Favorite Games Played in 2012

Hello all! And welcome back to Nathan vs Video Games...the blog. Yeah, there's been some serious radio silence on this end for a while, mostly because of life issues, but my New Years goal is to provide you with one review or article on this blog daily, so re-bookmark and re-subscribe or whatever, because content is coming full force!

You may note I said "Article" in addition to Reviews. While I still plan on continuing the epic quest to review every game I've ever played, I also am no longer pigeonholing this site to just reviews. Expect lists, articles, and more on here as part of the daily content update for 2013. It's gonna be good stuff! And all video game related, so you know you'll love it!

In addition, there will be a hefty amount of new video content once I figure out how Adobe Premiere works. For those who missed it, I built a sweet gaming PC over Christmas, and now have switched to Windows for video editing. So those who subscribed to the YouTube channel and are sad because of lack of updates...don't be! Stuff is in the pipeline. Stuff big.

But for now, let's do a very quick list of my favorite games I played in 2012. Now, here's the catch: these games don't have to be released in 2012 to count. I know, right? This list is, in fact, for games I played for the first time in 2012. I'll be referencing games released in 2012, but there are a few I played the first time this year worth mentioning.

Also, these aren't in any particular order, so there's that too. Ready? GO!


Mega Man X

I can't believe I never played this game before now. I had played all the Mega Man NES games, all the Mega Man Zero games, but for some reason never touched the X series. Well, I fixed that in 2012, and good damn, this game is fantastic. As stated in my glowing review, Mega Man X is probably one of the best action platformers ever created. The controls are perfect, tight, and the game has excellent game feel. The power-ups are useful and cool, the stages have tons of secrets to be discovered, and the final area is a serious challenge. It's an unmatched game, to be sure, usurping even the NES Mega Man games in terms of quality. If you haven't played it, you really should. Really. Do it.


Spec Ops: The Line

I literally finished this game two days ago, so expect a review up shortly (as well as a spoiler-filled article on why this game is fantastic) but in terms of games released in 2012 that I actually finished, Spec Ops: The Line is my absolute favorite. Not because it's a good game (the controls are clunky, the shooting never changes, and the gameplay is wholly generic), but because of what it does. Without digging too deep, this is a game based on Heart of Darkness, a critique on the horrors of war and what it does to people. Only Spec Ops: The Line takes it one step further. That generic box art that looks like Call of Duty or Battlefield? A trap. The generic intro and hour-start that sets the trappings of just another "hoo-rah," shoot the foreigners, war-glorifying shooter? A ruse.

This game knows its audience, and as such lures you in before completely pulling the rug out from under you. And not just that, it points its target of criticism not just on its psychologically damaged characters, but on you as a player, in some incredibly well done "meta" ways. I won't say more for risk of spoiling it, but you should really play Spec Ops: The Line. Just...don't read anything more about it until you do, ok? Spoiling this game will ruin the experience. It's unbelievable to me this game got greenlighted based on the underlying meaning it pushes.


Shatterhand

Here's an NES gem that was overlooked by too many people. Shatterhand is, simply, an action platformer with an emphasis on punching. It's sort of a hybrid between Ninja Gaiden, Mega Man, and...God Hand, maybe? Ok, not really, but both games have a lot of punching.

The thing that makes Shatterhand so great is the controls. It's one of the best feeling games I've played (right up there with Mega Man X), combined with a cool powerup and healing system (where you can pay for heals with the coins you acquire, mid-stage) and well designed levels that are an absolute blast to traverse. It's a difficult game, to be sure, but an awesome one.

Also, the graphics are gorgeous and the music is kick-ass. Seriously, good stuff.


The Walking Dead

Confession: I haven't beaten the season yet, but I can tell already that this game was made for me. Dynamic character choices, exceptional voice acting, a cool story that isn't cliche, and some genuinely tough decisions make this a game I had difficulties pushing down. Well, until my computer died and ate my progress, meaning I'll have to burn through two episodes to get back to where I was. Either way, there's a reason people won't shut up about this game. It's awesome. And I won't way any more for fear of spoilers or just lack of knowledge.


