God of War Chains of Olympus Info - PSP3D.com - Sony PlayStation Portable News, Homebrew, Hacks, Reviews, Videos, Mods, Forums

jsf · #1 (**permalink**) 09-28-2007, 01:26 PM

Check out what the Playstation Underground sent me

Gamespot article:

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At this point it should go without saying that Ready at Dawn's upcoming God of War: Chains of Olympus is doing very right by the PlayStation 2 franchise. The ambitious, eye-popping game pretty much had us the moment we saw it moving. One part testament to the Southern California-based developer's mad skills with the PSP, and one part testament to the universal appeal of beating the crap out of mythological critters, the game has made a positive impression every time we've seen it. The only downside has been that Sony and RAD have been keeping things pretty close to vest for this entry in the series, which is meant to ensure that players get some good surprises. We recently managed to get down to Ready at Dawn and take a peek at some new content in the game, which included another look at Attica, the first level; a boss fight; and a brief tour of Tartarus.

Our look at the game kicked off with the now-familiar mayhem of Attica, the first level in the game. The game is set in the decade of time Kratos spent doing the will of the gods, and the level is a nice chance to see our boy at work. The fearsome warrior kicks much tail and cuts through the insanity as the city is besieged. As we've seen before, the central problem Kratos is initially dealing with is a super-old-school-style weapon of mass destruction: a basilisk. The fearsome critter is a serious problem initially and requires some work to deal with. Given how often we've seen it, that part of our demo was pretty familiar, but we also got a chance to battle the Persian king, one of the many bosses you'll face over the course of the adventure. The battle against the surly monarch kicks off with a cinematic that has him engaged in the standard prefight smack-talk you'd expect from our boy. Once that's out of the way, you'll face off against the king and his lackeys, all of which need some hook blade to the face. The king is your biggest concern because he possesses a powerful magic attack, as well as a few unblockable attacks that are painful.

We're not going to go into detail on the specifics of defeating his kingliness, but suffice it to say the battle is a great time to become familiar with evasive dodges, counters, and the unique properties of Kratos' combos. The battle ends with one of the most awesome uses of a massive crate and an enemy's head we've seen in a game, which you should be able to check out in our exclusive direct feed. The battle, along with its rough ending, is a reminder that the PSP game has all of its console cousin's bite, and then some. Besides the satisfaction of knocking the snot out of your opponent and totally defeating him, the fight with the king also shows off some Mega Man-style positive reinforcement: you gain the king's magical attack, called Efreet. The mana-fueled attack summons a fiery demon to do all sorts of damage to opponents. Best of all, as with most of your magic in the game, you'll be able to upgrade it as you go along.

The second level we played was Tartarus, the not-so-pleasant corner of the underworld reserved for the really creative and painful punishments of the not-so-nice. While you'd think everyone there would greet Kratos like the Cheers crew does Norm, the locals aren't really happy to see Kratos. In fact, everyone's trying to murder him. While no one would share the specifics of why Kratos was off in the underworld, the level fits into the larger tapestry of his mission as errand boy for the gods. The chunk we played through featured a nice mix of puzzle-solving and exploration, key elements from the console games. The level also showed off a good variety of things to kill. Besides the old stand-bys, skeletons and harpies, we also got take on armored cyclopes, which were tough. The backdrop to all the action was a slick and massive-looking space that featured giants bound by chains and menacing cliffs that offered a good sense of scale. The other added challenge in the levels was the game's difficulty, which is currently a bit on the hateful side. Sony and RAD reps were quick to point out that this issue is due for tuning as development wraps up.

Control in the game was really comfortable and felt right. Ready at Dawn's adaptation to the PSP is working out nicely. Kratos handles like a champ, with his combos--old and new--coming out intuitively. Though you might initially find yourself hoping for camera control, the game appears to be doing just fine without it.

