God of War: Ghost of Sparta - Longplay | PSP
God of War: Ghost of Sparta - Longplay | PSP
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When God of War III ended, Kratos’s story was finished – at least for the time being, what with Olympus in ruins and his revenge finally complete. But the ending still left a big plot thread hanging, one that began in the hidden recesses of the first game and was never pursued: Kratos had a brother. One who’d been snatched away as a child and raised in the underworld. One who, Kratos learns early on in Ghost of Sparta, is still alive.
And with that, we’re plunged headlong into another vicious, rage-fueled stomp through the more monstrous side of Greek mythology, as Kratos travels to Atlantis, Sparta and, finally, to death’s domain (which is separate from Hades, making this the first GoW to not include a trip to Greek hell) in search of his lost brother Deimos. Along the way, we’re treated to flashbacks to Kratos’s childhood that reveal the origins of the bald Spartan’s tattoos and the ragged scar over his right eye, and we’ll ultimately learn why he’s so goddamn furious with the gods at the outset of God of War II.
That setup forms the backdrop for one of the most impressively slick God of War games yet. Ghost of Sparta is unquestionably one of the best-looking, if not the best-looking game on the PSP, and veteran developer Ready at Dawn seems to have used every trick it knows to make the game vivid, smooth and richly detailed. The action is largely unchanged, still balancing occasional platforming and environmental puzzle-solving with gracefully brutal, button-mashy whip-sword hack-and-slash, although Ghost also borrows a few gameplay ideas from God of War III, while introducing a few original touches of its own.
So it’s difficult to say, then, exactly why Ghost of Sparta feels strangely disappointing. It’s not that it’s bad, or even mediocre – this is still every inch a full-blooded God of War game, and it’s still expertly produced, brutal fun. But something about Ghost of Sparta gives the impression that it’s just going through the motions and ticking off boxes of the familiar God of War formula. Expecting an opening sequence built around a lengthy fight with a giant monster? Meet Scylla, a massive sea-beast who repeatedly menaces Kratos throughout the first chapter. Enjoy pulling off Kratos’s balletic, button-mashy combos? They look exactly the way you remember them. Want to make Kratos get his freak on offscreen? A Spartan brothel gives the series its first implied nine-way.
All the familiar elements are in place, which means we know what we’re getting – but that also means we’ve seen a lot of this stuff (or, at least, things similar to this stuff) before. And the difference is that this time, those elements don’t always feel meaningful to the plot so much as they just feel obligatory. It also doesn’t help that, unlike the other God of War games, Ghost of Sparta suffers from occasional pacing problems, with a few annoyingly awkward balance-beam segments and too-long battles with repetitive enemies breaking up the game’s otherwise brisk tempo.
It’s important to stress that Ghost of Sparta is a great game – it just falls short of its stellar predecessors. It’s also not without uniquely memorable moments; at one point, Kratos takes a casual stroll through Sparta, marking the first time ordinary citizens have cheered and saluted at the sight of him, instead of just running away. At another, he has a lengthy encounter with King Midas that culminates with him beating and dragging the poor, cursed old man to a horrible death just to open the way forward.
God Of War: Ghost Of Sparta Review - PlayStation Universe
If you need a reason to dust off your PSP, or if you aren’t yet hip to Sony’s handheld console, there is yet another title on offer that defines the experience of gaming on the go. There are already plenty of games that show the PSP’s technical prowess, and even more that remind us that gaming is meant to be simple, fun, and accessible. Indeed, no PSP collection would be complete without Ready at Dawn Studios’ God of War: Chains of Olympus, and in their follow-up to this action-packed title, we see the developer has simply outdone itself.
God of War: Ghost of Sparta brings players back into the world of Kratos, the series’ unique take on Greek mythology, and explosive combat. While this latest entry in the series doesn’t quite compare with God of War III in scope, you will still find yoursef immersed once again in the god killer’s epic struggle, and, of course, his insanity and downright moodiness. Ghost of Sparta offers a host of new features, gorgeous and varied settings, and plenty of action to make it worth at least one play-through.