FTL (Faster Than Light)

I love Indie games, if only because they often do things that wouldn't fly from big publishers. Such is the case of FTL, a Kickstarted game that turned out amazing. FTL is basically The Oregon Trail in space. You start with a small ship that you stock, man, and arm and set it out into space. You then travel to different (randomly generated) locations, doing battle, saving aliens, and embarking on adventures as you try to avoid getting caught by the big baddies that want you dead. Death is permanent, the game is very hard, and the battles are unbelievably cool. If you ever wanted to be the commander of the Enterprise but none of the Star Trek games were doing it for you, this is a game you need to play. With all its unlockable ships, events, and the fact that you can do a run in under a half hour (or less if you really suck), it's a great game in short bursts.

If you can ever put it down. Good luck with that.

Mark of the Ninja

I love stealth games. Let me correct myself, there: I love the concept of stealth games. Sneaking around, offing dudes secretly, and feeling like a badass is great. The problem is, most games do stealth completely wrong, or only get part of it right. For as much as I love Metal Gear Solid, those games always felt routine and clunky to me. As much as I love Batman: Arkham Asylum, there was still a bit of trial and error that irked me. Where's that awesome stealth game I want? I'd also like to be a ninja in it, please.

Oh hey, Mark of the Ninja.

These are the guys who made the not-so-great Shank, and holy cow this game is so much better than that one. Mark of the Ninja is everything I want in a stealth game. It's empowering. It gives you tons of tools and options to work with, with dozens of optional paths for every single enemy. Or you can just never kill anybody; the game gives you the tools for that too (a true badass). Paired with excellent UI and HUD abilities, tight controls, and a killer art style, and Mark of the Ninja cuts a bloody path through the competition. Grab it on XBLA or Steam, seriously. It's incredible.

Theatrythm Final Fantasy

This is a game that SquareEnix made just for me. Yeah, I'll share it with all you guys, but they obviously made it just for me. Seriously. They couldn't not have.

A rhythm game using the touch screen? Awesome. Featuring Final Fantasy music?! Amazing! And a leveling up system?! What?! And absurdly difficult segments, unlocks, and secrets? Ok, you're giving me too much here!

My only complaint about Theatrythm is the DLC. It isn't badly priced ($1 a song isn't awful), but the fact that they put songs out on the iOS version that aren't on the 3DS really ticks me off. Also, nobody likes the soundtracks after Final Fantasy X, Square, so stop releasing them as DLC. And you released a song from the vaporware Final Fantasy XIII Verses and not Final Fantasy Tactics? For shame!

(Put Chrono Trigger and Xenogears songs on there and I'll love you forever, Square <3).

Super Mario 3D Land

Yeah, I got a 3DS this year, can you tell? Anyway, Super Mario 3D Land caught me by surprise. I thought it would be another stupid Mario game like all the New Super Mario Bros games are, just regurgitating the same formula over and over. To my surprise, this game is completely different. It's like a weird fusion between the 2D Mario and 3D Mario games into this totally strange hybrid. And it works. It doesn't just work, it excels! Super Mario 3D Land is one of my favorite Mario games to date, if only because of how totally unique it is. While I am a bit sad it isn't a sequel to the weird-as-balls Super Mario Land, it's enough removed from all other Mario games anyway that I guess I'll take it.

Also, the graphics are gorgeous and the 3D is killer. This is probably the best game on the 3DS (even if Theatrythm is my favorite 3DS game).

A Bunch of Other Games I Haven't Played Enough But Seem Cool Anyway I Guess?

Journey - Aka the quest for the Super Scarf
XCom: Enemy Unknown - I played for like an hour and had to quit because I knew I'd never do anything else again for the rest of my life. I'll be back.
Far Cry 3 - It doesn't do anything particularly spectacular (besides the awesome intro and pretty graphics on PC), but I can't stop freaking playing it
Zelda: Four Swords (GC) - Yeah I actually have played this game before, but my wife and I found new love for playing it together. It's quite crazy-awesome!
Borderlands 2 - The Mechromancer is the way to play this game, because it takes all your intuitive conventions of shooters and ruins them. Playing as other classes is ok (minus the absurdly slow start to this game), but I really enjoyed the game with the Mechromancer. Also the guns are better.
Nier - Game of the year, every year.


Well, my brain is fried, so that's it from me for now. Future articles will actually have graphics and stuff, but I'm too sick today to be bothered. Hope you enjoyed it, and see you tomorrow!

