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07-30-2002, 10:05 AM
Review from Xengamers.com http://www.xengamers.com/sections/reviews/8089/
Import Review: Gungrave
Written By: Walt Wyman
Publisher: Sega of Japan
Developer: Red Entertainment
Console: PlayStation 2
A veritable triumph of form over content, we really wanted to give Gungrave an ?A? by virtue of its cool atmosphere alone. Unfortunately, while it may get 10 out of 10 for style, this title is plagued by clunky controls and a rather short shelf life.
Score: B-
Gameplay: C+
Graphics: B-
Sound: B+
Replay Value: C+
Red Entertainment is probably best known for its part in the Sakura War series, a strategy/RPG game series featuring cute anime babes and big pastel-colored mechs. There is nothing cute or pastel about Gungrave, however. The game is one long glorious bloodbath filled with dark imagery and twisted characters. The game follows the story of Beyond the Grave (BtG hereafter), a bespectacled, apparently undead gunslinger in a sort of goth meets Rhinestone Cowboy outfit. Armed with the Cereberos (a pair of huge handguns) and a coffin, BtG sets off to wreak total carnage on his quest to bring down an institution known simply as ?The Organization?. It isn't clear whether The Organization is a government agency or private business, but as the story unfolds in beautiful anime cut scenes, it becomes clear that BtG has very good reasons to want them all dead.
The game's combat system is simple yet effective: mash the square button (which fires BtG's guns). More advanced moves, such as mashing the square button while jumping, diving and rolling (?x? button plus L-stick), or strafing are also easily learned. There is a quick-turn button (L2) that allows BtG to spin around 180 degrees. Further, BtG can do special ?Demolition Shots? which are area effect attacks. These come in two varieties, a rocket launcher and a spinning machine gun attack. Killing lots of enemies with the pistols earns BtG special points (?Beats?) that can either be traded in for a burst of life, or used one per Demolition Shot. In a pinch BtG can also whack enemies with the big coffin chained to his back by pressing R1. For defense, BtG is equipped with a Halo-like shield (i.e. the shield level decreases with each hit he takes, but will recharge if he can avoid getting hit for long enough).
There are a couple of complaints with the gameplay. First, BtG's default walk is very slow. I think the designers' image of BtG was as a sort of lumbering, calculating killing machine. Unfortunately it does not work all that well from a gameplay point of view. While he can jog or run, he can't shoot when running. This would make the spry jogging speed the natural choice for combat, except that jogging requires holding down the L3 button and simultaneously working the left stick to steer -this is quite awkward. In the end, the jog feature, while a great idea, is pretty much unusable (oddly, while the run button can be remapped to another key, the jog button cannot). Also, the system of holding down ?x? while moving the stick to dive, jump, etc. seems a bit counter-intuitive, and perhaps isn't as responsive as it could be. The other complaint is that occasionally the camera will get blocked by a corner, box, etc. This is rarely fatal, but is kind of annoying.
Visually, this is not the best cel-shaded game to date, but it's still pretty good. The character design is solid, with a number of weird enemies, from psychotic doctors to salaryman robots. The bosses get downright creepy, some of them transforming from humans into hideous monsters. The visual payoff for BtG's simple combat moves is phenomenal; just firing while standing still causes BtG to go through a little dance routine of trick shots. The explosions are nicely done without looking overdone. BtG's dives and rolls are fun to watch and give the game a John Woo flick sensibility. The special Demolitions Shots available when fighting bosses have some nifty animation too. The environmental graphics are rather drab though. The main issue is draw-in distance. The entire game takes place in a dense layer of fog (presumably to hide draw-in), making even the out-side levels feel claustrophobic. The other complaint is that the textures are rather repetitive and in most levels one corridor/stairwell looks pretty much like all the others. Sometimes unique rooms/areas break up the monotony, but not often enough.
Sound is one place where Gungrave shines. The roar of BtG's pistols and rumbling explosions (complimented by force-feedback, of course) are nice and meaty. The Japanese voice acting is competent ?on a par with most anime I've seen. The great soundtrack is composed of dark, almost jazzy tunes alternating with grinding industrial tracks and even one or two cuts that pay tribute to Western film scores of old. Some of the effects are a bit cheesy ?enemy machine guns sound like toys, and the bad guys yell repetitive, canned epithets at you. Other than that, the game simply sounds great.
Shelf life is perhaps the more critical complaint regarding Gungrave. While the levels are diverse (taking you from a bar, through a train, up a very bizarre tower, and many other locations in between) they are so linear the game almost feels like it's on rails. There is really no exploration involved. Further, the objective of each level is always the same: go from point A to point B, killing everyone in your path. Also, the enemy AI is not very challenging, even on the hardest difficulty level. Between the dumb AI and scarcity of levels (just six), the game only takes an afternoon to beat. There are Easter eggs to unlock (viewable character graphics, and a slow-motion toggle for example), but to many players it may not seem worth the effort.
For sheer style, Gungrave is fantastic. Sadly, the overall quality is hindered by a lack of depth and somewhat awkward control mechanics. But if gamers can look past this they will be rewarded with a game that oozes atmosphere and style.
