Ghost Rider

Everyone knows that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery but someone needs to let the folks at Climax know that flattery won't get you anywhere, especially when it's so shamelessly done.

Take their new game, Ghost Rider. It so 'sincerely flatters' the epic God of War that it feels less like a standalone title and more like a total conversion pack, where you take an existing game, reskin the textures and tweak some of the gameplay concepts.

Carbon Copy

Surprisingly, this actually saves Ghost Rider from the depths of Purgatory. After all, if you had to pick one game to shamelessly ape, you could do a lot worse than God of War. Ghost Rider follows in Krato's Spartan footprints, wielding a flaming chain through the nasty underbelly of Hell and kicking some demon butt along the way. The flaming skullhead also has some interesting powers, like a shotgun that shoots Hellfire.

Up to this point, the game sounds like a winner, but the trouble is, for all the careful attention that the developers paid to mimicking GoW's design, they didn't take very many notes on the game's presentation. GoW had an epic feel, a larger than life vibe that swept gamers off their feet. Despite its cinematic pedigree, Ghost Rider barely manages to stir your shoelaces with an anemic storyline and production values that scream, "Budget title!"

Then there's the terrible camera that obscures the action, the repetitive combat and the uninspired enemy designs. Even the eponymous Ghost Rider is dull, which is quite a feat for someone whose head is literally on fire.

Coming Attractions

There's nothing terribly original or groundbreaking about Ghost Rider. There is enough demon-smashing action to tide you over until Kratos' next adventure hits, provided, of course, that you can ignore the little voice in your head that will constantly whisper, "This isn't as good as God of War," as you play. I recommend that you treat this one just like the upcoming movie, which I'm guessing will also be sub-par: you could pay the full price of admission but it's probably best as a weekend rental.

Pros: In a nutshell, it's Diet God of War.
Cons: The diet version is never as good as the non-diet version.

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