Second Look - Asura's Wrath (+ DLC)

Asura's Wrath (and all of its DLC) has been discussed before on this blog, but recently I decided to take the opportunity to replay it, only with a different approach. Since much of the DLC actually contributes to the main plot, I decided to play all of the Episodes of the story in order (with DLC Episodes 11.5 and 15.5 in their respective places), while also skipping Episode 18 in favor of viewing its Interlude before going straight for True Episode 18 as a lead-in to Part IV: Nirvana (I also played the Lost Episodes DLC packs afterward to complete my experience). In addition to this, I did all of this on the Easy difficulty setting with the Thermoregulator Gauge equipped (this Gauge lets you recover from overheating faster). Now that I've explained what I did in order to re-experience this game from last year, I suppose I should say what I thought of this experience. It was not only interesting to play everything in order the way I did, but I think it made for a much better and fulfilling story as a result.

When played in this manner, I felt that the story seemed more fleshed out, especially with the ".5" episodes filling in a couple of gaps in the plot; on the other hand, this means it's also much easier to see how off-model the ".5" animations from STUDIO4°C can get, but they help the story nonetheless. Experiencing the story this way, I think, also gives the events of Part IV: Nirvana a much greater impact and makes the final boss fight against Chakravartin much more epic than it already is (in fact I would consider it the greatest boss battle ever, but that's just my personal opinion). Aside from the animation of the fill-in episodes, everything flows together rather neatly when put in their proper order and further shows the great scope that CyberConnect2 had planned for the story during development. In this new context, while there is evidence of when the Lost Episodes would take place, the end of Lost Episode 2 seems to show that they're more of a enjoyable side story independent from the main plot.

After over a year, the graphics of this game still look good, though with some minor texture loading and slight lag during the Part IV material. When played in order, the animations of the fill-in Episodes look a little jarring next to all the others, but they are animated well despite their off-model nature. The gameplay still holds up rather well, though I think we'd have to wait a little longer to see if the game has really stood the test of time. I'm not sure what else I can say here other than that everything else holds up well after a year.

Asura's Wrath is still an amazing game and is a more interesting experience when the main game and DLC are played in their proper order. If you have not picked up this game yet and you don't mind Quick-Time Events, what are you waiting for? For the best experience, I would recommend purchasing the DLC before starting up the game for the first time, since it is well worth the price and only enhances an already great story, ending with one of the most epic clashes you will ever see in a video game.

(As a side note, this is the first review published under the blog's new logo in the header, which I had a hand in designing.)

2012 - The Highlights (EHeroFlareNeos)

With 2012 coming to a close, this is the time to look back at what came out this year and reflect on how we felt. While not all of it was great, there are still some things that deserve mention. Below, in no particular order, is my personal list of the top games, movies and disappointments of the year, plus a special new category (that hopefully I will never feel the need to use again).

Top Movies of 2012

The Avengers
As the culmination of Phase 1 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers combines humor with action and well-written characters to create the ultimate comic book movie. While Joss Whedon isn't reason enough to fall in love with this movie, his hand in it cannot be denied, for he shares both writing and directing credits. The Avengers is one of those movies that I would be willing to watch over and over again, having seen it three times already, and this small space cannot do it enough justice. This is simply a movie to see without question.

Wreck-It Ralph
Video game movies have always been the butt of jokes across industries, with complaints that aren't that unfounded. However, Wreck-It Ralph has managed to prove that not only can they not suck, they can be worth repeat viewings. Though it can be compared with Toy Story in some aspects, the different spin it has on its genre is rather unique and sends its message across in a way that doesn't talk down to anyone or appeal to a single niche audience. Although there is some fan service of sorts for avid video game players, there is enough to satisfy even complete outsiders.

The Expendables 2
Let me be honest here, The Expendables 2 isn't the greatest movie ever made, nor is it something I'm going to immediately watch again on DVD. However, I placed it on this list for its ability to not only advertise exactly what it was going to do, but also sticking with it and staying true to itself. It establishes early on that there will be badass moments of awesome and it delivers badass moments of awesome. It's a true action movie through and through and I have no regrets watching it.

