Recently I purchased and subsequently beat God of War: Ghost of Sparta for the PSP. This is the second of the God of War PSP games, and is made by Ready at Dawn Studios. It takes place between the first and second God of War games for the Playstation 2. A brief summary of the events of Ghost of Sparta are as follows: Kratos, having vanquished Ares, is now the new God of War, yet he is still plagued by visions of his past, most particularly of his brother Deimos, long presumed dead. Turns out, that's not really the case. And so, in typical Kratos fashion, he decides that the best way to make sense of these memories is to hack, slash, and murder his way to the truth, defying gods, monsters, and anyone else in his path. Along the way, Kratos discovers more about his destiny and his ultimate role in the games and machinations of the gods of Olympus...and to put it mildly, he's not too happy about it. He vows to destroy the gods for what they did to him and his family, and he won't stop until all of Olympus is consumed.
In terms of graphics, Ghost of Sparta looks pretty good. Granted, its on the PSP, but it takes full advantage of the processing power of the PSP and as such it looks alright. I would have preferred that the images be a little more crisp, but then I'm used to the graphics of say the 360 or PS3. That being said, Ghost of Sparta looks much better than the God of War: Chains of Olympus, the first God of War game on the PSP. The character models are rendered nicely, and you can actually see what the enemies look like, even on the small PSP screen. Kratos' facial animations are good and responsive, though they are all just variations of "rage". Because we are talking about the graphics of an older handheld game, I'm going to be a little more lenient in my scoring of the graphics and give it a 3/5. It looks good, but for someone used to the graphics of higher powered gaming machines, its still a little lackluster.
The gameplay in Ghost of Sparta is on par with the rest of the God of War games. Kratos is still a brutal combatant who uses devastating executions and merciless tactics on the myriad enemies who come after him. There are still puzzles and platforming elements in this game just like all the others, but they seem a little too easy. In general, its a lot of the same stuff in the original God of War games: more hacking and slashing, more puzzles, more platforming, and the obligatory sex minigame (which, I have to admit, is one of the best things about the God of War series). About the only changes in this game are the weapons and items that Kratos finds. One example is the Arms of Sparta, a spear and shield combo used by the Spartans in ancient Greece. As Kratos IS a Spartan, this makes perfect sense. I found myself using the Arms of Sparta a lot once I got them, mainly because it felt like something new and not the same Blades of Athena that Kratos always uses. Another example is Erinys' Bane, which is basically a black hole that you can throw around. I used this a lot too, because it was helpful and it was new. Other than the new weapons and items, and the new executions, its exactly the same as the other God of War games. I give Ghost of Sparta a 3.5/5 for gameplay.
The sound in Ghost of Sparta is...alright. Again, its a lot of the same as the other games, which is to be expected. Kratos' screams and yells and rage noises are still here, and done well enough for the small speakers of the PSP. The voices of all of the characters are the same as the other games, so that is at least a plus. The growls, snarls and screams of the monsters are also done well, and the music is as good as the other games. Not much innovation here either, but I guess there is not much to be changed with something that is already pretty good. I give Ghost of Sparta a 4/5 for sound.
In summary, Ghost of Sparta is a good addition to the God of War series, and I'd recommend giving it a shot. It does plug up a few holes in the story between the first two games, and it reveals more of Kratos' past for those who care about that sort of thing. I mainly play games for the story, so I thought it was good that they addressed these concerns. So if you've got a PSP, I'd recommend giving this game a try. You might be pleasantly surprised. As added incentive, there is also a God of War collection for the PS3 that contains all of the games, remastered and remade to take advantage of the processing power of the PS3, so if you don't have a PSP but have a PS3, then I'd get that. Until next time!
-P.S. I apologize for the rushed nature of this post, but I'm tired. Cut me some slack people! I kid.
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