Alrighty, so after two weeks of off and on gaming, I just finished God of War: Chains of Olympus. Here's my thoughts.
Visuals
God of War is without a doubt one of the finest, if not THE finest looking PSP titles I've yet seen in action. This game manages to make a perfect replica of the console God of War experience visually with only the slightest hint of slowdown at times. Nothing barely even mentionable. I can see where certain shortcuts were taken, like doors that close behind you to take away any backtracking, but the game pushes you along on it's path so well it's nothing you'll miss. My one and only gripe with the visuals is that if you hook your PSP connection to a television, the quality really falters, more so than a lot of other PSP games i've put on the TV screen.
Sound
This is one area I feel was highly disappointing. God of War has always had an exceptional score and I feel this game was much too silent most of the game. Usually when the camera pans out far as you enter a new area, when Kratos becomes smaller and smaller on screen, there would be an epic score to go along with it in anticipation but in this PSP iteration, the music was subdued and set a bad tone. The voice acting was top notch still, which is a plus.
Gameplay
The series has been known for frantic gameplay and Chains of Olympus hasn't missed a step. There can be upwards of at least six enemies on screen with no slowdown, so you can always feel the pinch of the closed off rooms you fight enemies in. For those reviewers that ifelt it too similar to past GOW games, get your heads out of your ass. GOW is a 3 year old franchise that has yet to see a competitive game make any serious enhancements to warrant a stale feeling when playing Chains of Olympus(Heavenly Sword I'm looking at you!). This series is not Metal Gear Solid or Resident Evil where a gameplay reinventation was being begged upon for years before one was delivered.
The controls are rock solid, despite the loss of two shoulder buttons and an analog stick. I dare to say the dodge move is actually better functioning being activated by the shoulder buttons than with the second analog. All other moves are mapped out similarly and use the PSP's button set-up remarkably.
There are many new magic attacks in the game, but unlike the first two GOW games, magic seems to be subdued as an effective attack method, especially in crowded confines. Luckily one of the biggest gripes about the series has finally been resolved. The new weapons in Chains of Olympus are actually USEFUL!! That's right. Both the gauntlet and shield are detrimental to progress in the game and help to lighten the repetitiveness of having to use the Blades for every attack. This is a very welcome change of pace and hightens your ability to strategize attacks and not just button mash, especially on harder difficulties.
Story
Albeit a bit short in length, the story really fleshes out the mythos in the God of War universe. Many supporting characters, some of which will become major factors in God of War 3, are given time to shine. Kratos' character is fleshed out also, and gives further reasons for his lack of humanity and hatred toward the gods. All in all, I was mightily impressed with how faithful the story was and how much it did not feel tacked on. One could basically call this God of War Zero to illuminate my point.
Lasting Appeal
I'm not going to hint around it, this game is short. I benefited by starting my first playthrough on Spartan(Hard Mode) so I managed a few extra hours through my trial and error deaths, which there were many. While it's short, the difficulty is there if you bring yourself to the challenge. In addition, the now-infamous God Mode is sitting and waiting to punch you in the gut for your second playthrough if you desire. In addition, there are five Hades Challenges that can take you up to a few hours to beat depending on how much skill you've acquired during your playthrough. Diffierent costumes, including a potato-clad Kratos await you in your second playthrough if that's your cup of tea. Concept art, inside Ready At Dawn videos, and another addition of the Lost Levels video round out some nice additional goodies you'll find in this bag. All in all, there's a good 20 hours or more for completists.
Overall
This is not a PSP version of God of War, this is God of War Prequel and could have passed through the PS2 with stellar reviews. For those that have had an interest in the series, not only is this a great game to have but a great game to start the series off with. For those that have dissed GOW in the past because of repetitive gameplay, I urge you to give this a try and see if it can't sway your opinion. The formula truly has been improved. I'll give this sucker an 8.5/10 which is a very generous score from me. My 8.5 is like most reviewers' 9.0-9.5's.
Sidenote: For those who need help with the game, whether it be strategies or whatever, just PM me. I've got a good handle on how to tackle many of the encounters in the game. I've also noticed that in certain cases, the IGN guide is flawed, especially with the final battle.
Tag: Became a freaking mod and a complete douche, coincidentally, at the same time.