Top Video Games of 2012

Asura's Wrath
In a realm of gaming where God of War and Devil May Cry clones (and Bayonetta) run rampant, it's nice to see a game that manages to stand apart and take everyone else by storm. Asura's Wrath operates like an interactive anime, but it weaves an epic tale of a Deity named Asura, betrayed by his own kind and ripped away from his daughter. His resulting feats reach a status that exceeds its ilk and reaches beyond the heavens to deliver a very memorable experience.

Journey
Sometimes what doesn't really matter is the destination, but rather the journey. This is the tenet that Journey is built upon, drawing out the player's sense of isolation in a way that firmly establishes that video games can indeed be works of art. It may only last a couple of hours, but what truly matters is the experience it creates and that you may find yourself wanting to go on that journey again and again.

Penny Arcade's On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness 3
It may be better for fans of Penny Arcade like myself, but OTRSPOD 3 is a game that I liked well enough to put on this list. The painful wait and change of developers proved to be well worth it, thanks to the unique approach to gameplay and tidal wave of humorous lines and references to Penny Arcade's entire webcomic run up to that point. Plus, the plot surrounding the Four Below takes a darker turn and knows when to generate genuine suspense. Also, it's only $5 (this cannot be stressed enough).

Assassin's Creed III
As I played the Ezio Trilogy, I was really waiting for a fresh new assassin to join the ranks and give me something new to do. Thankfully, Assassin's Creed III does just that, shifting the focus to the assassin Connor and changing the setting to the American Revolution. Though Brotherhood and Revelations are still required reading, so to speak, this entry is when things really kick into high gear and the framing device actually becomes interesting. As the conclusion to a long build-up, Assassin's Creed III is not a game to miss. Plus, it has some significance to me thanks to some of my ancestors being involved in the American Revolution.

Top Disappointments of 2012

Brave
After Cars 2, I feel that Pixar has really started to let themselves go. Brave is an improvement, but that doesn't change that this seems like the point where Pixar has lost some of their luster; having already achieved their earlier visions, they have now become more of a regular movie studio. The characters in Brave aren't as engaging, the plot has some holes and unusual anachronisms and there just seemed to be an overall lack of effort to make me want to rewatch this mother-daughter bonding tale. But hey, kids and die hard fans seem to like it.

The Amazing Spider-Man
In the wake of the successful Marvel Studios movies, Sony created a reboot of their successful Spider-Man trilogy in order to maintain their grasp on the franchise. Unfortunately the result isn't as great as the Sam Raimi films, with a darker tinge to try and compete with Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy, a plot that leaves several threads dangling (pun intended) and the revelation that being bitten by a radioactive spider actually gives you just Spider Sense and the ability to perform spider-based parkour. I wasn't impressed, but I won't challenge anyone for genuinely enjoying it (just don't say "because it was dark like Batman"). Hopefully the inevitable sequel will be better.

I Am Alive
This is an example of a game stuck in development hell and managing to come out, but as a different entity. I Am Alive originally had a very brilliant premise and gameplay ideas, but somewhere along the way it turned into a survival horror with only a few fleeting remnants of the original vision intact, thanks in part to the new setting being deemed "more realistic." I don't entirely regret finally playing I Am Alive after its seeming disappearance from the fabric of space, but in hindsight I'm still waiting to play the game that I got excited for.

Assassin's Creed III
I admit that it's weird to see Assassin's Creed III take up a slot on two contradictory lists, but just hear me out for a minute. The story was handled very well and there are plenty of improvements to the gameplay systems that make Connor one of the best assassins in gaming. However, the game also failed to recapture the addiction I felt when playing Assassin's Creed II for the first time and the mission structure just isn't up to par. While some bugs and annoyances have been fixed in a patch, what I played wasn't enough to keep me occupied for days on end. I'll play the sequel, but I hope Ubisoft actually puts more time into that installment than this.

