I should have written this post long time ago. I could have written it when I got my hands on God of War demo disk - or at least I should have started. I had already been thinking about it, when I finally bought myself a copy and was charmed - because this game is the epitome of excellence. I was to busy playing the game to write about it, then life got busy as it always does and I have never gotten to posting a review. Let me quickly wrap it up now, then.
God of War: Chains of Olympus redefined what PSP is capable of hardware-wise. The level of graphical detail is just stunning: hordes of enemies, dynamic lighting effects, smoke, shadows, particles, blood, all perfectly animated. All without virtually any loading times (in-game between levels, because there are some waiting moments when reverting to save point and turning the game on initially). Watch the game in action in the trailer below:
Not only is the execution stellar, but the gameplay is great as well - brutal, visceral fighting, with timed events triggering gory finishing moves, topped with logical puzzles to balance the action moments, so that player can catch their breath between the fights. I would like to stress the word brutal: the main protagonist, Kratos, is angry, powerful warrior and this shows in the way he treats his adversaries.
It's not about elegant sword duels - it's about boiling rage and aggressive fighting, presented in incredibly suggestive manner. Whether Kratos is climbing on cyclop's shoulders to lodge a blade in its only eye, or catching a harpy, throwing it on the ground and curb-stomping its head, he does that so brutally that player almost can feel the damage done. In his videoreview Yahtzee described the fight to be "satisfying to the point of eroticism" and I whole-heartedly agree.
The above screenshot draws attention to one more aspect of Chains of Olympus other than its insane graphics, namely gigantic enemies. Apart from cyclops, minotaurs and huge knights, there are also bosses, unfortunately not that many. What's more, only one of them is actually truly overwhelming - the battle with it spans over several rounds and is spectacular, but it occurs at the very beginning of the game, something that has been criticised by some reviewers.
Surprisingly enough, Chains of Olympus also features a decent scenario - be sure to check the story trailer to catch a glimpse of it. While there might be better stories out there, it's not a RPG and, frankly, this one stands for more than just an excuse for happy slaughter. There actually was one very dramatic and touching moment near the end when Kratos has to make a very painful decision (not going into details to avoid spoilers) and player has to physically take part in it, forcing the hero to make this one little move that for him means more strain than pushing heavy boulders.
Overall, this is one of the best or perhaps THE best game on the system and I highly recommend it. Top notch production values, unrivalled audiovisuals, satisfying gameplay - it's hard to find anything bad about the game. One could be nitpicking, of course, and point out relatively short gameplay time (some claim ten hours from start to finish, it took me about fifteen, which is quite decent for a videogame) or only one really gigantic boss, but for me these are the necessary concessions in trying to keep the game portable and produced on time and budget.
I know that given the time and date this post is somewhat redundant, but while there is a myriad of glowing reviews out there, Christmas is approaching and if you are having the slightest doubts what game you should buy to your PSP-owning cousin /friend, then look no further. This game should be a part of every adult PSP gamer's library. Let me stress this again - this is not a game for kids, due to some sexual innuendos and, more importantly, tons of gore and violence, as well as mature and grim story. Any adult PSP owners that have not played this game yet, however, should definitely go out there and buy it.
As a cherry on the cake, news flash: while Ready at Dawn (creators of Chains of Olympus and phenomenal Daxter) have retired from making PSP games, just recently the post on their website indicates they might reconsider this move. Quote: "Maybe we should reconsider this whole ‘no more PSP games’ thing because we seem to be doing pretty good at it". No guys, you are not pretty good, you are the best. Please come back.
God of War: Chains of Olympus redefined what PSP is capable of hardware-wise. The level of graphical detail is just stunning: hordes of enemies, dynamic lighting effects, smoke, shadows, particles, blood, all perfectly animated. All without virtually any loading times (in-game between levels, because there are some waiting moments when reverting to save point and turning the game on initially). Watch the game in action in the trailer below:
Not only is the execution stellar, but the gameplay is great as well - brutal, visceral fighting, with timed events triggering gory finishing moves, topped with logical puzzles to balance the action moments, so that player can catch their breath between the fights. I would like to stress the word brutal: the main protagonist, Kratos, is angry, powerful warrior and this shows in the way he treats his adversaries.
It's not about elegant sword duels - it's about boiling rage and aggressive fighting, presented in incredibly suggestive manner. Whether Kratos is climbing on cyclop's shoulders to lodge a blade in its only eye, or catching a harpy, throwing it on the ground and curb-stomping its head, he does that so brutally that player almost can feel the damage done. In his videoreview Yahtzee described the fight to be "satisfying to the point of eroticism" and I whole-heartedly agree.
The above screenshot draws attention to one more aspect of Chains of Olympus other than its insane graphics, namely gigantic enemies. Apart from cyclops, minotaurs and huge knights, there are also bosses, unfortunately not that many. What's more, only one of them is actually truly overwhelming - the battle with it spans over several rounds and is spectacular, but it occurs at the very beginning of the game, something that has been criticised by some reviewers.
Surprisingly enough, Chains of Olympus also features a decent scenario - be sure to check the story trailer to catch a glimpse of it. While there might be better stories out there, it's not a RPG and, frankly, this one stands for more than just an excuse for happy slaughter. There actually was one very dramatic and touching moment near the end when Kratos has to make a very painful decision (not going into details to avoid spoilers) and player has to physically take part in it, forcing the hero to make this one little move that for him means more strain than pushing heavy boulders.
Overall, this is one of the best or perhaps THE best game on the system and I highly recommend it. Top notch production values, unrivalled audiovisuals, satisfying gameplay - it's hard to find anything bad about the game. One could be nitpicking, of course, and point out relatively short gameplay time (some claim ten hours from start to finish, it took me about fifteen, which is quite decent for a videogame) or only one really gigantic boss, but for me these are the necessary concessions in trying to keep the game portable and produced on time and budget.
I know that given the time and date this post is somewhat redundant, but while there is a myriad of glowing reviews out there, Christmas is approaching and if you are having the slightest doubts what game you should buy to your PSP-owning cousin /friend, then look no further. This game should be a part of every adult PSP gamer's library. Let me stress this again - this is not a game for kids, due to some sexual innuendos and, more importantly, tons of gore and violence, as well as mature and grim story. Any adult PSP owners that have not played this game yet, however, should definitely go out there and buy it.
Post Scriptum
As a cherry on the cake, news flash: while Ready at Dawn (creators of Chains of Olympus and phenomenal Daxter) have retired from making PSP games, just recently the post on their website indicates they might reconsider this move. Quote: "Maybe we should reconsider this whole ‘no more PSP games’ thing because we seem to be doing pretty good at it". No guys, you are not pretty good, you are the best. Please come back.
