It looks like the PlayStation 2 editions. It plays like the PlayStation 2 editions. And considering that the PSP is, well, portable, that's a pretty impressive feat.

But at the same time, the handheld title's similarities to the PlayStation 2 editions create some problems, especially for series veterans. While it's nice to have God of War on the go, it's hard to shake the feeling that you've played it all before. Keep reading...

No additional details were provided on the title, which was hypothetically mentioned by God of War II (PS2) director Cory Barlog during a launch party for the sequel last spring, and then confirmed after Barlog left SCEA in the fall.

"If we were to do a God of War III [on PS3], then it would finish this massive story," Barlog said during the launch event. "We've always imagined God of War as a trilogy, but the PSP game very much ties into it."

The tease of another God of War title within the packaging of the series' latest entry continues a tradition that began with God of War II, the manual of which confirmed the long-rumored PSP edition. However, the God of War PS3 ad fails to specify a tentative date as the PSP one did.

Developed by Ready at Dawn with the participation of SCE Santa Monica staff, God of War: Chains of Olympus, the franchise's first PSP outing, ships to North American retailers on March 4.

The Limited-Edition God of War PSP Entertainment Pack will be priced at $199.99, and include a copy of God of War: Chains of Olympus, a Deep Red PSP emblazoned with the visage of Kratos himself, and a few things Sony had laying around the house--namely a Superbad UMD and a voucher for the PlayStation Network title Syphon Filter: Combat Ops.

The bundle goes on sale in June, so those wanting to pick up a PSP before the March 4 release date of Chains of Olympus will be facing a dilemma. Either way, check out a few shots of the Kratos-branded PSP below.

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With 75 images to peruse, these should keep you entertained until the March 4 release date of the Kratos-starring prequel. And if you click fast enough, it actually looks like a video. (Hint: Click in reverse for a secret message from Satan.)

"This team is ready to move onto something pretty big, and we've been planning it for quite a while, and this team needs to show what they're capable of doing on next-gen or current-gen, which ever word you want to call it," God of War: Chains of Olympus director Ru Weerasuriya told 1UP.

Weerasuriya is most likely referring to the new intellectual propety the company mentioned when it hired former Naughty Dog creative director Dan Arey. Ready at Dawn is also known to be porting Clover Studio's fanciful action-adventure game Okami (PS2, Wii) to the Wii.

"We can confirm that Cory Barlog, Game Director for God of War II, is leaving the SCEA SM Studio and we are grateful for his work and creative vision for the critically acclaimed God of War franchise," the spokesperson told 1up. "Moving forward, we are confident in the God of War team, as they are an extremely talented group of people that are passionate about the franchise and dedicated to creating even more epic content with God of War: Chains of Olympus for the PSP and God of War III for PS3."

It's unknown if Barlog and Sony will continue to collaborate, as former SCEA Santa Monica developer and God of War (PS2) creator David Jaffe will with Jaffe's new Sony endorsed studio Eat, Sleep, Play. In an interview with Shacknews earlier this year, Barlog indicated he was happy at SCEA Santa Monica, saying the God of War team was "one of the best teams I've ever worked with" and that he'd like to "continue to make many, many games" with his fellow developers there.

The upcoming God of War: Chains of Olympus for PSP is in development by Daxter (PSP) developer Ready at Dawn Studios and will retail in spring 2008.

"As I type these words, legions of carrier Harpies are being dispatched to deliver the sweet UMD goodness that is God of War: Chains of Olympus – Special edition: Battle of Attica Demo Disc...otherwise know as GOW: COO –SE:BoADD," God of War II director and Chains of Olympus creative director Cory Barlog posted on the official PlayStation blog. "Good god...that is a freaking mouthful, even typing this abbreviated version makes me tired."

The recently delayed God of War: Chains of Olympus now arrives March 4, 2008. For more on the title, dig into our interview and hands-on impressions.

In addition to the demo disc being sent to those who signed up for it earlier this year, the developer revealed that a second UMD demo of the title will be made available. Including gameplay from the game's Cave of Eos section as well as "making-of" footage, Ready at Dawn expects the first demo to ship to selected gamers this month. The other demo, which will not contain the original's special features, will presumably be made available via certain retailers later this year.

The studio has already begun work on a separate original IP and hired on Naughty Dog vet Dan Arey as a new creative director. Shacknews contacted Sony for more information on the delay, but has not yet received a response. To read more about God of War: Chains of Olympus, check out Chris Faylor's aforementioned interview with the Ready at Dawn team.

To me, most (all?) story based games are like taking a trumpet and playing it a little, but also using the brass exterior of the trumpet to carve a story onto a wall. Sure you can do it, and you may even have a nice story scratched onto the wall when you are done. But it’s not really what the trumpet is for and there are a hell of a lot easier ways to write a story. Plus, you’ve got this nice, shiny trumpet- which is now all scratched up- just sitting there, begging to be played, begging to be used as it was intended.
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For the stuff I am directly working on, I am trying to take steps towards more pure game experiences and see what I can do with those. I have to say, I’m having a blast so far.

"I don’t want to tell stories with my games anymore," said Jaffe frankly, admitting that while he is spending plenty of time playing other people's story games, he is also spending more of his time than ever on "casual" games as well as genres such as racing and sports, which put less reliance on any kind of built-in narrative. While Jaffe recently stated that God of War will likely become a trilogy, he is no longer the creative lead on the franchise; rather, it is in the hands of designer Cory Barlog from Jaffe's former studio SCE Santa Monica.

Presumably, Jaffe's next game, publically nothing more than the codename "HL," will be quite distinct from the very presentation-focused cinematic nature of God of War. "Now I just want to do it in a way that celebrates what makes video games great, versus taking elements from other media and trying to squish those elements into a product that- if you do everything right- MIGHT just have one tenth the emotional impact as what you can get from more traditional media (like film, tv, or books).

Jaffe's comments encapsulate a long running debate regarding the nature of games, and the appropriateness of narrative and other generally non-interactive elements as opposed to a stronger focus on gameplay. Perhaps not coincidentally, Jaffe along with gameplay-uber-alles designer Will Wright, well known Epic designer CliffyB, and former ION Storm designer Harvey Smith, recently participated in a developer roundtable which touched on, among other things, that very issue.

In the game, players can unleash the power of the Gods and embark on a merciless quest as Kratos, an ex-Spartan warrior driven to destroy Ares, the God of War. Armed with lethal double chainblades, Kratos must carve through mythology's darkest creatures-- including Medusa, Cyclops, the Hydra and more, while solving intricate puzzles in breathtaking environments. Driven by pure revenge, nothing can stop Kratos from achieving absolution.