God of War II made a very large splash in March 2007 and was a classic example of a late generation success on a venerable console. The game was incredibly polished and featured graphics that may be the most technically advanced in the PS2's history. It set the bar very high and left many wondering how the series would translate onto the next planned entry for the PSP.

A year later, God of War: Chains of Olympus is out and it's more than lived up to the lofty expectations placed upon it. The game is proving to be one of the most critically acclaimed titles in the PSP's history and is also turning into one of the system's most successful launches yet. With God of War III impending for the PS3 sometime in the near future, God of War: Chains of Olympus may be the perfect solution to keep the hype for the franchise going strong.

We talked with Jeff Reese, SCEA Director of Software Marketing, to find out why Kratos is so angry all the time.

Chain me up anytime
According to the NPD, God of War: Chains of Olympus was the fifth best selling title during a busy March 2008. This made it the best selling game on the PSP for the month and the best selling portable game overall. The title had sales of 340,500 units during the March period.

"We have high expectations for the God of War franchise and expect the title to continue selling well into the Holidays," commented Reese. "We received strong support from our retail partners and combined with the great reviews and advertising spend, Chains of Olympus is tracking to be right on target."

While these sales are excellent for a PSP title and good by any standards, they don't quite match up with God of War II. That title moved 833,000 units in its first month after SCEA shipped a million copies ahead of demand. Still, comparing sales on the much better established PS2 to a PSP title isn't entirely fair, and God of War: Chains of Olympus is easily considered a success even with sales of less than half of God of War II's total.

"We are not making direct comparisons to the PS2 titles since there are different variables such as installed base and demographics between the platforms," said Reese. "Our goal was to give PSP owners their own version of the God of War experience and ultimately become one of the top-selling titles on the platform."

Spartan, prepare for glory!
The God of War series has developed a reputation for violent action and God of War: Chains of Olympus did not disappoint fans in this regard. The combat has translated well onto the PSP, making clever use of the shoulder buttons to enable dodging (done by the second analog in the PS2 entries). There are also a variety of new weapons and magical powers for Kratos to acquire and power up along the way to give God of War: Chains of Olympus a little more variety.

You wouldn't believe a PSP game could look this good. Kudos to Ready at Dawn.

"The action is a core pillar of the franchise and had to be part of the experience - or it just would not have been God of War," agreed Reese. "Ready At Dawn delivered the visceral action that defines the franchise and also pushed the boundaries on what can be done with the PSP."

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