Tag Archives: Game Review Friday

Quick Update! +Game Review: Gravity Rush

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Hey, everyone!  I’ll bet you thought I was dead!

Well, almost.  But what happened is in the past, and now let’s delve into the future!  Over the few months I’ve missed here, I’ve been watching some Crunchyroll, and I also got some new consoles.  So, hopefully, after Friday’s work and/or classes, I’ll be able to do some hardcore reviews.  We have both an Xbox One and a PS4 now, so games from most consoles may be subject to reviews.  Games I have been playing and may review soon include: FFX-2 HD; Kingdom Heats II.5 Remix; Shadows of Mordor; Project Diva; and even some “demos” that have recieved a lot of hype.

As for anime, expect some of the genres that you would expect of me.  Anime I may end up reviewing include: Celestial Method; Your Lie In April; Plastic Nee-san; Highschool DxD; Girlfriend Beta; and Denki-Gai.

On a secondary note, I also recorded some videos of me playing horror games (if you’ve met me, I pussy out easily), fittingly titled “Let’s Die!”, so stay tuned for those to hit YouTube!

And now, onto the thing you’re actually here for:

Game Official Art

Game Official Art

Game Review: Gravity Rush

Platform: PS Vita

ESRB: Teen

Price: $13.49 (Digital)

Genre: Open World Action-Adventure RPG

I’ll be completely honest: the only reason I didn’t get a Vita right off the bat was because this was the only game I wanted.  At the time, this game intrigued me with the unique combat system, plus the graphic were just beautiful.  But I repressed my urge for the game, and instead went for the 3DS, where Pokemon awaited another journey.

As soon as I started playing Gravity Rush, however, I realized my mistake.

Gravity Rush takes place in a fictional city / country / world / continent called Hekseville, which is being swallowed in parts by these strange rifts called Gravity Storms.  You play as a girl who has lost her name, waking up next to a cat you lovingly nickname Dusty.  as you play through the story, you gain the name Kat, and start to help the people of Hekseville by doing little chores, killing enemies (known as Nevi), and destroying the Gravity Storms, thereby returning parts of the city to normal.

By far, the most interesting mechanic that I have found in the game is the main focus of the game: the gravity shift.  There is a plethora of collectibles, enemies, and missions that require going under the city and not falling into the giant void below to gain – the fact that you can control which direction your gravity makes you fall can make these tasks much easier than if you were just flying.  You can also float in space and do a high-speed Gravity Kick, dealing extended damage to father enemies.  There are even three (maybe more) special moves that can help with those bigger Nevi, or the ones that like to spawn more.

The story is separated into different chapters, where in-between missions, you can wander the city, talk to some people about the next mission, and (if you pay a few extra bucks), go do some DLC missions for more stuff, including costumes.  Other than that, I have to also mention that the game has its own language that you may hear bits and pieces of during the cutscenes.  This language, as I have heard, is a “Japanese-French fusion that’s essentially just gibberish”, but still finds a way to be interesting and colorful.  Along with that, the soundtrack for the world is just beautiful – it is one of the few games that I can say, “This soundtrack has no bad moments, and fits the game perfectly!!!”

There is not much I can criticize about this game; the only thing I really dislike is the Gravity Slide mechanic, where you basically turn while sliding with the Vita itself.  There are no penalties for falling off of the world, and if you go farther that you are supposed to, the rift will teleport you back to the last populated area.  Not only that, but fall damage doesn’t exist, and there are no real penalties for accidentally tossing the people who get caught in your gravity field.

As always, this review is my opinion – I don’t mean to offend anyone with it, as it is what I believe, notice and/or have done in-game.  If you disagree with me, have comments, questions, or just want to bitch at me, my e-mail is on the About page.  Now then, to the Final Scoring.

My scoring for Gravity Rush (ESRB T, PSV) is as follows:

Story: 4/ 5

As much as I want to give this game a 5, I need to finish the game before I can honestly say the story is flawless.  However, playing through this huge world with these tiny secrets and multiple entryways keeps me (and maybe you) entertained for hours.

Art/ Acting: 3.5/ 5

Again, love the game, and its art, but I feel like they didn’t put enough effort into the acting portion.  There are many scenes that are partially-voiced, but they have no reason to do so.  Like I said, the game’s language is intriguing and colorful, but it would be fun to hear more of it.  The art, on the other hand, although a little old, is still swimmingly beautiful, cel-shaded in a form that reminds me of Musashi’s 3D-Manga style.

Character: 3/ 5

There seems to be something left to be desired with the characters, as many of them start to get fleshed out, then just drop out of the major story.  This may pick up later, but I’ve played through half of the game, and there are still character questions left unanswered: Gade is a creator who can’t do shit, Raven seems to be a bipolar rival (like Gary MF Oak), and we still haven’t seen anything about Kat’s background, or how she arrived “in this strange city”.  Worst of all, more and more questions keep popping up without being fully answered.

