entirely carried by its aesthetic. thankfully it's short enough for that not to be a huge problem
The aesthetic is "edgy anime cell-shading", and is soooooo boring
It's all flash without much substance. Cool visual design, which is to be expected since you can just smell Nightow's Trigun all over Grave. Music is alright too, leading to a decent presentation. It's when you get to the combat where things start to fall flat. It's simple enough, press or hold (If you have rapid fire turned on) the square button, lock onto foes using shoulder buttons, and shoot like hell... there's a charging meter to activate special shots, and well... that's about it really. As far as combat goes, it's just a matter of spray and pray as you are like a lawn mower chopping up enemies like weeds. Boss battles aren't much of a struggle either, just time their lunges, dodge, and then press square. No real rhyme or reason, it's simply a matter of moving and shooting.
As far as presentation goes, the aforementioned visual/music design keep this game from being completely forgotten. It's a typical cel-shaded fare that was common back in the day, but now is rather pleasant to look at. And the story? Generic "guy comes back from dead in exchange for his soul to extract revenge" sort of deal. Yawn.
Basically, it's form over function. It's a shame because I went into this thinking it would be a pleasant and fun experience, but at the end of the day, feels like I could have used the 2 hours I spent on this game elsewhere. Like reading a book, or staring at a wall. Or perhaps playing a better game.
As far as presentation goes, the aforementioned visual/music design keep this game from being completely forgotten. It's a typical cel-shaded fare that was common back in the day, but now is rather pleasant to look at. And the story? Generic "guy comes back from dead in exchange for his soul to extract revenge" sort of deal. Yawn.
Basically, it's form over function. It's a shame because I went into this thinking it would be a pleasant and fun experience, but at the end of the day, feels like I could have used the 2 hours I spent on this game elsewhere. Like reading a book, or staring at a wall. Or perhaps playing a better game.
As far as action games go, Gungrave isn't the best. It holds its arcade roots to heart as it presents a short shooting gallery every level that adds up to a short 3 hour long playthrough. Gameplay mechanics don't evolve or expand and the story is meandering and shallow. However, its style, length and energetic gameplay make it a fun guilty pleasure to revisit.
gun
A game that's mostly just turning around and mashing square shouldnae be this fun. It feels good to dive about and blast dudes. I like firing big rockets. The simple stuff.
Just slap Nightow's wild designs and mad proportions over the top of an OK arcade shooter and you get something pretty decent.
Just slap Nightow's wild designs and mad proportions over the top of an OK arcade shooter and you get something pretty decent.
This game had to walk before Bayonetta could dance.
Entry number seven of the list of obscurity is Gungrave, recommended by Retyl. Thank you very much for the recommendation, this game is truly a sight to behold.
Before even getting into the game, I was greeted by this intro. Not to toot my own horn, but I uploaded it to my account simply because I could not find an HD version of this... magnificent and mesmerizing opening. It was actually kind of irritating because this is an intro that should be seen by everyone for just how stylish it is and how it gets you right into the mood to play this game.
Gungrave is quite possibly one of the most aesthetically pleasing games I have ever played, which makes complete sense as the character designs are all done by Yasuhiro Nightow, the author and artist of the critically acclaimed Trigun. All of the characters, from our protagonist Grave, to the various bosses and enemies, ooze with this kickass late 90's-early 2000's anime feel. The music as well composed by Tsuneo Imahori reminds me a lot of Cowboy Bebop... which makes it unsurprising that he contributed several tracks to the show.
The game itself is extremely simplistic. Press Square to shoot things. Rinse, Lather and Repeat. Of course, it isn't that simple, but that is what you will be spending a majority of the game doing. I would find this to be much worse if the game wasn't just under 2 hours, and if it wasn't as fucking fun as it is.
The way Grave begins dancing with his guns when you start shooting in place, allowing you to just turn and slaughter at ease, the way that like a John Woo film, you can jump in various directions while firing rapidly to avoid attacks yet deal massive damage, the way using Demolition Shots can just erradicate enemies and bosses, it's just pure kino to me.