ARPGamer

So...where the heck have all the reviews been? It's been nearly a month with no updates.
To that I offer you an apology. Life has showed up and is quickly stealing all my time away. But without getting this too deep into my personal life, let's just point out what matters to this blog:

- I built a new gaming rig, which means LOTS more PC game reviews in the future
- It is also super-powerful for video editing, which means I'll be switching from Final Cut Pro X to Premiere. Which will be a big learning curve and jump, but I plan on resuming the videos in 2013.
- I am a lead writer in the online action RPG blog/review/news/etc. site, ARPGamer.com. If you even remotely enjoy what I've been doing here, you really should go hit up and bookmark their site. It's worth pointing out: I only do reviews on this site, not articles. For ARPGamer, I will be doing articles as well as news and other information. So you should probably go have a look-see.
- I will be resuming reviews tomorrow, 12/10, or bust. I have written 257 reviews so far this year (starting at the end of January). If I somehow wrote over 100 in the next three weeks, I'd have a review a day. IT'S JUST CRAZY ENOUGH TO WORK?! But no promises.
- That's it.

But seriously, go check out ARPGamer, because I write for them quite frequently. And again, reviews are coming back in a big way, baby. Expect some goodness very soon!

Altered Beast

Video Review

Text Review

  The Short

Pros
- Original pack-in game with the Sega Genesis
- Can be played two-player
- Faithful to the original arcade game
- You can turn into a variety of beasts, which is cool I guess

Cons
- Clunky and dull
- Only has five levels
- Stages are short and bosses are dull
- Ugly graphics and music
- No continues
- Ultimately, does not stand the test of time

"Welcome to your doom!"

The Long

Ah, 1989. The new Sega Genesis hit the market, ready to punch the NES in the face with its 16-bit graphics and hip new attitude. It was the spark of the console war most gamers will remember best, the face-off between Nintendo and Sega as they tried to gain control of the rapidly growing video game market. So, when you are releasing a system to compete against the all-powerful, game-packed NES, what game do you promote to show off your system's advanced graphics? Sega originally picked Altered Beast, though luckily they quickly saw the light and switched it to the much superior Sonic the Hedgehog.

Sega loves to pack this game into any compilation collection they release (and boy, do they release a lot), and as a bonus also throw it onto modern download services like XBLA, PSN, and Steam. So...after almost twenty-five years, is Altered Beast still as much a classic as other titles?

No. It isn't. I'll just get that out of the way right now.

Nothing like a dude throwing his face at you over and over. 

Altered Beast is an incredibly simple and slow arcade beat-em-up. Essentially, Zeus has resurrected you to kill Neff, who kidnapped his daughter. For unexplained reasons when you gather glowing orbs (that look more like a sci-fi item than a fantasy ones) your guy gets buffer and buffer, before finally turning into a BEAST. Get it? You are altered into a beast. That's clever title writing, that.

Beasts vary depending on levels, from a wolf that can sprint and punch fireballs to a flying gremlin thingy that has electricity to a bear and tiger and...then a wolf again. Yeah, the game has only five levels, and can be beaten in under ten minutes. So don't get too excited thinking you'll be busting through level after level as a bear; it ain't gonna happen.

You can play two-player, if you want to get bored together.

The main issue with the game is how incredibly slow and clunky it plays. You have essentially two attacks: a high punch and a low kick. High punches for tall enemies, low kicks for the low ones, and a jump/duck attack for...whenever. Your character walks extremely slowly and the screen is constantly panning to the right, meaning you have to keep up. Enemies spawn from both sides for your kicking and punching pleasure, and then you fight a boss after about 20-30 seconds of this slow scrolling.

The first thing you'll notice is the relatively low number of enemies. Considering most go down in one or two hits, there really isn't a whole lot of challenge here. Next, you'll see they are just as slow as you are, taking their dear sweet time jumping or walking across the screen. It's monotonous to just watch.

Two bad dudes. 

The game picks up very slightly after getting three power-ups and turning into a "beast," but that just takes the game and makes it a cakewalk. And since enemy location never changes, anyone who has played this game more than twice probably has all the enemies completely memorized. There's no variation, no increased challenge, and no real sense of progression. It's just five bland levels punching and kicking weak stuff until the end. All while moving like you are fording a quagmire of molasses.

