Re-mastering both of the God of War PSP games in full HD for the PS3 God of War: Origins Collection definitely had its share of challenges for us. The first goal we had was simply the daunting task of up-rezing the engine and content authored on a PSP running at 480 x 272 resolution and 30 frames per second to 1920 x 1080p at a steady 60 fps on the PS3. This required a custom PS3 version of our engine, coded in-house exclusively for the Origins Collection, as well as a painstaking process by art team. We ended up going through every single character in the game and doubling or tripling polygon count by hand, as well as up-rezing and re-painting every texture across both games at 4x resolution on both characters and environments.

Being gluttons for punishment, we also decided from the beginning of the project that just re-mastering content from PSP resolution to 1080p wasn’t necessarily challenging enough (as a quick aside…we were wrong), so we also wanted to take advantage of our custom PS3 engine and try to implement full stereoscopic 3D support. After a first pass of 3D implementation and careful playthroughs of both games in 3D, we identified certain trouble areas with and addressed them with techniques such as near-screen fading on certain particles and camera focal plane compensation for a smooth and enjoyable 3D experience. The quality of the final result of the 3D on the Origins Collection so surprised us that it actually sold myself and a number of others on the team 3D TVs in general. Personally I wouldn’t want to play the games any other way after being able to experience it firsthand.

Besides adding upscaling in-game content and 3S support, there was one other challenge that is worth noting (and elicited groans of despair from both artists and programmers alike). Between Chains of Olympus and Ghost of Sparta we had over an hour of pre-rendered cinematics, and the gap in video resolution between our PSP source footage and full HD was so extreme that no matter how many custom video up-scale solutions we tried, there was just a glaring quality difference between the 1080P real-time gameplay and the video. It was pretty demoralizing for us to play the game in beautiful HD and hit a cinematic trigger where Kratos looked like he was rendered through a dirty sock, so we realized we would just have to bite the bullet and properly re-render all cinematics in full 1080p. To do this we ported all of our cinematic scenes to the PS3 and, months and terabytes of data later, had every single frame re-rendered in HD through the new Origin Collection’s engine. From there we had to up-rez all of the post production effects and re-composite every single cinematic again in HD, giving us a final result that blended seamlessly with the in-game quality.

Needless to say, all of the above made for quite a laborious process for us, but we were set on doing justice to the original games that we put so much blood, sweat, and tears into. We hope this effort really pays off for God of War fans able to experience both PSP games in glorious 1080p!

Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time

Sly Cooper’s first PS3 outing isn’t due until 2012, but you can get a head start with this richly illustrated debut trailer. Check back later this week for our E3 demo from our E3 livestreaming session — it’ll be your first peek at gameplay.

Starhawk

This dizzying cinematic trailer shows off Starhawk’s sweeping set pieces and its new Build and Battle action with panache. This is one to watch.

DUST 514

CCP Games’ upcoming PSN exclusive is a first, marrying a punishing PS3 first-person shooter with the expansive player base of PC-based MMO EVE Online. DUST 514 will also support PlayStation Move and include a PS Vita component.

UNCHARTED 3: Drake’s Deception

This slick piece of work would look at home on the silver screen. It’s got everything you could ask for: betrayal, infighting, and epic setpieces set to pounding music. My body is ready for 11.1.11.

Papo & Yo

You wouldn’t guess it from its cheery visuals, but this quirky PSN title was inspired by the designer’s stormy relationship with his father, a substance abuser with two deeply divided personalities.

Resistance 3

This E3 trailer sets a grim tone for Nathan Capelli’s grueling journey to New York City in a last-ditch bid to stop the Chimera in their tracks. If you watched the PlayStation E3 2011 showcase live, you saw Creative Director Marcus Smith guide an gameplay demo rendered in eye-popping 3D.

God of War Origins Collection

I know I’m not alone wanting to play PSP classics God of War: Chains of Olympus and God of War: Ghost of Sparta on the big screen, and soon will be able to — in 3D! These puppies cleaned up real nice for the PS3.

Twisted Metal: Revenge

I’ve never dared to dream that we’d see mechs in Twisted Metal, but David Jaffe, Scott Campbell and the boys have never been short on imagination. Side note: I love the actor who plays Calypso.

Medieval Moves: Deadmund’s Quest

This new trailer highlights the accuracy of the PlayStation Move motion controller: You swing it to slash your sword, flick it to fling throwing stars, and draw back to fire arrows. The trailer for Deadmund’s Quest highlights some of the different tools and magical abilities you’ll encounter.

