Bluecanvas, publisher of last year’s breathtaking The Art of Journey, returns this year with another stunner of a video game art book. The Art of God of War: Ascension is absolutely ginormous at nearly 400 pages. Those pages are even lined with gold trim around the edges. Marvel at its epic beauty!

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Two more challengers are joining the PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale cast next month, including Dead Space‘s Isaac Clarke and the almighty King of the Gods himself, Zeus from God of War.

Zeus doesn’t strike me as a PlayStation all-star — he’s an antagonist to Kratos but far from being an iconic gaming character gamers associate with the PlayStation brand. The same can be said of Isaac, but he’s a good choice since at least Dead Space is a popular modern franchise. Obviously there are plenty of other classic characters still MIA, but remember that Sony can’t just go plucking characters from other studios without permission. I’m sure they’d love to have Spyro and Crash Bandicoot on the roster, but Activision has to agree first.

Cooler than the new characters is the next fighting venue, which mashes up MediEvil‘s graveyard with ink splashes and a mid-match whiteout from The Unfinished Swan. Now that kicks ass.

This “Graveyard” stage will go on sale March 19th for $1.99, though it’ll be playable for free during online ranked matches should you not want to throw more money at the game to have the map for offline play. On the same day, Isaac Clarke and Zeus will be made available for $4.99 each. (Bummer, they aren’t free for a limited time like the previous DLC fighters.) However, if you pick up a copy of God of War: Ascension, launching the week prior, you’ll find a voucher packed inside the box granting free access to the two DLC characters.

The headline is no joke. God of War: Ascension, announced in full today after a teaser reveal a little over a week ago, will introduce competitive multiplayer to the traditional God of War single-player campaign.

Ascension multiplayer will be playable online and offline, supporting up to eight players in brutal melee battles between customizable Kratos wannabes. The first unveiled multiplayer mode features two teams fighting to slay a giant cyclops — or ‘megalops’ — chained to the map. Teams battle for control over command points which, when both are captured by one team, tug the cyclops to that team’s side. The Gods then send down the Spear of Olympus for the controlling team to use against the cyclops while the opposing team attempts to shift control of the battle in their favor.

Santa Monica Studio is definitely brave for taking this on. God of War is known as a single-player focused franchise and the core gameplay isn’t exactly what I would consider well suited to multiplayer adaptation. But the idea of building competition around the series’ epic boss encounters is a smart way to introduce multiplayer. As someone who prefers a good solo storyline in my gaming, I’m not 100% sold on the concept and have worries about yet another story-based game shoehorning in a multiplayer component where it simply isn’t needed. But, after seeing the direction it’s going, the idea doesn’t sound as out of place as I imagined it would. And as long as it doesn’t take away from the campaign, which Sony promises it won’t, it’ll be hard to complain about having it as an extra. At least they’re trying something new instead of rehashing the same old thing.

Hit up the PlayStation blog to watch the recorded multiplayer live stream from this morning.

Oh, and one other thing, back on the subject of the single-player. Some new background info has been released to set up the game’s prequel storyline, which doesn’t seem to be going very far outside of the box as I was thinking it might. Here’s the early synopsis:

Set in the realm of Greek mythology, God of War: Ascension is an epic adventure that allows players to take on the climactic role of the ex-Spartan warrior Kratos as he finds a way to break the blood oath that binds him to the god, Ares. Six months after being tricked into killing his wife and child, a younger Kratos is sentenced to a life of madness with the Furies, caged in a titan sized prison for the living damned. Fighting insanity, his will is tested to the limit as he seeks to break his bond and gain the clarity to seek revenge on Ares for his part in the death of his family. Armed with double-chained blades, Kratos must take on mythology’s darkest creatures while solving intricate puzzles throughout his merciless quest for redemption.

Last but not least, first-look screens and concepts of God of War: Ascension multiplayer (plus teaser trailer stills).