As far as the graphics go, the game continues to bust out visuals that are the top end of what the PSP can do. The action is fast, and, thanks to the boost in processor speed afforded by the latest firmware update for the hardware, extremely smooth. We're very taken with the game's art direction and sense of style, both of which have made the leap to PSP with nary a hitch. The levels feature the same mix of wide-open space and tight quarters seen in the console game. Tartarus is especially cool, thanks to the sense of scale we mentioned.

Based on this new snippet of the game, it looks like development on God of War: Chains of Olympus is going really well. The game still looks amazing and plays exceptionally well (though there's obviously some tweaking that needs to happen). Given that there are a few more months of development still to go, we have high hopes the game is going to rock the house. Anyone looking for a showcase of just what the PSP can do should keep an eye out for the game. God of War: Chains of Olympus is slated to ship this March for the PSP, so look for more on the game in the coming months. Until then, come back Friday for a deeper look at the game and how Ready at Dawn is putting together this promising action adventure.
-GameSpot

Source

Bringing an epic to PSP video can be found Here

Transcript of the chat with the dev team

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God of War®: Chains of Olympus Chat Transcript - Friday August 3, 2007 4:00 PST

On Friday August 3, 2007 we held a special event chat with select members of the Ready at Dawn team, who were with us to discuss the upcoming God of War®: Chains of Olympus. Below you will find the transcript of the chat.

bobispoor: When is Chains of Olympus coming out?
rweerasuriya: Winter

mocman: Will GoW:CoO feature multiplayer? If so, Infrastruce or just Ad-Hoc?
gfoster: we are not currently planning a multiplayer version

Light_Jak: Hey, I'd like to ask if you guys are keeping this new God of War true to the God of War franchise regarding the controls since the controls are different on the PSP?
rweerasuriya: We are staying as true as we can, there are really no compromises between the PS2 and PSP versions.

amir8: Will this game continue from God of War 2?
mturndorf: This game acts as a prequel to GOW2: following Kratos in his service to the Gods during the 10 year period before the events of GOW1.

Kal-EI: What was it like developing God Of War: Chains of Olympus?
rweerasuriya: Definitely a challenging development. I think everyone expects as much of this game as the others regardless of the platform. So the pressure is definitely on us... but all in all, it's a blast.

subrosian: What challenges, if any, did you face translating the epic experience of God of War to a portable platform?
djan: We put a lot of work into ensuring that the gameplay felt like God of War. The combat had to be fast and engaging, there had to be big enemies, and we knew we were going to tell a big story even on the small screen.

PSP ONWER: What should we expect from the game, graphics wise
mturndorf: Everything you expect from the first two GOW games...

Riadom: How will the controls differ from the PS2?
mturndorf: The controls are slightly different because of the one analog stick on the PSP. However all the fuctionality you expect will be there...

Dax101: Dodgeing was an important concept in God of War to avoid getting hit by various attacks. Without a second analog stick how do you plan to accomplish roll-dodge on th psp?
gfoster: You can dodge by holding the shoulder buttons and using the analog stick.

bruce2010: graphics wise how does it stand up against the ps2 versions?
mturndorf: Extremely well...

ilike2game: Will any chracters beides Cratos return from the past games?
mturndorf: Because the game continues the overaching story of Kratos there will be some characters in this game which have appeared in other GOW games.

JoRdAn VeSt: will there be multiple weapons like God of War 1 & 2
rweerasuriya: Yes, you will have multiple weapons with a new twist on how they intergrate into the storyline.

joeorc: the design of the enviroments look very unique from what i have seen is there any region of the world that may have inspired the land scape of chains
djan: We started with reference material from Greece and went straight to the look and feel of the environments in the GOW series. GOW has a distinct style of its own and we used it as our basis for Chains of Olympus. Our artists had to push the PSP to the limits to bring you the amazing environments you'll see in GOW:Chains of Olympus

Khalid: Where will the game's story fit in the trilogy? and will it be part of future installments?
mturndorf: The events take place before GOW1...

jasquarefan: Will there be unlockable modes and extras like the PS2 versions have shown us?
rweerasuriya: We're still exporing that aspect but we hope to give players more outside the single player game.

jitty9: How long have you been working on this game?
rweerasuriya: Since Daxter shipped.

tony21489: What is the game save system like?
mturndorf: Very similar to the other GOW games...

