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Oh my God of War

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 44 / 47
Date: March 13, 2008
Author: Amazon User

When I saw that I had a package yesterday, I opened it up...and then nerd glee ran through my hands to my arms and then to my heart. Kratos had arrived.

I ran to my shop (actually I walked as fast as a grandma around a shopping mall) to open this tantalizing package of war. Screw work!! Actually I cant do that because I'm in Iraq and I have to get things done to help protect the troops. But once I was done with all the work for the day I popped the game in the PSP and hit the power button.

When I began to play, I couldnt believe the graphics. The PSP is seriously a PS2 in your hands. The game is just beautiful. The levels are nicely done. They even have the camera effect where it pulls out very far just to show you how small you really are compared to your surroundings. Your chains graphical effects look really good and even better as you upgrade them. Even the graphics for little things look great...for instance...when you open a chest under water, the chest begins to release thousands of tiny bubbles while you struggle to open it. I just thought that was a nice little touch.

The gameplay is incredible. Kratos is extremely easy to control. I'm just amazed at how fluid he moves. Bashing baddies...lifting them in the air...grappling them back onto the ground..and then finishing them off is nothing but a few well pressed buttons mashes. Not hard at all. And I'm not talking about the button sequence fighting either. Speaking of those, there are some really good ones in this game.

The sound is sharp and pleasing. The musical score can really put you in a mood to kill every living thing around...but then make you want to stop and smell the ashes of a burning hades. If you've played part 1 or 2, then you know what to expect with the sound effects, and it's here also. Sound great in my Bose Earbuds.

I have only a COUPLE of gripes about the game. I'm not completely done with it, but I can tell the game is going to be short. That's going to be a downer because I really like this game and just dont want it to end for at least 2 week..heh. Another gripe I have is that the game froze up on me once. Only once..so hopefully not again. Just make sure you save every time you get the chance.

Something that isnt a gripe, but a 'Just so ya know', playing on Normal is pretty dang easy. There are 4 modes...Easy, Normal, Hard, and God (which is greyed out at first). If you are pretty experienced with the game, I'd go with playing Hard.

Something parents should think about when pondering if they should get this game for their youngin. This game is based during when Rome was the hot spot. So when you see some of the female Gods, usually they are topless. Also there is a scene where Kratos frees two topless women and well...gets to have sex with them. You dont actually see it, but they show a vase or something rocking around while you hit a series of buttons to pleasure them both. Funny if you are older, but maybe not funny for parents with children.

All in all, I recommend this game completely for your PSP. It is definitely in my top 5 games for the PSP. That would include Ratchet and Clank, FF Tactics, Burnout Legends, and I dont have a 5th one yet..(it'll probably be the new Final Fantasy).

UPDATE:

Well after beating the game about an hour after posting this review, I will say it's definitely a short game. Also make sure you stay for after the credits. Well...you'll have to because you cant skip cut scenes (which I LOATHE that you cant do it in any game).

Good Job Amazon

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 9 / 19
Date: March 05, 2008
Author: Amazon User

HA! I preordered and they cant even deliver to me until March 10,11. Thanks for waiting until the ship date to inform us you don't have the game and then don't let us cancel the order. I have emailed and will see what response I get.

**Update: They let me cancel my order and I bought from BB locally. Now on to the game:

Graphically this game is awsome with some great effects and cut scenes. Has a great way of progressing you through levels and upgrades to Kratos. Definatly challenging and apart from Socom this is the only game on PSP i have completed. Great storyline and audio, a must have game for any psp owner. Downside: It is a little short in comparison to ps2 games from what I have heard. Took me a few days to conquer, still have hero mode to play so that will lead to more gametime. There are hardly any loadtimes and is very smooth. Screen becomes a little small in parts (It is a portable I know) because of the way they zoom the camera. Overall best game on psp yet. I highly recommend.

God of War: Chains of Olympus.........

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 9
Date: March 05, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Sad but true, I've never played God of War before. I've heard so much about the game and, considering it has David Jaffe's involvement in its' history, you'd think I'd have already played it. Alas, I haven't. Yet, I see the commercial on tv for this game and hear rantin' & ravin' from my friends about the game, I decide to get the PSP installment. Man (or Woman, whatever the case may be..;)), I was missing out on this for this long?? This game blew me away. It's exciting, addictive and challenging. God of War: Chains of Olympus is simply put 'the best looking title' on the system, bar none, yet. I've never seen graphics look quite this good on the system. Honestly. If graphics can get any better than this on the PSP, I'll be amazed. The environments were simply breathtaking, nothing like I've seen before. Course, Ready At Dawn made Daxter visually appealing for its' time.

For an action game, this game truly delivers. Especially where the story is concerned. Makes me wish some developers would make portable versions of some of my favorite games(like Shadowman, Bloodrayne, Legacy of Kain or Devil May Cry).

