God of War: Chains of Olympus Review (PSP)

The game is set as a prequel to the Playstation 2's first God Of War title, where Kratos has been saved by Ares and is working out a seemingly never-ending chain of payback to the Gods of Olympus. The tale develops much further later on in the game and gives Kratos a much deeper sense of character, but we don't want to spoil the intricacies of the plot for you. Just know it works well into the overall God Of War fiction.

God Of War: Chains Of Olympus consists solely of a campaign mode which lasts about 6 or 7 hours on the first play through. We're almost certain you'll want to play through the game again though.

The biggest challenge in God Of War: Chains Of Olympus must have been getting the game to play like its Playstation 2 counter-parts. But developers Ready At Dawn pulled it off. All the familiar combos and weapons are present here and they are brutal as they are responsive. It's a real treat killing the hordes of enemies in Chains Of Olympus. And hordes of enemies there are as you'll find yourself surrounded by groups and groups of enemies at any one point.

The God Of War franchise has never been one to shirk on graphics and Chains Of Olympus is no different. For a PSP game everything looks absolutely phenomenal. From the rich level design to the excellent character models and cutscenes, Chains Of Olympus is a real treat to the eyes.

Chains Of Olympus is only ever one step away from something awesome happening. Massive explosions, giant enemies, ridiculously well crafted cut-scenes, the game never becomes tedious. You'll constantly be asking yourself what's around the corner. And that makes solving the sometimes tedious puzzles all the more rewarding. Because you know there's something amazing about to happen.

Weighing in at about 6 hours in length, God Of War: Chains Of Olympus opts for impact rather than length. While quality is always better than quantity, Chains Of Olympus will leave you wanting more. A second playthrough will certainly be worthwhile, with harder difficulties upping the challenge. Alas, it would have been nice if the game had more. Still, the 6 hours or so you get from the initial playthrough is more than enough entertainment considering the game's roller-coaster like qualities.

Chains Of Olympus is in every way a God Of War game on the PSP. It never tries to do anything different to the original Playstation 2 games and as such, those who aren't fans of the original God Of War games are unlikely to find something they enjoy here. Still, on the flipside, if you do like God Of War games you have to own this.