Review: God of War Origins

God of War: Origins brings two titles from the PSP into the HD-era and gives PlayStation 3 owners a chance to play them. Chains of Olympus and Ghost of Sparta both scored pretty high amongst reviewers and players during the original release, so don’t be surprised that we loved this re-release.

Over the years, I’ve gotten lost in the convoluted plot from the God of War series, but each and every title seems to grab hold of my interest again and again and I always end up figuring out what’s going on in the life of Kratos. Ghost of Sparta basically follows Kratos in his quest to save his brother Deimos who is being tortured by Thanatos – but of course you’ll have ten or more other characters involved somewhere along the line for effect. If you choose to play Chains of Olympus, you’ll follow Kratos on an adventure to the Temple of Persephone as he tries to end his nightmarish suffering. The storylines are always interesting, but it’s pretty easy to get lost somewhere in the middle of it all.

Gameplay is the area in which the God of War series has always shined, ever since its induction to the PlayStation family in 2005. The “Blades of Chaos” obviously return in both games as the trademark weaponry of Kratos, and some new weapons and magic have been to each game as well. Ghost of Sparta introduces some new combat mechanics including air-to-air combat against various enemies, and you can also throw/pummel enemies into the ground. Quicktime events are still a big part in both games and larger enemies will feature the QTE’s to finish them off in some expected brutal fashion… and it never gets old.

For the most part, God of War has always been an action adventure, but as players of the franchise have come to realize, it also features some puzzle elements. It’s usually straightforward on what has to be done, but there are times in both of these games, more notably in Ghost of Sparta, where I just couldn’t figure out where I had to go, or how I could access a particular area. Some of the puzzles just didn’t click with me, and I found myself slightly frustrated. However, within minutes I usually found myself on my way to yet another area in the game.

God of War is the definition of action and Origins follows suit of the previous games in the series with its over-the-top brutality. You can chop enemies to pieces, rip off their limbs and beat them to death, tear off heads, rip out their eyes… it doesn’t end, and it’s fun to do these actions over and over. Am I sadistic? Maybe I am, but you’ll find you are too if you play God of War.

Of course one of the most noted features of God of War: Origins is the HD upgrade, and it looks great for both games. Ghost of Sparta is definitely the prettier title though, and maybe it’s because it’s newer than Chains of Olympus. Truth be told I never played Ghost of Sparta originally, so I can’t base my comparison off the original, but both games do look very nice in the Origins compilation. 3D support is also included in both games, but I only had a short time to check this out on a friends TV since I don’t have a capable set yet. Anyhow, 3D appears to look pretty good in the wide shots but it was hard to adjust my eyes and keep focuses during close quarter’s battles.

The soundtracks are on par with what you come to expect in this franchise, and the background music and ambient sound effects always set the mood for what’s coming up next. Voice acting as usual features Kratos yelling at someone about something, abd he sounds as pissed off as usual… and it’s all good. Playing God of War has always been a way to experience a Greek mythological story thanks to the voice cast and the powerful sounding Gods – and Ghost of Sparta and Chains of Olympus both offer this.

Taking everything into consideration, God of War Origins is a fantastic compilation worthy of owning, and even PSP users who played them originally will find enough of an upgrade to entice them into double-dipping. Newcomers to the franchise or just to these two titles will love them and shouldn’t really find themselves lost, at least no more than the rest of us who have played every game. Great HD visuals, non-stop action, and an epic-scale adventure make God of War Origins a must-own for PS3 owners.

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