Kratos has finally come to the PS3! Just in time for the holidays, fans can now enjoy the award-winning God of War and God of War II in stunning HD. To give you a refresher on specifics, God of War Collection includes both critically acclaimed games remastered in full HD resolution complete with 2X anti-aliased graphics running at 60 frames per second — all on a single Blu-ray disc. And if this ultra smooth gameplay wasn’t enough, we’ve also added PlayStation Network (PSN) trophy support to the franchise for the first time (included for both games).

Our team did an exceptional job supporting the release of God of War Collection while at the same time tending their work on God of War III. It’s inspirational for us to see the critical acclaim and the overall positive reception we’re receiving for this package. We take pride in everything we do and it’s cool to see that our fans appreciate the effort. An Olympic-sized thank you goes out to the entire Santa Monica Studio, as well as Bluepoint Games, for this momentous accomplishment. With the God of War III launch getting closer everyday, we’re hoping the God of War Collection will get you fired up to reconnect with Kratos!

Here’s another look at our trailer, as well as some of the reviews that have hit so far. In the end there will be only chaos!

God of War Collection Reviews

• IGN
• 1UP
• GamePro
• Examiner
• PlaystationLifestyle

Joining me via PlayStation Eye is developer Bluepoint Games President Andy O’Neil and CTO Marco Thrush, along with Santa Monica Studios Director of Technology Tim Moss. The trio dishes over five brand-new minutes of HD footage, revealing some great info on the development of God of War Collection and how they made the magic happen.

• Coming to PSN this Week: Braid — A personal favorite of mine. How’s with me? Anyone beat it yet?
• MAG Beta 4 Starts…Now! — MAG Beta 4, activate! More than 6,000 changes since the last version. Yes, six thousand!
• Disney Selection on PSN is Way UP! — A veritable bevy of Disney movies hit the Video Store, including the recent UP!, Wall-E and more.
• Netflix on the PS3 Available Now! — My disc came today! Who’s with me? Been wanting to stream the first season of Weeds. Now’s the time.
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Launch Event in PlayStation Home — If you jumped in Home on Modern Warfare 2 launch day, you probably noticed the “Featured Game Party” for MW2, a new kind of event in PlayStation Home.
• Up All Night: 24-hour LittleBigPlanet PSP Game Jam Session — What do you get when you mix art students and LBP? Insanely cool levels, as evidenced by this week’s LBP Academy or Art San Francisco Jam Session!
• Asia, Europe Design Rag Doll Kung Fu Dolls for Us to Enjoy — You’re not going to turn down free stuff, are you? I thought not.
• God of War Collection – Trophy Speed Run — God of War Collection’s Lead QA Tester speeds through God of War II’s Loom Chamber in record speed. You definitely want to watch this.
• Coming to PSN this Week: Bubble Trubble PSP Mini — A new puzzle-based mini hits the PSP. Who grabbed it? Do tell.
• Free Comet Crash Update Available Now on PSN! — There’s nothing I don’t like about a sentence with “free” and “update” in it. In this update, Comet Crash gets new levels, new maps and more.
• This Week in PlayStation Home: Assassin’s Creed, Final Fantasy XIII, Fullmetal Alchemist and A&E’s Lawman — Lots of new stuff going on in Home this week, highlighted by a special line of Assassin’s Creed items.
• Braid Available Today on PSN — Plenty or reasons highlighted here to pick up Braid for PS3. Regardless, it’s a great game.
• SOCOM Fireteam Bravo 3 Competitive Multiplayer Features Unveiled — 16-player multiplayer, new modes and new MP screens. A welcome update for FTB3.
• Pinball Heroes Out Today on PSN for PSP — Pinball Heroes hits PSP today with four tables, UNCHARTED, Hot Shots Golf, PAIN and High Velocity Bowling.
• PlayStation Store Update — Braid, Star Trek D-A-C, four demos, and much more.
• PlayStation Network Video Content Update — To celebrate MGM’s 85th Anniversary, you get a great selection of movies for $1.99.
• adhocParty for PSP Available Soon — Yes, you’ve been waiting. Now adhocParty is coming very soon. Hit the post for details on how it works.
• Fill Up Your Own Stocking This Year: Get a PSPgo for as Low as $199! — Get a Sony Card and score a PSPgo for $199. Not a bad deal, if you ask me.
• PlayStation Eye Chat: Assassin’s Creed II — Ubi Lead Game Designer pipes in through the PS Eye, dropping lots of new details and features in Assassin’s Creed II.
• Developer Diary #3: The Saboteur for PS3 — Tom French is back for #3 in his series of posts that reveal The Saboteur in great detail.