You can play two-player co-op which makes the game a little better (plus enemies drop twice as many power-ups), but let's be honest: who really would want to play this game through with a friend, when there are so many better two-player games out there?

Punch a dragon-rattlesnake.

While this might have looked impressive back in 1989, Altered Beast looks downright dull this day and age. Though, thinking back, I honestly can't say this game looked very good then either. It lacks the multicolored punch future Genesis games like Sonic the Hedgehog would have, and despite having more colors I'd say Altered Beast looks substantiallyworse than an NES game like Castlevania, which was on the "weaker" system. The pixel art is boring to look at and the backdrops, especially, seem to blend together into a horrid mesh of colors. While it isn't the ugliest game I've seen, it certainly isn't pleasing to look at now.

Music is the same: unimpressive. While the tunes certainly hold a slight level of nostalgia for me, they are weak when compared to anything else on the system. Everybody knows the "WISE FWOM YOUR GWAVE" voice clip that starts the game off, which sounds particularly bad (and it's weird, seeing as Bases Loaded on the NES was fully voiced and soundsgreat).

This game has been a beast to review. Get it? "Beast?" I'm a writer. 

While this game might have been impressive back when it released with the Genesis, looking back on it now it's just a relic that should remain forgotten. It baffles me how often this game gets re-released and re-packaged; you'd think Sega would want to just forget this boring sludge even existed. I am not proud that I own an original cartridge of this game on the Genesis (and a second copy on the 6-Pak), as even the collector in me is ashamed. I highly suggest playing just about any other game on the Genesis before booting this one back up. While it isn't broken, it is completely boring, which in this day and age is almost as bad.

One out of five stars. 

Yeah, good luck with that, Sega. 

ARPGamer Kickstarter

Hey ya'll, Nathan here. Do you enjoy this blog? I should hope so if you are reading this! Are you enjoying free game reviews of every game I've ever played? Do you enjoy my writing style? Do you like RPGs? Action ones? Yes? No? Whaddya mean, "No?!"

Anyway, I'm going to be writing in an up-and-coming gaming magazine, ARPGamer! Yeah, it's gonna be awesome! We're gonna have updated news, articles, and much more about the awesome genre that is Action RPGs. Because they are pretty rad.

Point being, we're running a Kickstarter to try and get everything up and running. For just a $1 donation you can get the first issue (usually $3) for a killer deal! Save money! Read awesome stuff! Here me rant about retro RPGs! Who wouldn't want that? Answer: Nobody.

So if you are a fan of the blog who has been mooching off my free entertainment for the past year (I love you guys, don't worry :D), then please consider contributing at least $1 to this awesome upcoming magazine. It's gonna rock, guys.

And don't worry: reviews will still keep popping up here, as will videos on my youtube channel. This is just another outlet where you can get gooey Nathan video game goodness.

See you there!

God of War: Origins Collection

The Short

Pros
- Excellent ports of the PSP God of War games
- Includes one awesome game and one...ok one
- Ghost of Sparta looks quite good in HD. Chains of Olympus...looks ok
- Has 3D support but...um...does anybody care about that?
- Controls have been modified for the Duelshock, meaning right stick rolls! Hooray!
- Runs at a consistently smooth 60 fps
- Trophy support for both games is a great addition
- All in all, this is the best version of these two games

Cons
- Chains of Olympus, while looking great on the PSP, shows its technical limitations in HD
- It also feels much shorter when you play it on an console, which isn't a plus
- I downloaded it off PSN. Don't ever download big files off PSN
- Cutscenes (mostly in Chains of Olympus; Ghost of Sparta does them in-engine) are not upscaled, so they look...really bad. PSP quality bad

Chains of Olympus shows its hardware limitations in HD

The Long

As I did in my God of War Collection review, this is not a review of the individual games included in this package (as I've already reviewed Chains of Olympus and Ghost of Sparta previously). Instead, I'll be going quickly over how these games ported up to HD, and whether or not this collection is worth your time.

This collection, as you've probably guessed already, is an HD port of the two PSP games. This, in my opinion, was an absolutely fantastic idea. As someone who has no interest in owning a PSP (had to borrow one whenever I wanted to play a PSP game), getting two of the best games on the system in a heavily discounted HD PS3 package is like Christmas, especially considering how much I love the God of War franchise. But, as one might guess, porting PSP games up to the PS3 is a little different than PS2 ones were in the original God of War Collection. How does the Origins collection hold up?

