GunGrave: Overdose
We overdose on gunplay and cool jazz – and life has never been more hectic
Tags: GunGrave: Overdose Categories: PS2 Reviews, Reviews
Posted by Daniel "monk" Pelfrey on Nov 18th, 2004
| Title | Players | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| GunGrave: Overdose (title page) | 1 | ||
| Developer | Publisher | Genre | Online |
| Action | No | ||
When the original Gungrave came out, I enjoyed it. The fast nonstop action was a great stress relief, the story was cool, and while some of the boss battles were horrendous, the game was a joy to play. Three years (and a different publisher) later, Beyond The Grave returns in his next adventure – Gungrave: Overdose. This time, he’s not alone.
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Yasuhiro Nightow (TriGun) isn’t just a figurehead with this title, being heavily involved in the creation and development – and it shows. Gungrave: Overdose simply oozes Japanese Anime Cool (or JAC – something that fans of Cowboy Bebop, TriGun know all about). Players of the first title will see a vast improvement in how the game plays and those new to the franchise won’t feel lost in the story, giving players from both camps reason to pick this title up – and at the low price it is ($15 most places, some even less) there really isn’t any reason not to consider picking up Gungrave: Overdose.
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The main character is Under The Grave, an undead bad-ass that wields two guns with an endless supply of bullets, a coffin, and infinite cool. To atone for his past sins, he carries the coffin, and is able to use it for melee attacks or as a shield. The two guns are designed to be endlessly blazing, and the more hits one connects, the higher the “beat” total becomes. Melee attacks with the coffin count towards this total as well. Think of it as a combo meter. With wave after wave of enemy it is relatively easy to rack up a high beat count.
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The environment is highly destructible as well – this adds further beats into the total, and within the first 3 minutes of gameplay I had over 150 beats going at a time. The more beats, the more flames are generated to fill a special meter, and when that is filled up, a notch is made on a medallion in the upper left of the screen. These notches signify a special attack that the coffin has – a third ability – that will take out a large chunk of property or enemies at one go (but usually both).
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Gungrave: Overdose is so steeped in anime that the various cutscenes looked as if they have been directly lifted from a series. The animation during these segments is very slick and oozes more cool than should be allowed in a videogame. Also between levels are some comic book style sequences that help to set up what the specific goal is – though usually it’s just a matter of kicking a lot of ass.
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The story revolves around young Mika (a carryover from the first title) as well as the drug Seed. This is standard stuff for an anime inspired sequel – more of the same, just… well, more. This includes more characters. There are two additional undead “heroes” to play through the game as, with attacks somewhat similar to Under The Grave’s. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but unfortunately, the problem is that each of the three playable characters go through the exact same missions – there is no different perspective.
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Graphically the game runs pretty smooth and looks good even though there is so much going on it could be hard to tell exactly what is going on. Part of this has to do with the cramped camera angle. It would be nice to be able to easily pull back and get a wider point of view. The other big problem with the visuals is targeting – specifically, not being able to see exactly which enemy is targeted. In a game that requires targeting, when there is so much going on onscreen (enough to give a weaker person seizures) having a clear target delineated would have been nice. It should be noted though that actual targeting isn’t required much as it is automatic for the most part.
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The environments are varied and the entire game looks almost as if the player were watching an animated series instead of playing a game. The action never lets up, and part of that has to do with the environments. Most of the time there is always something to destroy either with a ranged or melee attack. The environments are highly destructible, adding even further into the beat total.
The audio in Gungrave: Overdose is a mixed bag – though the scales do tip more on the favorable side. The voice acting is… as expected and the sound effects are good. The real standout however, is the music.
The biggest gripe, other than the camera, has to do with the lack of diversity in the story for each character, and no multiplayer. Since the three playable undead each go through teh exact same level, one would think that at some point they would meet up, enabling players to have a friend come in for some co-op play. Doesn’t happen, sadly.
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The difficulty level ramps up decently, unlike the first game’s rather uneven (partially to the point of near impossible) setting. There are difficulty settings – three at the onset of the game – that should help players ease into the world of ass kicking undead. With such a low price and more cool than you could ever possibly hope to handle, there really isn’t much reason not to pick up Gungrave: Overdose.
| What Works | Score |
|---|---|
|
+ Non-stop action + Different characters handle differently + Cheap to pick up, but this doesn't play like a budget title at all |
8.3 |
| What Doesn't | |
|
- Cramped camera - The exact same levels for each character - No co-op even though the set up is there. |
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| Under the Shrink-wrap | |
| Go ahead, action fans. Pick this title up. You won't be sorry. | |
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Tags: GunGrave: Overdose
Posted by Daniel "monk" Pelfrey on Nov 18th, 2004 and is filed under PS2 Reviews, Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can post a comment, or trackback from your own site.
