Review: Chains Of Olympus Is The Best PSP Game Ever (Page 3 of 7)
This is one way to get a lady's attention but we suggest you don't try it at your local bar
Get A Grip
I don't want to spoil any secrets so I won't discuss the plot in detail but it follows the classic God of War formula. People get in Kratos' way, he cuts them down and moves on without so much as a backwards glance. The plot does have some genuinely poignant moments, however, including one where Kratos has to make a very tough choice. Even though the outcome is obvious, it adds a nice layer of texture to Kratos' personality.
The devs also did a great job with the controls: the lack of a second analog stick could have been problematic but it's not. The basics are still in place and felt immediately familiar. You move with the analog stick and jump with the X button; light attacks are mapped to Square, heavy attacks to Triangle and you grab with the Circle button. You block by holding down the left shoulder button; this also unleashes special attacks that you gain as you level up your weapons. The Right Shoulder button is used to activate your magic, such as the Light of Dawn--long distance weapon--and the Ifreet--short-range area of effect fire magic.
Now here's where it gets interesting: in order to dodge, you have to hold down both shoulder buttons and flick the analog stick in the direction you want to go. It might sound like a complicated mess on paper but trust me, the control scheme works with nary a hitch. I didn't miss the second analog stick at all, which is something I don't often say about PSP games.
Old School
Gameplay-wise, nothing much has changed either. You still run around and beat the beejezus out of enemies and then meet up with the occasional boss fight. You collect red orbs to power up your weapons and abilities and collect Phoenix feathers and Gorgon eyeballs to increase your magic and health, respectively. The same annoying box puzzles are still present but there aren't as many as before; you also aren't subjected to that lame tightrope dance much either, which is a good thing all around.
Of course, you still do a fair share of running around and backtracking as you unlock one doohickey which lets you unlock another gizmo which finally lets you open that damn door that's been blocking your progress; the game is also brutally linear: you're constantly running from point A to point B, stopping to administer the occasional beatdown.
I also noticed that the enemies weren't as varied as before, probably due to the limitations of the PSP hardware; this also means that there aren't as many neat-o fatality animations either. And the smaller screen cuts into some of the game's graphical prowess, which is still impressive for a PSP game. We also hooked up a Slim to an HDTV and on the big screen, Chains is probably a notch below God of War 2, which is pretty amazing when you think about it.
Scaling Mount Olympus
If I had to place Chains of Olympus in the pantheon of titles released so far, I'd place it third behind God of War 2 and the original but only because the first two titles were so amazing. Chains is a worthy addition to the franchise. While I want nothing more than to continue on with Kratos' journey towards the top of Mount Olympus and his final battle with Zeus, I was more than happy to take a short detour along the way and spend time with what I consider to be the best PSP title I've ever played. I suggest you do the same.
Some enemies, like this dual-wielding goat man, can block your attacks, so vary up your tactics accordingly
When you're surrounded by enemies, try to juggle one in the air with attacks; the others will leave you alone until you're done
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