Worst Video Game of 2012

NeverDead
Ever since the day I decided to play NeverDead, I have spent every day since regretting that awful two days of my life. Bryce Boltzmann is not a hero I can get behind, the gameplay is absolutely abysmal, the story falls flat on its face and the enemies are relentless so as to make the game a possible way to turn into The Hulk. Not even Megadeth's amazing contribution could bring this game up from being nothing more than a plastic container full of urine.

Honorable Mentions of 2012 (Not reviewed, but worth bringing up)

SoulCalibur V
It may be the game I exchanged NeverDead for, but I had a really great time with this game. This installment in the series manages to fix what was wrong with SoulCalibur IV and improve upon such things as story, art style and combat. It's a well-balanced fighting game that I think fighting game fans would appreciate, even if they are fresh to the series. Plus, you get to be Ezio Auditore, so what's not to like?

2012 - The Highlights (Tetris_King)

As the year 2012 wraps up, it's sometimes good to look back at what was good or bad about the year. Below is what I thought were the best and worst things this year on the blog, with links provided to each review. As with before, these items are not in any set order.

Top Films of 2012

The Avengers
This has everything you could ever want from a superhero movie. The plot is easy to follow, the characters are well-balanced, motives are clear, and it has just the right mix of action, humor, and tension to make it all worthwhile. Though it's a better movie after seeing Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor, and Captain America: The First Avenger beforehand, that does not stop this movie from being made entirely of awesome.

The Expendables 2
Another movie made of awesome, The Expendables 2 takes everything that made the first movie enjoyable and ramps it up even higher. Admittedly, this is a movie where I actually think the plot, or what little of it there is, actually gets in the way of all the action, although it at least justifies what happens on camera. Even then, this film is practically made entirely of testosterone and contains some of the most badass footage you will ever see in your life.

Wreck-It Ralph
Wreck-It Ralph proves that a video game movie can not only be good, it can also be very creative. Instead of adapting a single game or series of games, it instead focuses on the video game characters themselves in an arcade as the primary character, Ralph, questions his role as a video game villain. The plot can easily be understood by casual and non-gamers alike, and there's plenty of subtle references thrown in that more experienced game players will appreciate. Whether it's the story, gaming references, or the nostalgia of the dying arcade, Wreck-It Ralph is a Disney movie that has plenty to offer for everyone.

Top Games of 2012

Asura's Wrath
If you thought you have seen the pinnacle of scale in a video game (God of War III, Bayonetta, etc.), you haven't seen anything yet. Over the course of the game, you fight one boss that's bigger than a planet and one whose sword can reach the moon and beyond when unsheathed (and with the DLC, that's only the beginning). The anime-style plot is a good setting for this sort of action, which by itself is very intriguing to see unfold. Asura's Wrath not only features a sympathetic protagonist, it also features some of the most concentrated rage you will ever see in fiction.

Journey
With an industry full of big-budget titles with intricate plotlines and deep gameplay, it's nice to take a break from all that with something more simple. Journey features controls that are easy to pick up and its desert setting gives the player a true feeling of isolation as they reach their destination. Though the game has no dialogue (and for good reason), you can still get a good grasp on the happenings of the world around you and what emotions it makes you feel. This is, put simply, a game that's required playing for any PS3 owner and an experience that you will remember for quite some time.

Penny Arcade's On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness 3
I am a big fan of the Penny Arcade webcomic, and like many others I was happy to see news of the long-awaited third installment of the On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness series of games. Though the gameplay and developer are different, it does not stop this game from embodying the true essence of Penny Arcade. What's more, you can get a good story, great gameplay, absolutely hilarious humor, and a time-worthy experience, all for the low price of $5. It may not be the best game I've played this year, but it's definitely the funniest.

Transformers: Fall of Cybertron
High Moon Studios has topped themselves in regards to delivering a solid Transformers experience, which I appreciated as a major fan. The game delivers some high-quality graphics and story presentation, as well as some really great gameplay and characterization. For the Transformers fan, there's references abound, some of which may make you chuckle a bit. It's clear that the developers love Transformers, especially with the multitude of Generation 1 references and terminology, although it's best to look at this game as a tie-in to the amazing Transformers: Prime cartoon, since the events of the game are integral to the current continuity.