Courtesy of Jeremy Dunham

• Challenge: Play the MAG Beta with Zipper! – Now’s your chance to test your skills against the folks who make the game.
• MAG Developer Interview: Test Leads – Jay Embry and Kurt Manning take us behind the scenes with Zipper’s upcoming shooter and reveal just how important our beta tests have been.
• MAG Beta 4 Starts Now! – Find out how you can take part in testing one of the hottest PS3-exclusives on 2010.

• Coming to PSN this Week: Military Madness: Nectaris — Kyle’s been around a few times to talk Military Madness, and now you can finally get your hands on it.
• Coming to PSN this Week: Numblast — Addictive puzzle gameplay? Check. Low, low price of $4.99? Check. Colorful trailer that gets you acquainted with the action? Check.
• Win the Ultimate UNCHARTED Adventure — Drink Pepsi…win a bunch of cool stuff. It’s really that simple.
• BUZZ! Quiz World Launches Next Week on PS3! — BUZZers, get ready. BUZZ! Quiz World launches next week. There’s a lot of new additions that you should definitely check out.
• MLB and Lucasfilm Join PlayStation Network’s Video Delivery Service — Miss the Yankees pile on yet another (argh) World Series title? Now you can catch the games on the Video Store, along with a Lucasfilm content and more!
• This Week in PlayStation Home: Win a Copy of UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves – Fortune Hunter Edition — If you logged in to PlayStation Home between Thursday and Friday, and scored atop the Mask Mayhem mini-game…well, you nabbed a Fortune Hunter Edition. You lucky bast…
• It’s Almost Time for Braid on PSN — I’ve been waiting and waiting for Braid on PSN. Now it’s just around the corner. This truly original 2D game is a treat, and we’ll have a great video interview coming early next week to get you pumped up.
• Qore Episode 18 – Featuring ModNation Racers, Assassin’s Creed II, ILM and Star Trek — Miss Belmont and the rest of the Qore crew head up to Vancouver for a look at ModNation Racers. Plus, more deets on Assassin’s Creed II (man, the combat looks incredible this time around).
• Topatoi: Free Arcade Style Pack DLC Available Today — The Topatoi Arcade Style Pack adds some new arcade action, and better yet, it’s free!
• Battlefield: Bad Company 2 – PS3 Beta Begins November 19 — November 19 is the day. The Battlefield: Bad Company 2 beta is coming exclusively to the PS3. Full details inside.
• PlayStation Store Update — Lots of great stuff this week, including Military Madness: Nectaris, Numblast, a bunch of PSP games and more. Plus, if you haven’t given Trine a go, the demo is up for free.
• PlayStation Network Video Content Update — G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, I Love You, Beth Cooper, The Taking of Pelham 1, 2, 3, and much more in the weekly Video Store update.
• Battlefield: Bad Company 2 – Creating the Trailer — How much work went in to creating the Battlefield: Bad Company 2 trailer? You guess it. A lot.
• 70’s Mustang Joins the Gran Turismo 5 Lineup at the Gran Turismo Awards — See a great recap of the Gran Turismo Awards in Las Vegas, peep the winning car and hear from past winners.
• Attention Canadian UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves Fortune Hunters! — We love our neighbors to the north (Vancouver sushi and ramen, FTW!), and he’s just how much.
• LittleBigPlanet: Sack It To Me – The “Happy Birthday” Edition! — The weekly roundup of LBP events, plus here’s how to grab LBP PSP costumes for ziltch!