Hitman Absolution

This slick reveal trailer shows Agent 47 back in the saddle and fighting dirtier than ever. There’s not a hint of gameplay footage to be found, but the grim mood is deliciously tactile.

inFAMOUS 2 launch trailer

The sequel to Sucker Punch’s sprawling open-world superhero adventure is available now, and this visceral launch trailer hits that point home by showcasing Cole’s devastating new electrical and elemental powers.

This collection will also support DualShock controllers so every impact and every bone-crushing moment can now be felt in your hands. This is a huge deal to me personally because a God of War game contains so much over-the-top, heavy hitting action that you really want to feel a tactile connection to Kratos. Now you can! These games are also receiving a new Dolby 5.1 Surround mix to make the audio more enveloping. Everything from character sound effects, to positional audio sources in the world, to the incredible musical score now wrap around you while experiencing these epic games.

Additionally, God of War: Origins Collection will include unique Trophies to be unlocked as you battle your way to the top of Olympus. And there’s bonus content, including our special director’s roundtable video that was created for the release of Ghost of Sparta. It features an insightful discussion between the five directors of the five different titles in the God of War series and answers some big questions about the story, characters, and developers behind this massive franchise.
We are so proud to bring these games to PlayStation 3 and we hope you enjoy them!

Ed Boon is very excited. The Mortal Kombat creative director and co-creator can finally spill his guts regarding one of the most anticipated video-game crossovers of all time: Kratos’ exclusive guest appearance in the PS3 version of Mortal Kombat. “We kind of felt it was meant to happen,” he says. “We think we’ve done Kratos justice.”

Ed Boon and God of War III director Stig Asmussen don’t remember who made the first phone call, but both recall the Kratos crossover talks starting early in Mortal Kombat’s development cycle. “I remember somebody saying, ‘‘hey, there might be this possibility of Kratos appearing in Mortal Kombat,’” Stig remembers. “I said, ‘ You gotta be kidding me, we gotta make this happen! Let’s get on the phone.’” Describing himself as a “huge God of War fan,” Boon was all too eager to work out the details and spark a larger collaborative effort between both studios.

Capturing “the real Kratos” in Mortal Kombat was a prime goal for Boon and Netherrealm Studios, but it wasn’t always an easy one. “The God of War team set certain ground rules,” Boon says. “From the beginning, we were absolutely set on respecting the character.” Boon describes a “receptive” relationship with Sony Santa Monica Studios – creators of God of War – during development of Kratos’ Mortal Kombat incarnation, with Boon’s and Asmussen’s teams regularly trading feedback and ideas. Absolute authenticity being a key consideration, Boon’s team went so far as to use Kratos’ God of War III character model as a reference asset. “Once we started sending playable builds of Kratos, that’s when they got specific regarding things like animation,” Boon recalls. Particularly regarding Kratos’ fatality, which went through a number of edits and revisions due to feedback from Sony Santa Monica Studios. “It was mostly minor stuff, certain tweaks to the animation,” Boon remembers. “We went through a lot of iterations, but in the end, when you look at that screen, you see Kratos.”

Asked about his favorite aspect of this chaotic crossover, Boon answer comes easily. “Just seeing Kratos and Scorpion on the screen at the same time. You never thought you’d see that.” Boon loves God of War and, in particular, Kratos because he’s “unapologetically brutal.” The feeling is mutual – Stig is a longtime Mortal Kombat fan, too. “One of the strongest points of Mortal Kombat has always been the character design,” he tells Boon. “You’ll see a character and you’ll know it’s a Mortal Kombat character.”

Kratos’ guest turn in Mortal Kombat wasn’t without a few creative conundrums, of course. As a demigod, Kratos is not one to show vulnerability. So at first, seeing the all-powerful Kratos torn to pieces by the likes of Shang Tsung – in glistening HD detail thanks to Mortal Kombat’s gruesome character damage modeling – came as a bit of a shock to Sony Santa Monica Studios. “The things that were being done to Kratos were not things that we were used to seeing,” Stig confesses. “It’s taking it to an almost uncomfortable place at times because here Kratos can get his ass kicked.” On the other hand, Boon points out, “Kratos is in the mud like everybody else.”

“I will say that I’ve never seen his skull before this game,” Stig counters with a laugh. “But man,” he adds, “you guys really pulled through. I’m proud of that game.”

