| God of War | |
|---|---|
The logo for God of War, the first game in the series. |
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| Genres | Hack and slash, action-adventure |
| Developers | SCE Santa Monica Studio (Main) Ready at Dawn Studios (PSP games) Javaground (Mobile phone) Bluepoint Games (Port for God of War Collection) |
| Publishers | Sony Computer Entertainment Capcom (in Japan) |
| Creators | David Jaffe, Cory Barlog, Stig Asmussen |
| Writers | Marianne Krawczyk |
| Platforms | PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Mobile Phone |
| First release | God of War
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| Latest release | God of War: Origins Collection
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| Official website | Official Site |
God of War is a series of action-adventure video games based on Greek mythology. The main trilogy—God of War I, II, & III—in the series were developed by Sony Computer Entertainment's Santa Monica division (PS2 and PS3), with Ready at Dawn Studios developing the PSP (Chains of Olympus and Ghost of Sparta) and Javaground the mobile phone installment (Betrayal) respectively. Debuting in 2005, the series has featured on the PlayStation 2, mobile phone, PlayStation Portable, and PlayStation 3. The character Kratos has been associated with merchandise including artwork, clothing, comic books, a novel, toys and cell phone skins.
The central character of the series is Kratos, a Spartan warrior eventually revealed to be a demigod. The success of the first game, God of War has allowed for the development of five additional games, with each chapter forming part of a saga with vengeance as a central theme. Each new installment provides additional information on Kratos' origins and relationship with his family and the gods. A convoluted series of attempts to free himself from the influence of the gods (and eventually the Titans) and exact revenge follow, with the series becoming darker in tone with each game.
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A third-person camera game (first-person camera component in God of War III), the player controls the character Kratos in a combination of combat, platforming and puzzle game elements. The player typically has to navigate Kratos through a long series of tests, trials and mazes to reach goals.
Kratos' main weapons throughout the series are a pair of double-chained blades, with various other secondary weapons (e.g. the Blade of Artemis from God of War) acquired with each game. Magic is also used, with four different abilities usually acquired (e.g. Poseidon's Rage, Medusa's Gaze, Zeus' Fury and Army of Hades from God of War). With each new game, most weapons and magic are typically lost, with a new arsenal and abilities being found through the course of gameplay.
Relics can also be acquired and are an exception to this rule, as the player is able to use each in successive games (i.e. Poseidon's Trident, the Golden Fleece and Icarus' wings).
Kratos often also has a "special" ability, which provides temporary invulnerability and increased attack damage (i.e. "Rage of the Gods" or "Rage of the Titans"). It can be recharged by building "hits" (damage) on foes in combat.
Health and Magic upgrades- Gorgon Eyes and Phoenix Feathers respectively -are found throughout the game in uncolored chests (Minotaur Horns are added in God of War III). A certain number of each are needed to upgrade the Health and Magic bars respectively. Other chests found in the game, containing orbs, are marked with a corresponding color for the orbs (green, blue, and red). Green Orbs replenish health, blue orbs replenish magic and red orbs provide experience (and can also replenish the Rage meter).
Red orbs may also be collected by killing foes and destroying certain inanimate objects. Combat includes a quick-time feature, which is initiated when the player has weakened a stronger foe and an icon (the circle button on the controller) appears above them. The player then presses the corresponding button commands appearing on screen, with success ending the battle, and failure usually resulting in damage. A "grab" maneuver is also available for use on minor foes that yields a higher proportion of experience points in the form of red orbs.
A quick-time sex mini-game and Challenge mode are also included, which yield bonus red orbs and secret costumes and behind-the-scenes videos, respectively.
God of War was first released in North America on March 22, 2005. Kratos is introduced as having been the servant of the gods for ten years, and is tasked by Athena with finding Pandora's Box, the key to defeating Ares, the God of War. Through a series of flashbacks it is revealed that Kratos was once the servant of Ares (who saved the Spartan and his army from annihilation) in battle, and tricked him into killing his family, forcing his metamorphosis into the "Ghost of Sparta." Kratos eventually locates the Box, and after finally killing Ares, ascends to Olympus to become the new God of War.
