Seeing Kratos’ beaten old mug don your favorite websites as we inch closer to his PS4 debut has become second nature to your daily browsing. Love him or hate him, you’ve gotta admit that he’s become the face of all things PlayStation, and that face has been all over the place. From late-night Adult Swim shows to your local back nine, Kratos has been spotted in the most unusual of places, some more fitting than others, as you’ll soon see as I rank his best oft-forgotten cameo appearances.
10. Tearaway Unfolded
Kratos’ unique design has been used as a character costume in a handful of games, but never has it been as ugly or lazy as it is in Tearaway Unfolded. Vaguely resembling the angry Spartan, Iota embarrasses himself and everyone at Sony when you slap this garish customization option on.
9. ModNation Racers
Despite being a halfway decent Mario Kart clone, ModNation Racers made enough mistakes for it to be forgotten deep within the annals of obscurity. This Kratos Mod (yes, that’s what the playable characters were called) is simply another mistake to add to the pile. Ugly, almost to the point of disgusting, this GameStop Pre-Order Bonus should have turned everybody away, not to mention the nightmare fuel that was the Ratchet DLC.
8. The Simpsons Season 23: Episode 5
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIOZt32x5Rk
Just when you thought Grand Theft Scratchy wasn’t clever enough, the self-righteous bastards behind your favorite yellow cartoon family broke into gaming again. Homer takes the kids to the Expensive Electronic Entertainment Expo, or E4, and among the many many many video game parodies, there’s a large advert for Guts of War II: Entrails of Intenstinox. While seeing Kratos represented in such a large way is pretty great, the lack of accuracy and the clear jab at the gore found in the games drops it here in eighth place
7. Robot Chicken Season 5, Episode 15
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FV5aCyLyHOY
I’m such a damn nerd. While I can appreciate the rendition of Kratos and the humor of the gigolo joke, I can’t forgive the lack of knowledge on the value of red orbs. We’re getting into the higher quality appearances, sure, but 2000 orbs? Really? C’mon son.
6. The Simpsons Game
Yes, you read that right. Two Simpsons entries in a list about Kratos. Unlike the first entry however, Kratos is accurate, has a brilliantly out of character expression, and it’s all for the sake of a well-made pun. No jabs at the games or their industry, simply a nice cameo from the God of Wharf slipped into the level design. Pure fun.
5. LittleBigPlanet
These last five are impossible to rank. But I’m gonna do it anyway, and Sackboy lands at in fifth . Sackboy is just a good customizable character, that’s inarguable, but Sackboy dressed as one of the most violent characters in PlayStation’s roster is just so delightfully out of place that you can’t help but love it. I have this Sackboy on my shelf. It’s the first piece of DLC I installed when I got LittleBigPlanet 3. This is the last Kratos skin on this list, but it’s easily the best.
4. Mortal Kombat (2011)
This cameo was a long time coming. From his 2005 debut, Kratos pushed the envelope on how many gallons of blood and viscera you could fit in an M Rated video game. Then finally, at the top of his popularity following the release of God of War III, he was finally inaugurated into the cast of the long-running fighting game series, Mortal Kombat. Ed Boon took pride in giving him his full moveset from the game and it shows, complete with Quick Time Events in his special moves and a full-on parry. He completely broke the balancing, but hey, that’s what happens when you put Kratos in your fighting game.
3. Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny
Did you not remember that there was a portable version of SoulCalibur? Well I did, and it was awesome. And not only did Soulcalibur beat Mortal Kombat to the punch, but they integrated Kratos so well into the gameplay that it didn’t matter that it released 2 years after his latest console installment. We got our favorite fictional spartan in our favorite weapons-based 3D fighter, and we didn’t need to sacrifice any gameplay balancing in the process. He fit the story well, as most Guest Characters do, and he was fair in a fight without feeling completely nerfed against the long-running cast of SoulCalibur mainstays. Despite his lovingly accurate portrayal in Mortal Kombat, Kratos felt right at home on the Stage of History, making this a cameo for the ages.
2. Shovel Knight
Yacht Club Games is in the business of making dreams come true. They not only release one of the best indies of the 21st Century, they’ve added two additional campaigns with completely new levels and playable characters, with a third one on the way, all for free. On top of it all, they added the boy, Kratos, to all PlayStation versions of Shovel Knight. And it was glorious. Though you only encounter him as a well-designed overworld boss, the reward for winning is just as good as the pleasure of besting him. You get the Grave Digger’s Shovel (a really nice nod to an oft overlooked “ally” to Kratos) and a set of unique armor that trades the game’s standard health and magic drops for more appropriate orbs, and on top of that, gives Shovel Knight himself a moveset reminiscent of the fallen God. They didn’t have to go that far for a Kratos cameo, but they did anyway.
1. Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds (Everybody’s Golf: World Tour)
Kratos’ journeys have spanned the heights of Mt. Olympus to the depths of Hades itself. From an indistinct island pulled by stone horses to the temple chained to the back of a living Titan, he’s truly been everywhere. Yet the brilliant minds at Sony thought that wasn’t good enough, so they smacked him right into the cast of PlayStation’s premier arcade golfing series, and it went together like cheese and apples (no really, try it). Kratos replaced his blades for golf clubs and swings them by their chains with reckless abandon, driving balls down the fairway like it’s his damn job. It’s almost scary how well he fits in that it’s criminal he was downloadable and not included on the disc from the get go. Kratos is begging to be brought back in Everybody’s Golf on the PS4, yet just like most of his one-off cameos on this list, that would just ruin the charm, wouldn’t it?
Want more PlayStation? Check these out:
– PlayStation 5: 7 Things We Want To See From Sony’s Next Console
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– 27 Best PS4 Exclusive Games You Should Play Right Now
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