Donde esta los blogs?
But yes, of the course of a couple of weeks, I have played every God of War game (minus the phone game Betrayal and the upcoming Ascension of course). So the PSP games, the PS2 games, and of course God of War III. So, what'd I think of the franchise? Well let's break it down in the order I played (which was story-order).
God of War: Chains of Olympus
Now I had already played this before on the PSP, it had just been quite a while and I figured I'd try it on the PS3. I'd say it's the worst of the franchise. It kinda sits on the awkard middle ground where it's God of War I without the good stuff of God of War I. However it does eventually gain some relevance storywise and it's not necessarily a bad game. It's a fun hack and slash. However I would warn that it's really easy, even in terms of God of War (more on that later).
God of War
I played this on the God of War Saga so it was the "HD remaster" of the PS2 version. So obviously it looked a bit better and ran smoother. In terms of the whole franchise, if you wanted something with real difficulty and real story, something that kinda isn't God of War, this is your choice. It does get challenging later in the game, something I wasn't expecting after playing the super-easy Chains of Olympus. It also does have a story worth caring about. While it's nothing spectacular, it is well-paced and serviceable for the story. It gives you insight into Kratos and slowly layers in his motivations for killing Ares and his hatred for the gods. Yes, Kratos is still a grunting, shouting, broody killing machine but he does feel more human here. It does also have what you'd think is a rather definitive ending (I'm assuming that they weren't sure if they'd get a sequel so they made the ending stand well on its own). So if you want something that isn't just God of War, here's your game.
God of War: Ghost of Sparta
Again, I played this on the PSP but I replayed it on the PS3 this time. I'd have to say the game is pretty damn impressive and stays true to the later God of War entries. It's very cinematic, very over the top, and actually looks pretty damn good, even for a PSP game. Probably the best looking game on the system and I'd even reckon it looks a bit better than the PS2 entries. However, this does fall victim to the same flaw as Chains of Olympus, in that it is a bit too easy. The story is also rather irrelevant, it perhaps has one brief reference in God of War III. But of course, that's the story of spinoff games, and on its own the story isn't too great either. It tries to delve into Kratos' past but you really just don't care as you know there's no payoff honestly. Still, it's fun, cinematic, and impressive.
God of War II
Now this is where my biggest complaints in the series crop up. Now don't get me wrong, I don't mind that it's a bit easy and that it's cinematic QTEs, I actually love that part of the franchise. But the series, from this point on, seems to not really realize what it is and takes itself a bit too seriously. Now I don't expect Kratos to be making wisecracks but they really expect us to buy the story and character motivations which I just couldn't. This game in particular is the issue as it lays the groundwork for 2/3 of the main story of the franchise and it stands on shaky ground. Basically the issue is this: Kratos becomes the God of War, and to spend his time, he uses his armies to conquer shit. Eventually he starts stepping on the toes of the other gods by, you know, conquering their cities, and when he disregards Athena's warning to stop, she takes things into her own hands. She strips you of most of your godly powers and unleashes an animated Colossus of Rhodes on you. However, you still are powerful, so Zeus sends down the Blade of Olympus. Kratos asks Zeus why he assists him, and basically Zeus says "I just want to end this." And Kratos takes the blade. Bullshit man, this is OBVIOUSLY a trap. I could smell it from the minute I heard Zeus' voice. So Kratos takes the blade, puts his godly powers into it, kills the Colossus, and then Zeus betrays him by using the blade to kill him (as he no longer has his godly powers). The rest of the game is based on Kratos (revived by the titan Gaea) trying to turn back time to stop this betrayal and how he's all made at Zeus for "betraying" him. Well I can't fucking blame Zeus, you were wrecking shit. Hell, I felt for him more than Kratos. But alas, it's God of War, and to an extent you need to put the story aside. Gameplay wise, it's a bit more polished (but less difficult) than God of War, although I found the final boss annoyingly difficult.
God of War III
I was eager to play this for a while, since God of War has always been about the spectacle and cinematic experience, and it felt like it could be realized on the PS3. My complaints about story do carry over, except this time they asspull too many plot points never glossed over in older games to stretch the game out or make Zeus more comically evil. The game does, first off, look amazing. It's really beautiful. It's one of those instances where graphics do matter. It helps make the experience more cinematic and opens up the way for really neat boss battles. On that note, there are some really neat boss battles. Chronos (spoilers) was a really cool boss. The setpieces are amazing, the battles are fun, and I'd say that this is a fun game. Maybe not great in terms of story and difficulty, but it's fun. I think in the end that's what counts.
So overall, I'd say the franchise is fun. Not Sony's strongest franchise but it gives a lot of memorable moments and fun experiences. Worth the $40 I spent for the Saga (which is all of these games). I do however have no motivation for Ascension, especially at a $60 price tag. Considering I paid $40 for these, it feels like a rip off to pay $20 more for a single game that'll probably be mostly the same as God of War III, minus multiplayer and actually fighting gods as bosses.
I'll do some impressions for Uncharted as a franchise (once I get the third one in) and inFamous (currently on inFamous 2). Also I'll try to nab Killzone and Resistance franchise packs to top off the modern Sony line-up.
