Game Review: God of War - Ghost of Sparta

If you believed that God of War III put a cap on the tale of Kratos, think once again. Sony will keep on building the franchise with God of War: Ghost of Sparta. Like Kratos's last handheld adventure, Chains of Olympus, this PSP edition will fill out some breaks in the series' lore, particularly exploring what came about between the 1st and second game in the principal trilogy. As a game, though, Ghost of Sparta seems to be a better attempt than Ready at Dawn's already-awesome late God of War release.

The greatest reason for this betterment is the inspiration that Ghost of Sparta gets from God of War III. This include little things, like the button cues for quick time events now appearing on the sides of the screen instead of in the middle, to more significant changes like a keener attention on cinematic moments and set pieces that cut off the video game's intense action.

Ghost of Sparta will blow up Kratos's impact on Greek mythology even further, bringing in a lot of first-time appearances for the franchise, including the grotesque Scylla, the damned king Midas, and a lot more. Most importantly for devotees, this side story was planned out alongside God of War Ill's design, so there are particular references in God of War III - like Poseidon's mysterious exclamation that "Atlantis will be avenged" early on in the game - that will at last be explained in Ghost of Sparta.

As far as fresh moves for Kratos's arsenal, the greatest addition enters in the form of Hyperion's Charge, a special grab that allows you to follow up with multiple alternatives: beating your foes with your fists, slamming them into the ground repeatedly, or casting them away. Kratos will likewise acquire a new chain lightning spell and a spear and shield combo that will allow a more defensive play type.

God of War III might have offered up a satisfying ending to the saga, but that does not mean we are not concerned in more. As long as Sony keeps adding gifted teams like Ready at Dawn working, this is one franchise we have trust in.