Ghost of Sparta is set between the two PlayStation 2 games, and introduces a new storyline and set of emotions for this otherwise angry brute. Kratos is haunted with ghostly visions of an old woman who appears to be near death. Our anti-hero soon deduces that this individual is none other than his mother, and gets the idea that he can somehow save her, even though these visions are just that — visions. As a result, he leaves his throne and ventures off to Atlantis.
The story is quite good, but as mentioned before, it doesn’t quite hold up to God of War III. Still, the drama that unfolds throughout his journey is thick and full of twists and turns. We’ll do our best not to spoil anything for you, just be aware that the story alone is reason enough to play Ghost of Sparta, but beyond the classic fight-for-your-family plot, the graphics and combat will leave your jaw firmly at the floor in awe.
The game looks great, better than Chains of Olympus. It’s truly amazing to see what the PSP is capable of, and Ghost of Sparta seems to push the limits without creating any technical lag in game. The environments look beautiful, ranging from lava-filled dungeons, to snowy mountains. At times we forgot we were playing a game on a handheld device because there is an enormous amount of detail to tuck in to — look no further than subtleties such as raindrops or snowflakes peppering the screen, all truly amazing. In true God of War fashion, Kratos and his enemies are all highly detailed. Blood bathes Kratos during battles, and you can almost feel the arms getting ripped off of enemies during a QTE. We’ve seen some impressive visual work in other PSP games over the years, but Ghost of Sparta single-handily blows them away.
As in every God of War game, Kratos seems to have lost most of the powers he gained throughout his previous adventures. As such, you’ll start off with the Blades of Athena, essentially the same blades chained to the poor Spartan’s wrists. Not much has changed on the combat front, but the minor updates work very well. For instance, Kratos gets the Thera’s Bane ability, which adds more power to your Blades and lights opponents on fire, which proves most useful against armored foes, who are especially vulnerable to this particular weapon. Luckily, the meter for Thera’s Bane regenerates over time, and it does so fairly quickly.
The application of these abilities also reaches beyond that of combat, as you’ll also need to use them to open certain blocked areas. Ghost of Sparta offers the same basic puzzles we’ve grown accustomed to in the series. Kill this enemy, pick up his body, then drop it on a loose stone switch to open a gate—this is one of the many puzzles that make a return. Needless to say, we are a bit disappointed we didn’t see something a little more substantial put in appearance to test the old grey matter. Indeed, while everything is on a much smaller scale – which makes sense since the game is on the PSP – we feel Ready at Dawn missed a few key opportunities for introducing bigger puzzles.
Kratos has always been angry, from the very first moment we saw him in God of War to the closing moments of God of War III. However, Ghost of Sparta does a great job of opening up some new emotions for the bald and brutal protagonist. It’s almost like a therapy session with a maniac. We learn a lot more about his past, his family, and we even see some compassion for the soldiers who fought under him as he returns to Sparta. We loved seeing this side of Kratos, and we tip our hats to the writers for their hard work.
One thing we noticed is there are not a lot of huge boss battles. This may come as a surprise as the game opens with literally one of the biggest battles in the series. The monster is so big it actually fills your screen and still looks great. Still, besides this and the obligatory epic last battle, there aren’t any other big boss encounters to speak of.
The best part about Ghost of Sparta is the subtlety in the changes and additions. There’s new magic, a new weapon—quite possibly the best second weapon in Kratos’ arsenal—a new story, and better graphics than Chains of Olympus. But, it’s still a God of War game, and although it runs longer than the first PSP version, coming in around seven or eight hours, there isn’t a whole lot of reasons to play it again. There are some items you’ll get that can only be used after you beat the game, and there are some challenge modes, but overall you’ll get your biggest thrills during your first play.
Looking for anything negative to say about the game is tough. It’s not perfect by any means, but any flaws are easily overlooked by the bigger picture—the game looks beautiful, it’s extremely intuitive, and the story is one of the best in the series. We loved seeing this new side of Kratos, and we wish we could see more in the future. Bigger boss battles and more challenging puzzles would have been a welcome addition, but simply getting the chance to play through a new God of War game is fun and exciting enough as it is, and Ghost of Sparta reminds us that we absolutely can’t get enough of Kratos and his bloody adventures.
