When you have a game that can pull off large epic vistas, an intuitive combat system and any excuse for an abundant amount of half naked ladies, it’s probably best you don't try and squeeze it onto a portable system. The sense of scale, for one, can hardly have the same impact as the previous games (unless you played them on a 14” B&W TV set), not to mention the possible embarrassment of getting spotted ogling CGI jubblies on the bus. Then again looking at it another way, lets say from a more corporate point of view, moving a game that’s been hugely successful on one platform to another that perhaps has not performed as well as expected (outside of Japan at least) is pretty much a no brainer. Similarly, with few new ideas employed in God of War: Chains of Olympus it feels just as much of a no brainer.
The best example of this is probably the story. Before the game was released we were teased that the plot of this title would take place before the main events of GOW1. Perfect, I thought, now we can play through those intriguing grizzly moments that turned Kratos into a cold-hearted slave of the Gods. Well, bollocks we will. Instead we are given a narrative that is set during the ten-year period after Kratos began his servitude. As in the first GOW, Kratos is, yet again, tasked with stopping the impending destruction of one of the Gods’ favourite holiday resorts. After grumbling about the pay and general working conditions, he’s basically told to take it up with the unions. Kratos, being the sort of guy who takes no crap from no one, goes off and does precisely what he's told. From then on it seems as though the writers can no longer avoid a similar level of apathy towards their work. However, unlike Kratos, they decide to stick it to the man by writing practically nothing for the next 4-5 hours of the game. Now, this has been a constant problem with the GOW series: once the story has (and mostly fairly effectively) set up the reason for going somewhere far far away to get the mystic thing or kill the ancient whatsit, it gives up completely. Only once you’ve pilfered the magical thingy or massacred the unspeakable nasty will the story awake from its unnatural slumber eager to dive into the last 30 minutes of cut scenes and boss-finishing quick time events. Of course, a game does not necessarily need constant plot development to keep you engaged. Shadow of the Colossus, for example, has a very simple narrative that also only progresses at the beginning and end of the game. What differs in GOW is that the initial setup of each piece is so epic and enticing for the player that as soon as the narrative drops from view it can’t help but leave a gapping hole in the game. Thankfully, there is one element which is the most important aspect in any game that is well crafted in COO and which, unlike the story remains captivating throughout.
I am, of course, talking about gameplay, the core of which in GOW is the combat system. Somehow combat systems in these 3rd person brawlers seem to be the most difficult portion of a game to get right. Just a few days ago, I played through the new demo of Force Unleashed and was surprised to find (ok perhaps not) that a publishing house such as Electronic Arts with such vast resources managed to make the thing so clunky and frustrating to handle. A combat system should make you feel powerful even when you’re getting your butt handed to you, should allow you to chain together combos through experimentation rather than studying a text similar to a Boeing 737 cockpit manual and, most all, allow you to bring furious vengeance upon evil-doers with the devastating poise and grace of something like Kill Bill on ice. This latest death rattle from the Star Wars franchise does none of this, where Chains of Olympus, and by that matter every previous GOW, does, and to perfection. Specifically within COO, the combat stands up fairly well compared to the previous titles. It would by no means win any kind of gruelling standing up competition against the PS2 implementations but none the less is almost flawlessly implemented. Aside from some of the quick time events that often require swapping hands to complete, you’ll hardly notice you’re several buttons short of what you’re used to.
You may have noticed that I don’t seem to be able to avoid comparing COO to the previous incarnations of the series. And I could probably go on pointing out other shortcomings compared to the rest of the series – so I will. The graphics are exceptional for the PSP but the PS2 versions are far better, the variety of enemies is much slimmer and the game is far far shorter, but to Ready at Dawn’s credit the story is just as forgettable as always. It may seem unfair to compare games from two consoles of vastly different capabilities but it’s not as unfair as making you pay money to play a gimped version of essentially the same game just for the privilege of carrying it around in your jeans. And there lies the single largest problem with COO along with most of the PSP’s back catalogue. If you make a game for the PSP that tries too hard to emulate what has already been achieved on it’s living room bound cousin you are going to leave many a gamer with an empty hole where a new fulfilling experience should be. Then again, perhaps that’s their own fault for playing too many video games and not seeing more of the real world (myself included).
To conclude, God of War: Chains of Olympus is a neck snapping, boob jiggling, Spartan slicing pocket adventure full of fun and frolics. Plus, if you’ve never owned a PS2 you’ll love every minute of it. Blimey, if you never owned PS2 you probably have been doing something worthwhile with your life. Yeah, well I hope you caught flees in India.
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