Yes, Kratos has an ending. But there’s a catch. “From the start, we decided we wouldn’t put him into the Story and have him interacting with Scorpion or things like that,” Boon explained. But when you conquer the Arcade ladder, you’ll get your just desserts. “We do explain what happens when Kratos wins the tournament,” Boon hinted, describing the endings as “a lot more elaborate” than in prior games.

Yes, Kratos has a fatality. No, we’re not going to spoil it here. “We had 10 fatality ideas we wanted to do,” Boon teased. “But the final versions are in line with all the crazy deaths you’ve seen in God of War over the years.” Boon hinted that Netherrealm Studios is making creative use of Kratos’ weapons in designing his kills, adding, “It’s probably over the top, but we’ve always been over the top.”

Yes, Kratos has a stage. And yes, it has a stage fatality. “It has the best stage fatality we’ve put into any Mortal Kombat game ever,” Boon said excitedly without further elaboration. The stage itself was inspired by the end of God of War III, when Kratos battles Zeus in the Chamber of Flame. “That fight had an almost fighting-game mechanic,” Boon said, “so when we saw that we thought, “It’s writing itself!”

Yes, Kratos is being carefully balanced. How do you balance a character who is practically omnipotent? Not an easy question. “Kratos is interesting because his God of War fighting style is so long range – it’s designed for crowds,” Boon said. That approach won’t necessarily fly in a one-on-one fighting game, so Mortal Kombat emphasizes Kratos’ close-range brute strength and reserves the long-ranged attacks for special moves. “Anyone who loved MKII or MK3, which are particulatly combo-centric, are going to be happy with Kratos.”

Yes, Kratos uses X Weapon. “He has more weapons in this game than any of our other characters by a factor of two,” Boon confirmed. We spotted Apollo’s Bow, Cestus, Blade of Olympus, Helios Head and, of course, the Blades of Exile.

No, Kratos won’t participate in Test Your Might. “We’re not too shy about putting our Mortal Kombat characters in silly situations,” Boon said. “There’s just no humorous side to Kratos,” Boon said. “You’re not going to see Kratos do a Friendship … we kept him out of those situations out of respect.”

Mortal Kombat had a HUGE influence on me growing up. I remember the first time I saw it in the arcade – I almost crapped myself! I was like, “Look what they did to that guy! I’m out of quarters! When well I be able to play this at home?” Then I learned about Mortal Monday, the official launch day when the arcade game came out on the SNES and Genesis. I was a poor college kid at the time, but I circled the date for two reasons: I couldn’t afford it, so I needed to reserve it a month in advance at the video store; and September 13 1993 was my 21st birthday! So instead of going to the bar on my 21st, I ended up sitting with my friends playing MK all night long.

Sometimes, life has a strange way of working out. Here I am, 17 years later, having been able to work on the incredible God of War series … and then one day we get approached to include Kratos in the new Mortal Kombat! This was a complete no-brainer. I remember interviewing at PlayStation eight years ago and seeing Kratos in the very early stages of God of War 1 and thinking, “This guy looks like he was pulled straight from MK!” Which to me, was a good thing. One of the things that I always felt separated Mortal Kombat from other fighters was its character design. When you combine this with Kratos’ attitude and tendency for violence, it’s a match made in heaven!

Another thing that made this collaboration a good fit is that our studios have ties with one another. Several of us at Santa Monica used to work at Midway, including Adam Puhl (Lead Combat Design), Bruno Velazquez (Lead Animator), Chris Sutton (Lead Environment), as well as me, so we all knew Ed and had a relationship with members of his team. It was easy for all of us to get on the same page. It also made the decision on our end to work together because we trust them fully and we know that they will deliver on the promise to make this the most complete and authentic Mortal Kombat yet.

So for me personally, this is a really cool story. Mortal Kombat influenced me when I was younger in many ways, and it is still influencing me today. You can see this plainly by looking at God of War III. I was always encouraging the team to push the gore and violence in the kills, and a large part of that was the way MK struck me when I college kid. It’s one of those games that changed the industry, and is why I bet a lot of people have the “I remember MK because” stories. It is an honor to be involved with it.

When developing God of War III, a ton of effort went into bringing the dark and twisted world of ancient Greek mythology onto the PS3; something that couldn’t have been done without the talent and hard work of the amazing art team here at Santa Monica Studio who spent hours dreaming of new creatures for Kratos to destroy and new places for him to do it in.