God Of War: Ghost Of Sparta Second Opinions - IGN
The one-man army that is Kratos is back on the PSP in God of War: Ghost of Sparta, and people are pretty jazzed about it. IGN editor Nicole Tanner tackled Kratos' latest adventure and gave it a 9.5 as well as awarding it the coveted "Editor's Choice" award.Well, today, the other editors get to weigh in. Yes, we've gathered some PSP players and had them boil down their thoughts on the latest God of War game. Does everyone agree that it's rad? Is it better than Ready at Dawn's God of War: Chains of Olympus? Dare we ask if it's better than God of War III?Let's find out.
Walter Lopez, Direct 2 Drive Community ManagerLet's get some things out of the way: Kratos is one angry dude. He needs a hug and has some seriously bad ways of dealing with family issues. You know what else he needs? More PSP titles like God of War: Ghost of Sparta. Ready at Dawn Studios not only met expectations following its previous release, Chains of Olympus, they might have released this year's pick for PSP Game of the year.The new additions like the weapons and magic attacks were very well executed and implemented. What stood out for me, besides the Spartan shield and spear, (I dare you not to quote a line from 300 when you equip them) was the pacing. God of War III had one of the best opening moments I've experienced in gaming but seemed to lose a lot of momentum halfway through then wrapped up oddly, to me at least. In Ghost of Sparta, I felt engaged from start to finish. The decision to include less weapons only helped matters and quite frankly having more choices wasn't missed. Brace yourselves boys and girls, because I like this God of War more than its current release on the PS3.
Bravo, Ready at Dawn, bravo.
Greg Miller, IGN PlayStation Executive EditorI've made it clear that I've never been a Kratos fan. For me, the dude's just too one-dimensional with his rage and screaming. Still, God of War III was a journey that I dug from start to finish. When my copy of God of War: Ghost of Sparta came in, I popped it into the PSP and jumped back into the chains and blades. While I still think Kratos is just a testosterone-fueled blockhead, he makes for a great video game. Ghost of Sparta is beautiful, vast and fun. I still don't dig Kratos as a character, but I'm enjoying his trip down memory lane -- especially as it's a targeted story that gives me a clear goal and doesn't just have me killing thing after thing like God of War III.
How much do I like it? Enough to stop playing it. It's a crowded review season, so when I discovered I was lovin' tearing dudes in half and dealing with Kratos' family matters, I turned off the PSP and put it aside. My plane rides to and from Thanksgiving are going to be bathed in blood, and that's fine by me.
Tap the shoulder buttons! Caleb Lawson, Coordinating ProducerGhost of Sparta does two things very well: it is the best looking PSP game I've seen so far, and like God of War: Chains of Olympus, it's also a solid God of War game. Although not as grand in scale as God of War III, Ghost of Sparta shrinks down the combat and spectacle surprisingly well for the PSP. Levels are smaller and more linear than the console offerings, but this is often hidden behind the spectacular presentation and environments. However, there isn't much else going on in Ghost of Sparta. Perhaps it's too much to expect much innovation from the God of War series at this point, especially in one of the lower profile entries, but this is the exact same game we've been playing since the PS2. If you are a fan of God of War and itching for more of the same, then this game is for you. If you haven't had a chance to check the franchise out, and the PSP is your only option, this is a very solid example of the formula that made Kratos popular. Ghost of Sparta is a good game, but if, like me, you are a little burnt out on what God of War gameplay has to offer, it isn't anything that you need to rush out and play.
Will Tuttle, GameSpy Editor-in-ChiefI really wish I had more time to play God of War: Ghost of Sparta, as my review obligations (Stupid work!) have made it tough to spend some quality time with this quality sequel. After a few hours, I've noticed one thing: Ghost of Sparta is awesome. Although the gameplay is undoubtedly similar to every other game in the series, that's just fine by me. I've always been a big fan of the GoW series' brand of environmental puzzling, and so far Ghost of Sparta doesn't disappoint. The combat's as solid as ever too, although I'm slowly coming to the realization that the older PSP feels more comfortable in my hands than the PSPGo. I'm not one to blame poor controls for my equally poor play, but this is one case in which the control scheme definitely gave me some problems.
