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Ready at Dawn talks abandoning the PSP, piracy and being original
When it comes to developer Ready at Dawn, creating games for the PSP is just so last week. But while the company has closed the book on any PSP aspirations, going so far as to mail its entire stock of dev kits back to Sony, the developer of both Daxter and God of War: Chains of Olympus has played the reason for abandoning PSP development close to its chest.It's a mystery, but mysteries give us headaches, so we tracked down Ready At Dawn's president, Didier Malenfant, to find out why exactly the studio has turned up its nose at developing for Sony's sexed-up portable. "We feel like we've done everything we wanted to do with the PSP," admitted the exec. "We have new projects on other platforms and we like to focus on one thing at a time." Even so, Didier championed the state of PSP development, stating matter-of-factly "Good games sell. Who would have thought?"
Nega-review: God of War: Chains of Olympus
"Chains of Olympus doesn't quite live up to the other God of War games." (4) "Ready at Dawn didn't mess with the franchise's proven formula whatsoever, which is ... one of our ... gripes for the game." (3) "Gameplay-wise, nothing much has changed ... You still run around and beat the beejezus [sic] out of enemies and then meet up with the occasional boss fight." (5) "I wish that Ready at Dawn had added something new the canon rather than just re-using what's been done in the past." (7)"The game feels a bit too familiar ... [and] at times you do feel like you've played the game before." (7) That said, "the game is missing some of the features from other God of War games. ... you won't find the ability to use your blades on grappling points, the Icarus Wings, Rage of the Gods, rope traversal, rope swinging, a fourth magic, etc." (4) "I find myself disappointed ... that the game doesn't quite have the same feeling of showing you something new around every corner that the previous games did." (4) "The game is also brutally linear: you're constantly running from point A to point B, stopping to administer the occasional beatdown." (5) It could also be described as "a very linear experience, (3) that "may be a touch linear." (9) "Toward the end, combat got pretty repetitious, relying really heavily on the mechanic of blocking you into a room and not letting you out until you finished taking down the waves of enemies." (1) "It would have been nice to have seen a little experimentation here or there to mix things up. (3) "Altogether, ... the game feels like a bit less of an adventure and more of a straightforward action game." (4)
God of War III confirmed on Chains of Olympus manual
We know that most of you haven't read an instruction manual since the days of Gyromite -- not that we can judge you. Aside from the occasional steamy Sonic the Hedgehog fanfiction, we try to avoid video game literature as well. Lucky for us, IGN recently cracked the narrow spine of the God of War: Chains of Olympus instruction manual and discovered this treat on the back cover -- an advertisement for a new God of War game for the PS3, presumably the third chapter in the series.While the series' tremendous sales success and God of War II's cliffhanger ending didn't leave much room for doubt that the threequel was on it's way, we didn't think we'd be hearing from our good pal Kratos so "soon" after the release of Chains. Ah, well; no rest for the familicidal, as they say.
God of War: Chains of Olympus goes gold
We typically don't do posts when games go gold, but Ready at Dawn's declaration that God of War: Chains of Olympus is ready to print on UMDs has two things going for it. First, GoW: Chains of Olympus is arguably the most high-profile PSP release outside Japan EVAR. Second, well, there are just some awesomely fun photos of the team's celebration after the game was finally done.Ready at Dawn's jamboree also means that Chains of Olympus should most definitely make its March 4 release date. Don't have a PSP and still need to get your Kratos on? If the rumor mill holds true the game will see its day on the PS2 at some point in the future. Congrats to the team at Ready at Dawn, may your hangovers be kind and gentle.[Via PSP Fanboy]%Gallery-3184%
Rumor: PSP God of War being ported to PS2
Although EGM's Quarterman rumor column in the March issue whispers sweet nothings about Dead Rising 2 and a PS2 Wiimote, the most credible rumor is that God of War: Chains of Olympus may be heading to PS2. EGM's resident man of mystery writes that Chains of Olympus may head to the PS2 later down the line, sometime after its release on PSP. It's worth wondering how much of this is rumor reporting, as opposed to "common expectation" at this point.Many high-profile PSP games have made the jump to PS2 in recent years, and GoW: Chains of Olympus could certainly fit that category. Just recently, Silent Hill Origins and Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters made the leap from portable to big screen. We'll be sure to welcome Kratos from a safe distance if he ever decides to make the jump.
GOW:COO-SE:BOADD now shipping
The wait is finally over ... for your demo. As promised, God of War: Chains of Olympus - Special Edition: Battle of Attica Demo Disc -- or simply, 'GoWCoOSEBoADD' -- has been pressed, printed, and popped in the mail. In just a matter of days you'll be tearing off the plastic seal and enjoying a full fifteen minutes of gameplay! But don't rush it -- you gotta make this one last. March 4th is still 158 days away.