Thankfully, the awesome people at Ballistic Publishing created the beautiful ‘The Art of God of War III’ book so that we could share all our creations from concept to completion.

To celebrate God of War III joining the PS3 Greatest Hits library we wanted to give you, the loyal Spartan Army, a chance to win an exclusive signed copy of one of these fantastic books by showing the God of War team what your ultimate monster would look like!

Starting Friday, March 4th through April 1st, visit GodofWar.com, fill out the required entry form and upload your submission. At the end of the contest, the development team will judge and select the top three submissions. Prizing for the contest is as follows:

• 1st Prize: Signed Limited Folio Edition “The Art of God of War III” Ballistic art book
• 2nd Prize: Signed Special Edition “The Art of God of War III” Ballistic art book
• 3rd Prize: Signed Paperback “The Art of God of War III” Ballistic art book

Stay tuned to the GodofWar.com community forums as the winners to the contest will be announced a week after the contest ends.

The following promotion is intended for viewing in the 50 United States and the District of Columbia only and will be construed and evaluated according to United States law. Do not enter this contest if you are not a legal resident of, and located in, the 50 United States or the District of Columbia at the time of entry.

OFFICIAL RULES & RELEASE FOR DESIGN YOUR ULTIMATE GOD OF WAR® MONSTER CONTEST

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN
Void outside the 50 United States and District of Columbia and where prohibited.

1. Eligibility. The Design Your Ultimate God of War® Monster Contest (“Promotion”) is open to only legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia, who are at least 18 or older at the time of entry with a valid PlayStation®Network ID. (individually “Entrant”, collectively “Entrants”). Employees of Sponsor and its parent companies, affiliates, subsidiaries, and related companies, agencies, and the judging panel (collectively, the “Sponsor”) and immediate families (defined as parents, children, siblings and spouse and their respective spouses, regardless of where they reside) and those living in the same household, whether or not related, are not eligible to enter, win or vote. Void in Puerto Rico, all U.S. territories and possessions and overseas military installations and where prohibited or restricted by law.

2. Sponsor. Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC, 919 E. Hillsdale Blvd., Foster City, CA 94404 (“Sponsor”).

3. Timing. The Promotion begins on March 4, 2011 at 12:00 P.M. Pacific Standard Time (“PST”) and ends on April 1, 2011 at 11:59P.M. PST (the “Promotion Period”).

4. How to Enter. Internet access and a PlayStation Network account are required to enter this Promotion. To enter go to www.godofwar.com, sign in with your PlayStation Network ID and fill out an entry form. You must provide your name, date of birth, email address, physical address (No P.O. Boxes) and telephone number. Attach your created image and Click on the “Sign Up” button to upload your artwork (hereinafter “Submission”). The Submission must be an original design based on your version of the ultimate God of War Monster. Your entry must be submitted by 11:59:59 P.M. PST on April 1, 2011.

5. Judging Criteria. All entries received will be judged based on 70% Creativity and 30% on Layout (“Judging Criteria”) by a panel of judges composed of members of the God of War Development Team and Marketing.

6. Entry Conditions and Release. Limit one entry per registered PSN account for the duration of the Promotion Period. Subsequent entries will be disqualified. The Submission must be the original and unpublished creation of the Entrant. Your Submission must be a wholly original work and created entirely by you to qualify as a submission to the Promotion. The Submission should be in png, jpg or pdf format(s) and the maximum file size is 5 MB. Entrant waives any claims against Sponsor, and its affiliates concerning his/her rights in the Submission submitted under this Agreement. (i) must be in keeping with the Sponsor’s image (as Sponsor determines in its sole discretion), (ii) may not be inappropriate, offensive, libelous or defamatory, pornographic, sexually explicit, contain nudity, unlawful or plagiarized, (iii) must not be harassing, abusive, threatening, harmful, vulgar, profane, obscene, excessively violent, racially, ethnically or otherwise objectionable or offensive in any way, (iv) may not violate or encourage others to violate any law, statute, ordinance or regulation, (v) may not defame or invade publicity rights or privacy of any person, living or deceased, or otherwise infringe upon any person’s personal or property right or any other third party right, (vi) may not contain commercial or corporate advertising, including display of corporate logos, brand names and slogans, other than those relating to Sponsor, (vii) must not include visual references to alcoholic beverages, tobacco, drug paraphernalia, firearms or any depiction or representation thereof and (viii) may not include any virus, worm, corrupt file, Trojan horse or other forms of corruptive code or content that may harm or compromise the Site or the proper conduct of the Promotion. Sponsor has the right in its sole discretion to determine if any Submission is not appropriate for publication on the Site or for any other public release and if the Submission is in compliance with these Official Rules. Sponsor reserves the right to disqualify a Submission for any reason. Sponsor’s decisions are final and binding with respect to all matters relating to this Promotion.

