God of War: Ghost of Sparta Game Review

God of War is one of Sony's most successful game franchises, it's also responsible for one of the most vicious game characters of all time, Kratos. We all know Kratos accidently killed his wife and child in service to the gods but we can't help wonder where the rest of his hatred and rage came from. God of War: Ghost of Sparta does a great job of adding much needed depth to Kratos's character while delivering one of the most fun and beautiful gaming experiences on the PSP.

God of War: Ghost of Sparta picks up right where God of War ends and focuses on the gap between God of War and God of War II. Kratos is sitting upon his newly claimed throne, looking as grumpy as ever. Not only is he haunted by the memories of his past but now he is having a strange vision of an old woman lying sick on a slab of stone. Kratos is convinced he can change this vision and sets off for Atlantis on a quest that will eventually take him back to his home of Sparta and into the realm of Thanatos, God of Death.

Ghost of Sparta is by far the best looking game on the PSP, it is even more impressive visually than most PS2 games. The game manages to bring the world alive with the beautiful backdrops that feature constant rain, cascading water, and lava. Kratos looks as good as ever, you can truly appreciate the level of detail in him as the developers rebuilt his character model from the ground up just for this game. Expect to see Kratos bathed in blood much like in God of War 3.

There are no changes to the traditional God of War gameplay, nothing new or unique has been added. This however is not a bad thing as the God of War franchise has already perfected it's gameplay and nothing needs improved. You will spend your time decapitating enemies, solving light puzzles, and platforming your way through the world. The only real change is the addition of a new weapon and two new magical attacks.

Kratos starts the game equip with the blades of Athena, which function the same way as the blades in all other games (including special moves). However you can unlock something called "Thera's Bane" which adds fire to the blades. This function acts similar to "Rage of Sparta" in God of War 3. You can activate or deactivate this at any time, there is a meter which will replenish over time. Thera's Bane is not only a new attack which adds an increase to the attack's power, it is also required in the game to complete such tasks as, destroying doors, breaking obstacles and defeating certain enemies.

The other weapon you acquire in the game is the classic spear and shield, known as the Arms of Sparta. This is different from any other weapon in the God of War franchise, the spear can be used at distance or up close with a session of jabs. You can also throw the spear to deal with enemies in the distance. The shield is not only for blocking, it can also be slammed into enemies, it can also be used to protect Kratos from blizzards and fire, yes you can move with the shield now.

The two new magic attacks in the game are the Eye of Atlantis and the Scourge of Erinys. The Eye of Atlantis is just a traditional lightning attack and really isn't anything new or unique. The Scourge of Erinys however is much more creative, it's a ball of energy which sucks enemies into it, sometimes delivering a green orb (Health orb) to Kratos.

Ghost of Sparta is just as bloody, brutal, and gruesome as any other game in the series. The voice acting and music are just as impressive and fit perfectly with this games mood and tone. The game also comes with the most ridiculous sex mini game the franchise has seen so far in which swarms of woman will jump into the action. There are also more gigantic bosses to topple in this game. This hand-held version of the popular franchise manages to capture the sense of scale that the console versions are well known for much better that the Chains of Olympus, the previous PSP God of War game.

After you complete the game there are a number of challenges that open up, as well as the Temple of Zeus, where players can sacrifice red orbs to purchase concept art, videos, and enemies to battle in the Combat Arena. The Combat Arena is a free-play mode which lets players customize a number of options before brutally beating the life out of enemies.

Improvements have been made on the Chains of Olympus such as showing button prompts on the side of the screen, corresponding to the PSP's button placement. The analog nub is also used less in quick time events reducing the level of frustration felt in the previous PSP game. Loading times are still non-existent, however there are a few moments during gameplay when the game will pause to load a new area.

What Ghost of Sparta manages to achieve more than any other game in the franchise is to make Kratos more than just a two-dimensional character. He is still full of rage but this time we get to see his regret and even some compassion as he thank's the Spartan soldiers who served him. The surprising thing is Zeus plays no part in this game, instead the game focuses on the lesser known mythological names which is quite refreshing for the series.

The camera angles are still fairly frustrating and need to be improved. The game also fails to add any challenging puzzles like "Hera's Garden" in God of War 3 which is very disappointing.

Overall the developers at Ready at Dawn managed to top what was a great PSP title in Chains of Olympus. Ghost of Sparta improves in just about every aspect of the game and provides the most beautiful experience on a PSP to date. Gameplay is solid as ever just like any other God of War game and the sense of scale we love in the console games is finally recognized in this hand-held game. The game doesn't do enough new creative thing's though to be anything more than another God of War game which is a shame, but fans of the series will be thrilled with this latest journey in the life of Kratos.

God of War: Ghost of Sparta is a great game, but nothing unique 8/10