User Blog:
Ghost of Sparta

The game that has redefined Sony’s PSP- by Chris Farley
“Chains of Olympus” was a fun prequel to the God of War games. It told how Kratos became the errand boy for the gods of Olympus and even explained why the crazy undead horseman with the giant hammer, the Barbarian King, had such a hard-on for you in the second game. The game was fun, graphically stunning, and at the time pushed the PSP pretty far. However, Sony’s Santa Monica has doubled their efforts since then to release yet another benchmark PSP game. After playing Ghost of Sparta, I wonder why there has yet to be more games on the PSP with this level of quality. The classic God of War mechanics are relatively untouched, the graphics are the best the PSP has seen with any game, and the story is just as compelling as the rest of the series.
Ghost of Sparta takes place between God of War I and II. The game tells the story of Kratos’ quest to free his brother Deimos from the clutches of Zeus. After the Sisters of Fate foretold that the gods would be destroyed by a “marked warrior” whom Zeus and Ares believe to be Deimos, the gods capture the boy and Kratos is powerless to stop them. As he goes forth, Kratos is haunted by visions of his childhood. He sees himself sparring with his younger brother and proudly reminding Deimos that he is a Spartan. Deimos nods that he understands and raises himself up to continue training. I felt that the storyline was compelling. As many fans know Kratos has already killed his wife and child and now he has a chance to save a family member rather than be the cause of his demise.

The God of War games have amazing scenery. It is designed so the levels always lookmassive, yet the path is spelled out for the player. This makes players feel like they are in a much bigger environment without the possiblity of getting lost in a maze of wrong turns and failed “shortcuts.” Furthermore the terrains varry, meaning there is no cookie cutter scenery with different textures and color schemes. Every place feels unique, every battle is filled with huge, high quality enemies and the frame rate still fails to lag. It is a true testament to the graphic capabilities of the PSP.