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God of War II could have been a PS3 launch game
God of War II was almost a PS3 game (at least, before it did become a PS3 game). In an interview with Game Informer, Sony Worldwide Studios boss Shuhei Yoshida remembered the internal debate over whether to release God of War II as one of the last big games for PS2 or as a headline title for the PS3 launch. "Many people, including marketing, suggested that maybe it should be moved to PS3," Yoshida recalled. Certainly, God of War II would've bolstered an exclusive launch lineup that was limited to Resistance: Fall of Man and very little else. "We had a lot of debates about it, actually. I always firmly stood by keeping it on PS2," Yoshida continued, noting that "the end of a platform is when you see really great games, after developers really begin to understand the hardware." Yoshida's "gamble" paid off, both critically and financially. If God of War II had been a PS3 launch title, more systems would probably have been pushed at launch, but software sales would've undoubtedly suffered compared to the game's success as a PS2 title. Besides, PS3 owners weren't excluded from the action! Back then, PS3s used to have this magical "backwards compatibility" thingy.
God of War Collection players complain of freezing issues
Some folks over on the official PlayStation Forums allege to be having trouble playing God of War Collection. Several users are complaining that the game has been locking up on them, specifically after God of War's first cutscene and during the first mission. Most of the people who claim to be running into this freezing issue are running the game on 60GB launch PS3s, though a few PS3 Slim owners have also jumped into the threads to report the game is locking up on them, too. Additionally, commenters on PlayStation.Blog have reported the same problem and specifically implicate 60GB PS3s. While we didn't experience such issues playing the final game code on a debug PS3 unit, we've contacted Sony for comment on this report and will update as necessary. %Gallery-75756% [Thanks, Scott] Source - "God of War Collection Freezing Issues" [PlayStation.com Forums] Source - PlayStation.Blog comments
Reminder: This is how you play God of War
Just in case your God-killing skills have rusted since the end of God of War II on PS2, QA Tester Stephen Peterson has a few tricks up his sleeve. While this video from the PlayStation.Blog is meant to illustrate how to achieve the "15 Min Fight Scene' Trophy, it provides general hints that will be useful throughout Kratos' adventure. Pay attention to the weapons he chooses, and the magic he deploys. You'll see that with these tactics, a 500 hit combo goes from "ludicrous" to "entirely possible."Study this video like a textbook -- God of War Collection is only days away, and you won't want to miss out on two Platinum Trophies, right?
Inspect Kratos' HD facelift in God of War Collection
Sure, the upcoming God of War Collection is a lot more resolution-y than the original PS2 games, but does that produce a noticeably better-looking game? Bitmob tested the original God of War games on their backwards-compatible PS3 systems and took comparison shots of both. It's clear that the Blu-ray remastering is better than the PS2 original, even with the PS3 upscaler turned on.It certainly helps that the original source material was so good. Looking back at the first game has us impressed -- we'd forgotten how much muscle the last generation could flex.Source - Graphics Comparison (part one) God of War 1 vs. God of War CompilationSource - Graphics Comparison (part two) God of War 2 vs. God of War Compilation
God of War Collection coming to PS3 this holiday
It's like this, but more definition-ier. Backwards compatibility is back ... sort of! SCEA has announced that the PlayStation 2 God of War games will be coming to PlayStation 3 on a single, HD-enhanced Blu-ray disc. Previously hinted at in a consumer survey, the God of War Collection will feature "reworked" versions of both games, running at 60 frames per second and 720p resolution. The port is being handled by Bluepoint Games, the team behind the PSN-exclusive shooter, Blast Factor. Hopefully, the games will be more than simply upscaled, giving original PS3 owners a reason to partake in the double dip. Update: And yes, it will have Trophies.The Blu-ray collection will be available this "holiday season," and will cost $39.99 -- the same price as buying both of the games on PS2. This HD remix should give fans some time to practice Kratos' moves before God of War III completes the "triology" (oh, press release typos!) in March.[Thanks, Rob H.!]
Sony: Survey not a guarantee of Blu-ray release of PS2 God of War games
Based on the 220 comments which materialized on last week's post about a survey which hinted at the possibility of Blu-ray re-releases of the first two God of War games on the God of War III collector's edition, we're guessing there's a fair amount of interest in seeing a revival of these two classic god-murdering sims. However, Sony representatives recently made a statement that will likely send your hopes crashing to the ground faster than a brutally de-winged Icarus.Speaking to Kotaku, SCEA representatives attempted to lower the expectations of their fanbase, stating, "It is simply a marketing survey. The goal of it is to do focus group testing." They added, "if that was the number one requested thing, that would be something they would need to see if that was most technically feasible," but explained that they've yet to see God of War II run off of a Blu-ray disc. We sure hope they figure it out -- we're already drowning in collectible keychains and statuettes over here.
