Alright, sorry to bump such an ancient thread, but I have a question that I didn't see addressed anywhere else.
I just picked up this game with a gift card to try and fill out my HD Collections, erm, collection... (Ico/SotC, MGS, Sly, Jak, DMC, GOW: Origins, and now this). I had played both GoW1 and 2 several times in the past, as I'm a big fan in the series. Seeing as how GoW2 completely trounced the original on PS2 graphically, I was expecting it to do the same in this collection.
After playing a couple hours into the HD versions of both games, I find myself thinking that GoW1 looks more impressive in this incarnation. While there are some moments in GoW2 that still best GoW1 handily in terms of scale and animation, GoW1 just looks much cleaner and more detailed and GoW2 in this collection. I think it has something to do with the texture work in the first game. It seems to use higher contrast, almost comic book-y textures with heavy, dark lines that really make everything pop on the screen when re-rendered in 1080p. GoW2, on the other hand, seems to use a more muted palette that results in a slightly more washed-out look.
Am I the only one who thinks this about the GoW Collection?