Top Disappointments of 2012

The Amazing Spider-Man
After some creative differences with Sam Raimi's run after the third movie, it was decided that a reboot was in order, primarily so that Sony could keep the Spider-Man license. (Note: Despite what you may think, this movie is not part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, nor can it ever be.) While this movie attempts to recreate the same experience, its webs actually snap in midair, followed by it falling flat on its face. Several plot threads go nowhere, events are either too contrived or convenient, and apparently "spider powers" now means "heightened awareness and mastery of parkour" instead of "heightened awareness and special powers akin to a spider". Though I did not think it was a good Spider-Man film, I will respect the opinions of anyone who thought differently, as long as they didn't just like it for deciding Spider-Man should be Batman. Of course, there's the chance of a sequel, so hopefully that is able to redeem this pile of spider guts.

Brave
As my fellow contributors can tell you, while this is a step back in the right direction for Pixar, it's certainly not the best. This is a story you have definitely seen before, and while Pixar has shown the ability to make that sort of thing interesting, this attempt at a mother-daughter bonding tale feels more generic at best, which I actually compared unfavorably to Finding Nemo, an earlier father-son bonding tale of theirs. Pixar isn't as innovative as they used to be, but it's still a good film for children and die-hard fans of the studio. I would suggest seeing this movie once, and even if you don't like it, at least it isn't Cars 2.

The Darkness II
I really enjoyed my experience with the first The Darkness game, based on one of Top Cow's flagship comic book titles, so I was hoping for an equal, if not better, experience with the sequel. In the end, while I thought the gameplay was really, really good (quad-wielding!), the story is really, really horrible. Jackie Estacado saw some great character development in the original game, but his character here felt like it had taken a major step backwards, having failed to come to terms with the death of a loved one from two years ago (I think hallucinations of your dead girlfriend warrant seeing a therapist). Still, this game is worth at least one play-through, if only for the feeling you get from being able to use four weapons at once against your enemies.

Quantum Conundrum
This game showed some promise when preview material got discussed, to where I even pre-ordered it on Steam for future DLC (and a few Team Fortress 2 items). In all the excitement, the game eventually begins to unravel by the end, its final levels failing to live up to the rest of the game and the ending feeling rather anti-climactic. Hopefully the eventual DLC will salvage my experience with this game, and while I do like John de Lancie as a voice actor, I don't think he was able to fully save this title.

Asura's Wrath Lost Episode 2 (DLC)

With the release of Lost Episode 2, Capcom has reached the end of their announced DLC schedule for Asura's Wrath. While this may be a short review, as with Lost Episode 1, I'd still like to share my thoughts on this well done piece of content.

The episode picks up immediately where the previous episode left off, with Asura and Ryu on the moon and the arrival of a new challenger. The challenger displays his strength by punching Ryu so hard that he gets sent back to the Street Fighter universe, as well as sending Asura against a wall. He then reveals himself as Akuma after acknowledging Asura's strength, challenging the god of wrath to satisfy his hunger for battle. While the first half uses the Street Fighter IV engine, it's still awesome and satisfying to play against an opponent like Akuma, who provides an even greater challenge than Ryu. While this isn't as evident in this portion of the fight, the transition to fighting in the third dimension, which is also when Akuma transforms into his dark counterpart Oni, has him prove to be a most worthy opponent for Asura indeed. Admittedly though, there were times when the battle felt a little too close to the battle with Augus in the vanilla game, like having Asura perform a barehanded blade block (or arm in the case of Oni) and then throwing the attack to the side to cause part of the moon to rise up. In addition, certain attack patterns and strategies felt very close to the Augus fight, which almost made me feel as though they almost made a copy of the fight at times. Thankfully however a lot of creativity is displayed in mixing in Oni's own attacks and tactics (seen in Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition) to make the fight feel much more unique and challenging in its own right, as well as placing in an epic amount of concentrated awesome as the episode draws to a close.