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Well, I guess we now know what that “super secret” Santa Monica Studios PlayStation 3 exclusive Sony kept dangling in front of The Tester contestants is. After an Amazon leak last night, Sony has officially announced the next installment in the God of War series, God of War: Ascension. Details are zero beyond what’s presented in this announcement teaser trailer, which pretty clearly points to the game being a franchise prequel taking place before Kratos became the rage-filled Ghost of Sparta.

Hmmm… could we be playing as Kratos without his trusty Blades of Chaos? Find out more on Monday, April 30th at 8am Pacific, when Sony will be hosting a live streaming event on the PlayStation blog and Facebook. If you have a question for the team, submit it to @PlayStation on Twitter with #godofwarascension in your Tweet by Friday, April 20th at 3pm Pacific. Tweeters who have their questions asked during the event will bag signed God of War: Ascension posters. Nice!

Today, the complete God of War saga (save for that Betrayal mobile game, but I’m not sure that one counts) is finally together on a single platform, with God of War: Origins Collection, a two-games-on-one-Blu-ray bundle of PSP titles Chains of Olympus and Ghost of Sparta, now joining the God of War Collection (HD remakes of the first two PS2 games) and God of War III on the PS3.

I’ve already reviewed Chains of Olympus and Ghost of Sparta in their original PSP forms, so give those a read as companions to this review. What’s important here is where these titles fit into the God of War chronology and how well they were adapted from portable to console, and that’s what I’ll focus on in this review.

Ready at Dawn’s two PSP chapters in the God of War story fill in gaps between previous titles and also flesh out Kratos’ character in a meaningful way. Chains of Olympus, a prequel piece setting the stage for the entire series, explains with more depth why Kratos is so gosh darn pissed off all the time, and Ghost of Sparta, an interquel between the two PS2 games, digs further down into his back story.

The great thing about these two games is that they matter. When major franchises like this are spread around to different developers and platforms, they are often treated more like standalone spin-offs than canon installments integral to the main narrative arc. Not so in this instance. These games tell important stories that God of War fans will want to catch up on. Kratos isn’t all scowls and growls in these chapters either. As characters such as his daughter, mother and brother are introduced, you get to see rare, fleeting moments of vulnerability from the ornery, ash-skinned Spartan, and a more personal side to his back story that gives you greater reason to root for him on his mythical quest for revenge. Even if he is a total bastard.

In terms of gameplay, God of War veterans and novices alike will feel right at home chopping through mythological beasts and harvesting souls to upgrade Kratos’ weapons and magical powers. You would never guess that these were originally games designed for a portable gaming device, because they look, play and sound exactly the same as the dedicated console iterations. The only tangible change from PSP to PS3 is having the second analog stick back for dodge rolling, which only makes them play that much better.

Chains of Olympus is probably the weakest of the series (that’s not saying it’s bad, though), as the levels and bosses don’t quite reach the epic scale of the other titles, the game clocks in at roughly four hours long, and the remade graphics are merely on par with the HD remastered original. It still looks phenomenal for what it is — a PS3 port of a 2008 PSP game — but it brings up the rear when stacked up against its franchise brethren.

Ghost of Sparta, however, is, in my humble opinion, the top game in the entire series in every facet. The gameplay, a blend of the updated mechanics from God of War III with a few more neat tricks, presents a more even balance between action, platforming, puzzles, and adventure, and the up-rezed graphics, while certainly no match for God of War III, can give quite a few PS3 games a run for their money. You can also expect to squeeze out a solid six to eight hours on your first journey through the campaign, which is on the higher end in a series known for somewhat brief adventures.

The Origins Collection isn’t a blemish free combo pack port, though. There are times in both games — more so in Chains of Olympus — when the action pauses or skips, almost as if still running off of a UMD. These hiccups are infrequent and only last a second or two at the most, but it’s just one of those polish issues that begs the question, why are upscaled PSP games pausing to load on PS3 at all?

It’s also somewhat disappointing that the original bonus videos were left in standard definition, because they look horribly aliased and fuzzy on an HD set. I also don’t get why Sony continues to forget about providing an interface that intuitively bridges the games in collections like this. When you boot the game, a front end menu allows you to choose which of the two games to play. But from there the only way to switch to the other game is by exiting back to the XMB. Would it have been so hard to code in an option to quit back to the main game select screen?

