God of War. Easily one of the best-loved PlayStation franchises there is. The first game caused controversy after David Jaffe claimed the game would beat the Japanese in a genre they'd pretty much invented and controlled.
At the time the PlayStation community was pretty much head over heals with Devil May Cry – so many people scoffed at this suggestion.
When the game came out it had a tightly designed combat system, bombastic attitude, huge production values and some of the best visuals seen on the PS2. Overnight, Sony added a shiny star to its roster of franchises.
Two years, an engine upgrade and a change of director later, God of War 2 was launched – and arguably represented the PS2's finest hour technically. The game refined the franchise in a great many ways... and cemented the series' position as a key system seller for Sony.It's nearly three years since God of War appeared on a home console... So imagine my surprise to discover that four God of War games will be out within the next few months.
Yes four.
Firstly we have God of War Collection – a 'remastered' anthology of the first two games. Featuring rock-solid 60fps visuals, rendered at 720p. If you are lucky enough to have a backwards compatible PS3, you may think you know how these games will look. You don't.
The move to native 720p with anti-aliasing, combined with the smooth-as-butter framerate makes these games a revelation to play. It highlights just how far ahead of the game they were at launch – both titles remain engaging and rewarding in terms of their mechanics and design. God of War 2 in particular has more set pieces in its first level than many current gen games manage in their entirety.Next up with have God of War 3 – the first true hi-def entry in the series. From the demo this game looks to refine the formula rather than radically alter it, but God of War Collection proves the formula is just as engaging as it ever was – that the devs aren't doing anything radical should be cause for celebration, rather than concern.
What's more, for this game Sony Santa Monica have full access to the Sony tech team that worked on Killzone 2's lighting and the Uncharted engine. If that wasn't enough, the lead programmer was intimately involved with the development of the Cell architecture that powers the system. Massive graphical powerhouse status: Confirmed.
So what's the fourth game?
Dante's Inferno. Yes, seriously. If you haven't tried the demo (up now on the US PlayStation Store, later in the month on Xbox Live and PS Store UK), then I suggest you give it a go.
The mind boggles at how no one has been sued (although you have to assume Sony could never litigate against a company who's games are essential to the success of any format).
This game basically IS God of War – the buttons are mapped the same, even the in-game prompts that tell you what the buttons do are displayed on a bit of parchment that looks just like that of God of War. The main characters weapon leaves behind the same glowing orange motion-trail. Creatively, you wonder whether the people making this don't hang their head in shame when in private...
Happily because the game is so close they've also copied the essence of the game – visceral, hard hitting, supremely badass combat. So while you do have to raise an arched eyebrow more than a few times during the demo, you'll almost certainly have a lot of fun playing it.
The truth is, if you're a fan of God of War, any one of these games is almost certain to make you grin from ear to ear.
Me? I'm going to gorge myself on all of them, like a compulsive over eater at an all-you-can-eat Chinese Buffet... and polish off Bayonetta for dessert. All of which should just about make room for Enslaved from Ninja Theory later in the year.
Yum!