Graphics
+Wonderfully twisted gameworld and characters
+Superb cut scenes
-Somewhat boring environmental graphics
-Short draw distance
Sound
+Dark score perfectly suits gameworld
+Explosions you can feel (subwoofer not included)
+Decent voice acting (for a change)
Gameplay
+Simple yet satisfying combat
-Awkward movement
-Repetitive
Replay Value
+Lots of Easter eggs to unlock
-Only six levels
-Poor AI
Import Review: Gungrave
Written By: Walt Wyman
Publisher: Sega of Japan
Developer: Red Entertainment
Console: PlayStation 2
A veritable triumph of form over content, we really wanted to give Gungrave an ?A? by virtue of its cool atmosphere alone. Unfortunately, while it may get 10 out of 10 for style, this title is plagued by clunky controls and a rather short shelf life.
Score: B-
Gameplay: C+
Graphics: B-
Sound: B+
Replay Value: C+
Red Entertainment is probably best known for its part in the Sakura War series, a strategy/RPG game series featuring cute anime babes and big pastel-colored mechs. There is nothing cute or pastel about Gungrave, however. The game is one long glorious bloodbath filled with dark imagery and twisted characters. The game follows the story of Beyond the Grave (BtG hereafter), a bespectacled, apparently undead gunslinger in a sort of goth meets Rhinestone Cowboy outfit. Armed with the Cereberos (a pair of huge handguns) and a coffin, BtG sets off to wreak total carnage on his quest to bring down an institution known simply as ?The Organization?. It isn't clear whether The Organization is a government agency or private business, but as the story unfolds in beautiful anime cut scenes, it becomes clear that BtG has very good reasons to want them all dead.
The game's combat system is simple yet effective: mash the square button (which fires BtG's guns). More advanced moves, such as mashing the square button while jumping, diving and rolling (?x? button plus L-stick), or strafing are also easily learned. There is a quick-turn button (L2) that allows BtG to spin around 180 degrees. Further, BtG can do special ?Demolition Shots? which are area effect attacks. These come in two varieties, a rocket launcher and a spinning machine gun attack. Killing lots of enemies with the pistols earns BtG special points (?Beats?) that can either be traded in for a burst of life, or used one per Demolition Shot. In a pinch BtG can also whack enemies with the big coffin chained to his back by pressing R1. For defense, BtG is equipped with a Halo-like shield (i.e. the shield level decreases with each hit he takes, but will recharge if he can avoid getting hit for long enough).
There are a couple of complaints with the gameplay. First, BtG's default walk is very slow. I think the designers' image of BtG was as a sort of lumbering, calculating killing machine. Unfortunately it does not work all that well from a gameplay point of view. While he can jog or run, he can't shoot when running. This would make the spry jogging speed the natural choice for combat, except that jogging requires holding down the L3 button and simultaneously working the left stick to steer -this is quite awkward. In the end, the jog feature, while a great idea, is pretty much unusable (oddly, while the run button can be remapped to another key, the jog button cannot). Also, the system of holding down ?x? while moving the stick to dive, jump, etc. seems a bit counter-intuitive, and perhaps isn't as responsive as it could be. The other complaint is that occasionally the camera will get blocked by a corner, box, etc. This is rarely fatal, but is kind of annoying.
Visually, this is not the best cel-shaded game to date, but it's still pretty good. The character design is solid, with a number of weird enemies, from psychotic doctors to salaryman robots. The bosses get downright creepy, some of them transforming from humans into hideous monsters. The visual payoff for BtG's simple combat moves is phenomenal; just firing while standing still causes BtG to go through a little dance routine of trick shots. The explosions are nicely done without looking overdone. BtG's dives and rolls are fun to watch and give the game a John Woo flick sensibility. The special Demolitions Shots available when fighting bosses have some nifty animation too. The environmental graphics are rather drab though. The main issue is draw-in distance. The entire game takes place in a dense layer of fog (presumably to hide draw-in), making even the out-side levels feel claustrophobic. The other complaint is that the textures are rather repetitive and in most levels one corridor/stairwell looks pretty much like all the others. Sometimes unique rooms/areas break up the monotony, but not often enough.
Sound is one place where Gungrave shines. The roar of BtG's pistols and rumbling explosions (complimented by force-feedback, of course) are nice and meaty. The Japanese voice acting is competent ?on a par with most anime I've seen. The great soundtrack is composed of dark, almost jazzy tunes alternating with grinding industrial tracks and even one or two cuts that pay tribute to Western film scores of old. Some of the effects are a bit cheesy ?enemy machine guns sound like toys, and the bad guys yell repetitive, canned epithets at you. Other than that, the game simply sounds great.
Shelf life is perhaps the more critical complaint regarding Gungrave. While the levels are diverse (taking you from a bar, through a train, up a very bizarre tower, and many other locations in between) they are so linear the game almost feels like it's on rails. There is really no exploration involved. Further, the objective of each level is always the same: go from point A to point B, killing everyone in your path. Also, the enemy AI is not very challenging, even on the hardest difficulty level. Between the dumb AI and scarcity of levels (just six), the game only takes an afternoon to beat. There are Easter eggs to unlock (viewable character graphics, and a slow-motion toggle for example), but to many players it may not seem worth the effort.
For sheer style, Gungrave is fantastic. Sadly, the overall quality is hindered by a lack of depth and somewhat awkward control mechanics. But if gamers can look past this they will be rewarded with a game that oozes atmosphere and style.
Graphics
+Wonderfully twisted gameworld and characters
+Superb cut scenes
-Somewhat boring environmental graphics
-Short draw distance
Sound
+Dark score perfectly suits gameworld
+Explosions you can feel (subwoofer not included)
+Decent voice acting (for a change)
Gameplay
+Simple yet satisfying combat
-Awkward movement
-Repetitive
Replay Value
+Lots of Easter eggs to unlock
-Only six levels
-Poor AI