God of War II was first released in North America on March 13, 2007. Betrayed by Zeus, Kratos is saved by the Titan Gaia, who states Kratos must now find the Sisters of Fate. The Sisters can change his fate and prevent his death at the hands of Zeus. Kratos is ultimately successful, and learns from a dying Athena (who sacrificed herself to save Zeus and thereby preserve Olympus) that he is the son of Zeus. Kratos then joins forces with Gaia and the Titans in an attack on Olympus.
God of War: Betrayal was released on June 20, 2007. Taking place between the events of God of War: Ghost of Sparta and God of War II, Kratos is framed for murder and rampages across Greece, seeking the true assassin. Kratos succumbs to bloodlust and kills Ceryx, the son of the god Hermes - an act that alienates him from his fellow gods.
God of War: Chains of Olympus was first released in North America on March 4, 2008 followed by a limited edition PSP bundle pack released in June. Set in the time of Kratos' ten years of service to the gods, Kratos halts a Persian invasion of the Greek city of Attica, and learns that the world has been plunged into darkness by the god Morpheus. Learning that the sun god Helios has been abducted, Kratos investigates and prevents the machiavellian plan of the goddess Persephone to use the Titan Atlas to destroy the world and as a result Olympus.
| God of War Collection | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | SCE Studios Santa Monica Bluepoint Games (Port) |
| Publisher(s) | |
| Series | God of War |
| Engine | Bluepoint Engine |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 3 |
| Release date(s) |
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| Genre(s) | Hack and slash, action-adventure |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
| Rating(s) | |
| Media/distribution | Blu-ray Disc, Digital download |
God of War Collection is a remastered port (the first Classics HD release)[4] of God of War and God of War II for the PlayStation 3 on a single Blu-ray Disc.
Initially scheduled for release in North America on November 10, 2009;[5] the game was delayed until November 17, 2009.[1]
On December 17, 2009 on the European PlayStation Blog, it was announced that the God of War Collection will be included in the God of War III: Ultimate Trilogy Edition. This "Ultimate Trilogy Edition" was released in limited quantities in conjunction with God of War III (March 18, 2010 in Australia and New Zealand; March 19, 2010 in Europe). [6]
The Collection was released in Japan as a standalone on March 18, 2010 and was published by Capcom.[2] A God of War III Trilogy Edition which included God of War III and God of War Collection was also released on March 25, 2010. The game was released in Australia on April 29, 2010.[7] and in the UK on April 30, 2010.
The original God of War and God of War II were ported by Bluepoint Games and use the features of the PlayStation 3, including high-definition resolutions (720p), anti-aliased graphics locked in at 60 frames per second and Trophies. The bonus materials contained on the second disc of the original two-disc PS2 version of God of War II are included with the Blu-ray version of the collection.[8] The port was derived from feedback of fans of the series and was viewed as a means of introducing new players to the series prior to the release of God of War III.[9]
In a PlayStation Blog post on September 23, 2009, it was revealed that the God of War III game demo from E3 2009 was included with early copies of the game.[10] The official gameplay trailer was unveiled on October 16, 2009.[11] The trailer was shown in PlayStation Home's virtual theater and as an advertising poster on the side of the virtual mall.
