Video Game Review: God of War - Ghost of Sparta

Article first published as PSP Review: God of War - Ghost of Sparta on Blogcritics.

Sony's Greek God of Cash is back in action as Kratos returns to the PSP in God of War: Ghost of Sparta. A prequel (and kind of a sequel) that is set between God of War and God of War 2.

This time, Kratos, now the God of War and the titular Ghost of Sparta, is raging (still) against all sorts of mythological enemies in search of his long lost brother, Deimos, whom he believed was dead all these years.

Ghost of Sparta is an origin story where Kratos faces the demons of his past to learn the truth about the fate of his brother. Don't worry, those gods have plenty of tricks up their sleeves and there are a few good surprises in store.

Ghost of Sparta is certainly a God of War game through and through. There's really not much new here outside of some fighting mechanic tweaks, ground attacks and aerial attacks mainly. If you take anything away from this make it this: Ghost of Sparta is a hell of a lot of fun to play.

Having played some of Kratos' earlier adventures, I knew some of Kratos' story going in, but you do learn more here.  Ghost of Sparta delves deeper into his mythology and expands upon the character, giving some more depth beyond the Angry Guy motif he has sported previously.

Still, those looking for any kind of real change here will be disappointed. It's God of War. Period. It's all here though: gorgeous visuals (which I was shocked by considering that this is a hand-held system), fun gameplay, puzzles, blood, sex, blood, gods, blood, and plenty of slicing and dicing. The story itself is rather good as is the story for most of these games.  Initially I sort of pushed this franchise aside as hack/slash popcorn fluff but to be honest, they're quite surprising in terms of story quality and Ghost of Sparta is no exception.

As with the mechanics, gameplay is pretty much in line here with the other titles in the franchise. You get some new powers and weapons like "Thera's Bane" which allows you to ignite the Blades of Athena, but it is still pretty much God of War through and through. No true innovation here just straight up GoW. But to be honest, in this case more of the same is completely okay. A great story, fun gameplay, incredible boss battles, nudity, what else can one ask for?

Despite the lack of innovation, Ghost of Sparta is surely one of the best PSP games available.  It's a lot of fun and a sure fire hit for fans and new comers alike.

It's already won numerous awards from E3 and is sure to rack up more than a few Best of the Year awards as well.

God of War: Ghost of Sparta

Pop Culture Beast Rating:   

10/10