Taking place in ancient Greece, God of War follows the story of a general in the Spartan army turned slave to the gods who is then charged to kill Aires and becomes the new god of war (this is the premise of the first title on the PS2). Wielding the awesome blades of chaos, Kratos kicks some major ass. Just like in the previous games, you battle all sorts of mythical characters including cyclopses, medusas and satyrs. There is lots of action, plenty of combos and gory kill scenes. When slaying a Minotaur, for example, you’ll use your two giant blades to nail its front paws down, then steal its giant sword to decapitate the monster with a truly vicious swipe.
Chains of Olympus is kind of like a side quest to the first game, following Kratos as he performs tasks for the gods as a slave. The story feels a bit weak however, too big for a mission in the PS2 versions, to small to be its own console sequel. It’s never really clear who the antagonist might be until late in the game, and if you haven’t played the original, there is very little character development here to separate Kratos from the other great video game heroes out there. We know he’s angry and that his daughter is dead, but it might be best if he let his actions speak instead of his words, as the few bits of dialogue in the game feel canned and rigid.
The story is not just a little boring – it’s short. Clocking in at approximately six hours, you could probably beat this game in one hardcore session. It does also feel like this game is much easier than the previous ones, I played it on normal, and found real difficulty only on the last boss (Although beating the game does unlock the incredibly tough ‘God Mode’).
The biggest feature that distinguishes Chains of Olympus from its predecessors is the Sun Shield. This item lets you not only block attacks but parry them too. A well-timed block will deflect your enemy’s weapon and allow you to sneak in an extra quick attack (like in the PS3’s God of War like Heavenly Sword). You can also use the shield to deflect projectiles back where they came from – send a flaming arrow right back to the cursed archer who fired it. Along with the blades of chaos and the sun shield, your only other weapon in the game is the Gauntlet of Zeus, a single power glove that sends your opponents flying.
Although the combat may occasionally fall flat, this game still feels quite epic, and a large part of that is due to the environments. It must be said that the graphics here are very impressive, while there are only a few levels in the game; the art direction allows them to spring to life. At one point in the game, you run across a very long bridge towards the Temple of Helios and the camera stays fixed from far away, as Kratos shrinks into the background, I caught myself staring at all the details in the space and I stopped playing for a second. It is a real moment of beauty that stuck out in the video game experience. This is not the only time that we get a sense of the scale of the levels as later in Chains, Kratos travels to Tartarus where the titans are imprisoned. The walls are jagged and massive and as you climb up a rock formation, unwinding the huge chains that surround it. Charging up all his strength, Kratos sends the chains flying away and landing with a very satisfying ‘whomp’ sound. After a while you scale higher and higher until you see a large hand made of rock opening and closing – making a fist. That’s when you realize that you are actually running on top of Atlas, and he’s angry.
Though the lighting is good in most areas, some spots on the map may be tough to get to because the camera control is sometimes weak. Often, pots and other things to smash for experience may be hidden behind corners and off screen. This problem is most apparent early on in the Temple of Helios but eventually, you know where to look because all the hallways seem to be constructed exactly the same. Keeping the level design relatively linear does solve the problem of finding all the bonus treasure chests, but this does come with the price of repetition.
In terms of controls, as there is only one analog stick for movement, they are otherwise almost the same as on the PS2, and where buttons are missing, things are kept efficient. Rather than having to cycle through and choose, you hold the R button bring up you magic, then push any of the face buttons to perform a different spell. Looking to chain together a wicked combo? Hold L and push the face buttons for some of Kratos’ deadliest attacks, pushing both bumper buttons together allows you to dodge and roll.
There are a few last things that should be discussed about this pint sized God of War. The first time you watch an FMV, you cannot skip it. This means that if you get stuck on a boss, you will have to watch the intro video over and over again. I must have watched the final cut scene about a dozen times. This can be extremely frustrating if you are on a bus or subway and need to get off. Also, this is a very dark game. I don’t just mean the content. One plot point sees the sun fall into the underworld, and Morpheus (the god of dreams) takes over as the world plummets into darkness. It becomes so hard to see that you must boost the brightness on your PSP, and if you were thinking of playing outside or somewhere with bright light then think again. Finally, there are often large gaps between save points. If you only had fifteen minutes to kill while waiting at the bus stop, it might not be enough time to advance to the next checkpoint.
There are a few side quests that can keep you busy, however, beating the game will open up the Challenges of Hades. These are simple levels with a single task, like beat twenty bad guys without getting hit once. This is about the only safe bet for God of War players on the go as they are short and usually end within a minute or two. There are a few challenges to unlock, and of course there is other bonus material like new costumes that boost attributes when you’ve beaten the game on that difficulty already, videos, and images.
God of War: Chains of Olympus certainly has its flaws. It follows the tired conventions of puzzle/adventure games that came before it. While this is Kratos as his usual angry self, the short running-time and small screen mean the combat will never be as epic as you remembered it. That being said, this is one of the finest looking games on any handheld platform right now. The presentation is unrivalled. Ready At Dawn Studios have brought the PS2 experience onto the PSP. And yes, this game does have an orgy scene.
Gameplay: 4/5
Graphics: 5/5
Sound: 4/5
Replay Value: 3.5/5
It’s not just for boys or the Japanese anymore. Sony Computer Entertainment America has announced a new Limited Edition Hannah Montana PSP Entertainment Pack. Similar to the Madden and Daxter packs that came before it, the Hannah Montana kit will include: a copy of Disney Interactive’s Hannah Montana: Rock Out The Show video game, three episodes of the tv show on UMD, a 2GB Memory Stick Pro DUO and, of course, a lilac-coloured PSP-3000.
“Rock Band” is coming to PSP. But don’t worry, you won’t have to carry the drum-set, guitar or microphone.
