God of War III Remastered
PS4, Sony, cert: 18
Has vengeance ever looked so good? God of War III is all about scale and spectacle, opening with the towering titans laying siege to Mount Olympus and going on from there. Kratos, the gore-slicked Spartan warrior, rips his way through a menagerie of mythological monsters in a quest to take revenge on Zeus, king of the gods. Kratos is an unpleasant figure, brutal and totally amoral, and his quest seems to do more harm than good. You might wonder who to root for.
The 2010 original was a real jaw-dropper, maybe the best-looking title of the generation, but this upscaling is patchy. Most work seems to have gone on Kratos himself, adding a shining and smooth quality to his skin. Other areas look to have been missed, leaving several characters looking strange and plastic. Controls feel a little slower, slightly mis-translated, though the combat’s core is still solid and visceral. But without any new content, this might be a better title for those who haven’t played the original. PH
Rare Replay
Advertisement
Xbox One, Microsoft, cert: 16
A UK development institution that is responsible for some of the greatest games ever produced, Rare is quite rightly receiving a much-deserved career retrospective in this outstanding package. Thirty of its games are given a new lease of life here on Xbox One as a celebration of the studio’s 30th birthday.
Replay boasts some remarkable and varied titles, such as inventive shooterPerfect Dark, ludicrously funny Conker’s Bad Fur Day, the tricky Battletoads, andBanjo Kazooie, the closest any game has come to aping Super Mario. But beyond the classics, there are some forgotten gems, too, such as Jet Force Gemini, Viva Piñata and Blast Corps. As an extra treat for fans, there’s also a challenge mode featuring scenes from classic Rare games, alongside documentaries and even some footage and artwork from cancelled games.
There are notable absentees. Two of Rare’s best games, Donkey Kong Country andGoldenEye 007, are missing for licensing reasons; but despite this, for £20, it’s hard to imagine any package as generous, charming and enticing as this beautifully constructed box set. CD
No comments:
Post a Comment