• Brütal Legend’s Tears of the Hextadon DLC Launches for Free on PSN! — The Brutal Legend Tears of the Hextadon downloadable content pack is free for two weeks exclusively on PSN!!
• God of War Collection Ships November 17th, Plan Your Trophy Hunt Now! — Trophies and HD added to two absolutely amazing games, now dated: It’s November 17!
• Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time Out Today + Insomniac Community Day Recap — Insomniac Games Community Day was amazing. Thanks to everyone who showed up, and if you couldn’t make it, check out the recap video for a rundown of the festivities.
• Call of Duty: World at War Map Packs 50% Off, New Playlists! — For one week only, get Call of Duty: World at War map packs for half price! Go!
• Winners of the UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves Fortune Hunter Edition! — We know you’ve been asking…for a while. Well, here’s the giant list of the Fortune Hunter Edition winners. Congrats if you hit the jackpot!
• Celebrate Halloween PlayStation Home-Style at the Zombie Rally — Zombies are invading Home. Don’t believe us? Head Home now!
• District 9 Forged Together With God of War III — Pick up the District 9 Blu-ray on December 29, and you’ll get the God of War III E3 2009 demo included on the disc. The first of it’s kind!
• Update: SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Fireteam Bravo 3 — The new FTB3 PSP release date is January 12. Get much more details in the coming months.
• Developer Diary #2: The Saboteur for PS3 — Number two in our developer series for the Saboteur for PS3. Tom French is back, this time describing what it’s like to recreate the in-game city of Paris.
• MLB 09 THE SHOW’s World Series Prediction: Phillies Stun Yankees in 7 Games — Philly wins in our simulation, Jeff’s happy. But really, I’m hoping the Phils win in five so my avatar can go back to normal operation.
• Zombie Tycoon Shambles to PSP Minis Today — Frima Studio drops by to tell us all about their brand new PSP mini, Zombie Tycoon for $7.99!
• LocoRoco Midnight Carnival Launches Today! — Your pal Tsubasa is back on Loco launch day to talk about the new global LocoRoco leaderboard and more!
• Fat Princess: Her Majesty Gifts Unto Thee … — The Fat Princess demo and patch are out now! To New Pork and beyond!
• PlayStation Store Update — Another big update this week brings plenty of new games and more. Don’t forget to check out the Ratchet demo for Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time, and there’s a great sale on Super Stardust Portable and other PSP games!
• PlayStation Network Video Content Update — If you haven’t picked out a dynamic theme for your PS3, may I suggest the new South Park dynamic theme?
• God of War III Ultimate Edition and Pre-Order Items Announced — Presenting the God of War III Ultimate Edition. This thing looks epic thanks to everyone who took the pool earlier this year.
• UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves Celebrates Halloween with a Title Update and a Double Cash Weekend — An update to UNCHARTED 2 makes the game even better (is that even possible?), plus the first double cash weekend!
• The 7th Annual Gran Turismo Awards at SEMA Coming November 4 — And check out Autoblog to win a GT PSP pack each day next week!
• LittleBigPlanet: Sack it to Me – LittleBigHalloween Edition — Get free Halloween digs for your Sackboy, plus updates on LBP PSP, community picks, and free stuff!