Of course, there's also shit I had a serious problem with, that being the camera. This game does not have a manual camera, and while there are games that can do that well, Gungrave ain't one of them. The camera only turns when Grave turns, which in certain moments while in tight narrow hallways, makes it borderline impossible to fucking see.
During boss fights it is especially noticeable, as bosses will often just fly off screen where you can't see them and angling back towards them can be awkward if you don't know about the lock-on feature, which I didn't until the Bunji boss, which is the second to last boss in the entire game.
Onto the story, it starts as a very vague mafioso revenge story. You play as Beyond the Grave, or just Grave for short, as you mow down hordes of goons of various types. You attack various places, a nightclub, then a drug lab, and eventually a fucking blimp. There's a feeling of slow escalation as you get further up the city.
You notice it in the second level, where the drug lab for some reason has bodies in test tubes, and in the third level where you fight Bob Poundmax, a big chungus who then turns into a robotic chungus. There's this feeling of science fiction and the super-natural seeping into the woodworks. Of course, the super-natural and science fiction were always there, Grave is a perfect example.
So it's no surprise that the final level has you entering what appears as an artificial heaven, filled with various experimented beings that look very inhuman. The final boss itself looking like a cosmic deity from the beyond.
While the story isn't overly deep, I do recommend you play the game yourself to truly experience it. There are a lot of moments that will have you questioning the true nature of the game, thematically and all.
Do I recommend Gungrave? Yes, but I will fully admit that this is a guilty pleasure game. It doesn't really ask anything of the player for the most part and is almost completely mindless, but ultimately it is satisfying fun from beginning to end.
Entry number seven of the list of obscurity is Gungrave, recommended by Retyl. Thank you very much for the recommendation, this game is truly a sight to behold.
Before even getting into the game, I was greeted by this intro. Not to toot my own horn, but I uploaded it to my account simply because I could not find an HD version of this... magnificent and mesmerizing opening. It was actually kind of irritating because this is an intro that should be seen by everyone for just how stylish it is and how it gets you right into the mood to play this game.
Gungrave is quite possibly one of the most aesthetically pleasing games I have ever played, which makes complete sense as the character designs are all done by Yasuhiro Nightow, the author and artist of the critically acclaimed Trigun. All of the characters, from our protagonist Grave, to the various bosses and enemies, ooze with this kickass late 90's-early 2000's anime feel. The music as well composed by Tsuneo Imahori reminds me a lot of Cowboy Bebop... which makes it unsurprising that he contributed several tracks to the show.
The game itself is extremely simplistic. Press Square to shoot things. Rinse, Lather and Repeat. Of course, it isn't that simple, but that is what you will be spending a majority of the game doing. I would find this to be much worse if the game wasn't just under 2 hours, and if it wasn't as fucking fun as it is.
The way Grave begins dancing with his guns when you start shooting in place, allowing you to just turn and slaughter at ease, the way that like a John Woo film, you can jump in various directions while firing rapidly to avoid attacks yet deal massive damage, the way using Demolition Shots can just erradicate enemies and bosses, it's just pure kino to me.
Of course, there's also shit I had a serious problem with, that being the camera. This game does not have a manual camera, and while there are games that can do that well, Gungrave ain't one of them. The camera only turns when Grave turns, which in certain moments while in tight narrow hallways, makes it borderline impossible to fucking see.
During boss fights it is especially noticeable, as bosses will often just fly off screen where you can't see them and angling back towards them can be awkward if you don't know about the lock-on feature, which I didn't until the Bunji boss, which is the second to last boss in the entire game.
Onto the story, it starts as a very vague mafioso revenge story. You play as Beyond the Grave, or just Grave for short, as you mow down hordes of goons of various types. You attack various places, a nightclub, then a drug lab, and eventually a fucking blimp. There's a feeling of slow escalation as you get further up the city.
You notice it in the second level, where the drug lab for some reason has bodies in test tubes, and in the third level where you fight Bob Poundmax, a big chungus who then turns into a robotic chungus. There's this feeling of science fiction and the super-natural seeping into the woodworks. Of course, the super-natural and science fiction were always there, Grave is a perfect example.
So it's no surprise that the final level has you entering what appears as an artificial heaven, filled with various experimented beings that look very inhuman. The final boss itself looking like a cosmic deity from the beyond.