JamesL007: The battles will they still be as intense as before??
mturndorf: We are working to make them every bit as intense as the first two GOW games...

.PaR.: How is the evasion going to be used without a second analog stick?
gfoster: Kratos can evade by holding the shoulder buttons and using the analog stick.

Iconshock: Will there be the ability to counter-attack, like the Golden Fleece?
djan: This game will feature counter attacks. I can't say what they are at the moment, but rest assured that the combat system and moves Kratos will have/unlock will be expansive in Chains of Olympus.

mocman: I'm have only played a demo the 2nd ps2 version, do you think that this game will be easy to get into if you haven't played before?
mturndorf: Yes, one of the many cool things about GOW games is that because the combat system is so intricate, both newbies and experts can play the game in entirely different ways bothing having loads of fun while doing it...

nick18542: What is being done to replace the rage of the gods/titans?
rweerasuriya: We are toying around with a few options but haven't settled on on yet.

Vanila Gorila: Will there be any crosstalk objectives between GOD/COO and either GOW or GOW2?
gfoster: there will be no communication with any previous gow title

Kahonee: Can you give tell us how many magic powers - if any - will be in the game?
rweerasuriya: There are multiple and the interesting part on how you obtain them is that they will each be used against you by an enemy before you are able to use it yourself.

JamesL007: Since this Chains of Olympus is before GOW 1, will we learn more about Kratos family??
rweerasuriya: One of the areas we are focsuing on in this story is Kratos' human side, I'll let you imagine what that entails... : )

Seraphim: With the PSP hardware being somewhat limited [whem compared to] how is Chains of Olympus compare to the PS2 counterparts? More precisely how is the AI, actual combat, and in general the overall feel. Were you able to implement everything we've come to expect from GoW in Chains of Olympus?
mturndorf: Our goal is for people to play this game and think they are playing a GOW game regardless of platform. In every way this is a GOW game and happily people who play it (in focus tests and what not) generally say this looks and feels like GOW on the PS2.

Kal-EI: Will there be a difficulty setting for beginners and experts???
mturndorf: Yes there will be different difficulty modes.

jitty9: How do think first time GOW players would feel about this game?
gfoster: we're hoping that first time GOW players playing chains of Olympus will feel the exact same way we felt while playing the first game...completely blown away.

Light_Jak: In what ways was this game challenging to develop?
djan: This game was bigger in scope than our last game and extremely demanding in terms of design, art, and technology. It's a detailed world, there's a lot going on. The PSP is a tremendous system when you put the effort into pushing it.

JoRdAn VeSt: will there be multiple weapons like God of War 1 & 2
gfoster: If we find that there is a need for multiple control schemes we'll provide them.

Supagohan: How will the Boss Battles compare to the versions of the Previous games?
rweerasuriya: They will be as epic if not more than what you've seen before. The diversity of the enemies and bosses you will encounter is really vast and should give the player some cool challenges.

jasquarefan: What sort of new additions to the gameplay can we expect? God of War 2 introduced the icarus wings, will this have a new addition to the gameplay as well?
mturndorf: There will be plenty of cool new weapons, items and magic in this game.

bruce2010: can we expect the same mind bending puzzles that we have grown to love?
djan: We like puzzles too...and yes you will get to flex your brain in Chains of Olympus.

Dax101: seeing as the game takes place within Kratos' 10 year service to the Gods, will the story take place the day he became Ares' servent of after?
rweerasuriya: The story takes place after the murder of his family and Kratos renounces his service to Ares. He decides to serve the other Gods on Olympus hoping they will rid him from his nightmares.

JimyD: Can we expect the same level of gore as in the PS2 games?
mturndorf: Absolutely. It would be a GOW game without it.

