Hey everyone. With God of War: Origins Collection due to hit stores next week (September 13th!), I thought it would be fun to share my recollection of what went down at the Game Directors Live round table discussion last year prior to the launch of God of War: Ghost of Sparta, but before I do, here’s a quick teaser trailer of the event. Remember the full video is part of the bonus content that is included in God of War: Origins Collection, along with a Legionnaire Kratos skin and the Forest of the Forgotten combat arena, all on the same Blu-ray Disc.

Now back to the event…it was September 1st and we were deep into the final stages of completing Ghost of Sparta when the taping occurred. Do they even use tape anymore? Anyway, it was apparently the only time when all five of us could be in the same place at the same time. So, Ru and I drove up to the El Portal Theater in North Hollywood from the Ready At Dawn office, tired and battered, but ready for what would be an interesting evening. When we pulled up to the theater, there were already fans lined up outside waiting for the doors to open. That was a cool sight and it gave me the first clue that this was going to be memorable for all of us. We snuck in through the side entrance and went down to the green room so that they could throw some HD-compliant makeup on us and make sure we were fit for filming. While that was going on, Cory (who I hadn’t seen for quite some time) strolled in and we caught up a bit before David arrived. I had never met him before that night, so I was really looking forward to it. He was cool and we all kinda sat around and got acquainted before we moved up to the stage area where preparations for filming were still underway.

Several media outlets were shooting before-and-after coverage of the event and each of the directors had an opportunity to answer some quick questions. I saw Stig being interviewed and made my way over to him after he wrapped to say hello. Since God of War III and Ghost of Sparta had overlapping production schedules, it hadn’t been very long since we last spoke or saw each other. Once all of the directors were accounted for, we were bounced from camera to camera doing interviews while the crew worked on the lighting, sound checks, video playback, and final stage dressing. By the way, the stage was crazy looking, but what I remember most of all is that they pointed out several fake stone tiles that we should avoid stepping on because they were made of thin, flimsy plastic that we could fall through. How very God of War…where are the spinning saw blades flying across the floor? I’m feeling real good about this now. Rehearsal is about to start.

None of us knew exactly what was going to transpire. I mean, we had an idea because a rough outline of the show had been sent to us, but until we got on stage and started running the plays, I don’t think we had a good idea of what the show entailed. Alison Haislip was hosting the show and I think she did a great job. I had met her briefly at E3 while I was giving press demos of Ghost of Sparta in the PlayStation booth. She seemed into our game and the whole God of War franchise so I think it was a good fit. Practicing the director intros took forever. Seriously. Alison would say a little bit about each game/director, a screen would drop from the ceiling, a short video for the relevant game/director would play, and then we’d walk from stage-left onto the set and take our seats. Of course, there were numerous issues that required a full reset and we’d have to start all over again. Practice makes perfect. I remember the first questions were directed to David as they were about the beginning of everything. He basically said he wasn’t going to answer the questions during rehearsal because he was saving the good stuff for the actual show. I’m glad he did because it made the discussions more interesting and real. Some of the answers were really interesting and made me look at God of War from completely different angles. That’s what I really enjoyed about this night. Each of us attacked this game from a different perspective. We are in these games. Five different people guided incredibly talented teams towards a unified goal. And we talked about how that was made possible.

Finally, it’s show time. The crowd was excited. We came out and did our thing. Check out the final cut and see for yourself. There was actually quite a good deal of content not included because of time, but I think they edited it down to what was important. The Q&A session at the end was really fun. One of my favorite things is fielding questions from people in the audience. You never know what they’ll ask and sometimes they can catch you off guard. It probably also makes for good television.

After the show, Cory and Stig had to head out, but Ru, David, myself, and some great folks from PlayStation stopped over at a little restaurant for some relaxation and more conversation. We ate, drank, and talked about the past and the future. You know… standard industry stuff. Actually, the discussions we had after the show were just as entertaining as those we had on stage. I had a great time and I’m excited that more people will get to share this experience when they get their copies of God of War: Origins Collection. Until next time, I’m out.

Today is the day you’ve been waiting for! Kratos plunges onto the PSP with God of War: Ghost of Sparta, a technologically sophisticated action tour-de-force. Don’t take our word for it – the critics have spoken and they are ecstatic. Get a sneak peek at the first wave of reviews below.

10 / 10 – GOLD Award

“Sparta offers an immersive experience on par with many of the best PS3 games.” – PlayStation: The Official Magazine

9.5 / 10 – Editor’s Choice

“Absolutely the best-looking game on the PSP thus far.” – IGN

Kotaku Editor’s Choice

“God of War: Ghost of Sparta is a palm-sized epic video game.” – Kotaku

Pre-Order Voucher Redeem and PSPgo Owners

Now, for those that pre-ordered through any of our participating retailers, you’ll be able to redeem your retail exclusive voucher code from PSN starting today, November 2nd at 5:00pm PST. Be sure to also redeem your exclusive Deimos Skin (For God of War III) packed into your game disc copy of God of War: Ghost of Sparta!