7. Winner Selection. Winner will be selected based on the Judging Criteria from valid Entries received during the Promotion Period. Sponsor’s decisions will be final and binding. Each winning Entrant will be notified via email. The potential winning Entrant must respond to Sponsor’s prize notification email within 2 business days from that date and time of the Sponsor’s prize notification email. In the event that the potential winning Entrant does not respond to Sponsor’s prize notification email within the specified time or the prize notification email is returned as undeliverable, a new winner will be chosen based on the Judging Criteria. Alternate winners will be contacted via email and must respond to the Sponsor’s prize notification email within 2 business days from that date and time of the Sponsor’s prize notification email.

8. Prizes. There will be three (3) prizes awarded. One (1) First Prize winner will receive a Signed Limited Folio Edition of the “The Art of God of War III” Ballistic Artbook with an Approximate Retail Value (ARV) of $300.00). One (1) Second Prize winner will receive a signed Special Edition “The Art of God of War III” Ballistic Artbook with an ARV $129 and one (1) Third Prize winner will receive a signed paperback book “The Art of God of War III” Ballistic Artbook with an ARV of $65. Prize fulfillment is based on availability. Sponsor has the sole and absolute discretion to substitute a prize of equal or greater value if a prize is unavailable. If a prize is returned to Sponsor as undeliverable, Sponsor has the sole and absolute discretion to disqualify a winning Entrant and select an alternate winner based on the stated Judging Criteria. Prizes are non-transferable, and Sponsor need not substitute a prize based on winner’s request. Please allow 6-8 weeks for delivery of the prize.

9. Release and Grant of Rights. Entrants are solely responsible for their Submission and the consequences of posting or publishing it. In connection with the Submission, Entrant affirms, represents, and warrants that: (i) Entrant owns or has the necessary licenses, rights, consents and permissions to use the Submission in the manner contemplated by the Sponsor; and (ii) Entrant has the written consent, release and permission of each and every identifiable individual person in the Submission to use the name or likeness of those persons to enable inclusion and use of the Submission in the manner contemplated by the Sponsor. By submitting the Submission to Sponsor, Entrant hereby grants to Sponsor a perpetual, fully paid, irrevocable, non-exclusive license to reproduce, prepare derivative works of, distribute, display, transmit, and permit others to use and perform throughout the universe the Submission, his/her likeness and performance and every identifiable individual person’s likeness and performance in the Submission in any media. Entrant hereby releases Sponsor and its parent and sister companies, and their officers, directors, employees and agents from any and all claims, demands, actions or causes of action of any kind, nature or description, which you or any of your successors, or, assigns, may now, or at any time, have or claim to have any reason of, arising out of, relating to or in any way connected with the rights granted above.

10. Limitations on Liability. Sponsor and its respective affiliates, subsidiaries, parent corporations, advertising and promotional agencies, and all of their officers, directors, shareholders, employees, and agents are not responsible for: any incorrect or inaccurate Entry information; human errors; technical malfunctions; failures, omissions, interruptions, deletions, or defects of any telephone network, computer online system, computer equipment, servers, providers, or software, including any injury or damage to Entrant’s or any other person’s computer relating to participation or inability to participate in the Promotion; inability to access the Site or upload information or data; theft, tampering, destruction, or unauthorized access to, or alteration of, Entries; data that is processed late or incorrectly or is incomplete or lost due to telephone, computer, or electronic malfunction or traffic congestion on telephone lines or the Internet or any website (including the Site) or for any other reason whatsoever; printing or other errors; or any combination thereof. Proof of uploading information or data or entering information at the Site is not considered proof of delivery or receipt. Illegible, duplicate and incomplete Entries will be disqualified. False, fraudulent, or deceptive Entries or acts shall render Entrants ineligible and all associated Entries or Votes will be void.