There's plenty of bonus content in the game that makes playing through a few times more appealing but I have a problem with the game's length. It is just too short for this kind of game. I managed to get through it in a little over 8 hours. It is, however, a portable game so I have to take that into account. Memory restrictions and whatnot, withstanding, it should be understood.

God of War: Chains of Olympus is a remarkable achievement on the PSP. It's a 'must-have' purchase for all owners of a PSP. This game just goes to prove that Ready At Dawn is a force to be reckoned with in the handheld world. I'm expecting great things from this bunch on their next game.

Oh yeah baby, Kratos is finally here on the PSP

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 13 / 14
Date: March 06, 2008
Author: Amazon User

God of War stands as one of Sony's best original franchises, and now the vengeance-driven Kratos and his deadly chains have come to the PSP. Fans of the series will also be more than happy to know that God of War: Chains of Olympus stands as the best action title to hit Sony's portable system yet, as it nearly flawlessly brings everything that has made the God of War series so good, and packs it into one small disc. Taking place before the events of the original God of War, Chains of Olympus finds Kratos as general serving the gods, and also finds him struggling with obeying his orders, or doing what he feels he should. Undoubtedly the best looking game to hit the PSP yet, God of War: Chains of Olympus retains the excellent production values, addictive combat, tight controls, solid puzzle elements, and unlockable extras that will keep you glued to the game. The only real downside to Chains of Olympus is that as a whole, the game is too short. This one flaw is acceptable though, as Chains of Olympus boasts a brilliant score, more fantastic voice acting, and some dynamic action sequences that are easily the best to be seen on the PSP yet. All in all, God of War: Chains of Olympus is a more than welcome debut of Kratos on the PSP, and is by far the best action game to hit the PSP yet. Needless to say, if you own a PSP, God of War: Chains of Olympus is an absolute must own, and the definition of "killer app".

The Spartan is on the PSP - PREPARE FOR GLORY!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: March 08, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Well, it's been a long time coming, but Kratos has made his way to the small screen of our PSP's, and it was well worth waiting for!

From the description of the game on Amazon, it talks about epic gameplay on the PSP - but Chains of Olympus does more than this...it makes me forget that I'm playing on a PSP! Why? Because the graphics are absolutely breathtaking! The camera angles are a perfect match to the Playstation 2 counterparts of God of War and God of War 2.

In a nutshell, you get to follow along with Kratos in his forced servitude to the Olympian Gods.

There are a lot of combat moves, most of which are transfers from the other God of War games...but had to be changed with the lack of a second analog stick. Surprisingly, after a few hours of playing, you won't even notice because you adapt to the gameplay quickly. There are new weapons to power up, but the good ol' Blades of Chaos are right where they belong, in Kratos' hot little hands.

The boss battles are excellent. However, some of them will take a little intuition to figure out exactly how to defeat them, but hey, that's what God of War is all about...try, try again while slicing and dicing!

As far as the puzzle solving goes, some are definitely easier than others. Anyone familiar with the first 2 God of War games or Resident Evil should be able to figure out most of the puzzles without too much difficulty.

My only gripe about the game: As other reviewers have mentioned, it takes about 7 to 8 hours to solve it, and the PSP battery will not last anywhere near that long. But even if you run out of juice, you can plug the PSP in to recharge, and you'll pick up right where the game left off!

This is one of the best features of the PSP, being able to turn the unit off and pick up the gameplay when we're ready to.

With the unlockable content, advanced gameplay and extra costumes, God of War: Chains of Olympus is a MUST HAVE for the PSP.

Eat well, Spartan...FOR TONIGHT WE DINE IN HELL!!!

God of War rocks!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: March 05, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I was able to get a demo disc a few weeks back and it absolutely rocks. The graphics is stunning, full of hardcore action and the gameplay is as addictive as the first god-of-war for ps2.

Glad I decided to keep my psp. Preordered this game months ago and been waiting ever since.

A Remarkable Game To Behold And The Greatest Game For The PSP!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 9 / 10
Date: March 14, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Simply put, this is the best PSP game on the market and one of the most stunning handheld games ever made. The production value is through the roof. I have never played a handheld game that was of this caliber, if it were twice as long I would call it the single greatest achievement on any portable system.

From the moment I started the game, I was emotionally involved and I did not want to put the game down. I had not played the other GOW games, so this was all new to me... and I was hooked. The action was intense, but the puzzles were never complex.

The few issues that I had were with the length of the game, and the thumb pad, some fights hurt!

If you have a PSP, you have to play this game... I hope this is the harbinger of the future for the PSP, because it proves that Sony's little console is quite something!