PSPgo owners, God of War: Ghost of Sparta will be available through PSN today, November 2nd at 5:00pm PST. As a Limited Time Offer, the entire Pre-Order bundle and Deimos Skin will be included as “Gift with Purchase” with God of War: Ghost of Sparta through PSN. To ensure our PSPgo owners are able to take full advantage of the digital exclusives, the offer has now been extended from November 2nd 2010 to November 23rd 2010.

Thanks again to the PlayStation.Blog and Spartan Army Community for their relentless “rage” placed behind the release of God of War: Ghost of Sparta! Hope you guys will enjoy all the pre-order exclusives and the Deimos Skin (For God of War III) as these items were put together for you, the ultimate God of War fans.

Every End Must First Begin!

Earlier this year, over 150 of our PlayStation.Blog & Spartan Army community members were treated to an unfiltered, non-censored, no-holds-barred interview discussion with the entire cast of God of War Game Directors. What was the alternate ending that Stig Asmussen and David Jaffe explored for God of War III? How did Cory Barlog go from Lead Animator to Game Director? What about the biggest challenge for Ru Weerasuiya and Dana Jan as the Game Director for the portable experience? Find this out and more by pre-ordering God of War: Ghost of Sparta!

Here’s a behind-the-scenes look of God of War Game Director’s Live with our Senior Social Media Specialist, Rey Gutierrez.

For those that are either thinking of or have already pre-ordered the God of War: Ghost of Sparta Entertainment Pack for PSP, check out our latest trailer above that shows off the limited edition Two-Toned PSP. The Entertainment Pack includes the content below:

• 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
• Deimos Skin for God of War III (PS3)

If that wasn’t enough, for those that pre-order through any of our participating retailers, you will also receive a PlayStation Store downloadable voucher to redeem the following content:

• Kratos PSN Avatar
• Original Soundtrack for God of War: Ghost of Sparta
• Legionnaire Skin
• PSP Theme
• PS3 Dynamic Theme
• God of War: Game Directors Live

If you do the math, you will essentially get all 12 great items listed above for only $199. Be sure to visit www.godofwar.com for more info.

Every End Must First Begin

Here to walk you through each of the skins is the Game Director of God of War: Ghost of Sparta, Dana Jan.

Kratos

Just for comparison, I thought I would throw in Kratos in his standard gear for a direct comparison. Some interesting notes about the default model: We reworked it and improved a lot of things including better textures, specular shine on the metal (belt, shin guard, weapons), his goatee was fixed (Chains of Olympus didn’t have an alpha channel on it), his face I more expressive due to new facial rig, and subtle improvements like the red tattoo having a softened edge so it looks better up close. The blades were all remodeled to match the Blades of Athena as seen in God of War II as well.

Ghost of Sparta

Throughout the game, Kratos sees visions of his past. We came up with a ‘look’ or visual style for these sequences that helped clearly set them apart from what was happening in present time. Everything and everyone in these visions/flashbacks has a vapor-like effect emitting from them. We took almost all of the color out of the imagery making it fairly monochromatic with the exception of the color red which is associated with Deimos’ birthmark, the fires that burned Sparta the day his brother was taken, and also the blood that stains his memories. Choose the Ghost of Sparta costume and you will take twice the damage from enemies, but your rewarded by inflicting quadruple fire damage with Thera’s Bane. The Ghost costume is also able to regenerate the fire meter four times as fast as the default Kratos costume.

God Armor

One of the first bonus costumes we decided to include with the game was the God Armor. Fans will recognize the armor from the beginning of God of War II where Kratos is wearing it in Rhodes as he battles the Colossus. I don’t want to spoil anything, but I will say that somewhere in Ghost of Sparta you will see Kratos in this armor. Another interesting bit of information about this armor is that Deimos’ armor features some striking similarities. Compare them and see for yourself. This costume decreases the amount of damage Kratos receives from enemies, doubles the damage he deals with Thera’s Bane, and increases the fire meter regen time. Finally, it also causes enemies to drop Red Orbs as Kratos hits them with attacks

Robotos

There has to be a funny costume in every God of War game. We had several on the comic-relief side in Chains of Olympus, but I don’t think any were as good as this. This has to be my favorite of all time. We went back and forth on what kind of robot we wanted to make for this costume. Finally, it seemed like the funniest looking version was robot costume made out of cardboard boxes, metal ventilation hose, and duct tape. Polish it off with some permanent markers to draw the details on the cardboard, and you get Robotos. I’m sure someone is making this costume to wear at a con as we speak. Robotos has the ability to generate massive combos by increasing the amount of time allowed between hits to increment the combo meter. His damage dealt with the Blades of Athena and Arms of Sparta have been decreased along with magic costing him twice as many Blue Orbs to use. He’s still my favorite costume in the game.

Deimos

When we designed Deimos, one of the biggest tasks was trying to create a character that looked like he could stand next to Kratos and be equally as strong and interesting. While they share the similar iconic “mark” as a story point, they needed to be very different people. The years of captivity in the Domain of Death drove Deimos to a very dark place. His birth mark now glows as the flesh sears with rage. When picking the attributes for this costume, we thought it would be cool to make him more proficient with the Arms of Sparta (spear and shield) since he trained with Kratos and is a Spartan after all. Additional adjustments include more damage taken by enemy attacks, and less damage done when using the Blades of Athena.