11. Indemnity. Entrant shall indemnify and defend Sponsor, its parent companies, each of Sponsor’s advertising agencies, and the officers, directors, employees, and agents of all of the foregoing and the successors and assigns of each of them, from and against actions, claims, damages, liabilities, costs and expenses, including reasonable counsel fees related to (i) Entrant’s use of any prize, (ii) the Sponsor’s use of any of the materials submitted by Entrant in connection with this Promotion or (iii) any intentional misconduct or negligence by Entrant in connection with this Promotion.

12. Releases. As a condition of participating in the Promotion, Entrants release Sponsor and its parent, subsidiaries, agencies, divisions and affiliates from liability, for loss, harm, damage, injury, cost or expense whatsoever including property damage, personal injury and death that may occur in connection with, preparation for, travel to, or participation in the Promotion, or possession, acceptance or use of prize or participation in any Promotion-related activities and claims based on publicity rights, copyright or trademark infringement, defamation or invasion of privacy and merchandise delivery.

13. General Conditions. Potential winning Entrants are subject to Sponsor’s verification. Sponsor’s decisions are final and binding in all matters related to the Promotion. Potential winners must comply with the Official Rules, and receipt of prizes is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements. Sponsor is not responsible for technical, hardware or software failures, malfunctions, lost or unavailable network connections or failed, incomplete, garbled or delayed computer transmissions or unforeseen schedule changes that may limit an Entrant’s ability to participate in the Promotion, even if caused by Sponsor’s negligence. Sponsor has the sole discretion to modify, cancel or suspend this Promotion should viruses, bugs, unauthorized human intervention or other causes beyond Sponsor’s control affect the administration, security or proper play of the Promotion or Sponsor otherwise becomes incapable of running the Promotion as planned. Sponsor is not responsible for changes to Entrant’s contact information. Sponsor has the sole discretion to disqualify Entrants who violate these Official Rules, tamper with the operation of the Promotion or engage in any conduct that is detrimental or unfair to Sponsor, the Promotion or any other Entrant.

14. Promotion Results. To obtain a winners’ list by mail, send a stamped, self-addressed envelope to “Design Your Ultimate God of War® Monster Contest”, Attn: Promotions, 919 E. Hillsdale Blvd. 2nd Floor, Foster City, CA 94404. Sponsor will send requested winners’ lists within 4-6 weeks after it awards prizes. Requests for the winner’s list must be received by May 31, 2011.

15. Collection of Information. The information necessary to operate the Promotion is collected by Sponsor at the time of Entry submission, and without limiting Sponsor’s rights under its Privacy Policy with regards to its use of the information; the information collected will be used to contact you specifically for operation of the Promotion. Information collected in connection with the Promotion will be collected in accordance with Sponsor’s privacy policy, available at http://www.us.playstation.com/Support/PrivacyPolicy. By participating in the Promotion, each Entrant agrees to the terms of Sponsor’s Privacy Policy. Entry information collected from Entrants will be used only in a manner consistent with Entrants’ consent and with these Official Rules.

16. Restrictions. Void where prohibited or restricted by law.

In honor of God of War Collection being release in HD on the PSN, we have delved into the Santa Monica Studio archives and found the never-before-seen layouts and sketches of this lost level. In the video above, Jonathan walks us through his designs and the heartbreak of having it cut from the game.

We hope you enjoy this exclusive behind the scenes look and enjoy playing God of War Collection even more.

In addition to the behind-the-scenes, be sure to visit the PlayStation Store to check out God of War Anthology, where you will find not only the digital version of God of War Collection, but also all the various add-on, video, and other titles that featured our Spartan Warrior, Kratos.

Next month marks one of the biggest handheld releases of the year. We learn, for the first time, of the events that took place between two heavy hitting games in the PlayStation family. God of War: Ghost of Sparta shows what events took place between Kratos’s adventures in God of War and God of War II. Do you need a little refresher in the series? Well, we’ve got you covered.

Just like Blu-ray disc fans, newcomers to the series can experience the epic journey of God of War and God of War II remastered in 720p. Both games are running at a smooth 60 frames per second, giving PS3 gamers a smooth gameplay experience. Also, an important fact for any trophy hunters, each game has a full set of trophies! PlayStation Plus subscribers looking to get a taste of his vengeance can download a full-game trial of each game. To highlight the release, Plus members can snag a free Dominus Skin for God of War III and will also receive a GOW III skin with the purchase of each title. Along with the availability of God of War I and II, PlayStation Plus subscribers can pick up a free download of BreakQuest (an updated classic minis from Beatshaper) and a free Dead Nation dynamic theme. Also, be sure to check out the new episode of Qore, including the newly released Qore arqade.