As with before, I praise how they managed to create a genuine combination of the two universes beyond the inclusion of the SFIV engine. For example, the opening hit on Ryu is made much more satisfying by also using Street Fighter's sound effects. The dialogue only being in Japanese also wasn't much of an issue either, since it felt like quite a bit of effort was put into this DLC. The inclusion of the Mission Mode again also increases the replay value, though I'll admit that some of the missions can get a little frustrating in their difficulty, especially the Perfect K.O. challenge.

At only $2 for at least 15 minutes of gameplay, Asura's Wrath Lost Episode 2 is a great piece of content worth downloading. The amount of work that must have been put into its creation is amazing and the end result is, again, incredibly awesome to fans like me. Even if all you want is more content for a game like Asura's Wrath, you're still going to have a very good time.

Asura's Wrath Lost Episode 1 (DLC)

With Capcom nearing the end of their announced DLC schedule for Asura's Wrath, they've now released Lost Episode 1, which I'll of course be covering here. As with my other DLC reviews, I probably won't have very much to say given the amount of content. However, I would still like to throw my thoughts on it out there anyway to give you an idea of what it's like.

This episode isn't meant to explain anything, since it doesn't appear to take place at any point within the canon of the game, save for going to the moon post-Augus battle. That's not a bad thing at all really, since the player gets to play out a battle between Asura himself and Ryu from the Street Fighter franchise. Personally I found this to be incredibly awesome, mostly because the first half of their struggle uses the Street Fighter IV (SFIV) fighting engine to have them duke it out. I also liked it when in the second half they fight on a fully three-dimensional plane, since it allows the player for the first time to see what Ryu's attacks look like in this realm (perhaps a preview of what's to come with the upcoming Tekken X Street Fighter?).

On that note, it's really cool how they managed to inject SFIV into the Asura's Wrath formula anyway. While using the former's fighting engine, Asura's controls are adapted to suit the controls of a fighting game, minus blocking it appears, while still using his very simplistic controls and for the first time allowing him to combo heavily against an opponent and even perform air juggles while against a wall. The Ultra gauge is instead his own gauges conformed to the required shape, which made it even more fun to fire off a round of Burst. What really helps also is not only making the button prompts match specific moves from SFIV (specifically the Shoryuken and Raging Demon), but also keeping Ryu's character model from his native series on top of the graphics original to Asura's Wrath, giving it a unique crossover blend that's appealing to the eyes, especially since there's no shortage of over-the-top action scenes (including Evil Ryu being strong enough to fix the moon!). I think I should also point out that the episode explicitly states that the dialogue is only in Japanese, something I didn't really mind anyway as I felt it contributed to the non-canon vibe of the whole thing.

As a fan of both Asura's Wrath and Street Fighter, I think that this offering is really awesome. Fanboyism aside though, I think that Lost Episode 1 had a very solid presentation that felt unique and exciting with some crossing elements to help keep things fresh and fun at a bargain price of only $2. If paying that much for about 10 minutes of content doesn't seem worth it to you, especially for a cool crossover like this, then hopefully the extended replay value that comes from the SFIV-like Mission Mode will suffice, since it kept me busy for a good hour longer. Overall, this is a fun offering I can recommend and now I really can't wait for them to put out Lost Episode 2.

Asura's Wrath Episode Pack Part IV (DLC)

Capcom continues their DLC schedule for Asura's Wrath, this time with an episode pack billed as the "True Ending" to the game. This pack promises to continue where the game's True Episode 18 left off, offering full closure on just what the heck happened at the very end. Fortunately, like the other offerings, this bundle does not disappoint.

Prepare for heavy spoiler tags, because some things are just too cool or interesting to keep to yourself.

Contained within are four Episodes, numbered 19-22. The story they hold feels a lot like a natural extension, showing that no matter how over-the-top you believed the rest of the game was or how crazy you found the revelation with the Golden Spider to be, you should still prepare to have your mind sufficiently blown wide open, because things are about to get even crazier. I don't really want to spoil anything, especially regarding the Golden Spider's true form Chakravartin, but what I will say is that what goes on provided a very satisfactory ending to me and I didn't feel cheated at all for having to drop $7 to see it. It also manages to conclude the character arcs of Asura and Yasha in a way that not only shows what they'll do to save the world, but also just how well they see each other as friends and not enemies. I'll admit that a couple of times, particularly the more silent moments, it was heartbreaking to see their final fates partially because they finally find peace within themselves and are willing to accept how they go out. I also found the after credits sequence to be a nice touch, including the interlude that follows it.

