Badass—if there is a word to describe the upcoming PSP bloodfest God of War: Ghost of Sparta, this is it. The game is so far perhaps one of the best handheld experiences I’ve had to date. God of War: Ghost of Sparta combines eye-pleasing graphics with a simple to learn interface intertwined with what promises to be a very entertaining storyline. Indeed, during my hands-on with the game earlier this month, it seemed to be something that perhaps every God of War fan may want to pick up.

Premise

God of War: Ghost of Sparta takes place right after God of War and before the second game. Kratos has just defeated Ares and is the new God of War. Despite the new powers, he is still haunted by ghosts of his past. One particular ghost, his brother, is particularly bothersome to him. Kratos feels regret because he was not able to save him from Ares’ wrath and his long lost brother has been presumed dead. Upon receiving a vision though, Kratos concludes that his brother is still alive and being tortured.

To quell the visions that haunt him, Kratos embarks on a quest to rescue his brother despite Athena’s begging him not to. Along the way, he encounters, as always, many of Greece’s mythological figures.

Graphics

During my demo, I played on a PSP hooked up to a high definition television—which was a unique experience in itself. The graphics look very polished with the rain effects not slowing down at any point during Kratos’s combat with enemies. Additionally, blood splattered on Kratos when he attacked certain foes.

Perhaps one of the most pleasing parts was watching Kratos charge opponents, tackle them to the ground, and simply beat them to a pulp. That’s not to say that the rest is lacking: the King Midas sequence was very entertaining and the lighting effects were really quite interesting. Though this still might change, the way that Kratos was illuminated when turned to gold by King Midas just didn’t seem very convincing. He didn’t look like much of a golden figure but rather front lit with an orange fire.

The couple glimpses I had of the frozen areas and Atlantis weren’t enough in my opinion to make a full judgment.

Gameplay

The areas I was able to play included the first boss battle with Scylla shown off previously, but the gameplay videos do the experience no real justice. Having to beat Scylla like a true Spartan requires quite a bit of work and dodging of her attacks. When she’s down, you’ll need to act quickly to get to the anchor and do maximum damage on her.

Later on in the game, players will want to make great use of the spear and shield combo as well as the ice, fire and lighting powers given to Kratos. Throwing spears is fun as is charging at opponents, throwing one into another and then rushing them together with the spear and shield combo.

Perhaps the most fun though had to be beating the living Hades out of King Midas (no Hades is not an actual character). Midas tends to try to get away from you when you’re dealing with his dog minions. The longer you take to disperse of them, the further Midas will drag his body. When you do eventually throw him into the lava, you’ll be able to scale it and get to another area that leads to a new level.

Sound

The voice acting sounded a bit cheesy to be quite honest. However, I couldn’t get over how fitting the music was. Combined with the sounds of death, weapons clashing and the ambient environmental sounds, this seemed like a game that will be very immersive for anyone that connects their headphones to their PSP.

God of War: Ghost of Sparta comes out November 2. PSP users and God of War fans alike will want to get their hands on this chapter of the story.