But yes, of the course of a couple of weeks, I have played every God of War game (minus the phone game Betrayal and the upcoming Ascension of course). So the PSP games, the PS2 games, and of course God of War III. So, what'd I think of the franchise? Well let's break it down in the order I played (which was story-order).
God of War: Chains of Olympus
Now I had already played this before on the PSP, it had just been quite a while and I figured I'd try it on the PS3. I'd say it's the worst of the franchise. It kinda sits on the awkard middle ground where it's God of War I without the good stuff of God of War I. However it does eventually gain some relevance storywise and it's not necessarily a bad game. It's a fun hack and slash. However I would warn that it's really easy, even in terms of God of War (more on that later).
God of War
I played this on the God of War Saga so it was the "HD remaster" of the PS2 version. So obviously it looked a bit better and ran smoother. In terms of the whole franchise, if you wanted something with real difficulty and real story, something that kinda isn't God of War, this is your choice. It does get challenging later in the game, something I wasn't expecting after playing the super-easy Chains of Olympus. It also does have a story worth caring about. While it's nothing spectacular, it is well-paced and serviceable for the story. It gives you insight into Kratos and slowly layers in his motivations for killing Ares and his hatred for the gods. Yes, Kratos is still a grunting, shouting, broody killing machine but he does feel more human here. It does also have what you'd think is a rather definitive ending (I'm assuming that they weren't sure if they'd get a sequel so they made the ending stand well on its own). So if you want something that isn't just God of War, here's your game.
God of War: Ghost of Sparta
Again, I played this on the PSP but I replayed it on the PS3 this time. I'd have to say the game is pretty damn impressive and stays true to the later God of War entries. It's very cinematic, very over the top, and actually looks pretty damn good, even for a PSP game. Probably the best looking game on the system and I'd even reckon it looks a bit better than the PS2 entries. However, this does fall victim to the same flaw as Chains of Olympus, in that it is a bit too easy. The story is also rather irrelevant, it perhaps has one brief reference in God of War III. But of course, that's the story of spinoff games, and on its own the story isn't too great either. It tries to delve into Kratos' past but you really just don't care as you know there's no payoff honestly. Still, it's fun, cinematic, and impressive.
God of War II
Now this is where my biggest complaints in the series crop up. Now don't get me wrong, I don't mind that it's a bit easy and that it's cinematic QTEs, I actually love that part of the franchise. But the series, from this point on, seems to not really realize what it is and takes itself a bit too seriously. Now I don't expect Kratos to be making wisecracks but they really expect us to buy the story and character motivations which I just couldn't. This game in particular is the issue as it lays the groundwork for 2/3 of the main story of the franchise and it stands on shaky ground. Basically the issue is this: Kratos becomes the God of War, and to spend his time, he uses his armies to conquer shit. Eventually he starts stepping on the toes of the other gods by, you know, conquering their cities, and when he disregards Athena's warning to stop, she takes things into her own hands. She strips you of most of your godly powers and unleashes an animated Colossus of Rhodes on you. However, you still are powerful, so Zeus sends down the Blade of Olympus. Kratos asks Zeus why he assists him, and basically Zeus says "I just want to end this." And Kratos takes the blade. Bullshit man, this is OBVIOUSLY a trap. I could smell it from the minute I heard Zeus' voice. So Kratos takes the blade, puts his godly powers into it, kills the Colossus, and then Zeus betrays him by using the blade to kill him (as he no longer has his godly powers). The rest of the game is based on Kratos (revived by the titan Gaea) trying to turn back time to stop this betrayal and how he's all made at Zeus for "betraying" him. Well I can't fucking blame Zeus, you were wrecking shit. Hell, I felt for him more than Kratos. But alas, it's God of War, and to an extent you need to put the story aside. Gameplay wise, it's a bit more polished (but less difficult) than God of War, although I found the final boss annoyingly difficult.
God of War III
I was eager to play this for a while, since God of War has always been about the spectacle and cinematic experience, and it felt like it could be realized on the PS3. My complaints about story do carry over, except this time they asspull too many plot points never glossed over in older games to stretch the game out or make Zeus more comically evil. The game does, first off, look amazing. It's really beautiful. It's one of those instances where graphics do matter. It helps make the experience more cinematic and opens up the way for really neat boss battles. On that note, there are some really neat boss battles. Chronos (spoilers) was a really cool boss. The setpieces are amazing, the battles are fun, and I'd say that this is a fun game. Maybe not great in terms of story and difficulty, but it's fun. I think in the end that's what counts.
So overall, I'd say the franchise is fun. Not Sony's strongest franchise but it gives a lot of memorable moments and fun experiences. Worth the $40 I spent for the Saga (which is all of these games). I do however have no motivation for Ascension, especially at a $60 price tag. Considering I paid $40 for these, it feels like a rip off to pay $20 more for a single game that'll probably be mostly the same as God of War III, minus multiplayer and actually fighting gods as bosses.
I'll do some impressions for Uncharted as a franchise (once I get the third one in) and inFamous (currently on inFamous 2). Also I'll try to nab Killzone and Resistance franchise packs to top off the modern Sony line-up.