While the graphics and gameplay remain exactly the same, there are still a couple of things different about what you get. For one thing, the button prompts that pop up seem to be more unique and inventive, introducing interesting actions that seem to show that they took some time with this one rather than cut it off to make a quick buck. The fights also consist primarily of ones against Yasha and Chakravartin, though they are fun and engaging and bring something new to the table, including what is perhaps literally the biggest fight ever in a video game, putting Bayonetta and God of War to shame, where Asura becomes the size of a planet to fight off Chakravartin, who throws planets and stars at you as both rapidly pass by galaxies and systems in a ludicrously epic fashion. My favorite one of all though has to be the very last one against Chakravartin, where it not only has the first instance ever where a boss uses their own button prompts against the player, but you also essentially get to have a fist fight with God (in the context of the universe). Graphically speaking though, there is a little more semblance of variety in the effects and I do commend the development team for thinking of ways to keep it fresh when needed.

If there's only one complaint I have, it would be this: occasional skipping. The episodes have a noticeable lag, at least for me, that would sometimes prevent me from hitting the correct button when prompted, resulting in a lower grade. Perhaps they should have ironed out all of the bugs before release.

Overall, I believe that CyberConnect2 did a very great job with Part IV of Asura's Wrath. The story helps give the character more depth, the villain has a genuinely ominous presence, and the way things are wrapped up is very satisfying. On top of all this, there is a sequel hook at the very tail end, which is now brewing some  interest in me for a potential full-fledged sequel to this wonderful game. If $7 doesn't seem like too much to pay for four episodes to do all that and provide a truly epic climax, please download this bundle and witness the True Ending for yourself.

Asura's Wrath Episode 15.5 (DLC)

As Capcom continues to release DLC for Asura's Wrath, I shall be here to review it. In a similar vein to Episode 11.5, Episode 15.5 acts as a way to explain events between episodes within the game, this time between 15 and 16. This brief review will cover my thoughts on this offering.

This episode helps to explain Yasha's defiance of Deus in the third act of the game, before Asura gets to fight him as well. Once again the player can't directly control the character, this time Yasha, but STUDIO4°C does an amazing job animating the action in a way that resembles an anime, as the game is already like in the first place. Advancing again requires precise timing of the Quick-Time Events to fill and trigger the Burst Gauge, though it's still an enjoyable way to digest new information regarding Deus' character as well as flesh out Yasha completely. My only problem however is when the dialogue between Yasha and Olga cuts itself off and the voice acting doesn't seem to have as much heart, though every other spot gets it done right.

While the offering only lasts about 10-15 minutes, including the dedicated interlude, I still had a good time and would recommend downloading this. $2 is a bargain price for DLC in any game, especially ones that contribute to the story. If you can spare that much, this content is well worth spending it on.

Asura's Wrath Episode 11.5 (DLC)

If you've read my review of Asura's Wrath, you'd probably take away that despite the game being relatively short, I greatly enjoyed having the opportunity to play that particular niche title. It didn't resort to filler and took a risk in design elements that I can't help but admire. Now that it's been out for a while, a little over a month, Capcom has begun releasing a series of planned DLC over the next few weeks, the first of which I will cover in this brief review.

Simply put, this $2 DLC fills the player in on what caused the mysterious explosion in Episode 11. While you can't directly control Asura at any point, the episode is filled with animation by STUDIO4°C, the same studio responsible for the beautiful animation in Catherine. Their amazing quality is still present here, with gorgeous visuals matched with perfectly mapped Quick-Time Events that offer some, limited, sense of control. Since the ability to advance is based on having the Burst Gauge filled at specific points, it makes you really pay attention to what you need to press, though there are plenty of opportunities to get it right.

