Game Review: God of War: Chains of Olympus

Courtesy Photo | God of War: Chains of Olympus cover art.  

BAGHDAD, IRAQ

03.20.2008

Courtesy Story

Multi-National Division Baghdad

By Sgt. Mark Matthews
Multi-National Division - Baghdad

CAMP LIBERTY, Iraq — Throughout the past few months, I have reviewed many games. All of them have been great. I was planning on reviewing a horrific game just to ensure readers I don't feel every game on the shelves is a masterpiece. I had the game picked out and then God of War: Chains of Olympus for the Sony PlayStation Portable arrived in the mail. I just couldn't help it; I had to review this one.

Keeping with my current track record, this game is absolutely amazing. The graphics are crisp, load times are almost non-existent and the game play is the same as the previous two God of War games on the PlayStation 2 – perfect.

Chains of Olympus takes place prior to the first God of War, when Kratos, the main character, was but a servant to the gods. Kratos is plagued by the memories of his wife and child's horrendous murder. Their blood and ashes are as much a part of him as his own guilty heart. Kratos blames the gods, but his family fell by his own blade. He then became known as the Ghost of Sparta, and he does the bidding of the gods for one reason alone – redemption.

Let's face it, the PSP needed this one. Aside from the occasional surprise, Sony has no real "heavy hitters" to push the versatile and powerful hand-held machine. Thanks to the folks at Ready at Dawn Studios, the PSP is back in full force.

I won't get into too much detail about how great I feel the PSP is, but it seems as though this tiny device can do everything except your laundry, and until now, play great games.

Kratos is armed with the "Blades of Chaos," which are blades chained to his arms. These chains allow him to whip the blades around and demonstrate deadly combinations on his foes. I have no doubt Kratos alone could send Leonides and the rest of the 300 Spartans running to the hills with their tails between their legs. Trust me; he's as bad as they come.

Along the way, you pick up a number of different weapons and abilities, which can all be upgraded individually. If you never use one power or weapon, then spend your upgrade points on something you use all the time. Customize Kratos to fit your play style. For example, I never use Kratos' projectiles unless I have to, so I upgraded my shield and Blades of Chaos instead.

Graphically, nothing can compete with it. I've heard people compare the graphics of the PSP to those of the PS2 – and up until now, I've agreed. However, this God of War seems to be on par with, if not better than, the Nintendo Wii.

Graphics, as we know, aren't everything. The game still has to be playable and fun – Chains of Olympus excels in both areas. They added a few new abilities and built upon the already captivating story, but they didn't change anything. All of the completely over-the-top combos and seemingly endless waves of enemies are here. The developers knew they struck gold with the first two games and must have decided that if it isn't broke, don't fix it.

It's not simply a hack and slash, either. Don't get me wrong, you'll do your fair share of button mashing, but the game is riddled with puzzles and obstacles you must overcome. Granted, for the most part, the puzzles are simplistic in nature, but they are just hard enough to keep you interested and a welcomed break from the hordes of mythical bad guys.

The only kink in this game's otherwise impenetrable armor is the length. It is relatively short, but it's so enjoyable you'll almost have to play it through more than once. Plus, after beating the game, you will unlock challenges and a new difficulty. My recommendation is for those who are familiar with the series to play through the game on the Spartan difficulty, the hardest available upon purchase – this will undoubtedly double the length of the game for you.

Another awesome feature the developers spared no expense in providing is the accuracy of Greek mythology. The gods' hierarchy is flawless and beautifully implemented into the story. If you have the slightest knowledge of Greek mythology, you will appreciate the care they've put into making everything true to form. The bad guys are straight out of the Odyssey. Cyclops, Satyrs, Harpies and epic-wild beasts riddle the game at every corner in what may seem impossible, unbeatable numbers.

The controls are another basic feature that will make or break any game. I wouldn't be surprised if I found out Sony went to Ready at Dawn Studios and asked them to design the PSP with hopes they would someday make God of War for the system. The PSP was made for this title. It comes with a manual, but you won't need it because everything makes sense. Even with out all the buttons of a PS2 controller, they manage to keep the integrity of the controls and still make Kratos even more maneuverable.

The biggest problem with any third-person action game is always the camera angles. I've seen too many games where you are left in the corner with no eyes on your character, frantically pushing every button just to emerge from a hole you couldn't see to begin with. God of War not only makes the camera angles work, but turns them into a cinematic dream. They turn the game into an epic adventure and when appropriate will zoom out to the point where Kratos is but a small part of a seemingly endless world.

I wish I could provide you all with a less single-sided review of Chains of Olympus. I've looked for every flaw in the game I can. I've scoured the game for glitches and imperfections. Other than the length of the game, which I feel they made up for with the unlockable challenges and new difficulty settings, the game is awesome. In my opinion, the best PSP game to date and one of my all time favorites for any system. I can't recommend God of War: Chains of Olympus enough.

I give God of War: Chains of Olympus 5 flaming blades out of 5.

• Date Taken: 03.20.2008
• Date Posted: 03.20.2008 11:21
• Story ID: 17578
• Location: BAGHDAD, IQ