God of War Chains of Olympus for PSP

Kratos begins! Ever since the second God of War installment back in 2007 and due in large part to the intimations, clues and various rumors that circulated within the rabble of die-hard fans, the gaming community has been clamoring for a continuation to the series.  The gossip-mongers were finally rewarded, when Sony Computer Entertainment announced its plans for a God of War 3 to be released sometime next year, or if not, and to be politically correct, in the near future.

And, to the delight of the community, there was still more news.  When SCEI announced the third installment to the games trilogy, they also mentioned that they would be releasing a prequel to the series and that it would be released exclusively for the PSP.  This turned out to be the awesome God of War: Chains of Olympus.  The overall aspect of the game is perceived as very much akin to its harbingers (albeit, irony should be expressed, since the story of the game takes place before the first God of War episode). It was released in March 2008 in the US and released worldwide a few months later.
    
Gameplay

Much like the previous games, God of War: Chains of Olympus is a 3D third person perspective action-adventure game.  Melee strikes, magic capabilities and other combos are the more familiar motilities that Kratos executes for the player. The red orbs are still there for the player to pick up so that Kratos can upgrade his weapons, but there are some additions. The Gorgon Eyes; they are collected and used to increase Kratos’ health, and the Phoenix feathers for his magic. Available weapons include his trademark The Blades of Chaos, which was given by the god Ares; the Gauntlet of Zeus, a magical glove that can pummel the bad guys; and a Sun Shield that Kratos can use to block and parry with almost every attack. It can also be used to redirect ranged attacks back towards enemies.

Tactical combat in the game is more prominent than in the previous series, and magic is somewhat restrained a little.  The developers balanced all this out by letting Kratos learn other abilities to compensate for all that was lacking.

However, the few magical spells that Kratos acquires are quite powerful themselves, such as the Efreet spell.  This knocks all the villains near Kratos, out. There’s also the Charon’s Wrath; this one damages multiple enemies in the vicinity. Another is the Light of Dawn, which lets Kratos throw energy balls of some sort.

Aside from the entire hack, slash and zap fest, the player still has to contend with puzzles to finish some levels.  Kratos still uses boxes to solve some brainteasers that the game offers.

If you’ve gotten so used to the older games and the controls of the Playstation 2 then you might have to adjust a bit to get a feel for the PSP, but it’s not much.

Hints

These codes are used for when Kratos is using the Blades of Chaos.

Level 1
Icarus Lift (air) = X,
Hyperion Ascension = Hold Triangle
Orion's Harpoon = Circle

Level 2
Cyclone of Chaos = L+Square

Level 3
Spirit of Hercules = tap Triangle, Triangle, Triangle
Valor of Hercules = tap Triangle, Triangle, Square
Hyperion Might = hold Square

Level 4     
Rampage of the Furies = Left + Circle
Rampage of the Furies (air) =    Left + Circle
Hermes Rush (evade) = hold Square
Hermes Rise (evade) = hold Triangle Level 5
Tartarus Rage = Left + Triangle
Tartarus Rage (air) = Left + Triangle


These codes are used for the Gauntlet of Zeus

Level 1
Strength of Zeus = Hold Square or Triangle

Level 2
Olympic Strike = Left + Square
Olympic Strike (Air) = Left + Square
Hermes Cross (evade) = hold Square
Hermes Revenge (evade) = hold Triangle

Level 3         
Lightning Run = Left + Circle
Lightning Thrash = Square (running)
Lightning Surge = Triangle (running)
Lightning Thrash (air) = Left + Circle
Olympic Thunder = Left + Triangle
Olympic Thunder (Air) = Left + Triangle


These codes are for the Sun Shield

Level 1
Helios Reverse = tap L before enemy attack

Level 2     
Helios Flash (parry) = Square
Helios offensive (parry) = Triangle

Game Cheats

Some of these are not really game cheats.  They are ‘unlockables’ that the player can activate by following the instructions.

God Mode = Finish game
In-Game Movies = Finish game
The Lost Levels = Beat Challenge of Hades
Making of Attica = Finish game in God mode
Inside Ready at Dawn Studios = Finish game on any difficulty
Character Concept Art = Finish game on any difficulty
Challenge of Hades = Finish game on any difficulty
Environments Concept Art = Beat Challenge of Hades
Outtakes Concept Art = Finish game in God mode