Any fans of the Wild West out there? Be sure to check back next week when all the DLC for Rockstar’s critically acclaimed western Red Dead Redemption, will be 20% off, including the upcoming Undead Nightmare DLC.

Also, another quick friendly reminder to check out the free downloads of Bubble Trubble and discounts on Alien Breed: Impact (an updated classic) and Tomb Raider (one of the original PSone Classics), which will be pulled off of the PlayStation Plus section on November 2.

Our limited time introductory offer is still available. Get three additional bonus months free when you buy a 1-year package for $49.99. You can find all the details here.

Special PlayStation Plus 10/26 Publish

Automatic Download
The Tester Season 2 – Episode 1 (10/29)

Discounted Add-ons
Red Dead Redemption – Undead Nightmare Pack (20% off)
Red Dead Redemption – Legends and Killers Pack (20% off)
Red Dead Redemption – Liars and Cheats Pack (20% off)

PlayStation Plus Highlights for 11/2:

Full Game Trial
God of War I
God of War II

Downloadable Games
God of War I & Phantom of Chaos Skin Bundle (Exclusive to PlayStation Plus Subscribers)
God of War II & Forgotten Warrior Skin Bundle (Exclusive to PlayStation Plus Subscribers)

Free Games
BreakQuest – minis (Free to PlayStation Plus Subscribers)

Discounted Games
Tomb Raider 2 (PSone Classic) (50% off)

Early Access/Exclusive Demo
Vanquish Demo – Challenge Mode

Free Add-ons & Themes
God of War III – Dominus Skin (Free to PlayStation Plus Subscribers, original price $0.99)
Dead Nation Dynamic Theme (Free to PlayStation Plus Subscribers, original price $2.99)
Shadowy Graves Theme (Free to PlayStation Plus Subscribers, original price $1.49)

Free Videos
Qore Episode 30 – November 2010

Last Chance, Get Them While You Can – Coming down on November 2:

Free Offers to PlayStation Plus Subscribers
Qore Episode 29 – October 2010
Bubble Trubble – minis
Heavy Rain Oragami Dog Avatar
Wired Skulls Theme
High Velocity Bowling – PlayStation Move Compatibility Add-on (coming down October 26)

Discount Offers to PlayStation Plus Subscribers
Alien Breed: Impact (25% off)
Tomb Raider (50% off)

In 2009, our Spartan Army asked for the God of War and God of War II experience to be brought forth on a single Blu-ray disc for the PlayStation 3. Almost two years later, we are bringing the same great Epic Adventures of Conquest, Destiny and Revenge directly to you through the PlayStation Store.

For those that need a refresher, God of War: Collection was the first to introduce the God of War and God of War II experience in true 720p HD form. Both titles were remastered with anti-aliased graphics, running at 60 frames per second for a smooth gameplay experience, only on the PlayStation 3 system. Additionally, it also introduced PSN Trophy support to the franchise for the very first time.

Be sure to keep your eyes glued to the PlayStation Store update on 11/2 as both the God of War: Collection and God of War: Ghost of Sparta experience will be available through the PlayStation Store for the first very time.

*God of War: Collection, God of War HD and God of War II HD PSN versions will not contain bonus material and extras from the Blu-ray. Game only.

The PlayStation, the PlayStation 2, the PlayStation Portable, the PlayStation 3 — these aren’t just names to Sony gaming products — these are milestones in every gamers’ coming of age story. Twisted Metal, Metal Gear Solid, Final Fantasy VII, Killzone and God of War, aren’t just clever titles to PlayStation classics — but defining moments in gaming history where PlayStation stands above the rest, delivering memorable experiences and jaw-dropping moments.

Sitting at PlayStation and being part of this amazing journey as a gamer and now working with the PlayStation team, I can’t help but recollect my first encounter with Metal Gear Solid. Within moments of popping in my PlayStation Underground disc, and booting the MGS demo — I knew right there and then what I wanted to do with my life. I must have shredded through several layers of protective coating on the PlayStation disc, playing the MGS demo over and over, patiently waiting for Hideo Kojima’s classic. If I can define my favorite PlayStation moment in two words, it would be: Pyscho Mantis.

Where were you on September 9th, 1995?