Blood, gore, and awesome gaming on your PSP.
As far as the basics go, almost everything you could want is there: extremely fast and furious game-play, buckets of blood, creative level design, excellent voice acting, tight controls, epic mini-games, proficient graphics, and varied attack strategies. What will throw some fans of the series is that this game will feel like God of War: Lite Edition. That's only to say there aren't as many weapons, as many spells, or as many button presses in the mini-games. Also, the game is lacking in length; it will only take you six to seven hours of playtime to complete on its default difficulty setting.
All of these issues are offset, however, by some new game mechanics. Every new item and spell that you obtain throughout the game integrates with the controls wonderfully, so you always have what you need to do battle in a moment's notice. This allows you to fight the good fight and not have to stop to change abilities, and also allows the level design to set the pace, as opposed to its control scheme.
They've also addressed the shorter length by offering replay value in the form of special challenges, unlockables, and the simple pleasure of attempting the game at a higher difficulty setting. Remarkably, the game is almost as enjoyable the second time through, which is a tribute to the fantastic job that was done in the game's development.
While the storyline is fantastic and has high production values, those who aren't familiar with its PS2 counterparts will miss a great deal of the references. But those who miss this particular title won't miss out on the continuing storyline that will take place between God of War II and III, as it's a prequel that doesn't interrupt the story's flow. All of this said, if you're a fan of the series you'll truly enjoy the extra back-story that the game provides, and newcomers will still enjoy the game…just not as much as if they were familiar with the other installments.
If you enjoy an exceptional platformer, don't mind the shorter length, and aren't squeamish about blood hitting your screen, this is definitely one to look into. It comes with my highest recommendation.