Ghost of Sparta fares much better with the upgrade

I enjoyed both of these games, but I can say that after playing them on the HD collection that Chains of Olympus isn't really well suited for a console experience. It's still a fun little romp, mind you, but it really shows it's short length and dated graphics when being slapped up on my 37" HDTV. While I will still say it's probably on par with the first God of War in terms of character sprites, the backgrounds look muddy and the effects (blood, etc.) look pretty bland. It's still worth playing, just be aware that it's a short game and won't exactly dazzle your eyes.

Ghost of Sparta, however, turned out much better, probably because the art direction was significantly improved in the original PSP version. Since it takes you to much more memorable locations (a volcano, Atlantis, the realm of Death), it gives a chance for the HD visual to shine. The meticulous effects look even better in HD, as do the sprites. Kratos in particular looks really good, probably the best he has before God of War III. 

Both games have a much cleaner look and are far less grainy, but in Chains of Olympus' case it just shows the low poly-count more. Ghost of Sparta benefits most from this upgrade, looking downright incredible.

This is one pretty game

For a brief recap on my opinion of these two PSP games as, well, games, I enjoyed Chains of Olympus for being a God of War Lite, and love love loved Ghost of Sparta's excellent story, strong pacing, and fantastic combat. Both games still feel a bit stripped down when compared to their console brethren  but honestly this didn't bother me much. Chains of Olympus is kind of lame, but Ghost of Sparta feels more refined, if anything. In either case, both game play better on the PS3 because you can use the right stick to dodge instead of being stuck pressing L1+R1 to roll. So this is absolutely the ideal way to play these games, assuming you didn't want to play them on the toilet.

And if you do, just move your TV into the bathroom! What? Is that weird or something?

In addition to the upgraded visuals and controls, you also get full trophy support, as well as 3D support if you one one of those "passing fad" 3D TVs. I don't have a 3D TV so I can't attest, but I'm guessing it probably washes out the colors for a very moderate 3D effect. Yeah, my opinion of 3D tvs isn't that high, I'll admit. But it is nice to have trophies.

You also get much better control. The PSP versions of these games required you to press L+R and the left "stick" of the PSP for rolling (a core move in the God of War franchise). With this collection, it's mapped like it is on the console versions: to the right stick. It's a great improvement and easily makes these versions of the games the best to control.

The last thing I'll mention is the upgraded (or not upgraded) pre-rendered cutscenes. This was extra annoying in God of War Collection, which uses a trillion of these things. Chains of Olympus also suffers, but Ghost of Sparta was smart and did most of their cutscenes in-engine. As such, that game looks extra good because it isn't full of crappy SD video causing visual dissonance.

Flame on. 

God of War: Origins Collection is a must-buy for fans of the series. While Chains of Olympus is a pretty weak entry, Ghost of Sparta more than makes up for it. While many will consider these inferior spinoffs of the original games, I think this HD collection confirms they should rightly be placed next to the main series, and the main games could especially learn a bit about storytelling and character growth from Ghost of Sparta.

A word of warning, however: the God of War Saga Collection (ever game in the series up to this point) does not include a disc of Origins. Rather, it has two download codes to redeem on PSN. As someone who owns both an Xbox 360 and a PS3, I'm certain anyone can agree with me in saying PSN's bottlenecked download times are horrendous. This is a 12 GB+ download (which I unfortunately bought off PSN), which (unless you do some trick router configurations and give your PS3 a static IP) could mean long, long hours of downloading. If you are a physical media guy, your best bet is to ignore the collection and buy it's parts separately at the slightly-increased cost. 

That aside, God of War: Origins Collection is certainly worth purchasing, especially if you are a fan of the series and do not own a PSP. Choosing them over the original games is really the preference of mobility, but I for one like the improved Ghost of Sparta graphics far more than their fuzzy portable counterparts.

Fans, eat your hearts out. Four out of five stars.

BUY THIS GAME RAAAR.

Bonus:

Considering this is my last God of War review (until Ascension comes out), I figured I'd give you my personal ranking of the games in the God of War series.