Elemental52: What do you expect the frame rates will average out to for the whole game?
gfoster: The game will run at an uncompromised 30fps

scxzor: Since the Ready at Dawn engine can run on multiple platforms--is there a chance we'll ever see GoW on PS2/PSN?
rweerasuriya: We haven't explored that possibilty yet but our tech is multi-platform.

Light_Jak: Who is doing the music for Chains of Olympus?
mturndorf: The same talented folk that did the music on the first two games.

tony21489: Are the cut scenes CG or in-game?
mturndorf: Yes there are both in-game and pre-rendered cut scenes that help propel the story.

Shi-san: Besides Attica, what are some of the worlds that Kratos can journey to?
djan: Without being specific, there are a lot of different places Kratos will travel to in this game. The levels are very diverse.

kasumakuma: what is kratos' character like in this game, since he is under the service of the Gods. Does this make him more brutal?
rweerasuriya: I think you'll see more into Kratos' character and the events that drive him to later wage war on Olympus. So you will definitely experience more of his hatred and anger...

Bigmac3869: What framerate does the game run at? have you had to make sacrifices with the level design to keep the framerate up?
gfoster: framerate, memory, and playability are all things a developer should consider before creating a level. We are no exception to that.

beram: Voice talent returning from previous games in the series?
mturndorf: Yes. But we can't say who right now...

LittleNinja: How long did you take in the concept art phase before you started designing for the actual game in 3D?
djan: The concept art phase is ongoing. It really never stops. During pre-production, we tried a lot of different things. During production, concept art acts as a valuable tool for shaping things as the game design evolves.

Trill-Figga: Since GoW focuses on greek mythology do you find it harder to come up with a story line that uses different gods than the previous versions has used
mturndorf: Because Greek mythology is so rich with content the hard part was actually figuring out which ones to pick from such a large selection.

geograndia: Was there anything that had to be removed or added to make GoW more accessible as a portable game?
rweerasuriya: We didn't remove anything from the a franchise. If anything, we added more to what is already there to give the player a grandeur experience of God of War.

krate: where does most of the game take place
djan: on the PSP

FlyersMat4: what will set this game over the top
mturndorf: It rises above anything you have ever seen on the PSP.

rodband: If someone hasn't played the first two games will this one make any sense?
rweerasuriya: Yes, absolutely. You'll be able to play this without knowledge of the previous games, but you'll experience events that will have connections to the other 2 games.

JamesL007: In the God of War 2, after you beat the game you were able to wear different costumes, anything like that this time around in Chains of Olympus?
mturndorf: We have plans for some cool additional content such as additional costumes.

krate: will this game explain story bits from god of war 2 that we didnt seem to know about like the conversation with atlas
rweerasuriya: There will be many answers to the questions asked previously as well as new ones that you will die to know the answers of.

someidiot: Will there be any of thoee funny/crazy mini game type things like with the...eh hem...bed scene on the boat in the first GoW?
mturndorf: I am not sure what you are referring to???

KratosKilla: Is this game in flashback form or just a present telling of the story between the two God of wars
rweerasuriya: Linda Hunt will be narrating the story as she has with the previous games, so in some way, it is told as a story that already took place. But it won't be a flashback.

Kahonee: Will some of the questions left behind by GOW 2 be answered in your game?
rweerasuriya: Yes and more questions will be asked.

JamesL007: Do you guys believe you have pushed the envelope with Chains of Olympus
mturndorf: We strive to push the envelope with any game we make and GOW for the PSP is no exception.

Ace810348: whats the biggest differance between God of War on PSP and God of War on PS2
mturndorf: The size of the screen.

PeteDawg: Your team obviously puts a lot of effort into the visual details, so how much of a limiting factor was the small screen size?
djan: I actually forget that I'm playing this game on a handheld sometimes. I put on my headphones, and just become immersed in GOW. It's awesome.