Courtesy of Ken Chan

• God of War Collection ships November 17th, Plan Your Trophy Hunt Now! – Still wondering when you’ll be able to get your hands on the God of War Collection? Well, wait no more. The God of War Collection has gone gold!
• District 9 Forged Together With God of War III – Come December 29th, when you snag your copy of District 9 on Blu-ray, included on the very same disc will be the highly sought after God of War III E3 2009 Demo.
• God of War III Ultimate Edition and Pre-Order Items Announced – SCEA and Santa Monica Studios are thrilled to announce the first Ultimate Edition for God of War. Earlier this year, we polled a number of fans on what would make an awesome collector’s edition for God of War. Well, we took your advice and created something epic and filled it with premium collectible and exclusive digital content.
]]> http://blog.us.playstation.com/2009/10/the-playstation-recap-17/feed/ 25 http://blog.us.playstation.com/2009/10/god-of-war-iii-ultimate-edition-and-pre-order-items-announced/ http://blog.us.playstation.com/2009/10/god-of-war-iii-ultimate-edition-and-pre-order-items-announced/#comments Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:01:44 +0000 Anthony Caiazzo http://blog.us.playstation.com/?p=18696

SCEA and Santa Monica Studios are thrilled to announce the first Ultimate Edition for God of War. Earlier this year, we polled a number of fans on what would make an awesome collector’s edition for God of War. Well, we took your advice and created something epic and filled it with premium collectible and exclusive digital content.



The Ultimate Edition will feature the following:

Exclusive Collectibles
• High-End Sculpted Replica of Pandora’s Box
• Limited-Edition God of War Art Book featuring exclusive art, content and interviews

Exclusive Digital Content (Available via PlayStation Network voucher codes on day of launch)
• God of War Combat Arena containing an exclusive environment and seven challenges
• Premium Kratos Skin – Dominus
• God of War: Unearthing the Legend Franchise Documentary – a full-length movie documentary depicting the history of the God of War franchise
• God of War Trilogy Soundtrack – God of War, II, and III scores from the game (mp3 digital download).
• God of War: Blood and Metal EP – a heavy metal homage featuring original music inspired by God of War (mp3 digital download).

But it keeps getting better for the fans. Those that pre-order God of War III at select retailers will receive a voucher code for first access to download the God of War III E3 2009 Demo starting today, plus you will receive an exclusive downloadable skin from the following retailers: Amazon, GameCrazy and GameStop.



And as a special thank you to our Spartan Army members who signed up on www.GodofWar.com, we are sending out a direct email today with one free voucher code to randomly selected fans. So, please make sure you check your email inbox over the weekend to see if you are one of the lucky ones to receive a voucher code allowing you to download this demo instantly from PlayStation Network! Remember, it’s a random selection and only a limited amount of vouchers are being sent out, so good luck.

Thanks again to all the fans for their continued support and enthusiasm for God of War. We are all excited to give you an early taste of what is expected to be one of the biggest games of 2010!

In The End There Will Be Only Chaos…..

For more details on today’s announcement visit godofwar.com

]]> http://blog.us.playstation.com/2009/10/god-of-war-iii-ultimate-edition-and-pre-order-items-announced/feed/ 349 http://blog.us.playstation.com/2009/10/district-9-forged-together-with-god-of-war-iii/ http://blog.us.playstation.com/2009/10/district-9-forged-together-with-god-of-war-iii/#comments Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:01:49 +0000 Anthony Caiazzo http://blog.us.playstation.com/?p=18550 We are pleased to announce today a Blu-ray and PlayStation 3 first!



Come December 29th, when you snag your copy of District 9 on Blu-ray, included on the very same disc will be the highly sought after God of War III E3 2009 Demo. This hybrid disc is an industry and PlayStation first which will pair together this summer’s must see Sci-Fi BLOCKBUSTER with SCEA’s powerhouse action title. As an added bonus for God of War fans, those that complete the demo will unlock an exclusive making of featurette about God of War III.

Some other cool special features on the District 9 movie disc will include a Interactive Map feature “Joburg from Above: Satellite and Schematics of the World of District 9,” which provides a highly detailed environmental exploration of the world through a series of interactive satellite maps, technology schematics and photo-real files; and movieIQ, which allows viewers to immediately access continuously updated information on the cast & crew and explore relevant trivia such as production facts, music and soundtrack information all tied to scenes within the movie.