But save for these extremely minor port warts, God of War: Origins Collection is a spectacular compilation of two spectacular games. You get both PSP games with enhanced graphics, all original bonus features (videos, concept art, alternate costumes, challenge modes, etc.), plus the additional replay incentive of trophies and the complete Game Directors Live video, an 80-minute roundtable discussion between the series’ five directors. All told, there’s loads of content and bang-for-your-buck value stuffed into this mighty collection of action adventure awesomeness, and even if you already own them on PSP you’ll want to make the upgrade.

Pros:
+ Two great God of War games in one
+ Impressive HD graphics upgrade
+ Meaningful stories console God of War fans will love catching up on
+ Game Directors Live video included as bonus feature
+ Full God of War series finally together on one platform

Cons:
– In-game load pauses weren’t ironed out from PSP version
– Low res bonus videos
– No way to exit back to front end game select menu

Affiliate Links:
Buy from Amazon or eStarland

Game Info:
Platform: PS3
Publisher: SCEA
Developer: Ready At Dawn Studios
Release Date: 9/13/2011
Genre: Action/Adventure
ESRB Rating: Mature
Players: 1
Source: Review copy provided by publisher

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There were rumors swirling before Sony’s E3 briefing about a potential God of War 4 tease. That didn’t happen, but that doesn’t meant that our angry pal Kratos was completely missing in action. PSP classics God of War: Chains of Olympus and God of War: Ghost of Sparta are uniting for a remastered Blu-ray combo pack on PS3, complete with 1080p HD graphics, stereoscopic 3D support, PSN trophies and DLC bonus items.

God of War: Origins Collection ships on September 13th. Take a gander at my Chains of Olympus and Ghost of Sparta reviews to see why you should be very excited for this collection if you own a PS3.

Kratos vs A Sandwich [Kotaku]

In a recent interview, Ready at Dawn talked about how rampant piracy is beginning to turn PSP game development into a pointless venture. Quoting Ready at Dawn’s Ru Weerasuriya: “It’s getting to the point where it doesn’t make sense to make games on it [the PSP],” and, “…it [piracy] definitely hurts a lot of developers out there who are trying to make great games.”

This is extremely disheartening to hear for many reasons, but for two in particular. First, in my opinion the PSP is having by far its strongest year of game releases, and I would even argue that the portable’s 2010 lineup rivals any other gaming platform. Second, Ready at Dawn has become the industry’s preeminent PSP developer after stellar titles like Daxter and God of War: Chains of Olympus, and if a studio that talented and successful is having a tough time with piracy, you know others are being slammed even harder.

The reason I bring this all up is because after ceasing development for the platform a couple years ago, Ready at Dawn has made its long-awaited return to the PSP with this week’s launch of God of War: Ghost of Sparta – and another stellar RAD game it is. However, after those piracy comments and other statements, it’s pretty clear that this will be the studio’s final PSP game, and that makes me a very sad man. But looking on the bright side, if this does indeed turn out to be their last PSP game, I certainly couldn’t have asked for a better sendoff.

But we can talk about depressing piracy problems further some other time. Today should be a day of celebration, for God of War: Ghost of Sparta is yet another standout PSP release. Perhaps even the year’s best.

For those who haven’t been keeping track, Ghost of Sparta is the fifth full installment in Sony’s God of War franchise, and the second exclusive to the PSP. Whereas Chains of Olympus, the first PSP title, is a prequel to the entire storyline, Ghost of Sparta serves as an interquel between God of War and God of War II – and it even acts a precursor to certain plot threads that carry over into God of War III.

Spartan warrior Kratos has defeated Ares and claimed his spot in Olympus as the new God of War, yet he still suffers from the nightmares of his past; nightmares that lead him on a quest to find his mother, Callisto, and his brother, Deimos. On this journey to discover Kratos’ origins, you actually get to see a softer side to the Ghost of Sparta as he wrestles with the humanity that lingers inside him, and it’s a refreshing change – especially after God of War III, where he is a man on a mission with no other thought than to mercilessly slaughter the gods of Mount Olympus.

