Ghost of Sparta tells the story of Kratos’ ascension to power as the God of War. In his quest to rid the nightmares that haunt him, Kratos must face his dark past to prove his worthiness to the Gods — a journey that will reveal the origins of lost worlds and finally answer long-awaited questions about Kratos’ tattoo, scar, and family.
GenreAction
Platforms psp
DEVELOPER Ready At Dawn Studios | PUBLISHER Codemasters | RELEASE DATE
God of War: Ghost of Sparta Reviews psp
thesixthaxis.com review
God of War: Ghost of Sparta is the perfect swansong for Ready At Dawn, their mastery of the PSP unmatched, and it’s also a fitting climax to a portable sadly suffering in the shadows of endless rumours of a successor. Regardless, this is probably the neatest, most intimate and confident God Of War game since the very first, punching well above its handheld weight and flowing beautifully. Utterly riveting from start to (an amazing) finish, PSP exclusive Ghost Of Sparta is an absolute must-own for fans of the God of War games, and in that respect there’s really one word to describe the experience: flawless.
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gaming-age.com review
The game’s difficulty and length is more than adequate and the average gamer will probably get through Ghost of Sparta in around 7 or 8 hours. Veterans of the series may choose to bump up the difficulty which will likely add some time to that estimate. One thing is for sure, the pacing of the action and adventure aspects, with minor puzzle solving here and there is just about perfect. There are well-timed breaks between the brutal action and they seem to come at just the right time. Even after the story ends, thanks to bonus challenges and content, an additional difficulty mode, and fun unlockables/costumes that can be used when starting a new game, there is still stuff to do.
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gamingnexus.com review
The only real complaint I have about the control setup is that you have to take your fingers off the nub to use the magic items which can be a bit perilous in battle and sometimes forces you to waste some of the ability while you re-orient Kratos. I did experience a bit of cramped hands playing the game but there’s really nothing the folks at Ready of Dawn had any control over and I’m hopeful that they have some input over the control scheme of the rumored PSP 2.
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gamechronicles.com review
It’s been so long since I had a reason to even turn on my PSP and here comes God of War: Ghost of Sparta, a singular reason to go out and purchase a PSP if you don’t already own one. They even have a special edition PSP bundled with the game if you need to go that route. But whatever you do, don’t miss out on this fantastic new installment in the God of War saga. The story will impact you as much as the insane action, and with dazzling visuals and sound, this is one adventure you can’t afford to miss.
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game-over.com review
God of War: Ghost of Sparta takes the PSP’s previous high-mark and raises it. This delivers all of the thrills that console owners have gotten used to, without the sacrifices that were initially made in Chains of Olympus. Long-time series vets should definitely pick this up, while newcomers to both the series and the system should pick up the new Ghost of Sparta bundle that packs both PSP entries in with the system. This is easily the best-looking game on the system, and definitely its best action-adventure game. It’s a must-play on the system, and worth buying the system for if you don’t already have it
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psxextreme.com review
All in all, God of War: Ghost of Sparta is the PSP game you should have no reservations about. It’s a well deserved $40 purchase that’ll stay in your collection of portable titles for a long time. It’s the ultimate example of the full console experience in the palm of your hands. God of War: Ghost of Sparta boasts everything you’d expect out of the franchise: superb visuals, great audio, massive gameplay, epic story, and great controls, all in a package that fits in the palm of your hand.
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psu.com review
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.
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totalplaystation.com review
Much of the impressively paced and highly refined gameplay is woven tightly into the spectacular presentation, and vice-versa, with quick time events balanced better (and in some cases dialed back to make less frustrating), and platforming improved, delivering a much better sense of speed and forward momentum. Little things like the button prompts now appearing at the border of the screen, reminiscent of the way they were handled in GoWIII only add to the overall sense of polish.
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meristation.com review
No Synopsis Available
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ign.com review
Unbelievably, the developers at Ready at Dawn managed to top what they did with Chains of Olympus, delivering a longer, deeper, and more graphically beautiful game than even they thought was originally possible. Ghost of Sparta is, without a doubt, one of the best games available for the PSP. Just when I thought I had Kratos figured out, I’ve been given insight into another piece of his past that makes his anger much more understandable. The path less traveled as far as characters and locations makes Ghost of Sparta a very significant chapter in Kratos’ story. There’s nothing hugely different about the gameplay, but there really didn’t need to be. Combat works perfectly, and while I could have stood a bit more challenge in the puzzle department, that’s basically the same as saying I could have used a bit more chocolate sauce on my totally awesome delicious dessert.
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gametrailers.com review
No Synopsis Available
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digitalchumps.com review
the addition of the Arms of Sparta weapon and the unique Magic abilities is cool, but Ready At Dawn included another power that is very important to the game. There is a part in the story, probably just a couple of hours in, where you encounter Thera, a titan. After ‘introducing himself,’ Kratos can then call upon Thera’s Bane, which ignites his Blades of Chaos on fire. It’s used to penetrate certain doors, but its primary use is in combat where the damage caused by a normal hit is increased when you activate (press RT) the Bane. Using Bane is actually required in combat for those (numerous) enemies with shields. The addition of shields for enemies in the God of War franchise is actually new and it works nicely. Not only does it give some enemies a different and cool appearance, but it gives both a bit of extra difficulty and more orbs, too (as each time you break down a shield on a bigger foe, orbs fly out).
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ztgamedomain.com review
All in all, Ghost of Sparta is still a great game. I may not be a fan of the series, but even I can see that this game is top notch in both game play and presentation. In fact, it may have even turned me on to more God of War games. It may be a somewhat short experience, but there’s no denying the fact that the time you do spend with the game will be a great one. If you’re a fan of action games and you own a PSP, you owe it to yourself to add this to you collection.
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multiplayer.it review
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everyeye.it review
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vandal.net review
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joystiq.com review
If you’ve played a God of War game before, you can expect Ghost of Sparta to live up to your expectations — and sometimes exceed them — but, inevitably, there’s the fact that the formula hasn’t changed in any huge way. It’s just really pretty, has refined combat and a more engrossing story than Chains of Olympus.
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playstationlifestyle.net review
God of War: Ghost of Sparta had a lot to live up to in one of Sony’s flagship franchises, and it takes to the challenge beautifully. If Chains of Olympus is equivalent to the first God of War game, then Ghost of Sparta is God of War II. Bigger, badder, and beefier in every way than its predecessor, this is a true God of War experience down to the very core, and you can take it anywhere you wish.
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videogamer.com review
It would be possible to excuse Ghost of Sparta for its shortcomings by instead focusing on what Ready at Dawn has once again managed to achieve – a fairly decent God of War game on a teeny weeny handheld console. It’s an impressive feat for sure, but to focus solely on that would be unfair to both the talented studio and venerable franchise: there’s so much potential unexplored here, and occasional glimmers of ingenuity in Ready at Dawn’s efforts show a developer that should be able to do better.
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eurogamer.net review
Ghost of Sparta is best enjoyed by newcomers to the series, or those yet to play the most recent console title. Its makers should be praised in no uncertain terms for their achievements here, as the game pushes the ceiling of expectation on the handheld, redefining what is possible just as the PSP settles into its twilight months.
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g4tv.com review
Ghost Of Sparta plays it just a little too safe to truly live up to its most recent predecessor, but then again perhaps it has to as the likely last entry for the five-year-old series. It’s solid and reliable, but completely predictable—though in a way that doesn’t rob the experience of one iota of fun. God Of War III might be the encore, but Sparta is a respectable curtain call.
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