Like every God of War fan out there, I am ravenous for new releases in the series and Ghost of Sparta was no different.
Yet when I started up the demo, I couldn’t help but think…is this GOW jumping the shark? Don’t get me wrong, I was excited and prepared to enjoy myself with the second portable adventures of Kratos but truthfully after GOW3 anything else is just a dessert to the porterhouse steak dinner I just enjoyed and I may be full already.
The Ghost of Sparta demo starts like the other GOW demos, an opening cinematic followed by being thrust into battle with enemies trying to overwhelm you but you are KRATOS, master of death, destroyer of soldiers (earthly and other-worldly) and packing weapons and abilities to dispatch all who approach you in a kind OR threatening manner.
You learn to wield your new weapons and abilities as you make your way across a ship thats being battered by a yet unseen monster that you come face to face with upon making it topside and what a grand ship smashing beast he is! Yet all through the battle I can’t shake the feeling that I’ve done this before. The demo continues with a small puzzle involving a block, more soldiers attacking, and another encounter with the sea monster that culminates in a dramatic leap at the creature leaving off in a cliff hanger ending to prep you for the games release.
The demo did a excellent job of giving you a feel for the game and had I not played the trilogy on the big consoles I feel it would have been epic…and therein lies the problem. God of War 3, with its epic sized opening battle to the death with a god while on the back of a Titan who’s climbing Mount Olympus in amazing color and highly detailed graphics. Its a battle that really WOWs you with sights and sounds, all to open up the end of a epic tale of revenge you started 5 years ago on the PS2. While the game is excellent and plays as well as the previous outing to the PSP, I don’t think it will be a day 1 full priced purchase for me and if you haven’t played the 3 for PS3 then maybe you will feel different (and you should go pick those up asap).
