Something Dangerous: The Chains of Olympus

Well it's a day late and a dollar short, but here's my review of God of War: Chains of Olympus for the PSP. Okay, so if you own a PSP you owe it to yourself to pick this game up. If you don't, you should rush out and get the special edition that comes with some sweet Kratos art on the back. Yeah, it's that good.

The game features as epic an opening level as any of its PS2 big brothers; that's pretty amazing considering the hardware limitations. It's no stretch to say that this game looks like an early PS2 game. The animations are smooth as silk and the frame rate keeps up in all but the stickiest situations. Make no mistake, Chains of Olympus is a true God of War experience right there in the palm of your hand.

Salivation aside, I should admit that the game is short – I clocked in at about five and a half hours and I'm no speed-runner. It's a damned meaty five hours, with all the action and carnage that you've come to expect from the series, but for those that tend to only play a game through once, that's a major sticking point.

Anyway, the boss battles still feel larger-than-life, especially the cave-troll looking thing at the beginning. The combat system has made the transition intact, with few concessions. The only problem of note on that front is the quick time events – the rapid button commands work flawlessly, but forget about it when it comes to nailing the required joystick rolls. They were hard enough on a DualShock, and the PSP's tiny nub just isn't up for the challenge.

It's few faults aside, Chains of Olympus is hands down the best PSP game released. Ever. At least until Crisis Core comes out (which is today, so you PSP owners out there are probably already revisiting Midgar as I write). Anyway, look for my review of Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII as soon as I get some cash together (readers should feel free to contribute to my funds. You laugh, but since my Mom's probably the only one reading this now anyway, I've got a real good chance.).