Exactly What You’d Expect | God of War Collection Vita Review

God of War has been an incredibly important franchise for Sony since its inception back in 2005. The franchise quickly caught on and built a reputation of having tight controls, action-packed gameplay and just being fun. Since the games were so popular, and considering that God of War 3 sold very well, Sony decided that it was time to remake the first two games in an effort to bring the franchises origins on the PlayStation 2 to a new fan base on the PlayStation 3. This marked the creation of the God of War Collection, a collection of the first two God of War games, remastered in HD and optimized for the PlayStation 3. It was a great success for the company and it was well-received by the fans. The time has come to take that very collection of God of War games and bring them to the PlayStation Vita in the form of a direct port of the God of War Collection.

As we mentioned above, this game is a direct port of the God of War Collection. There isn’t any added content or special features that are exclusive to the PlayStation Vita, so this port is really designed for a very particular gamer. If you find yourself nostalgically playing through the God of War games on a somewhat regular basis or you just have to have the next thing in the God of War series, then you should feel free to indulge on this version of the game. However, if you were looking for something new, you aren’t going to find it in this package.

It is disappointing to get the same, exact title we’ve already played before especially considering that the original collection had some issues that were brought over to the Vita version of the game. Many fans complained that while the gameplay looked great and really set itself apart from the original PlayStation 2 versions of the game, all the in-game cut scenes were not upgraded which pulled the veil back on an otherwise beautiful updating job. Unfortunately, these muddy, PlayStation 2-era cut scenes found their way to this port and they still stick out like a sore thumb. Just updating these cut scenes would have dramatically increased the value of this collection, but in the end it’s just a missed opportunity.

From a performance perspective, the game runs very well. It doesn’t match the same levels of fluidity and performance as its PlayStation 3 counterpart, but for the Vita, it does a nice job. The graphics look good on the Vita screen and the controls have been optimized for the Vita layout. All in all, this is a technically sufficient port of the game. We didn’t encounter any major issues with the technical aspects of the game aside from the slight dip in performance from the PlayStation 3 versions to the PlayStation Vita version. Despite the fact that the game’s performance is noticeable, it isn’t so great that it would limit or reduce your enjoyment of the game. If you want to play these game on the PlayStation Vita, you can rest assured that the system will handle the game just fine.

There are a few control mapping decisions that were made to suit the Vita’s unique control scheme. Many of these decisions work well in the heat of combat and can be overwritten by using the default control scheme on the buttons. While these controls do not necessarily change the experience, they change the feel of the game in a very subtle way. For example, the back touchpad is used when opening gates. Simply press anywhere on the back pad and tap the circle button. You can also trigger save points by pressing the back touchpad as well. The front touchscreen is used for switching weapons on the fly. Just touch the left half of the screen and you’ll swap weapons instantly. You can also trigger Rage of the Gods/Rage of the Titans power by tapping an icon in the lower right corner. The touch controls work well and don’t significantly hinder your progress. Of course, if you aren’t a fan of touch controls, this isn’t going to win you over, but if you don’t mind touch controls, they work perfectly well.

All in all, The God of War Vita Collection is a solid port of two classic games for the PlayStation brand. It was disappointing that this collection is identical to the original PlayStation 3 version which sold extremely well. Most gamers have already experienced this game and because of that, the price tag may be steep for something gamers already experienced. However, it doesn’t diminish the fact that these games are still amazing games and the port is extremely faithful to the original collection. If you loved that collection and still play it today, then getting this version on the Vita is a no-brainer. However, if you were hoping for something different or at least something that addressed the issues of the first collection, this isn’t what you’ve been waiting for, ultimately, this comes down to your personal feelings on the franchise and what that is worth to you.

This review is based on a review code for the PlayStation Vita version of God of War Collection developed by Sony Santa Monica, published by SCEA