]]> http://blog.us.playstation.com/2009/10/district-9-forged-together-with-god-of-war-iii/feed/ 120 http://blog.us.playstation.com/2009/10/god-of-war-collection-ships-november-17th-plan-your-trophy-hunt-now/ http://blog.us.playstation.com/2009/10/god-of-war-collection-ships-november-17th-plan-your-trophy-hunt-now/#comments Tue, 27 Oct 2009 18:45:51 +0000 Anthony Caiazzo http://blog.us.playstation.com/?p=18448 Still wondering when you’ll be able to get your hands on the God of War Collection? Well, wait no more. The God of War Collection has gone gold! Fans can look forward to playing God of War and God of War II in stunning HD just a couple of weeks from now as the God of War Collection will officially be shipping to a retail store near you on NOVEMBER 17! Oh wait…there’s more…we’re also here to unveil all of the trophy goodies you have been waiting for!



To give you the low-down on how the trophies were picked, here is some insight from God of War III Design Director, Todd Papy…

Other than all the visual improvements that we added to the God of War Collection, the most exciting part for me was the opportunity to go back and add in full trophy support for both games. Not only will the trophies hopefully be an enjoyable way to check your progress through the game, but they will also give the hard-core God of War fans some serious additional bragging rights. And on a more personal level, the trophies were a really great opportunity for us to share some of our stories and inside jokes from God of War and God of War II.

One of the trophies that I was really happy to finally be able get out there was “Speed of Jason McDonald.” At the end of making God of War, the combat designers were doing speed runs of the game, and soon enough, friendly wagers started springing up around the office to see who could post the best time. Jason McDonald, currently a Sr. Combat Designer on God of War III, blew them all away. He still has, a couple God of War games later, the two dollars in winnings tapped proudly to his computer monitor.

Something very similar happened when we started testing the God of War II trophy “15 Min Fight Scene.” The fight outside the Loom Chamber is one of the more polarizing moments in the game. A lot of people really enjoyed the long marathon battle, while other’s thought it was maybe too tough of a challenge. This fun vs. frustration became even clearer when the office stopped working on God of War III one afternoon to get together and watch as team member after team member tried to get through the fight in record time. Judging by the cheering that occurred when the aforementioned Jason McDonald was knocked out of the lead spot, I would say fun won the day.

Another challenging spot that we wanted to highlight with the “You Got the Touch!” trophy was the Spiked Column in Hades from God of War. After playtesting repeatedly, David Jaffe asked me to tone down the difficulty and make it easier for the final shipped game. Ironically, even after all that, it wound up being one of the most talked about sections, and not always for the best reasons. I think one of the problems is that a lot of people try to blast their way through and get it over with as fast as possible. That’s a sure fire way to get Kratos sliced up. The trick was always taking your time to think about what your next move was going to be. Throw in a couple deep breaths, and I think a lot of people will be able to make it through without taking damage and earn the trophy.

In the end, all of us hope that you have as much fun earning the trophies as we did designing them.


GOD OF WAR

Bronze

• 1.21 Gigawatts - Acquire Poseidon’s Rage
• Rocking Out - Acquire Medusa’s Gaze
• Bolt Action - Acquire Zeus’ Fury
• Sword Man - Acquire Blade of Artemis
• Soul Search - Acquire Army of Hades
• Matador - Win the first Minotaur fight
• Scape Goat - Win the first Satyr fight
• Roll Over … and Die - Win the first Cerberus fight
• Don’t They Ever Shut Up! - Defeat the Desert Sirens
• Beat a Dead Horse - Complete the Centaur sacrifice to Hades
• Kickboxer - Complete the Spike Room Box Puzzle
• Rockin’ the Boat - Complete the Sex Mini-Game
• Don’t Leave Her Hanging - Rescue the Oracle with 10 seconds to spare
• Get the Ball Rolling - Complete the Challenge of Atlas
• Totally Baked - Complete the Human sacrifice
• Splash - Kiss the Nyad
• Get Me a Beer Kid - Free yourself from the depths of Hades
• Zero Health = Bronze Trophy - Open a Health Chest when your health meter is already full
• Hitman - Get a 100 Hits Combo
• Getting My Ass Kicked - Die enough times to get offered Easy Mode