While the story isn't overly deep, I do recommend you play the game yourself to truly experience it. There are a lot of moments that will have you questioning the true nature of the game, thematically and all.
Do I recommend Gungrave? Yes, but I will fully admit that this is a guilty pleasure game. It doesn't really ask anything of the player for the most part and is almost completely mindless, but ultimately it is satisfying fun from beginning to end.
slick as hell high score shooter with stylized visuals on a short scale, emulate this shit theyre never rereleasing it.
É um jogo carregado de estilo, toda a parte visual e musical é muito boa e chamativa, o que eu acho meio fraco é a parte de história, onde é tudo muito vago e a gameplay que é um pouco maçante. Mas ainda sim é um jogo que conseguiu me divertir e é bem curtinho. Recomendo.
why is he built like that
The romantic ideal of a weekend rental in the PS2 era. The plot is light, the gameplay is questionable, and Beyond the Grave is hulkin' in a way only the PS2 could accommodate. It is not a good game, but it is a great game, because the vibes are simply that strong.
-the idea of creating action by putting yourself right in the middle is nothing new -I mean pretty much every switch pre Kill Switch or even something post Gears of War does it- now they force you to do it? It's probably due to the lack of an accurate and reliable aiming system, but standing still in the face of hordes as a requirement to shoot madly with the frame serving as a giant random "sight" works better than I'd like to admit for creating. moments of powerful exploitative action
-Most of the scenes that are visited incite me to interpret each moment as most of the shooting scenes, from the 50s to the 2000s. There is this section in the Chinatown stage where the action puts you back in the half surrounded by flammable kitchens in which, as in those movies, I am in the center of everything, the bullets do not touch me and my shots arrive by magic. auto aim spatial manipulation replaces video montage
And speaking of scenarios and Stages, start from a grave to an oriental altar, carrying a corpse character that moves like one... kinda rules. It is a game more thought than it seemed
-Soy un hombre muy honrado
Que me gusta lo mejor
Las mujeres no me faltan
Ni el dinero, ni el amor
Jineteando en mi caballo
Por la sierra yo me voy
Las estrellas y la luna
Ellas me dicen donde voy
Ay, ay, ay, ay
Ay, ay mi amor
Ay, mi morena
De mi corazón
Me gusta tocar guitarra
Me gusta cantar el son
Mariachi me acompaña
Cuando canto mi canción
Me gusta tomar mis copas
Aguardiente es lo mejor
También el tequila blanco
Con su sal le da sabor
Ay, ay, ay, ay
Ay, ay mi amor
Ay, mi morena
De mi corazón
Me gusta tocar guitarra
Me gusta cantar el son
El mariachi me acompaña
Cuando canto mi canción
Me gusta tomar mis copas
Aguardiente es lo mejor
También el tequila blanco
Con su sal le da sabor
Ay, ay, ay, ay
Ay, ay mi amor
Ay, mi morena
De mi corazón
Ay, ay, ay, ay
Ay, ay mi amor
Ay, mi morena
De mi corazón
-Most of the scenes that are visited incite me to interpret each moment as most of the shooting scenes, from the 50s to the 2000s. There is this section in the Chinatown stage where the action puts you back in the half surrounded by flammable kitchens in which, as in those movies, I am in the center of everything, the bullets do not touch me and my shots arrive by magic. auto aim spatial manipulation replaces video montage
And speaking of scenarios and Stages, start from a grave to an oriental altar, carrying a corpse character that moves like one... kinda rules. It is a game more thought than it seemed
-Soy un hombre muy honrado
Que me gusta lo mejor
Las mujeres no me faltan
Ni el dinero, ni el amor
Jineteando en mi caballo
Por la sierra yo me voy
Las estrellas y la luna
Ellas me dicen donde voy
Ay, ay, ay, ay
Ay, ay mi amor
Ay, mi morena
De mi corazón
Me gusta tocar guitarra
Me gusta cantar el son
Mariachi me acompaña
Cuando canto mi canción
Me gusta tomar mis copas
Aguardiente es lo mejor
También el tequila blanco
Con su sal le da sabor
Ay, ay, ay, ay
Ay, ay mi amor
Ay, mi morena
De mi corazón
Me gusta tocar guitarra
Me gusta cantar el son
El mariachi me acompaña
Cuando canto mi canción
Me gusta tomar mis copas
Aguardiente es lo mejor
También el tequila blanco
Con su sal le da sabor
Ay, ay, ay, ay
Ay, ay mi amor
Ay, mi morena
De mi corazón
Ay, ay, ay, ay
Ay, ay mi amor
Ay, mi morena
De mi corazón
Tl;dr, An incredibly short game that I recommend to play if got a few hours to use, bonus points if you beat it in one setting stoned.
