Just in case you are one of the 5 people that hasn’t heard, a new franchise has cemented itself at the top of any PS2 action fan’s “must have” list. This franchise is, of course, God Of War. Released in March of 2005, the original God of War was developed by Sony Entertainment and enjoyed many awards and critical acclaim. It was new, and most importantly quite different from any other game — an action adventure with some puzzle gameplay thrown in, combined with a solid story. It was a recipe for success… if done right. It’s always a risk for a company when attempting to do something new, and especially when attempting to rewrite something as well-trodden as Greek Mythology. Sony set out to do this a bit differently than the way that Disney rewrote Hercules; they were aiming for something more like American McGee’s adaptation of Alice in Wonderland. God of War somehow managed to be darker (I didn’t think it was possible to get darker than Greek Mythology already was) and a lot bloodier. After God of War II similarly established itself as a huge success, Sony entrusted its beloved franchise over to the developers at Ready At Dawn, proving that they believe in the future of this winning formula.
Designed to be a prequel to the events of God of War, now Chains of Olympus is attempting to once again make a first step for a system that frankly hasn’t seen too many risks. The developers at Ready At Dawn are promising a PS2 experience on the PSP, and are also promising to make full use of the 333 Mhz recently unrestricted on the PSP by Sony.
The game’s story will take place during the ten years before God Of War, during which time Kratos (the series’ hero) is in the service of the Gods. Being bound to the gods after they bring him back from the dead, the official website promises that Kratos will “journey from the Gates of Hades to the depths of Tartarus”. The recent power the PSP has shown us with PS2 comparable graphics, tells me their faith in the system certainly is not ill placed. In a recent interview with 1up.com developer Ru Weerasuriya stated, “Yeah, we think regardless of the platform, this game’s going to work. Yes, absolutely; I have no doubt that this game as a full blown PS2 game would be as good as the other ones.” Those are some bold words for a PSP game developer, and they have gotten gamer’s attention.
With the new updates to the PSP, Ru’s words might not be so far fetched . The game has received many favorable previews, all praising the seamless transition from the big screen to the small one. Personally I can’t wait to try this one out and I expect an adventure every bit as grand as its development team’s ambitions. God of War: Chains of Olympus is slated for release in the U.S. March 4th, 2008. It looks like March is shaping up to be PSP’s month, lets hope that 2008 does for the handheld world what 2007 did for the console world!