More than anything, I'm looking forward to playing more Ghost of Sparta because I want to learn more about the brooding Kratos. Briefly meeting his brother and mother piqued my interest, as the backstory of everyone's favorite Spartan is one of things I've always wanted the franchise to explore in more depth.
Marc Nix, Games Database ManagerAs a huge fan of developer Ready at Dawn's previous PSP work (Daxter and God of War: Chains of Olympus), nothing could keep me away from this game. I mangled my PSP pretty badly in an accident, so it's been quite a feat trying to play a game that relies heavily on the trigger buttons when only the left trigger works, but I am willed to play this game. The devastation of my beloved PlayStation Portable is my punishment; the thrills of Ghost of Sparta are my vindication for standing beside my original launch PSP through the end of what may be one of the system's last triumphs.
What I really like about the PSP entries into the God of War franchise is how they've connected players to Kratos' emotional core. The console games are focused on their epic storylines – events happen that constantly up the rage in Kratos (Is there no limit to how ticked off he can get?) but the story is always pushing forward and rarely has time for more than a cinematic of Kratos' latest tragedy before jumping into the next titanic showdown. The portable games (maybe because they have less free reign to change the storyline and fewer expendable gods) turn inwards, and more importantly, they do it in gameplay.There's a great sequence in Chains of Olympus where you're deposited in the Fields of Elysium, a beautiful and peaceful respite from all the chaos you've seen. You want to stay here, but you are Kratos, the God of War. There is no rest for you. And so, eventually you realize that the only way to escape heaven is to raise hell by slaughtering the innocents... And you are the one who has to push the murder button. I'm not finished with Ghost of Sparta yet, but this game similarly gives players control at critical moments when it's important to not just see what happens but feel it. Something I had been begging to see in the God of War series was normal life of the time -- we constantly see people fleeing a wrathful god, but are there not places in ancient Greece where people are NOT being burned alive or smashed by a god? Every town we see in the game gets pummeled into oblivion, so what's left for Kratos to rule over once he finally comes to rest on his throne? In this game, we finally get that when Kratos journeys to his hometown, and while there's unfortunately little to do in Sparta (although one of the most memorable "gameplay" sequences is placed here), this is an important sequence for the franchise that thankfully is not just brushed past with a cutscene.
As much as this PSP God of War shows the best of the system, it also represents a little bit of what's the downside of Sony's approach to portable gaming. Ghost of Sparta is a tremendous "console-quality", no-budget-spared gaming experience, but if you've already played three or four God of War games, this is No, 5. As technically dazzling as it is, many of the most amazing parts are mirror images of other God of War games – they're done spectacularly well and might be the best versions of those types of moments, but still, when I was battling a winged boss, I noted that, "Wow, they really pulled off the flying/falling effect from the Icarus battle on PSP!" It's not really the developer's fault – they made every sequence its own thing, and so much ground has been covered in the God of War franchise that it seems like little is left unimagined – but in the end, it's more GoW.
Say goodbye to your limbs. Sony does have some unique franchises on its portable system, but when most people think of PSP, they think of the name brands, and they don't feel the need to get one because they already get their fill of most franchises on the home system. Much like Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker earlier this year, there's just not as much hype and excitement for God of War: Ghost of Sparta as this game deserves. That's something that I hope Sony is thinking carefully about with its next portable. (And it's not only Sony's problem; as dominant as Nintendo's DS has been, you'd have to look pretty hard to find an RPG fan who is aware that a new Golden Sun releases in two weeks.) I've always enjoyed a little handheld gaming time, but with such great stuff on PSP and Nintendo DS, I've almost forgotten about my home consoles. (By the by, my copy of God of War III is still sitting shrinkwrapped on a shelf at home.) I feel that if developers can pull off spectacular feats like God of War: Ghost of Sparta on PSP, Sony should be challenging itself and its teams to come up with new games that push portable gaming forward.