When Sony announced that they would re-release the phenomenal God of War and God of War 2 titles, in full HD and trophy compatible, fans all across the globe were ecstatic. However, ever since that initial announcement, Sony has been quite tight-lipped…until now.
Just posted on the PlayStation Blog are the first official details regarding this awesome collection. First off, this spectacular bundle will hit stores shelves November 17th! Just in time to destroy God’s; after the Thanksgiving feast. Also, trophy hunters; listen up. With both titles boasting over 35 trophies including a Platinum trophy for each God of War and God of War II, not only can you relive PS2 memories in HD, you can get some tr0phies, as well!
What better way to find some of the hidden meanings behind the trophies, then letting God of War III Design Director, Todd Papy, explain it for you:
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.
