God of War: Chains of Olympus Review

God of War: Chains of Olympus is the 3rd game in the God of War series and a prequel to the original PS2 game. This PSP exclusive was released in May 2008 and probably reinvigorated the PSP sales from the slump they were in. 2008 was a great year for the PSP with this game, FFVII: Crisis Core and many others. 2009 looks just as promising.

Chains takes place some 5 years before the events of the first God of War. Kratos is in the middle of his 10-year servitude to the Gods of Olympus and is regularly tasked to take care of problems that the Gods cannot directly deal with. At the outset of the game, Kratos finds himself in Attica, called there to repel the invading Persian Army. This is just as exciting as the prologue for the PS2 games, and it is a great feeling that such epic battles can transfer well to handhelds, perhaps another milestone?

Anyway, the story quickly grows to encompass much more than is apparent at the outset, in that glorious God of War fashion best demonstrated by God of War II. It can be said that the player feels Kratos' wrath against the enemies of the Gods as well as his more reflective moments, regretting the loss of his wife and child. It is a fairly typical story, but being rather well done, it feels beyond what it sets out to be.

Chains of Olympus' graphics set a new standard for handheld excellence. They are quite close to the PS2 in definition, though quite apparently low-res by comparison. Remember one must compare it to the PSP's other offerings. In this, Chains definitely stands out in displaying the recognizable figure of Kratos as well as the carnage of the battlefield and the beauty of ancient Greek architecture. I especially like the look of the gargantuan statues of Gods and other figures. When compared to Kratos, you really get a sense of scale and mass. As usual, there are screen-filling bosses and imposing enemies. Not since the days of 2D have giant monsters been so well realized in a video game.

Olympus' music was good, but not up to usual auditory excellence of the series. Sure, you have the booming bass and guttural chanting, but it seems to lack presence. Perhaps the PSP's sound architecture cannot carry the sense quite as well. Or maybe due to lesser scope of this entry, the music was suitably dulled down. Because of this, I can't quite recall any standout pieces, other than the remixed main title.

Gameplay is the standard God of War system, which consists of light and heavy attack chaining to create powerful combinations, some of which are better suited for quick enemies and some for the larger foes. Some speak derisively of GOW's gameplay, saying it requires no skill, "dial-a-combo" if you will. This is true, as some moves are a little too effective and can be used for practically every situation. It seems that if you want adaptable enemies that are capable of reacting to what you throw at them, you are going to have to play another game. That is not really a gameplay criticism, just something for players to be aware of.

Other than the combo system, we again have the use of Quicktime events. They are used to finish off enemies with style and they reward you with orbs and further powerups. These finishers are also pretty gruesome, and therefore fun to do. CO Olympus plays similar to other 3D action games, with the character moving across mostly static backgrounds, fighting enemies as they progress and using their remains (red blood orbs in this case) to upgrade weapons and suchlike. You eventually come to a boss and rinse and repeat. That is a pretty boring description, but it is the essence of the game, and still a great time!

The default difficulty of God of War depends of player familiarity with this genre. Individually the game is not very challenging, and as always, that is what the higher difficulties are for. Kratos is able to stand toe to toe with most foes and gain the upper hand. He also has dodging maneuvers that are rarely necessary, better using for traveling faster rather anything else.

If it must be compared to similar games, God of War is probably the easiest of these types of games, with Devil May Cry and Ninja Gaiden being ahead. More than anything, the more experience you have with games determines the challenge for the player.

Replay value in Chains continues in Part II's excellence. There is a new game plus feature that enables you to use all your weapons from the beginning, great for variety. You also have unlockable costumes that in addition to being amusing give you different abilities, like infinite magic. Sweet.

In summation, God of War: Chains of Olympus continues the tradition of great entries in the God of War series. This is a top-notch game and perhaps more importantly, evidence of handheld systems being capable of more than gamers may have thought. The story draws in fans of Greek mythology, the gameplay is enjoyable and a certain mini game is icing on the cake...

- Ugly Bob

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