As always, the production values are through the roof, from the riveting cutscenes to the movie-caliber voice acting to the epic soundtrack of booming mythological anthems and evocative melodies to the incredible sound effects (my favorite being the whistle of Kratos’ chain blades as they cut through the air and the thunderous clap of his slam attack). Oh yeah, and the game is absolutely gorgeous, delivering an unprecedented level of detail on a portable gaming device. As you work your way through Atlantis, the Temple of Poseidon, Sparta and the Domain of Death, you’ll be blown away by the dwarfing scale of the surrounding environments, something the game’s fixed camera perfectly accentuates.

It also amazes me that a game of this scale and detail is so well optimized and runs so smoothly on a platform so many developers struggle with. How can a game that looks this good run with nary a load time (and the load times that do exist are a second or two at most), yet a similar high production value game like Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep chugs along with never-ending loading screens? Ready at Dawn clearly knows the ins and outs of the PSP hardware better than any other studio, that’s for damn sure.

In terms of gameplay, Ghost of Sparta doesn’t deviate from the God of War action/adventure formula – and why would it? The franchise has only sold over 11 million copies after all.

Kratos is still the angriest S.O.B. in gaming, and he still cuts down mythological beasts with the same ferocity and reckless abandon as always. The combat system continues to shine as the smoothest controlling and most tangibly visceral in the action/adventure genre, and in addition to the usual assortment of new enemies, weapons and magic powers (Kratos now gets a spear and shield secondary weapon, for example), Ready at Dawn has even incorporated some subtle twists of its own.

In my recent review of Ballistic’s Art of God of War III, I pointed out a section in the art book which shows a “lost” concept for fire and ice powers attached to Kratos’ trademarked chain blades, and went on to joke that Sony should put out a DLC add-on bringing the concept into some type of combat arena or challenge room. Well, instead I guess they let Ready at Dawn poach the idea, because sure enough, one of Kratos’ key new powers is the ability to imbue his blades with the element of fire by holding down the right shoulder button.

This new mechanic is used throughout for basic environmental puzzle interactions (like breaking down doors and searing through metal objects like gears that his plain Blades of Athena can’t touch), as well as an important combat modifier for cracking through the defenses of an armored enemy. The closing slam of his main combo also plants a fiery time bomb on struck enemies, which is a helpful way of clearing crowds and giving you an opening to get out of harm’s way or attempt to sneak in another attack.

Overall, the gameplay seems to have better balance to it, too. The hack-and-slash combat features prominently as always, however to me the ratio of action to reflex platforming and adventuring felt much more even than previous titles. You seem to do a lot more swinging from grappling points, and with large portions of the game taking place in Atlantis, there is a fair amount of underwater exploration to be had, including moments where you have to swim against a strong current, latch onto a grapple point, and then wind the analog nub to reel Kratos in like a fishing rod.

Really, it’s hard for me to think of a truly negative thing to say about Ghost of Sparta as a game. It controls extremely well, looks stunning, sounds amazing, has familiar-but-thrilling gameplay, and tells a captivating story that fits into the God of War narrative in a meaningful way. If I had to stretch and pick something to criticize, it would be that the secret treasure chests containing the health/magic/fire meter upgrades really aren’t hidden at all like they usually are, and I kind of missed the scavenger hunt fun of having to search every nook and cranny for them. Oh, and one time I encountered a bug which caused Kratos to fall straight through the ground to his death after opening a door. It was the oddest thing – but fortunately the game keeps regular checkpoints, so I didn’t lose any progress.

Of course, I know this game will get railed on for its brevity since it takes no more than seven hours tops to complete (my finish time was a little over six hours on the normal difficulty). But to me the whole “it’s too short” criticism is way old at this point, so you won’t hear me complaining. Yes, the campaign may be “short,” but it’s so good you’ll want to hang onto the game and replay it multiple times.

