The Triangle

Issue date: 3/14/08 Section: Arts & Entertainment

The "God of War" series has followed Kratos, a relentless killing machine of a man who has successfully brought down his rage upon many a giant monster. In the past, all of this fun-filled monster killing has taken place on the Playstation 2 console, but with the release of "God of War: Chains of Olympus," the gore-filled hack n' slash will go handheld on the PSP and you will finally be able to conveniently bring death to mythological creatures on the go.



The "Chains of Olympus" storyline takes place before the console brewed installments of "God of War" - 10 years prior to, to be exact - when Kratus was still in service to the Gods, hence the rather crafty title of this installment. The story is told excellently with some twists and turns to be had, and it does a good job at weaving in with the already well established plotline of the two other titles. Fundamentally, the game plays out much like you have come to expect from the previous titles. Puzzles play out generally as they have done in the past and combat works just as well if not better than before in this handheld romp. I say that the combat works better due to the lack of buttons on the PSP, which is shocking, I know. Functions that existed in the console counterparts had to stay in the game, but were simply remapped to fit the PSP and for that the combat seems to work more fluently than before, which is a certain plus in an action-filled title.

The graphics and audio package have certainly set a new standard for the PSP, which will sadly go unmatched for some time from now. Visually, the textures are rather hi-res for such a title, the frame rate is locked solid, and everything really looks just as good as they did in the PS2 adventures. The same can be said for the audio; from the clashing of metal on metal, to the ferocious roars and screams of your enemies, it all comes in crystal clear, and if anything, demands that you wear headphones to get the full experience.

Everything runs parallel with both of the PS2 presentations with the exclusion of those mammoth boss battles. Sadly, there are only three boss battles through out the duration of the game and only one comes close to any of the bosses fought in the PS2 games. Really though, the fights are still fun and if you have ever played a "God of War" title, you know what you are getting yourself into. If you have yet to get into the series, this makes for the perfect starting point as it is the technical starting point for the games' plotline, so pick up a copy, mash the buttons, and enjoy.

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