Holidaze 2008: Live in the past, it's cheaper
Bad news, everybody: 2008 is the new 2007. Those of us lucky enough to have survived last year's unyielding flood of exquisite games expected the new holiday to provide some respite -- perhaps an influx of blessedly mediocre games -- but alas, our wallets are once again tugged in every $60 direction. But what's worse? The deafening din of desirable games, or that irresistible impulse to play and master every adventure the very second it becomes available? Provided you can defeat the latter reflex, we have a simple suggestion: Live in the past. It's cheaper! We've dredged up our decisive, if ever-so-slightly controversial list of the ten best games of Oh Seven, hoping you'll find a fantastic experience you mistakenly overlooked. You'll find that the passage of time has taken a pleasing toll on the recommended price of admission. In fact, we've traveled forward in time to this very moment, hoping to pick up our 2007 nominees on the cheap. What do you think? Should we make Portal our Game of the Year?
Mega64 puppet Marcus interviews David Jaf ... er, Cory Barlog
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Mega64 has begun a six-part weekly series dubbed Marcus' Corner. All you need to know is in the first 30 seconds of the video. Following the stellar intro, Marcus interviews God of War II developer David Jaffe Cory Barlog. Here's a snippet. Barlog: "I used to work for Sony, but now I work for myself." Marcus: "You quit Sony? ... What other bad decisions have you made lately?" Video embedded after the break. Stay tuned for more next Friday.[Thanks, Willzay]
God of War II director would like to make a Wii game
Cory Barlog's comments about the lack of story in Super Mario Galaxy incensed quite a few of you, but Barlog isn't all about criticism when it comes to the Wii. In fact, the God of War II director would even like to make a Wii game one day. Much of the appeal in making a Wii game, according to Barlog, is that it's as cheap as chips (at least in comparison to the console's current-gen counterparts). Less money at stake also means less hands in the pot, and as a result, more creative freedom. Who knows if a Barlog game on the Wii will ever come to pass (we wouldn't necessarily count on it), but saying, "I would love to make a game on this system" -- well, that's always a good sign.[Via NeoGAF]
Adgadget: Goat of war
Looking back at the decapitated goat scandal that was Sony's press event for God of War II, which hit British tabloids and gaming news last month, the freshly slaughtered skin may have been the least offensive part.If you frequented any gaming sites in the last few weeks, chances are you saw more pixilated pictures of flesh than you would have in a commercial for Girls Gone Wild. Unfortunately, not all the skin was of the girl variety – most of the pixilated flesh belonged to a freshly slaughtered goat that made an appearance at an event held in Greece to promote the recent launch of the game God of War II. Among the festivities back in March, guests were challenged invited to win a PS3 by reaching into what looked like the most pathetic pit of snakes and eat a traditional Greek dish fashioned after goat intestines while topless women paraded around the joint. The goat had been purchased from a butcher prior to the event and though a spokesperson claimed the goat had not been slaughtered for the event, many were left skeptical considering goats aren't typically decapitated in such a manner. A video of the event surfaced, complete with commentary and cliché flame graphics.
Sony explains God of War's dead goat antics
"Slaughter: Horror at Sony's depraved promotion stunt with decapitated goat" is the sort of headline that sells newspapers -- the UK's Daily Mail in particular(NSFW). Starting with an evocative first word and ending with outright animal cruelty, it's a snappy summation of an event that was probably rife with sexual debauchery, devil worship and inappropriate hobnobbery! And that isn't even a word! Indeed, how could other papers even compete with their silly "facts" and less sensational headlines like "Promotion: Butcher-obtained goat displayed in dramatization while journalists drink soup from china bowls!" Well, we suppose that one is a little bit on the long side.Then again, so is the story revolving around Sony's European God of War II event. It seems somewhere between the Daily Mail's spin and the Official PlayStation Magazine's (now recalled) retelling of the Greek-themed costume party, things... goat a little out of hand. Sony's senior director of corporate communications, Dave Karakker, told Joystiq that the reporter responsible for the OPSM article didn't even bother to attend the event. The basis of his article was the invitational pamphlet, "which employed a degree of hyperbole in order to encourage attendance."Furthermore, the infamous goat was thoroughly dead upon arrival. It was procured from a qualified butcher, was returned after the event and was never allowed to be touched by journalists (no kidding around). The goat was filled with "a meat soup, made to a traditional Greek recipe and served to attendees in china bowls direct from the caterers," leaving claims of "offal" as someone likely mishearing a complaint about the actual taste of the dish. No soup came directly from the goat. "We recognise that the use of a dead goat was in poor taste and fell below the high standards of conduct we set ourselves. We are conducting an enquiry to establish the circumstances behind the event in order to ensure this does not happen again. We also apologise to anyone offended by the article in the OPSM (subscription copies were sent out ahead of street date)." It was undeniably tacky, but hardly the "Phil Harrison bites the head off a chimp and mows down the audience using a Tommy Gun" debacle you may have envisioned before. (They're saving that one for The Getaway 3.)