Cyclops gets murdered in today's GoW vid
Yet another interview surfaced from GameSpot today, showing off even more enemies in Ready at Dawn's upcoming God of War: Chains of Olympus. Yes, you'll have to sit through some obvious moments of marketing propaganda, but chances are: you'll like it. Once again, you must be 17 years or older to see this new footage, featured after the break.[Thanks, PSP_Amigo!]
Kratos fights Persian King in brutal new video
Spoiler alert? The upcoming God of War: Chains of Olympus demo disc will feature an absolutely gory battle with the Persian King (video embedded, after the break). In this Gamespot preview, we see that the graphics, the voice acting, and the violence have all been retained from the PS2 original. It's exciting to see a small glimpse of the upcoming game (dated for a March release), but those that don't want to ruin the experience may want to look away.This is an M-rated game, and you must be 17 years or older to watch the video.[Thanks, PSP_Amigo!]
God of War: Chains of Olympus UMD-capitates March 4, '08
Kratos gets ready to break free from the Chains of Olympus on March 4, 2008 according to Gamespot. They were given the information while on a visit to developer Ready at Dawn today. The game still has no price or rating, but thank Olympus we can finally grasp a release date. Hopefully the launch of God of War: Chains of Olympus will herald the God of War III announcement.Ready at Dawn is also aware that March is a long way off. Beyond the game's demo releasing sometime this month, which we had a chance to get some hands-on with at E3, those who already signed up for the demo on the official website will receive "a special-edition demo UMD containing a portion of a playable level as well as additional content, including a behind-the-scenes video of the game's development." Those who didn't sign up for the demo UMD can get their hands on a standard demo featuring only the level portion later this year. Although we're a little bummed that Chains of Olympus won't be out this year, at this point we take games coming out early '08 as a blessing.%Gallery-3184%
God of War: Chains of Olympus hits March 4th
Gamespot is reporting that God of War: Chains of Olympus will hit store shelves on March 4th, 2008. No price or ESRB rating has been announced yet. This prequel to the original God of War seems like a far away release, but thankfully, the UMD demo coming this month with its new unseen level will help pass the time. And if you're not getting that demo in the mail, one (which may or may not be the same as the UMD) will be available on the Internet, and of course, hosted in our demo section as well.
Downloadable God of War demo will also be available
What if you didn't get selected to receive the upcoming God of War UMD demo disc? Don't worry! YourPSP will be hosting a downloadable demo, at least according to German Dutch OPM (as discovered by PSP Demo Center's Benjami). Whether or not it will have the same content as the upcoming disc demo is unclear, but this should come as good news for those that weren't eligible for the limited edition demo. And as always, once the demo goes live, PSP Fanboy will also be hosting it for you.[Thanks, phinal!]
God of War demo disc to feature unrevealed level
The press has only played one level from God of War: Chains of Olympus. Whether at E3 or PAX, Ready at Dawn has been incredibly secretive of its PSP exclusive title. For once, gamers will have the first look at the game, able to see a never-before-revealed level, the Cave of Eos. "In this level, the player is introduced to Eos, the goddess of Dawn. She will reveal events of the story that will lead you further in your quest, but getting to her is no easy task. You will have to defeat a multitude of enemies to progress, one of which is a new take on a God of War classic, the blood-lusting Minotaur. The rewards awaiting you are a new magic granted by Eos that adds to the vast array of mechanics Kratos already posses. But to advanced to the end of the level, Kratos will have to prove himself by using his new abilities to solve a challenge so deadly it could have only been created by the Gods of Olympus."We can't wait. The demo is unleashed to the world later this month.
God of War: Chains of Olympus called best of LGC07
The Leipzig Games Convention has come and gone, and the critics agree: God of War: Chains of Olympus is the best PSP game on the show floor. The jury stated "'God of War' elevates the action genre to an art form, including on the PlayStation Portable: where other titles descend into brutish slaughter, God of War lends the battlefield a sombre beauty."Chains of Olympus should be ready some time next year.
GoW: Chains of Olympus delayed until Q1 2008 [Update]
Fresh from Leipzig, Sony has announced a delay for their highly anticipated title, God of War: Chains of Olympus. Originally expected to ship before Christmas as part of the holiday rush, the title has been pushed back until early 2008. Annoyingly, this comes less than three weeks after Ready at Dawn confirmed that God of War was on track for a holiday release.No reason was given for the delay, but if they need more time to polish up Kratos' newest adventure -- it's worth waiting a couple more months. Plus we get a demo in September to keep us happy anyway, so it won't be an entirely Spartan-free Christmas.[Update: Ready at Dawn responds: "I'm not really sure where this is coming from since we have not announced a date for God of War: Chains of Olympus for the North American marketplace yet. So I would say this falls into the rumor and speculation category."]