Silver

• Kratos’ Marble Collection - Collect all the Gorgon Eyes
• Stick it in Your Cap! - Collect all the Phoenix Feathers
• It’s the HUGE One - Retrieve the Captain’s Key
• Take the Bull by the Horns - Defeat Pandora’s Guardian
• God Killer - Kill Ares
• Head Hunter - Obtain the head of the Architect’s wife
• The Power to Kill a God - Retrieve Pandora’s Box
• Hitman 2 - Get a 200 Hits Combo
• Legend of the Twins - Watch the ‘Birth of the Beast’ Treasure
• Seeing Red - Max out all Weapons and Magic

Gold

• Prepare to be a God - Beat the Game on any Difficulty
• You Got the Touch! - Climb the Spiked Column in Hades without taking damage
• I’ll Take the Physical Challenge - Complete the Challenge of the Gods
• Speed of Jason McDonald - Beat the game in under 5 hours on any Difficulty
• Key to Success - Collect all of the Muse Keys

Platinum

• Trophy of Zeus - Unlock all God of War Trophies

GOD OF WAR II

Bronze

• Breaking Wind - Acquire Typhon’s Bane
• Big, Tuff, Buff and Rough - Acquire Rage of the Titans
• Blue Balls - Acquire Cronos’ Rage
• Shiner - Acquire the Golden Fleece
• Rock their World - Acquire the Head of Euryale
• Learning to Fly - Acquire the Icarus Wings
• Shaky Ground - Acquire Atlas Quake
• Death from Above 2009 - Defeat the Dark Rider for the first time
• Resurrection - Climb from the pit of Hades
• Rock Hard - Defeat the Titan Minotaur inside Atlas
• Pick’n on the Little Guy - Win the battle outside of the Palace of the Fates
• Watcha Got on the Hot Plate? - Solve the riddle of the Fire Phoenix Statue
• Whip it Good - Whip the Steeds of Time
• Lift with Your Knees - Topple the Temple in the Bog of the Forgotten
• Swinger - Cross the collapsing Grapple Bridge
• Stoner - Stone and Shatter 30 Enemies
• Super Sized - Get a 500 Hits Combo
• Hitting Your Stride - Power up any item

Silver

• Eye Can’t Believe it - Collect all the Gorgon Eyes
• Go Make a Pillow! - Collect all the Phoenix Feathers
• Eye Sore - Collect 20 Cyclops Eyes
• Boss Batch 1 - Kill the Colossus of Rhodes, the Dark Rider, and Theseus
• Boss Batch 2 - Kill the Barbarian King, Euryale, and Perseus
• Boss Batch 3 - Kill the Kraken and all three Sisters of Fate
• Daddy Issues - Defeat Zeus
• Rise and SHINE - Awaken the Phoenix
• Spread ‘Em - Open the wings of the Temple of the Fates
• Shine King - Open the door to the Temple of Euryale
• Blowin’ Your Wad - Max out all Weapons and Magic

Gold

• The End Begins - Beat the Game on any Difficulty
• Feel the Urn - Collect and use at least 2 Urns of Power
• Bleeding Thumbs - Beat the Challenge of the Titans
• 15 Min Fight Scene - Battle your way to the Loom Chamber in under 10 minutes
• You Know the Germans Make Good Stuff… - Collect all Uber Chests

Platinum

• Trophy of Gaia - Unlock all God of War II Trophies
]]> http://blog.us.playstation.com/2009/10/god-of-war-collection-ships-november-17th-plan-your-trophy-hunt-now/feed/ 187