Good
Instead, you'll probably be all: "Wow, this game pretty much approximates the PlayStation 3 God of War experience as much as possible -- without having a two-thumbstick controller, multiple buttons, and a really powerful processor." And if you think that to yourself, you should give yourself a high-five, because yourself is pretty much right.
Now, keep in mind that while Ghost of Sparta successfully migrates much of the console GoW games' greatness to the PSP, it can only do so much. Combat moves are limited by the lack of dual thumbsticks (and reduced number of buttons), graphics are obviously not going to be anywhere near as impressive as a PS3 can render them, and the game just generally can't feel as epic on a five-inch screen.
That said, this is a very satisfying action-puzzle game for your PSP. Combat, which makes up the bulk of the gameplay, sticks to the combo-driven, relentless pacing of the console versions, and the occasional quick-time event (for finishing moves and for avoiding certain surprises) keeps you on your toes. On the cerebral side, a number of puzzle sequences (mostly involving pushing blocks around) exist to test your analytical skills, if not your patience. And on the subject of minigames, the obligatory boots-knockin' one included here is as deliciously over-the-top as any the series has offered on any system -- and it's one of the best reasons not to buy Ghost of Sparta for young kids.
Even though Ghost of Sparta doesn't perfectly capture the feel of the console titles in its gameplay or scope, it tries hard to recapitulate some of ethos those titles have built up. Series aficionados will find sequences throughout the game familiar (fighting sea monsters on a sinking ship, anyone?), but these never come off as tired or redone in the slightest. Indeed, the entire premise of Ghost of Sparta is predicated on Kratos -- the series' main character -- searching out elements from his past, so bringing gamers back to their past experiences is a charmingly meta move.
To wit: Most of Ghost of Sparta takes place during the period in which Kratos is himself the Greek god of war (a period roughly between God of War 1 and 2), but godhood doesn't make him immortal. It does make him into a killing machine, though; several new weapons, including the traditional hoplite spear, the hoplon shield (history nerds rejoice!), and some nifty new magical powers give Kratos the goods to tear his opposition a new controller port, pretty much at will.
As usual, all the weapons and magic powers can be leveled up via the game's experience system. And that same system allows you to unlock new moves and combos for Kratos' weapons. But -- and maybe it's the diminutive nature of handhelds, or maybe it's the weapon sets themselves -- these never achieve the level of kick-assery that the bombastic, en masse fightstravaganzas of the console titles do. Don't misunderstand: The game looks and feels superb for a console title, but the whole experience is a little like watching an epic film on your iPhone. You gotta meet it a little more than halfway if you want to get hooked in emotionally.
All that said: If you buy one PSP title this year, Ghost of Sparta is a safe bet for the best game you're going to get. It suffers primarily from the inevitable (and perhaps unfair) comparison to its console cousins, but that's really the only place it suffers. Ghost of Sparta does just about everything right and ekes out just about all any game could from the PSP. If you're new to the series, and love your PSP, this is a fine place to start. If you're a die-hard, you'll want to check it out just for the story elements. And if you're a casual action fan, you could do a hell of a lot worse.
