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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 ademigod. 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.
Gameplay[]
Gameplay from God of War: weakening foes allows for use of controller buttons for greater damage or finishing moves.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 fromGod 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.
Games (release order)[]
God of War[]
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 toOlympus to become the new God of War.
God of War II[]
Main article: God of War II. 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[]
Main article: God of War: BetrayalGod 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. [1][2]Screenshot of gameplay from God of War: Betrayal, with protagonist, Kratos (left), battling opponents.
God of War: Chains of Olympus[]
Main article: God of War: Chains of OlympusGod 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[]
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God of War Collection is a remastered port (the first Classics HD release) of God of Warand 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; the game was delayed until November 17, 2009.
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).
The Collection was released in Japan as a standalone on March 18, 2010 and was published by Capcom. A God of War III Trilogy Editionwhich 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. 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. 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 IIbeing the first PS2 games to receive this treatment). 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[]
Main article: God of War IIIGod 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[]
Main article: God of War: Ghost of SpartaGod 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[]
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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-aliasedgraphics 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.
Future[]
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."
Courtesy[]
The Wikipedia article http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God_of_War_(series)