"God" smiles on PSP gamers
Ready at Dawn (WHO?) just flat-out freakin' got it right with Chains of Olympus. I mean, they didn't miss anything. The God of War franchise burst onto the scene three years ago, had an almost-flawless entry followed by an even-closer-to-perfect sequel on the PS2, and now rocks the PSP to its core with a game so brilliantly designed and wondrously executed in every facet that you'll wonder just how the hell it all got crammed onto a tiny UMD.
Chains of Olympus pushes the technological envelope, to be sure. The cinematic presentation that has become a hallmark of the series is absolutely captured here, and you will be downright awestruck at what you're seeing and hearing on the PSP, which heretofore has only been unevenly utilized by developers. This is a showcase game, without a doubt.
But God of War didn't cultivate its legend so quickly by simply by being a pretty face with an instant classic antihero in Kratos. It won over fans with its tremendous attention to detail and its finely-honed controls. This title disregards whatever limitations the PSP has and makes you realize that with a little ingenuity, the absence of the second thumbstick is hardly fatal. Chains of Olympus is one of the most responsive games I've every played, irrespective of platform, and considering the undue complexities that many titles of this type have gained in recent years, it's refreshing to find a game that shows living, breathing arcade roots.
At the risk of being over-the-top, I'll say that this is the defining moment for the PSP, the game that will make DS adherents realize that the competitor handheld has serious legs. Chains of Olympus is simply a game that you must have, even if it means you need to acquire the hardware first.