Chains of Olympus will "change the course of the GoW mythology"
A lot of random snippets of information was released in today's chat with the God of War: Chains of Olympus development team. In the chat held for fans, Ready at Dawn revealed a few facts about the game: The game is still on track for a Winter release. Set ten years before the original God of War, Kratos will meet many characters from the previous PS2 God of War titles through his adventure. After the murder of his family, Kratos renounces his service to Ares, and he decides to serve the other gods of Olympus to try and rid him of his nightmares. Voice actors from previous games will return in Chains of Olympus. Linda Hunt will return to narrate the game. "You will have multiple weapons with a new twist on how they integrate into the storyline." The game has been in development since Daxter shipped. The game will have counter attacks -- but whether or not it will be similar to God of War II's Golden Fleece was not revealed.
Get your Qs ready: God of War chat scheduled for Friday
Those lucky enough to participate in the upcoming God of War chat should have received an email with further details. In attendance will be Ready at Dawn's Dana Jan, Garret Foster, Marc Turndorf and Ru Weerasuriya.The chat is scheduled for this Friday at 4PM PST (7PM EST). Obviously, you'll want to get there early if you want the best (virtual) seats in the house. If for some reason, you can't attend, you can also submit questions via e-mail at: playstation_community_support @ playstation.sony.com.We love what Sony's doing for its rabid God of War fan base. We'll be there, just like you, eyes glued to the answers that the Ready at Dawn team will provide. See you there.
Bringing the epic God of War to PSP
It wasn't an easy task bringing God of War to the handhelds. A brand new engine (Ready at Dawn Engine 2.0) had to be created, and the controls had to be adapted to a whole new system. Our time with the game at E3 proved that Ready at Dawn has been successful in recreating the God of War experience on the handheld ... but how did they do it? This new video documentary provided by Sony attempts to go behind the scenes of the game, and showcases tons of new gameplay footage.[Thanks, Random!] Download MP4 for PSP
God of War team prepares live chat for fans
Ready at Dawn, the developers of the upcoming PSP-exclusive God of War: Chains of Olympus, is preparing a special treat for those that have been selected to receive the playable UMD demo. The developers are planning a special live chat with their fans. However, they'd like to remind fans that they'll need a PlayStation.com user ID before July 30th to participate.Details of the chat are still forthcoming, but be sure that we'll have all the information here on PSP Fanboy when it goes live.
Hands-on: God of War: Chains of Olympus
September can't come soon enough. That's when the public will be able to get their hands on the incredible God of War: Chains of Olympus demo that we got to play at E3. The game is everything a God of War fan could possible want: beautiful, gory, and utterly exhilarating.The controls are incredible intuitive, and it was within mere seconds that we were able to start pulling off combos and dodges with relative ease. Kratos' basic moves return unchanged, but there are a few new special attacks, exclusive for the PSP edition. We were surprised to see the dodge return, in spite of the second analog stick. In order to jump out of an enemy's way, pressing down on both shoulder buttons whilst using the analog nub will allow Kratos to jump away. It's surprisingly intuitive and easy to use.It should go without saying that the game is beautiful, taking advantage of all 333MHz the system has to offer. It is everything a PS2 God of War game should be ... but on a handheld. And knowing Ready at Dawn, we knew they'd be able to pull it off.%Gallery-3212%
God of War e-mail treats fans to concept art
Sony has just sent an e-mail to members of the PlayStation Underground, with an exclusive piece of concept art and a new screenshot. Ru Weerasuriya, director of Chains of Olympus, mused over developing the title:"It's no easy task bringing God of War to the PSP. Fans have come to expect these huge landscapes, complex gameplay, and visceral combat that God of War I and II gave them. To bring that same experience on the PSP, we are pushing the hardware further than ever before. We're really pleased with what we have so far but we're not done yet. We still have a few tricks up our sleeves. I'm also really proud of the story of Chains of Olympus and I can assure you that there'll be some mind-bending puzzles in there for you guys."While it's true that this doesn't provide us with any new details on the game, we're pleased that Sony is still reaching out to its most dedicated fans. We're confident that Ready at Dawn will produce a title of the same magnitude as its console brethren, and hope to get some play time at E3.%Gallery-3212%