A style over substance game.
It’s a criminally short title and heads up that I don’t know anything about Gungrave outside the games so no comparison coming from me.
With the game being so short, the gameplay still stayed fresh beginning to end. Enough difficulty where just walking and mashing square will get you killed, but not hard enough to get any frustration.
Enemy variants are okay to say the least. None that pose a threat besides of the rpg guys.
The story is very simplistic of a classic revenge gang story, but presentation made me engaged with some cool concepts like the main character needs new blood in him every few days because yknow, he’s a walking corpse.
I had fun throughout it, didn’t really gain anything throughout it on a personal level except 2 hours of escapism and fun!
A style over substance game.
It’s a criminally short title and heads up that I don’t know anything about Gungrave outside the games so no comparison coming from me.
With the game being so short, the gameplay still stayed fresh beginning to end. Enough difficulty where just walking and mashing square will get you killed, but not hard enough to get any frustration.
Enemy variants are okay to say the least. None that pose a threat besides of the rpg guys.
The story is very simplistic of a classic revenge gang story, but presentation made me engaged with some cool concepts like the main character needs new blood in him every few days because yknow, he’s a walking corpse.
I had fun throughout it, didn’t really gain anything throughout it on a personal level except 2 hours of escapism and fun!
Fun game that knows what it wants to be and doesn't overstay its welcome with the runtime. You pretty much know what you're getting into as a stylistic fun shooter. Only complaint is that some bosses are mildly annoying to fight due to the movement of the character
eu quando a chuva vem (aqui vem a chuva)
My brain tells me that this game is boring and bad but my heart tells me I had an absurdly fun time. I am stupidly fond of this game and can recommend it to nobody.
Go watch the anime instead
Unlike this game it is one of my favorites.
Unlike this game it is one of my favorites.
+great character designs by Trigun creator Yasuhiro Nightow. Kosuke Fujishima of Oh My Goddess worked on this one as well
+cinematics hold up well, this is one of the first games I can think of that made the link between cel shading and anime designs that we commonly see today
+interesting pseudo-tank controls that emphasize careful approaches
+lots of movement options including jumping, running, dash evasion, and quick 180 turnarounds
+mowing down enemies is a blast, and taking out enemies in close combat by sweeping them with your own coffin also rules
+halo-esque regenerating shield system was a good choice considering the chaos during battles
+continue system is forgiving by giving you more "demolition shots" (super attacks) to use on every death
+some very solid boss design in the second half of the game
-level design is bland. it's a lot of walking forward and mashing square, with little enemy variety until the endgame
-certain mechanics are unresponsive, including the quickturns and lock-on system that are essential in most boss fights
-early game bosses are pushovers, some of which can be killed by a single demo shot
-there's no handgun variety through the game. supposedly you can unlock more demo shots but I never saw these while playing (perhaps I am just bad...)