Ready at Dawn stuffed in tons of unlockable side content, too, such as a combat arena where you can set up customized battles with monsters, costumes and settings of your choosing (I jokingly asked for something like this in my Art of God of War III review as well) and the customary Challenge of the Gods mode consisting of brutal challenge missions. With the red orbs you earn replaying the game and completing these side modes, you can also visit The Temple of Zeus to buy other unlocks like concept art, videos, extra content for the combat arena and eight additional Challenge of the Gods missions on top of the initial five. So, yes, there is plenty of stuff to keep you busy and justify the price.

My final recommendation is simple, guys and gals: if you have a PSP or PSPgo, you need to own this game. ‘Nuff said.

Pros:
+ Same great God of War gameplay with some fun new tricks and better balance
+ Tells a great story
+ Incredible graphics that I can’t imagine will ever be topped on the PSP
+ Audio is spectacular – score, sound effects, and voice acting
+ Fun side modes and lots of unlockables

Cons:
– This is supposedly Ready at Dawn’s last PSP game…for real this time…I think (but hope not).

Game Info:
Platform: PSP (available on UMD and PSN)
Publisher: Sony
Developer: Ready at Dawn Studios
Release Date: 11/2/2010
Genre: Action/Adventure
ESRB Rating: Mature
Players: 1
Source: Review copy provided by publisher

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[Update] Embedded preview flipbook has been added at the bottom of the page.

Ballistic Publishing, producer of the amazing The Art of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves art book, has teamed back up with Sony to feature another PS3 epic in its “The Art of the Game” series. This time around, Ballistic will bring gamers behind the scenes for a look at the incredible artwork that brought God of War III to life.

The Art of God of War III is 272 pages of stunning concept art, character studies, 3D models, and storyboards, including over 100 pieces of “Lost Art” that didn’t make it into the closing chapter in Kratos’ quest for revenge (these pieces will be marked with a Ω symbol).

Like the Uncharted 2 art tome, The Art of God of War III is available in three versions of increasing extravagance: a $65 softcover standard edition, a $130 leather-bound special edition, and — granddaddy of them all — a $300 Limited Folio Edition with “suede-leather binding, a suede-leather presentation case with lifting ribbon, an individually-numbered, and hand-signed certificate by the game’s creators, and to add a touch of awesome—a ‘Blade of Exile’ metal-carved cover ornament on the book’s cover.”

All three editions are available for pre-order now, with the standard and special editions scheduled to ship in “mid October” and the Folio Edition to ship in “late October.” Those who order any version of the book will also be able to enter their order ID to receive an email linking to a pair of downloadable walkthrough videos totaling 30+ minutes of tutorials teaching how the Cerberus and Hephaestus character models were created.

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The Art of God of War III [Ballistic Publishing]

Is it just me or does the two-toned black and red PSP-3000 being packed in with the upcoming God of War: Ghost of Sparta Entertainment Pack look like an old pair of Air Jordans? No, it doesn’t actually look like a pair of shoes in shape, but the color scheme reminds me so much of kicks like these and these. Seriously, this PSP should be part of a bundle for NBA 2K11 instead seeing as Michael Jordan himself is the cover star, because, honestly, this color scheme does not make me think of God of War.

Either way, the PSP still looks hot, and the included content is grand enough to woo in new PSP customers. This is what you get for $200:

* Black and Red Two-Toned PSP-3000
* God of War: Ghost of Sparta UMD Game
* God of War: Chains of Olympus PlayStation Network Downloadable Game Voucher
* Kick Ass UMD Movie
* 2 GB Memory Stick Pro Duo

Also remember that by pre-ordering the Entertainment Pack (or the standalone game), you’ll receive the Ultimate DLC Pack as another added bonus, which itself comes with the game’s soundtrack, PSN avatars, XMB themes and more.

God of War: Ghost of Sparta ships on November 2nd.

God of War: Ghost of Sparta Box Art Revealed [PlayStation.Blog]