.PaR.: How will the camera be controled, Will it be one button to center it behind him or constantly following his back?
mturndorf: The same way it is controlled in GOW 1 and 2...

bruce2010: what inspired you to bring arguably one of the best franchises to the psp?
mturndorf: We love the franchise and wanted to be a part of it...

gamingangel: God of War has become such an iconic game for gaming fans. How do the expectations affect your development of the PSP version, and what is the funniest thing that occured during development?
djan: GOW definately made us work harder than ever. Being fans ourselves, we didn't want to let anyone down. It's a great epic with a cool hero. No pressure...hehe.

Iconshock: Will each weapon you obtain be used against you first, similarly to the magic?
rweerasuriya: We thought about it but that won't be the case.

KHCloud: How have you tried to make this game match the previous two? Have you struggled at all trying to live up to the expectations?
mturndorf: We love a challenge and creating a GOW game that lives up to expectations is quite the challenge. The whole team at Ready At Dawn is commited to rising to the quality level that is expected and so far I am happy to say it looks and plays like everything you would expect from a GOW game.

C-h-a-o-s: After this game will there be any story left for a possible second GOW on the PSP if a second will ever be in the works?
rweerasuriya: There is still so much to explore in God of War's overarching storyline. It's an epic saga that really spans beyond the characters' you've already encountered. There are many more stories in this universe.

Riadom: What is your favorite thing about making a God of War game?
mturndorf: Making a GOW game. Its Kratos in your palm!

Supagohan: Will there be a quick-save option in the game?
gfoster: The game will have a similar save structure to the previous GOW games, but with an added benefit of the PSP having a power suspend feature.

Shi-san: In one or two words, how would you describe the game?
djan: Grab some spare undies...no really.
gfoster: @#$ing Balls
scout21: morally void
rweerasuriya: More than epic..its Epicidal.

Lord Hades: Will you be able to keep the weapons and magic that you gain in one skill level and carry them onto the next like in GoW 2 or start over like the original?
mturndorf: Once you obtain a weapon or magic it is yours to use and upgrade the rest of the game.

LittleNinja: Approximately how many designers/artists worked on GOW: Chains?
djan: Our team has grown some since our last game. As far as numbers go, I'd have to ask around. It's a pretty good mix though.

Bigmac3869: What have you found you could do on the PSP that you could'nt on any other platform?
djan: You can play GOW, stop, put it in your pocket, backpack, etc. then turn it back on again and play right where you left off. You can play it anywhere!

Elemental52: Will GoW's storyline be like the first GoW where we found out things that had already happened as we progressed through the game (in media res), Or will it be a start to finish storyline?
rweerasuriya: Yes, there will be some events that will be revealed as the story progresses

Zarkon: What were some of the modifications done to the Ready at Dawn game engine from Daxter to make it work on GOW Chains of Olympus?
gfoster: We improved almost every aspect of the engine: renderer, animation system, physics, game system, I'm sure I'm missing something.

jasquarefan: Will classic items such as Gorgon Eyes and Pheonix Feathers still be there to increase magic and health bars?
djan: Yes, you will definately want to spend the time scouring the levels looking for secret/hidden chests in Chains of Olympus. Gorgon Eyes and Phoenix Feathers will help you in combat.

Light_Jak: Are you going to have any cool tricks with the O button on Chains of Olympus?
djan: The O button will work as you have come to know and love it in GOW. Expect great, brutal things to happen. Afterall it is the 'fun' button.

Shi-san: Will the concept art be released?
mturndorf: Yes...and it is quite amazing.

tony21489: Will the game take advantage of any extra features outside what's on the game disc such as peripherals or wireless connections or memory stick content?
rweerasuriya: We explored a multiplayer option but really wanted to stay true to the franchise: GoW is an epic single player experience.

subrosian: What is the most compelling reason to buy this new game for someone who already owns the previous two God of War games
rweerasuriya: This will give you more insight into overarching story of GoW. There is much more to learn and experience in Kratos' cursed life.
mturndorf: Adds the the GOW cannon, new weapons, new magic, new adventure, new enemies, new bosses and everything you expect from a GOW game. GOW: COO is pixel for pixel GOW.