-apparently there's a fatality system too during the boss fights? again, the game is very opaque about this so I was never made aware that this was a possibility
-the plot is pretty hard to follow, though I don't mind this as much because it's unobtrusive and well-animated
-rather short, at under 2 hours long. this may be for the best considering the lackluster stage design
-a certain boss at the beginning of the final level has a desparation attack where he hides from you while healing himself. not a great mechanic in a game with such limited mobility
I had fun playing this in 30 minute spurts here and there, and this would probably be very easy to binge in its entirety as well. it's a very unique third-person shooter, and what it lacks in content is makes up for in style and sheer fun
+cinematics hold up well, this is one of the first games I can think of that made the link between cel shading and anime designs that we commonly see today
+interesting pseudo-tank controls that emphasize careful approaches
+lots of movement options including jumping, running, dash evasion, and quick 180 turnarounds
+mowing down enemies is a blast, and taking out enemies in close combat by sweeping them with your own coffin also rules
+halo-esque regenerating shield system was a good choice considering the chaos during battles
+continue system is forgiving by giving you more "demolition shots" (super attacks) to use on every death
+some very solid boss design in the second half of the game
-level design is bland. it's a lot of walking forward and mashing square, with little enemy variety until the endgame
-certain mechanics are unresponsive, including the quickturns and lock-on system that are essential in most boss fights
-early game bosses are pushovers, some of which can be killed by a single demo shot
-there's no handgun variety through the game. supposedly you can unlock more demo shots but I never saw these while playing (perhaps I am just bad...)
-apparently there's a fatality system too during the boss fights? again, the game is very opaque about this so I was never made aware that this was a possibility
-the plot is pretty hard to follow, though I don't mind this as much because it's unobtrusive and well-animated
-rather short, at under 2 hours long. this may be for the best considering the lackluster stage design
-a certain boss at the beginning of the final level has a desparation attack where he hides from you while healing himself. not a great mechanic in a game with such limited mobility
I had fun playing this in 30 minute spurts here and there, and this would probably be very easy to binge in its entirety as well. it's a very unique third-person shooter, and what it lacks in content is makes up for in style and sheer fun
Very fun with cool aesthetics my hand fucking hurt by the end lol
Mash Square Simulator 2002.
The most stylish third person shooter.
I enjoyed the game, but the story is lacking. The anime was way better and actually feels necessary to fully be able to feel the any emotion for the characters.
Unique gameplay and control system that makes you feel like a moving turret but the cool animations prevent this from feeling too clunky. Awesome setpieces here and there and short enough as to prevent the gameplay from getting stale. I really love the style of this too, made me check out the anime which I ditched after a few episodes but it's cool that it exists.
Joguei bem sem vontade, sendo sincero. A sequência parece melhor.
A estética é legalzinha e a gameplay aceitável por ser muito curto.
A estética é legalzinha e a gameplay aceitável por ser muito curto.
The fact that you move at such a slow, lumbering pace almost makes this feel like you're playing as Jason Voorhees but with guns and cool poses. It feels like the basic sketch of an idea, but I like the mood it sets and the visuals are really stylish for such an early PS2 game.
There's a lot to like about Gungrave, but I also came away finding things I disliked. The game is a very arcade-y third person action shooter. Levels are mostly wide corridors where enemies jump out from all sides to ambush you. In that regard it shares some elements with rail shooters, but the game also has shoot dodging and bullet time akin to Max Payne. I think it offers a unique blend of gameplay that is striking but remarkably pretty clumsy in its execution. Despite being able to jump in all directions and shoot, the main character Grave still feels stiff on his feet and I found myself spending lots of time eating dozens of bullets from goons trying to get my bearings when Grave leaped in a direction I didn't intend. The game has a quick turn around button but it seems to only work when you're at a complete stand-still which is not a place you want to be with a game as hectic as this.
In addition to his dual wielding pistols, Grave has what's called a Demolition Shot. If you can rack up a combo by plugging enough goons you can increase a meter that will eventually let you unleash a small variety of devastating moves. You also can spend a demolition shot on healing yourself if things get too crazy. I really like this system, it's a small level of a decision making that doesn't feel like it gets in the way of the simple arcade design. The game is also quite difficult, but it has a forgiving checkpoint system and it gives you a couple extra demolition shots everytime you die. As nice as that is though I couldn't help but feel that I was beating boss fights simply but running my head into a wall until I had enough demolition shots to complete it. Maybe I need to git gud, but I didn't feel overly frustrated by it.
The game's story (or lack thereof) left me pretty disappointed tbh. The game only clocks in at around 2 hours which is pretty damn short but suits the arcade feel the game is clearly going for. And it can be argued that the game doesn't need any deep narrative. My criticism lies in that it's written and paced like I'm watching the last episode of an anime. Alot of characters refer to places and people and events that I never get to see or get any kind of elaboration for. Maybe it was to plant seeds for what became the 2003 anime, I'm not sure. But in a vacuum I thought it was kinda underwhelming.
