From the Vault — originally published December 29, 2010. Some links, videos or prices may be out of date.
God of War: Ghost of Sparta is the sixth installment in the God of War series. This game takes place immediately after the first God of War game and before God of War II begins. This game begins immediatly after Kratos kills Ares in the first game. This game gives insight into Kratos’ background as you seek out his mother and also his brother who is imprisoned and tortured by the god of death, Thanatos.
In many ways I felt like this was a more fun game to play than God of War III. The pacing of this game is superb. The puzzles although almost too easy was well mixed with the traversal, platforming and the sealed off combat scenarios.
The game places the scripted action scenes in just the right places to keep your attention. Players slide down ropes zip line style, walk across beams, swim, and swing into new areas or dive while falling to catch and kill enemys.
The story tops the God of War III plotline for sure. In Ghost of Sparta you get more insight into Kratos and what motivates him. Some of devices used in this game I think should have been used more in other God of War games. One of my complaints about God of War games in general is that its mostly a one note affair.
That one note being: KRATOS MAD! It’s good to see some context to his unwavering rage.
There are flashbacks that you play out controlling a young Kratos that gives insight on to his early life. There are also other sequences where you visit Sparta and observe Spartans as they interact with Kratos. You cannot attack in this sequence and its very akin to when you visit the Village in Uncharted 2 (where you can play with the kids).
The graphics are top notch and one of the best on the PlayStation Portable. This is one of the few games that does truly feel like a true portable version of a game. It does not feel dumbed down to fit on the PSP at all. It feels shrunk down but not scaled back.
The scale that is a God of War trademark is still present. The camera zooms in and out just like the console versions to show the size of the places you visit. Ghost of Sparta has the signature fixed camera and large environments. The fixed camera is a welcome feature for this portable game. No need to worry about using face buttons on the PSP for camera adjustment. Dodging is still done by holding down both shoulder buttons and pressing the analog in the direction you would like to dodge and dodging is fine once you get the hang of it.
The secondary weapon was a slight disappointment in this game. The “Gauntlet of Zeus” weapon in God of War Chains of Olympus was much more fun to use. In Ghost of Sparta me you eventually get the “Arms of Sparta” which is a spear and shield. The spear acts like a bow and arrow of sorts and the shield can be used against environmental hazards.
The character and level designs, and brutality animations are done very well. Also the timing on the quick time events are generous enough in the normal difficulty mode to not annoy players.
The combat is still true to the series and as in other games you unlock upgrades to weapons and upgrades to magic by spending you red orb points you find and earn from kills on upgrades in the select/pause menu.
With a campaign I was able to beat in about 7 hours, God of War: Ghost of Sparta is a very fun game and highly recommended. Surely one of the best games on the PSP. Great sound, graphics, decent story, and overall was great ride. Highly recommended to fans of the series and genre.