There are a total of 71 trophies between the two games - 36 for God of War and 35 for God of War II respectively - including a platinum trophy for each game.[12]
On November 24, 2009, SCE Santa Monica Studio began a sweepstakes in celebration of the release of God of War Collection. The grand prize was an autographed "Gold" disc (a first pressing of the game created when assets were finalized and reached "Gold" status), exclusive artwork created and signed by a God of War team member, a Limited Edition Kratos T-shirt, and a never before released Limited Edition 10" Figurine of Kratos. First place prize was a copy of God of War Collection signed by the Development Team. Winners were announced on the PlayStation Blog and on God of War.com on December 24, 2009.[13][14]
On November 2, 2010, God of War Collection was released as a digital download on the PlayStation Store (God of War and God of War II being the first PS2 games to receive this treatment).[8] PlayStation Plus subscribers may also download a one hour trial of each game and for a limited time receive a God of War III skin with the purchase of each game: "Phantom of Chaos" (God of War) and "Forgotten Warrior" (God of War II) respectively.[15] The bonus materials for God of War II are not included with the digital download version.[8]
God of War III was first released in North America on March 16, 2010 with an "Ultimate Edition" available for pre-order with exclusive content. Kratos engages both the gods and former allies the Titans in an epic series of battles across the Underworld and Olympus. Aided by the spirit of a revived Athena and Pandora herself, Kratos eventually defeats the gods and opposing Titans. After killing Zeus, Kratos refuses to aid Athena assume the role of new patron of mankind and disappears, his final fate unknown.
God of War: Ghost of Sparta was first released in North America on November 2, 2010 with a limited edition PSP bundle and an exclusive pre-order offer released simultaneously. Set after the events of the original God of War and prior to God of War: Betrayal, Kratos, the God of War, is still haunted by visions of his mortal past and embarks on a quest to discover his origins by finding his mother, Callisto. Learning that his brother Deimos was taken by the gods and then imprisoned by the God of Death, Thanatos, Kratos decides to find and save his sibling. Although successful, Thanatos engages the brothers in combat, and kills Deimos. Kratos then kills Thanatos in turn, and returns to Olympus, now enraged at the gods.
| God of War: Origins Collection | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Ready at Dawn SCE Studios Santa Monica |
| Publisher(s) | Sony Computer Entertainment |
| Series | God of War |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 3 |
| Release date(s) |
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| Genre(s) | Hack and slash, action-adventure |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
| Rating(s) | |
| Media/distribution | Blu-ray Disc, Digital download |
God of War: Origins Collection (called God of War Collection – Volume II in Europe and commonly referred to as God of War Origins) is a remastered port of the two PlayStation Portable installments in the series - God of War: Chains of Olympus and God of War: Ghost of Sparta - for the PlayStation 3 on a single Blu-ray Disc. The collection was first announced at the Sony press conference at E3 2011. The collection was released by Ready at Dawn on September 13 and 16, 2011 in North America and Europe respectively, and on October 6, 2011 in Japan. God of War: Origins Collection was also released in North America as a digital download (including full game trials of both games) on the PlayStation Store on September 13, 2011.
God of War Origins features high-definition resolutions (720p), Stereoscopic 3D (the first God of War release with this feature), anti-aliased graphics locked in at 60 frames per second, DualShock 3 rumble features and Trophies. The God of War - Game Directors Live documentary, Kratos Legionnaire bonus skin, and Forest of the Forgotten combat arena (previously included with the Ghost of Sparta preorder package) is also included with the God of War: Origins Collection.[16][17]
John Hight, studio director at Santa Monica, advised Joystiq that "while God of War III will conclude the trilogy, it won't spell the end of the franchise", and claimed "We're going to be really careful about what we do next."[18]
Reacent information shows that God of War 4 would be revealed a E3 2012.
A film adaptation of the first game was announced in 2005.[19] Creator David Jaffe confirmed that a completed script had been written by David Self and would be sent to an unspecified "huge-name director". Jaffe also confirmed that Universal Studios is behind the making of the God of War movie but was unaware of its current status,[20] and eventually stated that "it's doubtful that the film will even be made." [21]
During the God of War - Game Directors Live documentary (filmed on September 1, 2010), David Jaffe stated that an agent had called him a few weeks ago and said "[the agent] just told me who signed on to play Kratos." Jaffe also stated that the "script went out a year and a half ago to Daniel Craig who plays Bond, but he turned it down." Jaffe wouldn't say who the actor was that has been signed on to play Kratos, however, he did state that he believes "this new person is pretty good, if that ends up true."[22]
A novelization of the first game written by Matthew Stover and Robert E. Vardeman was released on May 25, 2010 by Del Ray Books.[23]
A six issue comic book series written by Marv Wolfman with art by Andrea Sorrentino was published on a bi-monthly schedule by Wildstorm from March 2010 to January 2011 (a collected edition was released March 2011).[24] The story takes place shortly after the events of God of War (and before Ghost of Sparta) with Kratos seeking the Ambrosia of Asclepius (first to save his plague-ridden daughter Calliope, and later to destroy it to prevent the worshippers of Ares from resurrecting their god), which has legendary healing properties.
