Army of Two better for one; God of War: Chains of Olympus is unbound

Army for one

As strange as it sounds, Army of Two is better when played alone. Playing the co-op war shooter with a friend sitting by your side means a split-screen quagmire created by the game dividing your widescreen TV horizontally, so each player gets a narrow view of the action. (There is no way to change the direction of the cut for a better look.) The view online is better, however, because each gamer gets a full display of the action.

Oh, but then there are the controls. Functions aren’t easily accessed and get frustrating fast. Also, the camera controls are so touch-sensitive that the slightest push of the control stick sends the view spinning. Try calmly pushing the stick around to see where the enemies are during an intense firefight; it’s nearly impossible.

The story is decent -- armies have been replaced by “private contractors” hired to carry out maneuvers for cash -- and the graphics look about as nice as you’d expect. It’s a shame the game fails because of its lackluster controls.

Grade: C (could have and should have been better).

Details: Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 platforms; $59.99; rated Mature (blood, intense violence, strong language).

God of War reigns supreme

God of War: Chains of Olympus is perfection on the PlayStation Portable.

Our biggest complaint of the previous two God of War installments for the PS2 was the lack of camera control. Too often enemies attacked from off-camera and there was no way to see what was going on. (This was done in an effort to pump as many pixels into what could be seen, making God of War one of the best-looking games of that generation.)

Luckily, at least in this case, the PSP has no second stick to control a view, eliminating the problem. It also seems like in this adventure, most of the little nooks and crannies that were so easy to get lost in have been eliminated.

What’s left is the same great adults-only action of the baldheaded warrior Kratos, perfectly translated to the PSP, complete with a gripping new story. (In addition to the standard blood and gore, God of War has nudity and sex, making it unsuitable for kids.) From battling giant monsters to solving problems to hacking and slashing enemy after enemy, all from the palms of your hands, God of War is the kind of game every (adult) PSP owner should have.

Grade: A+ (one of the all-time top five games for the PSP).

Details: PSP platform; $39.99; rated Mature (blood and gore, intense violence, nudity, sexual content).