1. God of War: Ghost of Sparta

2. God of War

3. God of War II

4. God of War: Chains of Olympus

5. God of War III

6. God of War: Betrayal (the cell-phone game which I will not be reviewing...maybe)

God of War: Ghost of Sparta

The Short

Pros
- The ultimate refinement of the God of War formula
- Absolutely beautiful PSP graphics
- Full-length God of War game that takes you some crazy places such as Atlantis
- Easily the strongest story in the God of War universe
- Several slow moments really add to the game
- Quite possibly the best game in the franchise

Cons
- Magic, as a whole, is underwhelming
- A few technical glitches pop up now and again
- Some of the enemies (the creepy burrowing death women) are really cheap
- They removed the great use of L1+Square from God of War III for some unknown reason

This is one damn good looking PSP game

The Long

At the time of writing, this is the most recent God of War release, with Ascension coming out soon. I played through both this and Ghost of Sparta several years after God of War III, the final installment in the trilogy leaving such a sour taste in my mouth it spread to the entire series. Going into Ghost of Sparta my expectations were moderate but not great. Chains of Olympus was a solid experience but really didn't go out of its way to break the mold or do anything exceptional. Since this was from the same developers (Readyatdawn) I expected more of the same.

Boy, was I wrong.

This might not be the popular opinion, but I will say this right now: God of War: Ghost of Sparta is the best God of War. Hands down, no competition. Yes, even better than the absolutely fantastic first game. It does literally everything right, but what it especially does right is the story, which is the best little side-story in the whole franchise.

So let's get on with it. 

Taking the bull by the horns. 

This is the only God of War story in the entire series where Kratos is doing something that is not in his own best interests. What I mean is that in every other game he's either trying to murder someone, either to clear his conscience or just for revenge. In this game, however, which takes place between the events of God of War II and God of War III, he isn't out for revenge at all. He's out to save his brother.

Yes, Kratos has a brother, hinted at in the bonus features included with the first God of War. After a run-in with his mother who tells him his brother still lives, he finds his bro is trapped in the Realm of Death, which is not the underworld (way to branch out) but, in fact, a place sort of in-between which is ruled by Thanatos. If the name doesn't sound familiar, don't worry; he was an extremely minor god (even if he was the God of Death), really only mentioned once in passing in the Iliad and never playing front and center in any myths. But hey, this is technically game #5, so they've gotta be running out of stuff for Kratos to kill by now.

What entails at first seems to be just another God of War plot. Kratos is mad at the gods, who keep telling him to stop his quest to find his brother, which he of course ignores. However, for what limited story bits there are during the actual questing portions of this game, the ones we get (and especially the downright fantastic ending) are excellent.

Also, you sink Atlantis. Whoops. 

Without going into spoiler territory, let me just say that having Kratos actually care for someone more than himself (the guilt he feels for allowing his brother Deimos to be taken in his place as a child) is absolutely staggering considering what they did with his character in the later games. Kratos continues to go out of his way, including getting violently beaten when he wouldn't have to take it, for the sake of his brother. The final resolution and then boss is easily the most emotionally climactic scenes in the entire series, including my favorite scene from the end of God of War where Kratos' voice actually cracks when he realizes how completely he failed his family.

The game also does well tying God of War and God of War II together, repconning the rather dramatic shift in character between those two games. There's even an excellent scene after the credits that plays extremely well in tying it all together. Having a story revolving around Kratos' family (even if it's his mother and brother rather than the wife and child he murdered) was a brilliant turn. I actually felt his character had a depth, something I hadn't felt since the first God of War. He is a broken man, who only knows violence as a means to help those he cares about, and is put into situations where that is not enough. 

Suffice to say, I was genuinely emotional during the final scenes of this game, something the God of War franchise has been trying its damndest to avoid withe the character-butchering going on in God of War II and God of War III. As someone who demands more out of stories in his games, Ghost of Sparta is absolutely stellar. It isn't Nier or anything, but it more than fulfills on the promises given for games of this type.

The little effects in this game are downright unbelievable. 

Ghost of Sparta came out after God of War III, and it shows in the gameplay. Combos are faster and revised to better match their changes created in God of War III, which means this is mimicking the best combat-wise in the series. I'm all for that. Another awesome trick is the addition of fire blades. By pressing and holding R1, Kratos will drain a replenishing "fire" meter (which can be upgraded, etc.). This causes his standard weapons do deal more damage as well as burn enemies, and armored enemies can only be damaged with flame. It's a cool addition that works well with the button layout.