On March 1, 2005, God of War: Original Soundtrack from the Video Game - composed by Gerard K. Marino, Ron Fish, Winifred Phillips, Mike Reagan, Cris Velasco and Winnie Waldron - was released on CD (58 minutes and 55 seconds in length) by SCEI as an exclusive product for the Sony Connect Music Store. On April 10, 2007, God of War II: Original Soundtrack from the Video Game - composed by Gerard K. Marino, Ron Fish, Mike Reagan and Cris Velasco - was released on CD (66 minutes and 41 seconds in length) by SCEI. God of War: Chains of Olympus - Original Soundtrack from the Video Game was composed by Gerard K. Marino but has not been commercially released.[25] Marino composed roughly 13 minutes of new music for the game.
On March 16, 2010, God of War III: Original Soundtrack from the Video Game - composed by Gerard K. Marino, Ron Fish, Mike Reagan, Jeff Rona, and Cris Velasco - was released as downloadable content (58 minutes and 42 seconds in length) through the God of War III: Ultimate Edition by SCEI. It was also released as downloadable content via the Ultimate Trilogy Edition which was released in SCEE territories in March and April 2010.[26] It was released on CD on March 30, 2010.[27]
The God of War Trilogy Soundtrack was released with the God of War III: Ultimate Edition (North America) and Ultimate Trilogy Edition (Europe, Australia, & New Zealand) as downloadable content. The Trilogy Soundtrack consists of the scores for God of War, God of War II and God of War III respectively.
On November 2, 2010, God of War: Ghost of Sparta - Original Soundtrack from the Video Game - composed by Gerard K. Marino and Mike Reagan - was released as downloadable content (41 minutes and 8 seconds in length) by SCEI via the God of War: Ghost of Sparta pre-order package. It includes three bonus tracks from God of War: Chains of Olympus.[28]
The God of War: Blood & Metal EP is a heavy metal homage by various bands from the Roadrunner Records label, and features original music inspired by the God of War video game series. The EP was released for purchase on March 2, 2010 (36 minutes and 56 seconds in length).[29] A six-track version was also released via ShockHound on the same date[30] and is available from the iTunes Store. The EP was also released as downloadable content via the God of War III Ultimate Edition (North America) and Ultimate Trilogy Edition (Europe, Australia, and New Zealand) and includes an additional seventh track.[31][32] The additional seventh track - called "Even Gods Cry" by band The Turtlenecks - was made into a music video.[33]
| Track listing | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Music | Length | ||||||
| 1. | "My Obsession" | Killswitch Engage | 3:44 | ||||||
| 2. | "Shattering the Skies Above" | Trivium | 4:44 | ||||||
| 3. | "Raw Dog" | Dream Theater | 7:33 | ||||||
| 4. | "This Is Madness" | Taking Dawn | 4:18 | ||||||
| 5. | "Throat of Winter" | Opeth | 5:47 | ||||||
| 6. | "The End" | Mutiny Within | 3:18 | ||||||
| 7. | "Even Gods Cry" (Ultimate Edition/Ultimate Trilogy Edition download only) | The Turtlenecks | 7:32 | ||||||
God of War: Unearthing the Legend (75 minutes, 2010)[34] is a documentary about the God of War video game franchise and is hosted by Peter Weller. The production discusses the relationship between the God of War games and actual Greek mythology, and features members of the God of War III development team and professional historians. It was released in the God of War III: Ultimate Edition (North America) and Ultimate Trilogy Edition (Europe, Australia, and New Zealand). On March 24, 2010, it was released on the PlayStation Store to purchase.