Playability: 5/ 5

I have never found a game that I can play for more than a couple of hours at a time (except for Ratchet & Clank UYA), and this game is no exception.  However, I still end up playing it first thing in the morning, during my work breaks, and right before bed.  Every free moment has been taken buy this game recently… and I love it so much.  It is probably the first game I have played day-by-day since N3 first came out.

Overall Rating: 93/ 100

A

There is very little I disliked about the game: the enemies are for the most part unique per level, and it appears that the game’s difficulty matches the way you play.  Not only that, but the unique control scheme easily becomes second nature after fooling with the world for a little bit.  I also like the upgrade mechanic, which you can also use to fix parts of the city that you regained.  Talk of a Gravity Rush 2 has me very excited for a sequel to this amazingly beautiful game.

I cannot recommend a game more than this one right now, and I am.  GO TO PSN AND BUY THIS GAME NAOW!

"Please buy my game! You won't regret it!"

“Please buy my game! You won’t regret it!”

Anyway, that was all I have to say.  Expect more updates soon, hopefully less scattered.

Until then,

Marcosias Isif.

Game Review: Black★Rock Shooter The Game

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So, now that I’m (technically) out of school, the only thing I have taking my time is work. Evidently, you can see that wont prevent me from rarely updating.

Anyway, here we are on another, super-delayed review, this time of an anime-based game that I have been looking forward to for years: Black★Rock Shooter The Game, available for PSN download on your handheld Sony gaming device.

As with all the B★RS merchandise, this game is unrelated to the previous installments (that is, the anime, OVA, and many manga). Instead of focusing on two worlds where B★RS is a conscience-like manifestation, the game focuses on a post-apocalyptic world where humanity is on the brink of extinction. As the humans lose hope, the so-called “Final Weapon” appears before them to save the human race: our main heroine, and title character, Black★Rock Shooter.

This game takes a surprising grasp on what the world would turn into if aliens and humans fought until both were at the brink of extinction. Being the last hope for humanity means a lot to your allies, which also means that they found time in their day and money in their budget to spring for a motorcycle and a stealth jet- built especially for you.

Black★Rock Shooter: The Game, takes an approach of basically everything from Parasite Eve’s last installment, 3rd Birthday; the basic plot outline, the grotesque and intriguing environments and enemies, and even the combat system, to an extent. Speaking of, it does have its own differences; B★RS combines the free-roam RPG environment with a Final Fantasy-like encounter system and a battle system crossed between Parasite Eve and (believe it or not) the hit-and-run system of Galaga.

The game is truly interesting, although the levels seem too easy at times (it’s easy to get an S rank if you replay one or two missions), and other times, it seems to try and apologize for it by putting you on a bike and throwing enemies at you. There are also in-game dialogue sequences, where every now and again you can respond with one of two answers- one usually gives B★RS a more serious, military personality, while the other shows off how little she knows, and adds to the little in-game comedy (such as Operation Piggy Ninja).

This was a short, very bad summation of a game that I played; in short, my opinion. If you disagree with my summation, score, or something else, you can shoot me a message, but I recommend that you post your frustration on some other site where it will be read. I just write these to express my personal beliefs, not what I think I know.

Without further ado, the scoring. My scoring system (which I though I used before, but can’t find) is on a five-level scale: Story, Art/Acting, Character, Playability, and Overall.

–Story is the plot (what I’ve seen of the game so far), and how well I think it ties into the game, original concept, etc. Out of 5.

–Art/Acting has two parts in itself, but is scored as one: the designs of the characters, environments, weapons, etc. is the Art, while the Acting (if any) is to determine how well actors fit into the character concept, and if they put feeling into their acting. Out of 5.

–Character is how well the major characters fit into the game, or how focused the game was on character development. Out of 5.

–Playability is how many times you can play the game before you get bored with it. Out of 5.

-Finally, Overall is, as you probably guessed, the overall score, factoring in the above scores, and my personal views and biases toward the game itself (or franchise). Out of 100.

Okay then, my scoring for Black★Rock Shooter: The Game (ESRB T, PSN) is as follows:

Story: 4.5/5
The story is very unique in that it takes a near-extinction world and a creative twist ending, but it still feels lacking when you see one enemy after another reveal their “hidden” motives.

Art/Acting: 5/5
I would give Art alone a 4/5 because of the poor cell shading and the lack of effort in generic enemy designs, but the environments are fun to roam, the voices are untouched in their Japanese glory, and the major characters all have their own personalities, all of which are affected in some way by the main character.

Character: 4/5
Basically the same reason as Art; there, but still missing some things. The game does focus on each of the major characters individually (not much, but it does), and does hint that you should try to develop relationships with these people before they die a gruesome and/or untimely death.

Playability: 3.5/5
To be honest, I never finished playing the game. After one or two repays of a second-chapter mission, you become stronger than most other enemies, and there’s very little consequence to losing if you save occasionally.

Overall Rating: 85.5/100
B+
Although I had some complaints about the game, it remains a solid, good game with some quirky comedy that is guaranteed to make one chuckle, even despite the dire consequences in the story. I truly hope B★RS makes another console appearance, whether it’s in a new Black★Rock Shooter game, or as a cameo.