Kratos’ portable adventures hit the PS3 with some good results…
The two God of War games for PSP were the highest selling for the handheld, so it was no surprise to learn that HD remakes would be heading for PS3, especially after the first collection sold so well. But like with handheld versions of major franchises, sacrifices had to be made in terms of scale. Chains of Olympus is more puzzle-orientated than its console brethren, while Ghost of Sparta is more focused on the combat side. Put them together though and you have a worthy package that is also reasonable price-wise.
Ghost of Sparta is the better of the two games, I personally really enjoyed it from start to finish and playing it again in HD with trophy support was like a dream come true. For those who missed out on the portable versions, it maintains the traditional formula of hack-n-slash gameplay; kill the bad guys, move on to the next area probably with a huge boss that needs killing in brutal fashion and repeat. There are puzzles mixed into things, but that’s not the most memorable part of the series, it’s the gore and gladly, the handheld versions don’t hold back on this.
The story of each game folds its way into the trilogy as side-stories, but they do manage to do a good job in doing so. If there’s one complaint to be made, it’s that the visuals haven’t quite had the extra attention paid to them as I would have hoped. Yes, the game is in HD…but the game itself doesn’t look that much different from being on the handheld, which is a shame.
Having said that, it’s still a good looking game but not as good as it should be on PS3. The biggest complaint with the handheld versions was the controls, for me at least. Things have improved on the PS3 versions due to the controller being more comfortable to use than that of the PSP’s analog stick. Load times pretty good and the framerate is consistent for the most part.
The Verdict
Kratos’ handheld outings make a nice collection for PS3 owners who want trophies and HD versions, although it’s hard to recommend for those who have the past versions. Then again, it’s pretty cheap at around £25 and more Kratos’ is always a good thing…
