God of War: Chains of OlympusKratos in a Box
A riddle: How can one stuff a large, pale-skinned, heavily-tattooed, very angry Spartan inside a box as big as your Mom's purse? Wait, let me rephrase that question; how can one fit a Minotaur inside a refrigerator?
Answer: Simple: Drop everything you’re doing, wield some fiery chain blades on your arms, play God of War: Chains of Olympus on PSP and kill the damned beast. I mean NOW, for Zeus’ sake!
But First, Read this Review, Mortal
Ah the wonders of our age. The gods at ReadyatDawn Studios have answered the prayers of millions and millions of hardcore PSP owners to have a game that they can finally call as their own, and not just console ports built from afterthought or puzzlers that have evolved straight from their brick game ancestors. GoW: CoC is ,arbitrarily, the yardstick by which every other portable games released hereon will be measured, and to which one can label this certain point in the PSP timeline as its very peak--- a level achieved by a game that have surpassed the specified, otherwise gray, limits on what portability might be. Yes folks, just like B.C. – A.D.
Story – A Long Time Ago…
GoW: CoC is set several years before the first game, when Kratos was still actively doing the bidding of Olympus, and already showing signs of deep-seated anger and exhaustion from being a slave of demanding deities. The opening level at the Shores of Attica sets the stage to this miniature epic unfolding on your PSP screen, with the future God of War throwing all those pent-up frustrations about via his trusty Blades of Chaos, that is, at the expense of beheaded Persians, a gutted Basilisk, and severed torsos of creatures and characters from Greek myth. As always, things can get pretty gory.
Gameplay – PS2 or PSP?
Gameplay is standard fare for veterans of the franchise. It is basically the PS2 Kratos stuffed like a dragon thrashing wildly inside a PSP suitcase, with all the mini-games, environmental puzzles and seamless action faithfully realized on a 4:3 screen. Even the new control scheme fits like a glove to old and new players alike.
Graphics – Mom, look!
A riddle: How can one stuff a large, pale-skinned, heavily-tattooed, very angry Spartan inside a box as big as your Mom's purse? Wait, let me rephrase that question; how can one fit a Minotaur inside a refrigerator?
Answer: Simple: Drop everything you’re doing, wield some fiery chain blades on your arms, play God of War: Chains of Olympus on PSP and kill the damned beast. I mean NOW, for Zeus’ sake!
But First, Read this Review, Mortal
Ah the wonders of our age. The gods at ReadyatDawn Studios have answered the prayers of millions and millions of hardcore PSP owners to have a game that they can finally call as their own, and not just console ports built from afterthought or puzzlers that have evolved straight from their brick game ancestors. GoW: CoC is ,arbitrarily, the yardstick by which every other portable games released hereon will be measured, and to which one can label this certain point in the PSP timeline as its very peak--- a level achieved by a game that have surpassed the specified, otherwise gray, limits on what portability might be. Yes folks, just like B.C. – A.D.
Story – A Long Time Ago…
GoW: CoC is set several years before the first game, when Kratos was still actively doing the bidding of Olympus, and already showing signs of deep-seated anger and exhaustion from being a slave of demanding deities. The opening level at the Shores of Attica sets the stage to this miniature epic unfolding on your PSP screen, with the future God of War throwing all those pent-up frustrations about via his trusty Blades of Chaos, that is, at the expense of beheaded Persians, a gutted Basilisk, and severed torsos of creatures and characters from Greek myth. As always, things can get pretty gory.
Gameplay – PS2 or PSP?
Gameplay is standard fare for veterans of the franchise. It is basically the PS2 Kratos stuffed like a dragon thrashing wildly inside a PSP suitcase, with all the mini-games, environmental puzzles and seamless action faithfully realized on a 4:3 screen. Even the new control scheme fits like a glove to old and new players alike.
Graphics – Mom, look!
With games like Wipeout, MGS and Silent Hill pushing the graphical limits of the PSP, it is no less a technical marvel to see God of War in action on a handheld. From the smooth, fluid animation of Kratos complete with bloom lighting, to the scenic Grecian ruins and signature Underworld, one could almost forget that you’re playing a handheld. Almost, for there are occasional slowdowns when too much is happening on screen or when the game loads between checkpoints, and of course the jagginess of overall texture due to hardware limitations. But try this, play this game beside a baby and expect a lot of drooling.
Audio – Hear No Evil
Sounds good, especially with Ipod earphones, if you don’t mind Kratos and creatures dying constantly screaming in your ear. Soundtrack is the usual GoW goodness, with excellent voice acting as always.
Value – Challenge of the Gods
You can now stop the reading and start the killing. Replay value is relatively better than most. Play in God mode to unlock more treasures and satisfy your masochistic tendncies.
Overall: 5/5
Audio – Hear No Evil
Sounds good, especially with Ipod earphones, if you don’t mind Kratos and creatures dying constantly screaming in your ear. Soundtrack is the usual GoW goodness, with excellent voice acting as always.
Value – Challenge of the Gods
You can now stop the reading and start the killing. Replay value is relatively better than most. Play in God mode to unlock more treasures and satisfy your masochistic tendncies.
Overall: 5/5
