God of War: Chains of Olympus
Score: 90% ESRB: Mature Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment America Developer: Ready at Dawn Media: UMD/1 Players: 1 Genre: Action
Graphics & Sound: Few PSP games match the visual prowess of God of War: Chains of Olympus. In some respects, the PSP's entry into the series looks better than the console version. Levels are kept small, but still feel like they are part of something much bigger. While the feeling doesn't carry through as well in Chains of Olympus as it does in past games, it still works incredibly well. The most impressive thing about the game is that it manages to squeeze a whole lot of action onto the screen while keeping a steady framerate. While there are a few noticeable shortcuts taken to achieve this (such as a reduction in on-screen enemies), Ready at Dawn still deserves a whole lot of credit. Both the voicework and soundtrack are incredible and faithfully recreate the console experience. All of the original voices from the console games appear and deliver excellent performances. The soundtrack successfully blends a number of familiar themes with a few new ones, creating a soundtrack that fits the game perfectly.
Gameplay: God of War: Chains of Olympus takes place directly before the original God of War and opens with Kratos defending the Greek city of Attica against invading Persian hordes. Sometime after the attack, the sky goes dark and Morpheus, the god of dreams, begins putting the gods to sleep in an effort to weaken Olympus. As the only person unaffected by Morpheus's spell, Kratos is forced into service. For the most part, Chains of Olympus plays exactly like the first two games in the series. Levels are linear with a few branching paths, most of which lead to bonus items or extra red orbs, which are still used for powering up your various abilities. While there are a few puzzles and platforming areas, Chains of Olympus places a greater focus on combat than either of the past two games. Although this keeps the game moving at a quick pace, it does remove some of the challenge. Puzzles are generally pretty easy to figure out and are usually just a way to teach you about a new item you've just uncovered. Another downside to the faster pace is that the entire game can be completed in a few hours. However, as with other games, the experience is fun while it lasts and rewarding enough that you'll likely want to play through the game multiple times. By completing the game the first time, you'll unlock a new difficulty mode as well as a new costume and concept art. Completing the game on harder difficulty levels unlocks other extras, including making of videos and other costumes. You can also take part in the Trials of Hades, which are pretty challenging.
Difficulty: Compared to past games in the series, God of War: Chains of Olympus feels a little easier. You'll come across a few instances where you might have to repeat sections, but for the most part, you can blow through the game fairly quickly. Red orbs are incredibly easy to find and it won't take long to upgrade all of your skills and weapons. Gorgon eyes and Phoenix feathers, which upgrade your health and mana bars, are plentiful; even after skipping two hidden chests, I was still able to max both bars out. Most of the game's challenge comes from the placement of chests containing health and mana orbs. Some are placed too close together while others are too far apart. Once or twice, you'll have to fight through a number of tough battles before finding a chest, yet you'll see numerous ones really close to each other in areas with few enemies. Even with these minor inconsistencies, there's nothing here that can't be overcome with a change in tactics and quick reflexes.
Game Mechanics: In general, God of War: Chains of Olympus controls incredibly well. Most of the more glaring issues are because of hardware deficiencies, but Ready at Dawn has done a great job at working around them. Most of the controls remain the same and the only time you'll really notice differences is when you have to use the shoulder buttons. The setup works well when using certain moves or skills, but feels odd when trying to evade since you have to press both buttons down and move the analog nub. Though it feels odd at first, you'll eventually get used to it. As in past games, the Chains of Chaos are Kratos's primary weapon and can be upgraded by spending red orbs. Eventually Kratos will also earn the Gauntlet of Zeus, which is essentially a giant fist. Kratos can also learn new magic attacks, such as the efreet, which causes fire damage to nearby foes and a shield that allows Kratos to throw back some attacks like a discus. Magic attacks are useful, mostly for taking down bigger enemies. Quick-time events play a slightly bigger role in Chains of Olympus than previous games. Nearly every enemy you come across features some sort of minor event. On one hand, it helps give the game it's unique feel, though Chains of Olympus goes a little overboard with a few of the events. There's also a slightly greater risk when attempting some, especially when it comes to Cyclopes or shield-bearing phantoms, who will quickly use your failure to inflict a lot of damage. God of War: Chains of Olympus is a faithful recreation of the console versions of the game. While this is a really good thing, it is also a bad one since it doesn't bring anything new to the table. While a few more puzzles or a new mechanic would have been nice, Chains of Olympus is still a great addition to the PSP library and worth playing if you are in the market for a new action game.
-Starscream, GameVortex Communications AKA Ricky Tucker
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