Joystiq hands-on: God of War: Chains of Olympus

by Andrew Yoon { Dec 15th 2007 at 2:30PM }

We got a chance to try an updated version of the upcoming PSP-exclusive God of War: Chains of Olympus and walked away impressed, yet again. Somehow, the tech team at Ready at Dawn has managed to make the game look even more stunning than the demo disc version earlier this year. We can't pinpoint it exactly, but it appears the framerate has improved, as has the lighting and anti-aliasing. (Maybe it's due to the developer's access to PSP's full power?)

Of course, impressive visuals are only a small part of what makes the God of War experience so much fun. Ready at Dawn has managed to capture the feel of the PS2 originals by adapting the controls quite smartly to the PSP. We tried swimming, and found it remarkably easy to get used to. To perform Kratos' underwater dash, players must hold the L and R shoulder buttons together and release. Because it's mapped the same way the dodge move is, it feels rather intuitive.

We also got a chance to use some of Kratos' later moves. As in God of War II, Kratos will now be able to reflect enemy attacks by pressing L (block) right before an enemy strikes. We don't know if its our experience with the PS2 game, but we found returning enemy projectiles to be quite easy. Maybe the timing is more generous in this handheld iteration? Regardless, it was easy to catch projectiles and throw them back -- even without a second analog stick.

Gallery: God of War: Chains of Olympus (PSP)

Kratos' magic was also expanded in this updated build. We got to spend some time with the Efret magic, which is easily the most over-the-top spell created in the GoW universe so far. Those that played the demo disc know that it summons a giant fire spirit out of Kratos that slams his arms down on the ground, generating a shockwave that'll hit nearby enemies. The visceral presentation really emphasizes how powerful this spell must be. However, the spell has been expanded a bit as well. If the player double jumps before the spell, the animation will change to a far more brutal one. The screen is literally filled with the Efret spirit, and the resulting shockwave is absolutely massive. Don't mess with Kratos.

Other projectile magic is at Kratos' disposal as well, and targeting is quite generous in the handheld iteration. There's one new move that was revealed to us that we'd love to share with you ... but we can't. Let's just say that those that have been following Chains of Olympus very closely have already figured out what the newest addition to Kratos' arsenal is.

Both the combat and visuals necessary of a production like God of War have been successfully carried over to the PSP in Chains of Olympus. True GoW fans will be glad to hear that none of the brutality and gore from the console iterations has been removed for the handheld. You will be ripping enemies apart. And for those that have been wondering: yes, you can expect some more female nudity. If that's what you really need from a God of War game ...

God of War: Chains of Olympus comes to PSP next March.

Tags: chains-of-olympus, god-of-war

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

GoldenS1104 @ Dec 15th 2007 2:47PM

What's with the framerate issues at the beginning of the video?

GoldenS1104 @ Dec 15th 2007 2:49PM

Strike that. What's with the framrate issues throughout the entire video? (especially the second one)

Noshino @ Dec 15th 2007 2:58PM

keyword on your comment: "video"

I played the demo, and its REALLY smooth, if they say that is even smoother than the demo, then that is really awesome...

GoldenS1104 @ Dec 15th 2007 2:59PM

Okay, as long as it's just the video. I'd rather they dumb down the graphics and keep a solid framerate if that's what the actual game played like.

Jettic @ Dec 15th 2007 3:05PM

The crappy frame rate is the cause of the video itself, if you look closely even before the in-game footage shows, when you see the 'game videos' into, that too has a nasty frame rate, so it's the video not the game..

required @ Dec 15th 2007 4:45PM

your computer must not have enough power to play these videos because they play smoothly on mine

jackbauer @ Dec 15th 2007 3:30PM

"Watch now. play later"

Fuck that I want to play now!

Yubastard @ Dec 15th 2007 3:39PM

u can't!

Noshino @ Dec 15th 2007 3:42PM

sigh, yah, and altho the demo was really great, it just left you wanting it for more...I think its worse than when women are pregnant and want this one thing....that you can't get for a while...and they get bitchy @__@

WiNG @ Dec 15th 2007 4:03PM

he has to be the only guy on earth who swims without using his legs, wth

Noshino @ Dec 15th 2007 4:12PM

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breaststroke

o_o;;;...

Organic_Shadow @ Dec 15th 2007 5:58PM

At the same time, he DOES swing those huge blade chains around faster than I can even swing a baseball bat, and uses them to climb up walls, and along the ceiling of caves.... so... don't think Kratos has any problems in the arm/abdominal/chest strength department...

Played the demo. I could hardly tell I was playing a PSP game. Compared to GoW2, yes, but compared to GoW1 there's hardly any difference in visuals. Color me impressed.

brandon_r87 @ Dec 15th 2007 4:20PM

Someone should tell them that you don't make that much splashing noises when you're underwater.

And is it just me, or has the action slowed down a lot? It's been a while since I played the first though, and I never played the second. Either way, this game should make me glad I bought a PSP this year.

Noshino @ Dec 15th 2007 4:23PM

yah, the person demo'ing it seems to don't be good at it...like I said, if you have played the demo, then you would know that the action is REALLY fast paced, hell, I think the demo was in normal and still it was fast, hopefully in God Mode it gets harder...I want GoW so bad, but then again, still finishing Jeanne D'Arc...@__@