This game also has some really handy magic...well, one of the spells anyway, a seeking swarm that steals life orbs from enemies (why would you use anything else?). You do get a lightning spell that requires you to aim it at enemies, as well as a hammer that freezes people (much like the Medusa head from the first two games), but honestly the lightning is only good for combos and the hammer comes too late in the game. Luckily, you can just upgrade your blades and fire and still have a grand ol' time.

This game also has only one alternate weapon, and it's pretty handy. You receive Kratos' old Spartian gear (which is an awesome story moment, and is used for an even more awesome one near the end), which includes a powerful shield and a spear that's unlimited free ranged attack. Again, it comes a bit too late in the game to be super useful, but it's by far the best alternate weapon in the series. 

The Eyes have it. 

The perfect refinement of combat (with it's cool touches) is set about a game that is perfectly paced. A whole slew of new enemies are around for you to kill (though some are lifted wholesale from Chains of Olympus), and you travel to some absolutely awesome (and awesome looking) locations. From the rainy city of Atlantis set in the ocean to the molton core upon which it sits, to a quiet moment back in his hometown of Sparta which might be one of the best God of War moments ever, to a snowy mountain ridge and the realm of Death himself, God of War: Ghost of Sparta does pacing absolutely right. Unlike God of War III, where I found myself getting bored as I'd progress, I had difficulty quitting Ghost of Sparta. This is pacing done right, and when matched with some immaculate combat you have a surefire winner, much like God of War I and II.

Don't you worry, though. Kratos is still kind of a huge jerk. 

This is one dang good looking PSP game, probably the best looking one on the system. It has a higher poly count than it's also good looking predecessor, Chains of Olympus, but what really makes it shine is the improved lighting and effect. Torches cough sparks all over the floor, rainwater streams across marble, lava bubbles up and bursts from rivers; this is a really, really polished visual experience. I'd say it looks even better than God of War II, and that game was downright gorgeous.

Sound is also incredible throughout, with a wide variety of familiar tracks mixed with the same booming sound effects we've come to expect. The voice acting is, again, spot on, and is especially good considering the script is actually excellent this time. 

I mean, come on; we're taking about a God of War game here. Do I really have to say that the game looks and sounds fantastic? It's par for the course for this series.

Jump, Kratos, jump!

God of War: Ghost of Sparta is the best God of War game yet. Not just because it's absolutely beautiful, and not just because the combat has been refined to a light sheen. No, it's because it actually has an excellent blend of gameplay and story that makes it so endearing to me. As I said in my God of War III review, even if these games didn't have fantastic stories, they still needed to have an avatar that was relatable. Kratos was relatable in God of War, and was not in II and especially III. However, in Ghost of Sparta he's more human than he's ever been (weird, since he's technically a god in this game). The blend of perfect pacing in both gameplay and story bits makes for an extremely memorable ride, and again...best final boss in the series, hands down.

I must congratulate Readyatdawn. At first I considered them the bastard child spinoff from the main studio, and now they've completely overshadowed them. Between the excellent writing in this and Chains of Olympus, they should totally be put in charge in all future God of War games. 

An absolute must-play, especially for fans of the series. Five out of five stars. 

I can't praise this game enough. 

God of War: Chains of Olympus

The Short

Pros
- Faithfully replicates the God of War experience on the PSP
- Does well with its limited controls to streamline the experience
- Graphics look quite good for a PSP game
- Story is an interesting prequel to the first God of War that answers a lot of plot hole questions
- Well crafted through and through

Cons
- Too short
- Hardly any bosses
- Rolling, a crucial move, is mapped to the two shoulder buttons rather than a second analog stick
- Blocking has a weird slight lag that isn't present in the other games
- Story doesn't quite reach the same level of grandioseness as the previous games

It's God of War, on the go!

The Long

While I was burning through the console released games, I had no idea that the series had moved on to the PSP. I honestly regarded them as smaller spinoff games, thinking there was no way they could possibly emulate the crazy action of the original series with a different developer and made on a handheld.

I am pleased to say that I was very wrong.

God of War: Chains of Olympus was a game released after God of War II but before God of War III. Slated as a prequel to the first God of War game, it aimed to explore a bit of Kratos' past right before the start of game number one. So, did they somehow manage to pack the whole God of War experience into the PSP? You bet, though it isn't quite the slamming experience we've come to expect. 