Legionnaire

(Pre-Order Bundle Exclusive)

This is one over-the-top set of armor, even for Kratos. The idea for this costume started after we learned about the God of War fans known as the Spartan Army. We thought it would be cool to do a costume that would go with the Arms of Sparta (spear and shield) and form a cohesive set of gear. The helmet design is loosely based on that of a Spartan soldier and the chest plate has elements like the Cerberus silhouettes found on Kratos armor from the God of War flashbacks. We also wanted to carry the crimson elements of Kratos’ tattoo and cloth skirt into this costume to keep his palette familiar. This costume gives you the ability to collect double Orbs of all types, and using magic will cost half the amount of Blue Orbs. If that weren’t good enough, the Legionnaire resists enemy damage four times as much as normal and deals double damage with the Arms of Sparta.

Deimos for God of War III

(Available only through purchase of God of War: Ghost of Sparta)

During the production of Ghost of Sparta, we discussed the idea of making Deimos an unlockable costume to be used in God of War 3 on the PS3. We wanted to give players who had both games (and systems) some content that crossed platforms. We provided the team at Sony Santa Monica Studio our assets used on the PSP, and we are really pleased with how Deimos looks in God of War 3. I’m particularly happy with the way his glowing “mark” looks on his body. I’m looking forward to playing through the game again and seeing Deimos tear through some of my favorite moments.

We’re also pleased to report that our first review for Ghost of Sparta just recently came in — PlayStation: The Official Magazine gave Kratos’ latest PSP adventure a 10 out of 10! You can find it in their December issue which features God of War: Ghost of Sparta on the cover and includes a fantastic tribute article celebrating the entire franchise that has interviews with all of the five past and present God of War game directors. The December issue is on newsstands now so go pick it up! Here are a few choice quotes from the review, just to get the blood flowing…

“Sparta offers an immersive experience on par with many of the best PS3
games.”

“It’s no hyperbole to say Sparta is easily among the best-looking PSP
games.”

“Sparta is not only a great PSP game but a great God of War game with an
absolutely incredible ending.”

Every End Must Begin!

Using the Palace of Hades from God of War III as the main inspiration, this exclusive PS3 Dynamic Theme captures the grand vista moment of Kratos as he is betrayed by Gaia at the top of Mount Olympus and ripped of his godly powers. It is at this moment where he obtains the Blades of Exile from Athena and seeks out to destroy all of Olympus and the mighty Zeus himself.

With full active movements of multi-layered clouds and lightning, flowing lava, and fogs, the Palace of Hades Dynamic Theme is exclusive to the pre-order of God of War: Ghost of Sparta, and not available as a standalone purchase through the PlayStation Store.

To our Canadian consumers, be sure to stop by EB Games to pre-order either the God of War: Ghost of Sparta UMD Game or Entertainment Pack as they are also supporting the ultimate pre-order bundle.

If the Deimos Skin announcement wasn’t exciting enough for you, here’s reason #4 to Pre-Order God of War: Ghost of Sparta – Legionnaire Kratos. Here’s a little sneak peek at the Legionnaire Skin in action!

After all, if Kratos will reveal the origins of lost worlds and discover his dark past within Ghost of Sparta, what better way to complete the God of War experience than with the exclusive Legionnaire Skin included in the pre-order bundle?

Every End Must First Begin

(In case you missed the surprise message at the end, read on!)

For a limited time ONLY, all Specially Marked Boxes of God of War: Ghost of Sparta will include an exclusive downloadable voucher for the Deimos Skin for God of War III.

Re-live the God of War III experience like never before as you get to play as Kratos’s brother Deimos. With enhanced combat damage and the ability to receive 4x the amount of Health, Magic and God Orbs, you are given the ultimate rage-fueled Spartan.

For those that are planning to get the God of War: Ghost of Sparta Entertainment Pack, don’t worry. All the limited two-tone Entertainment Packs will include the downloadable voucher for the Deimos Skin PSPgo owners, similar to the Ultimate Pre-Order bundle, you will be granted with the Deimos Skin during the limited purchase window through the PS Store from November 2nd to November 9th.

So if you haven’t pre-ordered, be sure to do it soon as both the Six-Item Pre-Order Bundle and Deimos Skin are available for only a limited time!

Every End Must First Begin

Reason #3 to Pre-Order God of War: Ghost of Sparta – introducing the exclusive PSP Theme featuring our rage filled Kratos (outfitted within the sleek two-tone Limited Edition Ghost of Sparta PSP)

Just a friendly reminder, we’re only four short weeks away from the release date of November 2nd, so if you’re looking to purchase the UMD version of Ghost of Sparta, be sure you do it soon. The exclusive DLC bundle is exclusive to the pre-order and won’t be available at retail after November 2nd.

For our Canadian friends, please be sure to visit any of participating retailers for more information on the exclusive Ghost of Sparta DLC pack.