO over the top.

Unlike the rest of the game which is very reasonable and completely realistic

Exactly!

He's thankfully sounding better in God of War 2 so far, but really, you gotta wonder why they went with such a voice. Sure he sounds deep and brutish, but its so blatantly african-american that its really contrasting with the character's appearance and race.

Still, he sometimes manages to sound brilliant.

"ATHENA! YOU CONSPIRE AGAINST ME?!"

I still think they would have hit jack pot by hiring Ray Winstone. He is a master of badass voices. As Bors in King Arthur, as Beowulf, as Mr. French in the Departed, etc.