God of War - Game Directors Live (80 minutes, 2010)[35] is a documentary featuring five of the game directors (excluding Betrayal) from the God of War series. The documentary takes the form of an interview panel hosted by G4's Alison Haislip, with the five game directors and 150 members of PlayStation.Blog and members of GodofWar.com and SpartansStandTall.com. The production was filmed at the El Portal theater in North Hollywood, Los Angeles on September 1, 2010. It was released as a pre-order bonus for God of War: Ghost of Sparta in North America on November 2, 2010 and was included with the God of War: Origins Collection released on September 13, 2011 in North America (also released to purchase on the PlayStation Store on the same day).
God of War has received a score of 93%[36] and 94/100[37] from review aggragators GameRankings and Metacritic respectively.
God of War II has received a score of 92.84%[38] and 93/100[39] from review aggregators GameRankings and Metacritic respectively.
God of War: Betrayal has been critically acclaimed for its fidelity to the series in terms of gameplay, art style and graphics.[40]
God of War: Chains of Olympus has received a score of 91.10%[41] and 91/100[42] from review aggregators GameRankings and Metacritic respectively.
| Reception | |
|---|---|
| Aggregate scores | |
| Aggregator | Score |
| GameRankings | 90.78%[43] |
| Metacritic | 91/100[44] |
| GameStats | 9.0/10[45] |
| Review scores | |
| Publication | Score |
| 1UP.com | A |
| Computer and Video Games | 8.5/10[46] |
| GamePro | 5/5 |
| GameTrailers | 9.0 [47] |
| IGN | 9.4/10 |
God of War Collection has been well received. IGN (9.4/10) awarded the game the "Editor's Choice" Award and praised the enhanced resolutions, lower price point and smoother frame rates, stating it was a "definitive way to play the game".[48]
1up.com ("A" rating) praised the tremendous increase in visuals but noted that although insignificant the in-engine cut-scenes appeared blurry.[49]
GamePro (5/5) stated the collection is "two fantastic games on one disc for a low price; puts you in the right mindset for God of War 3."[50]
PlayStation LifeStyle (5/5) noted that for those who are "familiar with Kratos will enjoy the extra polish the Collection brings to two of the best games from the PS2 era."[51]
God of War III has received a score of 92.07%[52] and 92/100[53] from review aggregators GameRankings and Metacritic respectively.
God of War: Ghost of Sparta has received a score of 86.83%[54] and 86/100[55] from review aggregators GameRankings and Metacritic respectively.
| Reception | |
|---|---|
| Aggregate scores | |
| Aggregator | Score |
| Metacritic | 87/100[56] |
| Review scores | |
| Publication | Score |
| 1UP.com | A- |
| GamePro | 8/10 |
| IGN | 9.0/10 |
God of War: Origins Collection has been well received. IGN (9/10) stated "Sony succeeded at making good games better" and also stated that the game "acts as a time lapse experiment for players to get a really good look at how a developer evolves from one game to another."[57] GamePro (8/10) noted the lack of new bonus content, and claimed "3D doesn't necessarily radically redefine the experience. It does, however, make things like boss fights and magical effects much more mesmerizing..." although "all of the in-game cinematics are not in 3D, which is...unfortunate considering how cutscenes are such an integral part of the storytelling in any God of War game".[58]
Kratos has also been featured as a playable character in five other PlayStation games outside the God of War series: LittleBigPlanet (also included appearances by minor Kratos foes Medusa and a Minotaur),[59] Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds (with his "Clubs of Chaos"),[60] Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny,[61] ModNation Racers (with "Kart of Chaos"),[62] and the PS3 version of the fighting game Mortal Kombat (including own stage with three stage fatalities).[63]
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