However, I do have one minor problems with this offering. While I again highly praise the animation, the quality does seem to change a little over time, which I'm sure is actually tied to a stylistic choice, although it mostly seems to be with Asura's character model changing its anatomy a little between shots. Still, it's mostly consistent and I do commend the animators for doing this.

Episode 11.5 is an interesting offering that manages to do its job quite well for the price. I'll note though that the content is about 10 minutes long, but that shouldn't immediately stop you from buying it, if at least to get some visual variety and a possible question answered.

Second Opinion - Asura's Wrath

I have seen (and played) my share of action games, but never have I experienced one like Asura's Wrath. This game had me hooked from the very beginning of its story all the way to its shocking and unexpected finale. This is helped by its characters, who are themselves deep enough to be interesting and able to contribute to the plot, including the ones that don't show up very often. The structure of the story itself plays out very much like an episodic anime, complete with very attractive eyecatches, which only serves to aid the presentation of the product as a whole.

The combat system of this title is simple, but effective. You have two buttons dedicated to light and heavy attacks and one for rapid fire, and in some rail-shooting sections the heavy attack button becomes one that unleashes a hail of projectiles after locking on to enemies. When an enemy is down, you can unleash another attack that can deal great damage to them, although after performing it (or heavy attack) you must wait for a cool-down period to expire before you can do it again. When you take or deal damage, an Unlimited Gauge fills up that, once activated, temporarily makes you even more powerful and removes the cool-down during this time. As the battle advances, the damage you deal fills up a Burst Gauge, located underneath your Health, which allows you to advance the story once it is filled up and activated with the lower right shoulder button. As I said, this is simple and works really well, and is also quite easy to pick up.

These combat sequences don't happen too often or last very long though, since a lot of the interactivity comes from cutscenes combined with special Quick Time Events, in which you must synchronize your button presses to the actions on-screen. This is not a complaint however, since this works in the game's favor of immersing you in its storyline. All of this is backed by amazing music and phenomenal voice acting (thought the sound mixing makes it a little hard to take in), both set in beautifully rendered environments within a mythological sci-fi world filled with equally amazing character designs. Aside from a few instances of clipping here and there, there are surprisingly no other technological problems to speak of throughout the entire game.

Asura's Wrath may be a short game (it can be beaten in a single day on easier settings), but it is nonetheless enjoyable. If you're looking for something that can take several days to beat and/or has a very deep combat system with long button combinations, I would advise you to look elsewhere. If you're looking for something short, but engaging or want something new that stands out in a sea of shooters, this is most definitely a game for you.

Asura's Wrath - "Over-The-Top" Is Its Middle Name

Imagine putting God of War, DragonBall Z, Bayonetta, Heavy Rain, and Star Wars into a blender. Now imagine drinking this tasteful combination and finding yourself with an experience that equals that of this game: The event doesn't last very long, but the delightful and addicting taste has you making another one. That would describe Asura's Wrath in a nutshell, but to cap off this review then and there would not even begin to do Capcom and CyberConnect2's joint venture any justice.

Asura is very pissed, but understandably so. One day he's one of the world's Eight Guardian Generals, tasked with eliminating the world of an enemy race called the Gohma. The next, he's being exiled with false blood on his hands, his wife Durga murdered, and his daughter Mithra taken from him by the other Generals to further their own cause with her unique powers. When he tries to rescue his daughter and clear his name, he is instead killed by the General Deus and sent down to Naraka. After 12 millenia pass he reemerges, only to find that the world's landscape is in ruin thanks to his former allies, now more powerful and known as the Seven Deities. Now to reclaim his daughter, Asura must fight not only the Gohma, but also the Deities before they can initiate a plan known as the "Great Rebirth".

The setting for which this all unfolds is rather unique, with a great blend of sci-fi and Hindu mythology that really sells itself well. The Deities can all be attrributed to a vice (lust, greed, sloth, etc.) or fill an archetype (mentor, sadist, etc.), with Wrath of course being Asura's primary attribute. Their overall designs also take the blend into account, complete with all of the Generals/Deities being cyborgs to help explain away abilities like breathing in the dark vacuum of space.