PSP Fanboy Theatre: Volume 15
PSP Fanboy offers the latest and greatest movie and game trailers, formatted for the PSP in this new weekly feature. Check it out every Saturday. PSP owners can download files wirelessly via m.pspfanboy.com.Instructions: Save all movie and thumbnail files to the VIDEO folder. These high resolution 480x272 videos require firmware 3.30 or above. (Note: OE custom firmware will also play these videos.) Manhunt 2Download MP4 (6.8MB) | Download JPG The following videos are featured after the break: Blue Dragon, Gene Simmons - Guitar Hero II Tournament, God of War II: Mythology, Guitar Hero II [360]
Island of Rhodes leads to another countdown
Imagine our horror when we browsed the Island of Rhodes website and saw ... well, nothing. It appeared to be nothing more than a cryptic, and rather useless, Flash website about developing God of War II. Thankfully, we were wrong. darksidez from the GameFAQs forums has discovered a secret area of the website, which reveals a hidden HD mode for God of War II on PS2, and yet another countdown. Is this madness? No ... THIS IS KRATOS!!! It appears that spelling Kratos using the Greek letters on the site leads to a countdown page, with a partially revealed title. We see God of War: Ch ... Could this be the official reveal of the continuously elusive PSP God of War? Let's not get our hopes up too high--we'll unravel this additional mystery in less than two weeks time. [Via Kotaku]
God of War on PSP, seriously
James Joy from 1UP got an early copy of God of War II. By taking pictures of the retail packaging, James has uncovered one of Sony's worst kept secrets: God of War is coming to PSP. In 2007, no less.Is Ready At Dawn developing the game? Is it a remake? Is it a sequel? A prequel? There's still tons more info we'd like to know, but rest assured that the game is coming.[Via IGN & GAF]
God of War II nears completion
Sleep deprived and rambling a bit, God of War II director Cory Barlog updates us on the status of Sony's sequel. Yesterday, Barlog blogged, "it is safe to say that all of the primary work for God of War 2 has been completed." What's left is the final QA testing, suggesting that Kratos is on schedule for his projected March return -- what's being billed as PlayStation 2's swan song.Barlog also spends a few words defending God of War II's quick weapon-switch, which has apparently been targeted by Devil May Cry faithful. "Some call it stealing; I call it realizing when something works," argues Barlog. Hey, if it ain't patented, trademarked, or copyrighted, it's fair game.
PSP July Content Pack now available
Every month, Sony offers an EXE file containing a variety of files, like videos, audio files and wallpapers for your PSP. This month is no different. Although a little late, this month's content pack features a two-minute God of War II (PS2) trailer. In addition, you'll get Blade Dancer wallpapers, Ozzfest 2006 wallpapers, and music from the Vans Warped Tour. Not too shabby, especially considering the Loco Roco downloads they offered a few days ago, and the upcoming World Tour Soccer 2 demo that'll come out in a few days.
Watch the entire God of War 2 E3 demo; get frustrated
GameVideos has a direct feed of the entire E3 God of War 2 demo being played through. Problem is, it's like watching your friends playing a video game; thankfully, the physical limitations of reality preclude us from reaching into the video and showing this nubcake how it's done. But if we could, dear reader, rest comfortable knowing it would take us far shorter than the twenty-four brutality-soaked minutes seen here.So, while you're exercising self control, sit back and drink in the beautiful scenery. Yup, this is the PS2 looking its finest, folks. For the SAT prep students in the house, God of War II:PS2::Resident Evil 4:Gamecube. Don't believe us? The entire video is embedded after the break, or download the enormous 430Mb .mov (or .wmv) file for filing away, right next to those Kratos-cosplay videos you've been hoarding. For shame!See also:PS2 impressions: God of War 2God of War 2 GDC video leaked onlineSony confirms God of War 2 worldwide Q1 2007
Hands-on with God of War II
IGN got an early hands-on preview of God of War II, and they're lovin' what Sony's Santa Monica studio has come up with so far.Without revealing too much of the sequel's plot, our hairless hero now sports some new magical attacks and context-sensitive finishing moves. Needless to say, prominent Greek mythological figures will also be showing up to keep Kratos company, and there will certainly be a lot of flashy slashing-first-ask-questions-later kind of action to fill the hours.For more spoilers on "an early section of the sequel," simply follow the image link above or Read link below, where you can find a few more details on the new power-up system and annoying enemy combatants (otherwise known as smarter fodder for your sharper blades). A practical explanation goes into the reasons for keeping things on the PS2 rather than the PS3, and hopefully less frustrating puzzles are revealed as well. More will likely be revealed at Sony's big E3 press conference today.See also: New God of War 2 director speaks God of War's Jaffe inspired by Britney vs. Christina God of War 2 GDC video leaked online