I wanna say upfront that the presentation is incredibly solid. The designs were made in a collaboration between Yasuhiro Nightow (my goat fr) and Kosuke Fujishima and it's a very appealing and striking combination of a gangster flick combined with an almost sci-fi dystopia. There's nothing quite like it that I've ever seen and it's super impressive. All the assets look handdrawn and the black shadows provide a very badass look that doesn't feel like it's aged much since 2002. The music was composed by Tsuneo Imahori who is a personal favorite composer of mine. His work on Trigun, Hajime no Ippo, the Gungrave anime and now this are remarkable and show his talent as a composer. Solemn guitar pieces, funky beats, and exuberant big band jazz help elevate the game's presentation to something truly special.
Overall it's a very unique arcade shooter that you can beat in one sitting, I just wish it had more time to expand on the story and fine tune the controls to push it into goated status. As it is it's good but not great.
(also haha ik this is long winded as fuck if you actually read all this thank you ok have a nice day)
In addition to his dual wielding pistols, Grave has what's called a Demolition Shot. If you can rack up a combo by plugging enough goons you can increase a meter that will eventually let you unleash a small variety of devastating moves. You also can spend a demolition shot on healing yourself if things get too crazy. I really like this system, it's a small level of a decision making that doesn't feel like it gets in the way of the simple arcade design. The game is also quite difficult, but it has a forgiving checkpoint system and it gives you a couple extra demolition shots everytime you die. As nice as that is though I couldn't help but feel that I was beating boss fights simply but running my head into a wall until I had enough demolition shots to complete it. Maybe I need to git gud, but I didn't feel overly frustrated by it.
The game's story (or lack thereof) left me pretty disappointed tbh. The game only clocks in at around 2 hours which is pretty damn short but suits the arcade feel the game is clearly going for. And it can be argued that the game doesn't need any deep narrative. My criticism lies in that it's written and paced like I'm watching the last episode of an anime. Alot of characters refer to places and people and events that I never get to see or get any kind of elaboration for. Maybe it was to plant seeds for what became the 2003 anime, I'm not sure. But in a vacuum I thought it was kinda underwhelming.
I wanna say upfront that the presentation is incredibly solid. The designs were made in a collaboration between Yasuhiro Nightow (my goat fr) and Kosuke Fujishima and it's a very appealing and striking combination of a gangster flick combined with an almost sci-fi dystopia. There's nothing quite like it that I've ever seen and it's super impressive. All the assets look handdrawn and the black shadows provide a very badass look that doesn't feel like it's aged much since 2002. The music was composed by Tsuneo Imahori who is a personal favorite composer of mine. His work on Trigun, Hajime no Ippo, the Gungrave anime and now this are remarkable and show his talent as a composer. Solemn guitar pieces, funky beats, and exuberant big band jazz help elevate the game's presentation to something truly special.
Overall it's a very unique arcade shooter that you can beat in one sitting, I just wish it had more time to expand on the story and fine tune the controls to push it into goated status. As it is it's good but not great.
(also haha ik this is long winded as fuck if you actually read all this thank you ok have a nice day)
Short but sweet, a little bit too much Style over Substance but it oozes with charme from the animation studio Madhouse. Feels kinda like an arcade experience even if it tries more. What starts as a crime killing spree à Woo and Rodriguez becomes a wtf-experience in the end. Some bosses were pretty meh and kinda unfair but the scope of Destruction was pretty damn cool for its time. Yeah. I give this a thumbs up!
honestly the coolest game ever aesthetically
Extremely badass if you're 13
-1 hour long
-only 1 gun
-1-hit melee combo
-no collectibles
-no upgrades
-fully linear
-tank controls
-max payne shootdodging
-every sound effect is bass boosted
-looks pretty
-will probably damage your square button
immaculate arcadified character action
-only 1 gun
-1-hit melee combo
-no collectibles
-no upgrades
-fully linear
-tank controls
-max payne shootdodging
-every sound effect is bass boosted
-looks pretty
-will probably damage your square button
immaculate arcadified character action