If there's anything that really needs to be addressed first for this title, it would be the controls and overall design. As Asura's goes through the game's 18 levels, or Episodes, he'll be spending most of his time building up two special gauges: the Unlimited Gauge and the Burst Gauge. By way of combat, through taking or dealing damage, the Unlimited Gauge builds up. When it's full, the player can press the lower left shoulder button on the controller to increase the damage Asura can dish out on his opponents, but only for a limited time. Most importantly however, it also serves as another way to quickly build up his Burst.

To elaborate, the Burst Gauge is the most important thing on the screen to worry about. Asura's combat prowess, as stated before, combined with the player being good at nailing the numerous Quick Time Events both help to build it up at a good rate. The effort of the player is then culminated by pressing the lower right shoulder button to go onto the next part of the game. In a sense Burst is basically the "end sequence" button, as it is the only way players can truly advance through the Episodes. This isn't really a bad thing since it enables one to see everything in proper sequence.

To extend my opening drink metaphor, the actual combat of the game is like a shot glass: very simple to pick up but not very deep. While Asura can lock onto his targets and jump with ease, he has one button for shooting airborne targets, another for his regular attacks, and another for special attacks. If special attacks are used, he'll overheat and need to cool down before being able to do another one either freely or to damage a downed enemy; an activated Unlimited Gauge temporarily removes this restriction. While rushing and diving attacks do add something to combat, it probably won't be enough to satiate the types of players who find enjoyment in systems that rely on deep menus, multiple button presses and combinations, input cancels, or the like. In spite of this I still found what was used here to be very satisfying in that it's basically designed to express Asura's dominant anger and frustration.

That said however, the finished product plays very much like an interactive series, as cutscenes with QTE's take precedent over the combat sections, though some rail-shooter moments do help break up the gameplay as well. In my opinion this isn't a detriment to the game, but rather an advantage. What may seem like a mindless video game, or even God of War ripoff if one goes exclusively by text previews, is actually backed by an amazing and compelling story that serves as the true backbone of the experience, as well as offering the game its own flavor. The interesting characters, great plot twists, over-the-top moments (ranging from fighting a planet-sized Buddha to a man that wields a 300,000 mile-long extendo-sword) and fascinating world keep you playing to see how everything turns out; the shocking finale of the True Ending also helps and draws me to wanting a sequel just to see how that turns out.

Some gamers may also be turned off by the admittedly short campaign, which can be beaten in merely a day. This doesn't really hold back the game from achieving all that it can though. By sticking to the length it has, it prevents itself from resorting to padding the length, which would have probably made the game even more repetitive. Still, it's a satisfactory length that actually makes me want to go through it again if I can if only to continue unlocking extras.

The smooth texture of this enjoyable concoction is made more complete through the game's technical side. Top notch voice acting helps brings each character to life and captures their personalities perfectly, while the score backing the action onscreen is very fitting and appropriate. The visuals help bring everything, including the sheer scale of the world, to life. It's amazing how the woodcut detail of the Deities mesh perfectly with the fleshy humans and metallic technology, made even more so by the fact that no glitches seem to exist in the game, aside from the occasional minor clipping. The only thing that may hold this back a little is that the interludes, which add depth to the story, have text that can sometimes be hard to read thanks to a combination of playing on a standard def television and it being on top of visuals that are either too bright or dark causing me to move the text around a lot. I'll admit however that this allowed me to fully enjoy the beautiful artwork present, drawn by different artists. Another problem I encountered was that sometimes the sound mixing seemed to be off, with the music being placed high enough that I couldn't hear the dialogue; changing the mix in the options can fix this problem. However, it can't fix when the dialogue is rarely cut off.

In the end, Asura's Wrath is a very unique experience. With its anime-like quality, complete with loading screens that resemble eyecatches, the game is able to lift itself into a realm where it can form its own niche, which now includes me. Asura is a truly sympathetic character underneath his rage and I was happy to see his story come to a close, for now at least. For those who want to immerse themselves in a different sort of game from most others on the market, as well as a story that can be considered an Epic, I strongly encourage you to play this game.