God of War: Ghost of Sparta (PSP) Review

This is possibly the best God of War on any platform.  Just getting that shit out of the way right at the start.
Ready at Dawn, creators of the first God of War for PSP, return once again to take on arguably the biggest action franchise of this and the past generation.  The trademark of the God of War series is large, fantastic environments, mythology and shed-loads of gut ripping, head tearing violence.
Ready at Dawn manage to deliver on all these fronts with spectacular ease.  But there are flies in this otherwise ludicrously smooth honey.
First and foremost this title takes place between God of War and God of War 2.  It serves to fill in a lot of the back story of Kratos and why exactly he is such a sour-puss. Plagued by the distressing images and memories of his mortal life, Kratos the god is given the chance to discover more about these troubling images and seek out his long lost brother.
Ready at Dawn had made it clear they were done with the PSP after GoW : Chains of Olympus shipped.  They stated that they had wrung ever ounce of power out of the shiny black rectangle and sent their dev kits back.  Luckily for all PSP owners they decided to give it one last stab and have managed something quite spectacular on the little device.

Let’s face it, the PSP is now end of life right?  And just like God of War 2 did on the PS2 this game shows just how powerful the system now is.  The game is drop dead gorgeous and not just for a handheld.  This gives the best looking PS2 and Wii titles a real run for their money.  So much is crammed on to the little screen with huge environments, silky smooth animation, rapid framerate, bloom, particles, lava flows, water – the list is endless.  It really is a masterpiece of engineering that Ready at Dawn should be very proud of.
Sound design is almost as spectacular as the lush visuals.  In fact the rolling audio landscapes add immeasurably to the aesthetics of the game.  Even the voice acting has been stepped up a notch from the last handheld outing with most putting in a fine performance.
Gameplay wise very little has changed in this franchise from its inception.  A few extra moves or weapons here and there is about as much as you get.  God of War : Ghost of Sparta is no real exception to this rule with it adding just one new weapon and a couple of magical attacks to the mix.  The only other real change to the gameplay is a move away from some of those irritating cog/column/gear based puzzles that drive you balmy.  In its place they have put slide based sequences that help you rapidly transfer from environments.  Simply hitting a slope you will slide down them until an onscreen prompt appears.  A simple button press performs some tasty acrobatics.  Anyone familiar with Tomb Raider Underworld or the newer Prince of Persia titles will know this technique well.

Combat is slick, fast and brutally satisfying.  The game looks gorgeous, sounds gorgeous and sticks true to a very tried and tested formula.  But this is not the best aspect of Ghost of Sparta.  The best aspect is that Ready at Dawn have done what San Diego studios should of done with GoW 3 – fill out Kratos’ character and give us a believable story arc.  This game finally makes Kratos more than a two-dimensional character.  Yes he’s angry, yes he like to rage bloody revenge against the gods.  This time he also shows understanding, depth and at times compassion.  These are things that should have been taken to the table during God of War 3.
There are a few problems inherent with the formula.  The fixed camera is still a complete bitch at times and leads to many of the deaths you encounter.  There are also a few times when the controls seem determined to work against you.  The biggest problem that God of War : Ghost of Sparta has is that it’s more of the same.  If you’re looking to further the adventures of Kratos then this is the title for you.  If you’ve yet to get your fill of this franchise or gameplay style then you’re in for a real treat.

Final Thoughts
God of War : Ghost of Sparta is a technical marvel.  You are more likely to find rocking horse poop than you are a better looking PSP title.  The gameplay is tried, tested and super fun, if a little formulaic.  This is going to go down as PSPs greatest technical achievement and will form the basis of its swansong.  A great game, and at the price it’s essential for all PSP owners of requisite age.