The God of War Returns!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: March 18, 2008
Author: Amazon User

To be honest I have been a bit disappointed with games on the PSP. I've tried several and found the controls cumbersome and clumsy. I actually recently purchased my PSP more for its multi-media functions and Wi-Fi Capabilities. I have been a huge GoW fan since the 1st game on PS2 and was very skeptical about playing it on the PSP; I however I could not resist the call of Kratos. Sony did not disappoint. Playing Chains of Olympus on the PSP so much like playing GoW on the PS2, I fear for my "O" button. The graphics are simply amazing for the PSP. I find the only noticeable difference is the smaller screen. The environments are just as rich and the action just as intense. I have fought about 2 bosses so far and look forward to losing many hours delivering the message of the gods with wraith of my blades.

A great addition to the series

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: March 07, 2008
Author: Amazon User

God of War: Chains of Olympus is the most recent installment of the venerable God of War series, and the first time the title has graced the PSP. God of war is set in a psuedo Greek mythology. There, the main character - a hyper masculine Spartan warrior named Kratos AKA Ghost of Sparta AKA God of War who killed his wife and daughter in a bloodfrenzy - sets forth on a herculean task involving direct contact and often conflict with the gods and titans themselves. Gameplay is a successful mix of twitch based and buttonmashing. Themes and content are adult oriented, featuring topless women, implied sexual activity and innuendo, extreme violence and blood.

I tempered my excitement for a the possibility of a great action game on the system with the knowledge that some good titles have had rocky transitions across from the Playstation to it's portable counterpart. Graphics and control can become insufferable when brought to a portable. Admittedly, I had a demo disk to help soothe those concerns, but I couldn't be certain until the full game was in my hot little hands.

Despite my concerns I preordered my copy, and in my excitement I mistakenly showed up a day early at my local game shop to pick it up.

Controls:
All fears are immediately allayed. The control scheme is picked up quickly and is very much old hat for veteran God of War players. I expect that players new to the series will find the controls intuitive and relatively easy to get accustomed to. You will make use of every button on the machine, but it is never cumbersome, the game responds beautifully. You will be an graceful cyclone of death in short order.

Graphics:
While I can't claim to have seen all titles for the PSP or even all the action titles, I can say Chains of Olympus likely meets or exceeds the best gamers have encountered on the system. The detail that you can pick up on the small screen is very impressive, and at no point did I feel I was visually constrained by the environment. The game used huge zoom outs typical in previous titles to the same great effect. Camera angles were a little quirky at times, I found that I would often loose sight of my enemies on the bottom of the screen. This was only problematic when the enemy had a charge or projecile attack.

Story:
The story is set prior to the other titles, but after the murder of his wife and daughter. The timeline is a bit shakey there as I thought the first God of War took off immediately after he killed his family thus becoming the Ghost of Sparta, but my memory is a bit fuzzy. I'll be throughly vague as to the details because there is typically just enough story in these games to move the carnage along. Something has gone terribly wrong that threatens the fate of the world. Kratos has been tasked by the gods to set things back in order, much to his chagrin. It follows the same formula as the other games in the series, of "Who do I have to beat clues out of next", but before you can start giving this any honest thought, you're rending enemies limb from limb again. It was a good mix of carnage to story for the genre though, and the journey through the story was an enjoyable one.

Miscellanea:
The UI is exactly the same as the previous titles. The goals for collecting the Gorgon eyes and the Pheonix feathers to increase your HP and MP is the same. There is a secondary weapon called Zeus' Fist, that is fun to use and powerful in many situations. There are multiple spells that are all typical fare with the series. Collecting orbs for upgrades still there, all of the old attacks are still there, in short - nothing has really changed except the platform.

I'm not one to race to the end as I have a job and kids and tend to play after the kids go to bed, but I completed the game within about 8 hours of play. The shortness of the game has been tempered somewhat by unlockables. Upon completion of the game you unlock several other features of the game. You unlock "God Mode" which is the maximum difficulty. Various "Hades Challenges" become available to complete sequentially, each one unlocking the next challenge. Various videos and other odds and ends also become available. Ultimately completing the game felt rewarding, which I would expect is the goal. I suspect as I start through God Mode and undertake the challenges of Hades I should be able to stretch the game out a bit longer.

If you are a fan of the God of War series, you will almost certainly enjoy Chains of Olympus. New players who enjoy the theme or the style will likely find themselves looking for the old titles to get the full story. The violence is over the top and it's treatment of women may be viewed as misogynist as is the rest of the series. Those who are looking for a game for young children or find that this subject matter offends your sensibility should look elsewhere. All said, I am happy with the game, and would recommend it to friends, but won't loan out my copy because Hades second challenge is already kicking my butt.

Fantastic franchise!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: March 08, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I've played with many PSP games including the Syphon Filter franchise, GOW has to be one of the best out there. The graphics, music and game play is top notch.

I'm about half way through the game. I'm playing the easy level and would suggest people choose the normal level to start as easy is too easy.

Let's hope they bring out other series soon, including a PS3 version!

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