Gungrave

""May cause carpal tunnel syndrome in your right thumb""

When i feel like playing a game to relax and pass some time, i usually take a look at my not-so-extensive collection and try to decide which one to pop into my PS2, but lately, it's always Gungrave.
Gungrave in really one of those love it or hate it games. The avid RPG gamer will surely dislike it for it's shortness, and it hasn't agreed too well with critics (with the exception of a few). But for those who do enjoy it, you will find yourself spending hours improving ratings and getting higer beat counts. But make sure this is your kind of game before buying!!

Gameplay: Many games i don't find it worthwhile to improve my score or ratings. Even for ''Devil May Cry'', I didn't really have any desire to get S rankings on all the missions. But Gungrave has a very unique rating system that hooked me after my second play-through. While playing, you get rated on how cool you look , how fast you get through, how much you kill, how much life you have by the end of the level, and your beat count (which means how much stuff you can consecutively blow up). Maybe it's the fact that the core gameplay isn't all that tough which makes you want to try and get better ratings. Besides all that, the gameplay is just a whole lotta fun. You can do alot of neat stuff, like diving down a set of stairs into a room while taking a few guys out, then getting up, whiping out a wave of enemies as they approach you while doing ballet like moves, and when your overwhelmed, busting out that coffin you have on your back inorder to do your oh so special attack. One think is that there is slowdown when there is LOTS going on, but as many have mentioned, it is actually really really cool looking. Don't think of that as an excuse though, cause when you get to see 4 cars blowing up, ten bad guys fly into the air, a stack of crates turn into splinters, and barrels exploding, you'll actually be grateful for the slowdown since it gives you a chance to see the scenery.

Graphics: Excellent! The it contains vibrant colours with bold cartoon-like lines, but still retains a dark mood thoroughout the whole game (well, except maybe the last level. That was just pure tripyness!) The cutscenes are crap in your pants worthy. And since everything in the game looks like a cartoon, it feels like you playing out an anime episode/movie. And it's even the approximate length of an anime movie :)

Sound: Gotta love them trumpets. The opening theme is great, and the in game music ranges from average to very good. The sound of Graves guns is nice since it doesn't seem to get on your nerves, even ater hearing them almost non-stop. Pretty much everything sounds nice and appropriate for the situation.

Control: Everything flows well once you get used to it, but might feel akward when you first get started. Yup, that's pretty much it.

Presentation: Top notch cut-scenes which dynamic camera angles, and as noted before, it feels like your in an anime. Nice game menus that aren't confusing or overly flashy, and it even has a brief demo showing how beat counts work and how they help you out in getting your demolition shots. The manual isn't very colourful, but it is very informative with a nice layout.

If GG looks like your kind of game, you'll have a blast if you buy it. But if your not sure, or just want to give it a whirl, RENT! There have been many cases of people feeling like they have wasted their money. I think it was well worth my inflated Canadain price.

Gameplay:9
Graphics:8
Sound:8
Control:9
Presentation:10
Score:9/10

And remember: ''Kick Thier Ass!''

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 09/22/02, Updated 09/22/02