This game has a great sense of scale, just like the numbered games. 

Kratos is trapped in the service of the gods, hoping that working for Athena will eventually earn the removal of the horrifying memories he earned murdering his family. Before asked to kill Ares, he was enlisted on other menial tasks, such as stopping a Persan invasion of Atticus. This is where our story beings: Persia invading Greece, and Kratos kicking their butts back to the stone age. After crushing their army and defeating the legendary Basilisk, this bit of the plot is completely ignored and never brought up again.

No, the real story is that Helios, the god of the sun (whom Kratos kills and uses his head as a flashlight in God of War III) has been taken and Morpheus, god of dreams, is putting a deep sleep over all of creation. For some reason Kratos is immune (while the other gods are not), and is tasked by Athena to bring the sun back and reawaken the world. 

While the story is unique (since it's one of the few where the end goal isn't to murder something), unfortunately most of the story beats don't really show up until the very end of the game. What does show up, however (when Kratos is, yet again, in the underworld) is actually quite good. Without too many spoilers I can say this game has Kratos' daughter as a key player (in the underworld), and unlike God of War III it doesn't feel tacked on at all. It also explains that big plot hole we've all been thinking: if Kratos loves his family so much, why doesn't he just kill himself and join them in the underworld? Chains of Olympus does well answering this question and providing a rather dramatic arch for Kratos, and also answering the question regarding how Atlas knew Kratos in God of War II. While the story isn't as strong as God of War, what little it has it uses much better than both God of War II and III combined. Again, the real pity is that it's all mostly condensed into the last third of the game. 

It seems there is, in fact, a reasonably tolerable place in the underworld.

Chains of Olympus in the gameplay department feels like a hybrid between the first and second game, if stripped down a bit. The Spartian Wrath ability (activated by clicking the sticks on the PS2 controller) has been removed due to buttons, and the magic and sub-weapons have also been decreased. Dodging, which was mapped to the right stick on the PS2, has been replaced by pressing R1 and L1 at the same time and a direction, which works decently though not quite as precise. All the combos, however, are all still here in full force, with the game running extremely smooth and keeping the same addicting feel of combat.

Honestly, the "God of War Lite" feel is actually an improvement. All three console God of War games have had several abilities and weapons that were completely useless. By removing a handful of them, Chains of Olympus actually feels a bit of a tighter experience. That is to say, I'm not crying over the removal of abilities, as it just means I used the ones I had more frequently.

You spin me right round, baby, right round

Perhaps the real weakness of Chains of Olympus is that of it being about 2/3 the length (or less) of a regular God of War game, and the fact that it doesn't quite reach the same majestic scale as the main games. The areas Kratos visits look fantastic but there's a lot of repetition, with only a few near the end really standing out. As for the length, I was able to beat the entire game on a slow Sunday, though it does have a substantial amount of replay value should you want to go off on the quest again.

"Lucy! I'm home!"

Graphically this game looks quite impressive for a PSP game, with Readyatdawn knocking it out of the park with some downright eye-popping visuals on the little handheld system. There are plenty of big, nasty enemies and some great effects and lighting. It isn't up to the scope of, say, God of War II, and at times the resolution can make everything appear a bit grainy, but as a whole this is one of the best looking PSP games you could get your hands on, and fulfills the series' promise of having their games be the peak visually on their platforms.

Sound and music is also quite good, though most of the music is recycled from the first numerical God of War games. Voice acting across the board is astounding and, when paired with the strong story, work well to convey a depth to Kratos' character and the world he resides in that isn't found in many other games of the series.

Kame...hame...ha!

Chains of Olympus is God of War Lite, but this is hardly a negative thing. In fact, it's quite a decent little God of War game. For those craving further adventures after finishing off the trilogy, Readyatdawn has crafted an excellent God of War game here whose only real limitation is it's bad story pacing and short length. Still, the time I had with it was quite a bit of fun, and I really do appreciate a more mature take on the nature of Kratos as a character, with some of the final bits of story being both clever, dramatic, and emotionally powerful.

It isn't one of the best God of War games, but I certainly liked it much better than God of War III. If you are a fan of the series, you should check this one out.

Three out of five stars. 

Plus you get a giant, goofy looking fist, so there's that.