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Prove your phalanx skills in ‘March to Glory’

First, you have to accept that the odds are insurmountable.

Then, you have to thrive on lopping off heads, dismembering the enemy and dealing out death by the ton, all just to save your honor. Otherwise, don’t even bother picking up “300: March to Glory.”

The new hack-’n’-slash movie spin-off, available now for the PlayStation Portable, follows the quest of King Leonidas and his 300 brave Spartan soldiers as they march to certain doom against the massive Persian army of Xerxes. The whole thing culminates with the battle of Thermopylae, a narrow mountain pass that decreased the Persians’ numerical advantage, if only slightly.

Despite the odds, Leonidas and company closed with and destroyed many a Persian invader. You don’t have to be a student of history to know how it ends.

As a game, “300” won’t win any awards for originality. Following the basic design of other slasher games, players wander through each level, killing anything that comes near. Mostly, you play as King Leonidas, when you aren’t controlling a phalanx of Spartans marching in formation, with shield and spears at the ready, preparing to take on an angry mob or rampaging war elephant.

The game evokes memories of another famous video game Spartan, Kratos from “God of War.” Every bit as bloody and vicious as the PlayStation 2 hit, “300” borrows from that game in other areas, such as allowing characters to collect new combos to deal out deadlier blows. There are also puzzles and mini-bosses, although both pale in comparison to those found in “God of War.”

But considering the limitations of the tiny PSP versus those of a full-blown console, “300” takes a little and gives a lot. That you are entirely able to forget it is a handheld game speaks volumes.

If there is a flaw to be found, it’s that Leonidas is rarely able to interact with his environment. He doesn’t jump, and he can’t smash the crates and barrels scattered around the battle space. There are no power-ups or magic elixirs, save for a precious few glowing Greek letters that refill Leonidas’ health and wrath meters.

Wrath is also earned by killing enemies, and a full wrath bar allows the Spartan to unleash one of four battle skills, such as the berserker rage of Blood Drunk or the health-replenishing Fortitude.

Other small touches add detail and flourish not usually found on a PSP game. Occasionally, the Persian army will unleash a volley of arrows that darkens the sky, a signal for Leonidas to duck under the cover of his shield while the unlucky enemies around him die at the hands of their own men. There is also occasion to perform stealth attacks, in which Leonidas creeps up behind an unsuspecting sentry and decapitates him in dramatic fashion.

The graphics in “300” borrow from the Frank Miller graphic novel that inspired the film, and watching the game’s dramatic cut scenes is nothing short of seeing those pages spring to life. In gaming mode, heads roll, arms fly, and blood squirts far and wide, earning “300” a much deserved Mature rating.

As far as PSP games go, “300” is a solid play, easily worth $30. We’ve had much less fun with plenty of hi-def, next-generation games that cost twice as much.

And in the end, knowing that you can’t ultimately beat the long odds isn’t really a big distraction. Sometimes it’s not where you go but how you get there.

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