Ladies and Gentlemen, Kratos is back and better than ever. God of War:Chains of Olympus (GOWCOO) has recently come out for the PlayStation Portable (PSP). Kratos makes his debut on the small screen, but after playing it a few moments, you will forget that this is a portable. This "M" rated game has it all. Graphics are quite amazing and the game play is straight God of War. The PSP is well suited for this game as the controls feel familiar to those who have played the previous iterations of God of War.

For those not schooled in this franchise, a brief explaination is in order. The first God of War made its appearance on the PlayStation 2 (PS2) in March of 2005. We played as Kratos, the "Ghost of Sparta" (his muscular back is on the cover above). You know he is a bad dude already.  He is a Spartan warrior and a force with which to be feared on the battlefield. After a particularly grusome battle, he gives up his life in exchange for salvation from Ares, the God of War. Great game play and graphics are hallmarks of the original God of War. This was followed by God of War 2 which was released in March of 2007. Here we follow Kratos as he takes on more enemies including Zeus himself. It just does not get any bigger than that, dear reader. Great game play, graphics and challanges are a part of this as well. In addition, the puzzles and tasks that Kratos must complete are more detailed. In this latest installment, we play as Kratos 10 years before God of War 1. It is a prequel, and it is awesome.

In addition to the great battles, there are more quests and puzzles that keep you thinking. Fans of the series will be pleased with this. Some require a lot of planning. I went through a lot of trial and error on the "ships" in God of War 2 before getting it quite right. Combo moves and powers are unlocked and the finishing moves are incredible. They are almost like mini games within this game. Various enemies round out the battle. The story line is compelling and detailed. Major references to Greek mythology are sprinkled through and provide a vibrant pallet from which we are in awe. 

Amazing, does a portable game have a right to look this good?

Picked it up on Friday evening and could not put it down all weekend. Once you complete the game, you can unlock various skins for Kratos. Do not yet have them all, but so far, they look great. So, what do you think?

As you can tell, I think this is a must have title for any God of War fan and PSP owner. Rumors persist that a God of War 3 is coming for the PlayStation3 (PS3). Sony clearly has their work cut out for them in topping the previous versions and this latest installment, but they are up for the task. Picturing playing this in high def and unleashing the power of the Cell Processor engine has me fired up already.

On a personal note, my old PSP died Thursday night. It was my fault. Lost the thumbstick button at CES and picked up a replacement, third party part from an unnamed retailer after a fruitless search for an official replacement. The case in which I store my PSP pushed the thumbstick down and broke it. Now, I am the proud owner of a PSP 2000. It feels so light, that I cannot believe it can do all the old PSP did and more. Blu-Ray ripping to a memory stick (standard def) is coming, SKYPE, internet radio and other updates are all packed in. Additionally, video out is now possible to a big screen. Sony did a nice job and cut costs in unnoticable ways while adding features. PS3 owners will be glad to know that via the PlayStation Network, we can get FREE themes of God of War. Downloaded mine and replaced the older Warhawk and Call of Duty 4 themes. While downloading it, noticed there was a PSP background as well. Pop in a Memory stick and once completed, pop it in the PSP. WOW, what a cool concept. Hard to believe that these themes are FREE. Great job on this Sony. From the game, the system, themes and the interoperability, job well done.