God of War Origins Collection

I apologize for the lateness of this review, since I got this game as a gift after it was released. Moving on, a few weeks ago Sony put out God of War Origins Collection, which remasters the two PSP entries of the God of war series (Chains of Olympus and Ghost of Sparta) in HD on a single disk, with the addition of stereoscopic 3D and Trophy support. Needless to say, this new collection is a vast improvement over the games' original counterparts.

One point of improvement that can be noticed right off the bat is the visuals. Since the PS3 is a more advanced system than the PSP, the graphics are a bit more impressive to look at, and you get a much better view of ancient Greece. Plus, due to this enhancement I was able to see things that I hadn't before in all the time I played Chains of Olympus, such as the locations of chests or cracked walls to smash with the Blades of Chaos. To comment on exactly how advanced these graphics are, Chains of Olympus now looks more on par with a later PS2 game, and a few times while playing Ghost of Sparta again I had to remind myself that I was playing a previously-handheld game (although admittedly one of the button prompts is a little low-res). This is backed up by a much clearer soundtrack, which allowed me to hear parts of it that I otherwise did not through PSP speakers. I cannot comment on the 3D option because I wasn't playing on that kind of television, but I don't think this feature is necessary to use to have a good time.

The biggest improvement, even more than graphics, is an updated control scheme. While the layout is similar to the original versions, you are now able to dodge roll with only the right analog stick instead of having to hold down both shoulder buttons while moving the only stick on the handheld. However, you still have the option to use the original control scheme during play and the command mapped to L1 and R1 can be used with L2 and R2 respectively. Then there's the addition of Trophies, which give more hardcore players to shoot for as they replay these games; they can even be a little humorous, such as one you get in Chains of Olympus for walking across beams.

God of War Origins Collection is a game I would highly recommend for anyone's PS3 library, especially if you have played these games before on their original platform. With two games in one package at an affordable price, this is a great deal for any God of War fan. For my individual opinions of Chains of Olympus or Ghost of Sparta, I encourage you to look at my previous reviews of those titles.