God of War: Chains of Olympus

god of war chains of olympus box art review
8.5 Overall Score
Graphics: 8/10
Sound: 8/10
C: 8/10

Great storytelling and gameplay

Not a fan of quick-time events moments

Game Info

Game Name:   God of War:  Chains of Olympus

Developer(s):   Ready at Dawn/SCE Santa Monica Studio

Publisher(s):   Sony Computer Entertainment

Platform(s):   PS3/PSP

Genre(s):   Action/Adventure

Release Date(s):   March 4, 2008

ESRB Rating:   M

god of war chains of olympus gameplay screenshot

Same great fighting and slashing

When the world is plunged into darkness, the gods once again call upon Kratos to save it.  Someone is plotting against the gods, and using Atlas as a tool.  With Helios kidnapped, Kratos must free him…but a remembrance of his past in the form of his daughter Calliope could change everything for Kratos and force him to make the most difficult decision of his life!

God of War:  Chains of Sparta is an action-adventure game.  The game followed the mobile phone game God of War:  Betrayal from 2007, but chronologically was placed after God of War:  Ascension (2013) and serves as a prequel to the original God of War (2005).  The PSP game was well received by critics and fans and won multiple awards.  The game was also released as part of God of Wars:  Origins Collection and the God of War Saga for the PS3.

God of War is a great series.  It has almost everything you want.  Its adult approach allows for a strong story combined with some great controls.  The Ancient Greece setting also provides a lush scenery.  I never had a PSP, and had God of War for the PS2.  When I got my PS3, I quickly purchased God of War Saga…and each game is well worth the low cost.

god of war chains of olympus cutscene daughter calliope kratos

I’m sure this will end up great, Kratos….

The PSP version of the game translated great to the PS3.  The film sequences and visuals of the game look at least up to the level of the original games and in that sense give you a seamless visual and story.  With the third person overhead view, the game smartly evades a lot of camera problems but sometimes you do lose enemies who are out of camera shot on the screen (and irritatingly attack you).

I will say with story driven video games, the gameplay gets less important at times.  After a number of repeat deaths, I was ok with dropping down a difficulty level because I wanted to see where the story went and to finish the game.  While this does raise the whole question of “why do people play games?”, the basic answer is to have fun…if the fun is through the challenge, keep the game at a high level.  If it is to see the story and finish the game, just enjoy it.

god of war chains of olympus vs persephone final boss gameplay screenshot

Woah…a God of War game where you end up fighting a crazy god.?!?! No way?!?! (sarcasm)

God of War has great controls…to an extent.  I think the fighting and combat is top notch and utilizes the controls of the PS3 controller to the max.  What I don’t like about God of War is a problem I have with a lot of games in general right now.  I am not a big fan of quick time events in games and God of War is loaded with them.  I think they kind of mess up the flow of games and it seems odd that all the other attackers just stand around and watch him while he does this.  Part of my dislike is that I’m really bad at them, and it can be essential to get them in this game.

It is pretty amazing to think of how far handheld games have come when you look at God of War:  Chains of Olympus.  It was cleaned up for the PS3, but it essentially the same game.  God of War:  Chains of Olympus might be a bit shorter than the standard God of War game, but it still is worthy of play though I find little replay value in the God of War games.  A second God of War PSP game God of War:  Ghost of Sparta was released in 2010, but God of War:  Chains of Olympus was followed by God of War III (also released in 2010).

Author: JPRoscoe View all posts by
Follow me on Twitter/Instagram/Letterboxd @JPRoscoe76! Loves all things pop-culture especially if it has a bit of a counter-culture twist. Plays video games (basically from the start when a neighbor brought home an Atari 2600), comic loving (for almost 30 years), and a true critic of movies. Enjoys the art house but also isn't afraid to let in one or two popular movies at the same time.

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