God Of War: Ghost of Sparta



God of War: Ghost of Sparta is an upcoming 2010 action-adventure game being collaboratively developed by Ready at Dawn and SCE Santa Monica Studio exclusively for the PlayStation Portable. The game is the sixth installment in the God of War series and the second for the PlayStation Portable after Chains of Olympus

Gameplay
The game will feature gameplay similar to previous installments in the series. It is a third-person action adventure game, where the player controls Kratos, containing quick time events, box-based puzzles and boss fights. The game will feature new weapons, magical powers and navigational abilities not present in previous games, and has been cited as featuring 25 percent more gameplay than its PSP predecessor Chains of Olympus.

Kratos' arsenal will include the Blades of Athena and the use of a spear and shield. The combat system has been updated to allow Kratos to "pummel enemies to the ground as well as throw them", and perform air-to-air attacks. An "augmented death system" is also being trialled.

The first magic ability confirmed for the game is the electrical attack the "Eye of Atlantis". As with previous games, the weapons and magic can be upgraded.thumb|300px|right

Plot
Taking place during Kratos' time as the God of War, the story will expand on Kratos' origins and reveal the background on the lost city of Atlantis (mentioned by Poseidon in God of War III). Among Kratos' new foes will be the legendary King Midas and the sea monster Scylla.

Development
The game was announced on May 4, 2010 on the PlayStation Blog. According to Sony, Ready At Dawn will utilize "state-of-the-art visual technologies" that will allow "higher quality environments and characters." Ghost of Sparta will apparently offer "over 25% more gameplay" than its PSP predecessor, Chains of Olympus, while adding more enemies on screen and a greater number of boss encounters. According to Ready At Dawn, development of Ghost of Sparta began in September 2008 and the game is planned for release "later this year" (2010).

On June 15th, 2010, Sony displayed a cinematic teaser trailer narrated by Linda Hunt during their E3 2010 Press Conference. The game will also be available in a PSP special bundle pack.

Spartans stand tall
The game concept was originally used as a teaser for players who obtained the platinum trophy from God of War III. The trophy revealed a site called spartansstandtall.com - initially featured a simple animation of torrential rain falling into a body of water and a Spartan shield encompassed by a meter on the screen. The meter is speculated to have been filled by players achieving the trophy and reaching the site.

On May 4, 2010, the meter reached maximum and the site was updated for a final time, revealing an image of Kratos standing above the reflection and the logo for God of War: Ghost of Sparta, now being the official site.

Demo
The first demo for God of War: Ghost of Sparta was available for play at Sony's E3 2010 booth by attendees of the event. Approximately 15 minutes long, the sequence pits Kratos against a variety of foes on both sea and land, with the main opponent being the sea monster Scylla. The sequence also features Kratos using new weapons the spear and shield and magical attack the "Eye of Atlantis."

Reception
At E3 2010, God of War: Ghost of Sparta picked up nine awards. These include "Best Handheld Game" (from Game Critic, X-Play, G4TV, and Game Informer), "Best PSP Game" (from Kotaku, GameTrailers, IGN, and Ripten.com), and "PSP Game of Show" (from GameSpy). The game also had three nominations from GameSpot (Best PSP Game), 1UP.com (Best PSP Game) and GameRevolution.com (Best Handheld Game of Show).