The size of the disk may be seized down, but this game isn't.  Read on to see the review for God of War: Chains of Olympus.

God of War is already a popular series on the Playstation 2 with the first title in the system's greatest hits lineup.  Now the it is making its appearance on the PlayStation Portable from Ready at Dawn, the developer of the critcally acclaimed "Daxter" also for the PSP.  The game is a prequel and is set 10 years before the original God of War game and Kratos is still in service to the gods.

The game opens in the city of Attica, just like in the demo, where Kratos is defending against the Persian army.  I don't want to get too deep in the story,  but it felt really satisfying.  It works really well overall with the other two God of War games, and because it leaves off right when the original game starts, you don't feel like you are missing part of the story (excuse the comparison, but like in between Star Wars Episodes III and IV).  Also there is just the right amount of cut scenes and dialogue for a portable title.  For the most part, the story really pulls you into the game and the mythology behind the game (and the whole series at that) really is fitting.

The gameplay is amazing! It feels almost exactly like the console counterparts, which is a great feat considering the lack of buttons on the PSP as compared to the PS2 controller.  Starting out you will have only the Blades of Chaos at your side, but as the game progresses you will receive some magic abilities some more effective than others.  But I found myself using the Blades more than any of my magic.  As with the other games there are light RPG elements.  You collect red orbs by defeating enemies, breaking parts of the environment, and also finding red glowing chests.  Using these orbs you can upgrade your abilities.  Because I use the Blades so much I upgraded those first, but you complete freedom on what skills you want to upgrade.  By upgrading you gain more strength and more combos.  To me this game's control scheme and gameplay work even better than in the other console games.  The simplification to me widens the audience to even more games who might have shied away from the series before.

I'm not going to waste any time on this point. This game is the best looking game on the PSP hands down.  Ready at Dawn pushed the system's limits with their last game Daxter, and now that Sony has unlocked the PSP to it's full potential the developer has outdone itself by making a game that is on par with a PS2 game.  If the current trend of porting popular PSP games to the PS2 continues, there won't have to be any graphical overhalls whatsoever if they wanted to port this game.  The sound goes hand in hand with the visuals.  Some of the best we've heard from any game on the system, but don't rely on the PSP's speakers.  Go out and buy a good pair of headphones to really appreciate this game.

Although this my be a pretty linear game, you can still get a good amount of time with this game.  The main game will probably take most gamers about 5 to 7 hours depending on what difficulty you play on.  You will want to play on all of the difficulties because with each one they is new things to unlock including a new difficulty mode.  This game will keep you entertained for months on end and to me is the best game on the PSP, and the most console like experience you can get on a handheld as of today.  This is a MUST BUY for any PSP owner, period.

Story: 10/10
Gameplay: 10/10
Graphics: 10/10
Sound: 10/10
Lifespan: 8/10

Overall: 9.6/10