Everyone's favorite twin-bladed warrior gets a release on the PSP's small screen in what looks to be an action-packed origin story for Kratos, which might finally answer the question, how did this guy get to be so cranky in the first place?

As if killing his family, smiting gods and getting stabbed by Zeus weren't enough, this story takes place before the original God of War, and covers the 10 years Kratos served the Gods of Olympus. His journey will put him face-to-face with monsters ripped from the pages of Bulfinch's Mythology.

More specific details on the game's storyline have yet to be released, but in an eyes-only version shown at the Sony Gamer's Day in San Diego, we watched one of the game's developers plow through legions of Persian soldiers attempting to invade Attica using Kratos' Blades of Chaos. Despite the addition of a few moves, the action will look familiar to God of War fans.

Like the other games, Kratos will also have to solve simple puzzles and play context-sensitive minigames that require dexterous button mashing. After Kratos dispatches another load of Persians in the demo, he takes on a Cyclops and gigantic reptilian monster, which are defeated using a combination of combat moves and timed button sequences.

The developers, who previously worked on the well-received Daxter game for PSP, promise many more surprises for fans of the series, including events that will explain more of the story behind the PS2 games and hint at plotlines in God of War III, tentatively set for a 2009 release date on PlayStation 3. More details will be revealed on Chains of Olympus at the Electronics Entertainment Expo in July before the game hits the streets during the 2007 holiday season.