The PSP’s ‘Killer’ App – God of War: Chains of Olympus

To paraphrase a famous marketing quote of the 90’s, “The PSP
does what Nintendon’t.” With God of War: Chains of Olympus, developed Ready at
Dawn has created a game that takes full advantage of the PSP’s capabilities,
and creates a title that will create a sense of envy in many DS owners.

Whereas Sony’s portable system has seen its fair share of
PS2 ports (Twisted Metal: Headon, Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee, Ratchet and Clank: Size
Matters, to name just a few) GoW:CoO feels like a fully realized console game.
Combat is almost always compelling; lead character Kratos (greek for force) doesn’t
just brawl, he decimates his opponents to a bloody pulp. Thus is the main strength
of the God of War series- the player feels the power of every bone crushing strike
and bloodletting slash.

Graphically, GoW:CoO has no rival on the PSP, and looks remarkably
like the PS2 games. Although an early demo had fits of slowdown during gameplay,
the final version runs amazingly smooth. Even though the game is presented on a
small screen, the game retains it’s sense of scale and contains some of beautiful
architecture outside of Assassin’s Creed and Price of Persia. Animation is
first-rate, from the way submerged treasure chests reveal dozens of air
bubbles, to the subtle way Kratos drops a Medusa’s severed head.

Chains of Olympus’ sonic palette is equally rich, with a
array of gentle flutes and haunting melodies that will linger in players heads
long after title ends.  When using
headphones, the sound and music is especially vibrant, and the voice acting is
first-rate.

While some have mentioned GoW:CoO’s length as a weakness; we
found enough content in the game to warrant a full-price purchase. The one caveat
we did have with the game is shared by Devil May Cry 4– the pacing. When
fighting enemies in Chains of Olympus, the player may find themselves in a
gaming nirvana; combat is really that good. Unfortunately, puzzle aspects aren’t
as adrenaline-fueled, and as such, plod slowly. While none of the puzzles with
stump anyone cerebral capabilities, they do create a start-stop unevenness to
the flow of the game. Still, it’s a minor quibble with an otherwise amazing
game that should move quite a few PSP systems.

Final Score: A-