KratosKilla: Will the titans have anything to do with Kratos's rebellion?
mturndorf: Seems this question was more than answered in GOW2...

Josh_O: When in the timeline of GOW does this game take place
mturndorf: Before the events of GOW1 but after Kratos became the Ghost of Sparta.

Khalid: In the PS2 version of God of War, the right analog was used to direct the camera, how will you overcome the fact that the PSP has one analog stick, and how will the controls differ from that of its home console counter-part.
djan: The God of War series utilizies fixed pre-defined cameras to maintain good framing on the action as well as direct the player and compose beautiful cinematic imagery. Chains of Olympus handles the camera in the same manner. The second analog stick was used for Evade on the PS2.

dagundam: Since Chains of Olympus takes place before the first two games, how will you balance out the powers and abilities that Kratos will have in the game so that it does not affect the overall story yet is still satisfying for the players? (as in... cool powers that are not forced to be weak simply because the story would not allow it) -This is if you DO think the abilities he will get will affect the overall story of the series.
rweerasuriya: We've tried to stay true to what was done previously. The powers you will obtain are new and will have some effect on the game and story, but we made sure that they fit in the overall progress of the franchise.

Dax101: Will Chains of Olympus answer some questions that were left in the first two games?
rweerasuriya: Yes.

HiroyukiBatosai: Hello, How did the size of the UMD disc affect the game? and where did you get all your information on the mythology of this game. who are your favorite person from the mythology?
rweerasuriya: It didn't affect us much, actually it hasn't been a concern at all. As for the information on Greek Mythology, a few of us had studied it previously and were already very familiar with it. However, GoW is not just Greek Mythology, what we are doing is re-writing it around Kratos' struggles.

JamesL007: From the Gates of Hades to the Depths of Tartarus is this the Journey we can expect through Greek Mythology?
rweerasuriya: There is much more to this story. You will play and experience an event that will change the course of the GoW mythology, that will take you far beyond where Kratos has ever gone before.

__TyE__: is there any humerous parts in the game?
mturndorf: Kratos if nothing else is a comic genius. When he gets in a pie fight with Athena well, lets just say comedy ensues.

Vince4587: Can you talk about any features or modes that can be unlocked after beating the game? Will the 'Challenge of the Gods Mode" return?
rweerasuriya: We are still exploring that. We haven't decided on which unlockables we will keep but you can bet that there will be some.

InTheZoneAC: will there be some sort of collector's version of the game? like bonus modes or other in game extras?
rweerasuriya: We haven't made any annoucements on that. There will be a collector's edition demo going out later.

Elemental52: Will there be any ways to imput codes (invincibility, magic, etc.) or will they have to be unlocked like in the first GoW?
gfoster: no, the player will need to earn their cheats.
mturndorf: Isn't it nice to earn your cheats?

mturndorf: Thanks for taking the time to be part of the chat...I look forward to you playing the game. Not only because you will love it but also because that will mean we are done!

gfoster: Goodbye and we hope you enjoy the demo.

rweerasuriya: Thx all for joining in. If you'll excuse us, we need to go chain ourselves to our desks and finish this game. Hope you enjoy the demo!

scout21: Kratos says bye

PSX_Cheatster: Thanks everyone for coming, and a special thanks to the developers for coming to speak with us!

Source

Official game site

hemiola1 · #2 (**permalink**) 09-28-2007, 05:32 PM

Nice dude! I can't wait for this game!

jsf · #3 (**permalink**) 10-01-2007, 07:05 PM

Me neither. it looks awesome. I'm going to ry to get it as soon as it comes out

iamstrange14 · #4 (**permalink**) 10-01-2007, 07:08 PM

nice. i looked at the picture, and scrolledal the way through the words

all i read was "Check out what the Playstation Underground sent me"
lolzzzzzzzzzz*snore*

jsf · #5 (**permalink**) 10-01-2007, 08:10 PM

I figure not everyone would read the whole thing. I honestly didn't read the whole thing myself. There is a link to a cool video to watch though