Asura's Wrath

Blog Post: Asura's Wrath

Odoyel — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 00:54:00 GMT

Asura's Wrath is by far the most original game I have played all year. The combat is unique, excellent story telling, and jaw dropping moments are thrown at you constantly throughout your journey.

You are Asura. He is one of eight guardian generals that act as defenders of the world and fight evil for the sake of all that is good. Earth a.k.a. Gaea is overflowing with evil known as Gohma who are led by the manifestation of the planets dark will Viltra. It's up to the eight general guardians to defeat this evil and keep the world in balance.

After an amazing opening battle to start off the game, Asura is framed for murder and has his daughter taken from him to become the new priestess. After being framed he is chased by the remaining general guardians and killed by his former leader. It is after his death that Asura's hatred builds to such an extent that he is brought back from the dead into the world 12,000 years later. All he can focus on now is revenge. This means that to get his daughter back, he'll be going after the other guardians of the world on a path of revenge.

The combat is similar to other action games and lacks a severe amount of combos but the difference here is that the enemies never stop coming. You have to build up your "Wrath Bar" and activate burst mode to continue on. Once this happens a quick time event will appear briefly and the next area will be open to you. Boss battles work the same but building up your wrath bar is much more rewarding in these battles. Some moments caused my jaw to literally drop and smile at my screen as I was thrust from the moon onto Gaea by a sword in my gut or punching an enemy so hard that his body crumbled into dust. Even bigger moments are created in the interactive cutscenes that make you feel as if your part of the story and whether your punches really hurt the enemy or not.

The game has an anime inspired cell shaded look that really brings out the characters emotions. Sometimes I felt as if I were watching an anime and not a game. That is until a QTE appeared.

If you want to play something entirely new in a sea of sequels then pick up Asura's Wrath and punch some bad guys in the face.

Blog Post: Something very Different - And something that Needed to Happen in Gaming

Vinsent — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 08:39:00 GMT

So I see this game on the shelf, pick it up and look at the back like everyone does. I read "A stunning mix of science fiction and Asian mythology". Science fiction and Asian mythology? Come on! Well I got eventually and I was very impressed within the first couple of minutes.
You are in space, on a huge alien-looking battleship within a massive fleet. You then dive down towards the planet and straight into one of the largest monsters I've ever seen in a video game. The controls felt like starfox, oddly. You'll find yourself down very fast toward the objective and locking onto targets and shooting them with energy blasts.

Prepare to get angry. Asura is very pissed off naturally. But when he is betrayed by a demigod named Deus, has his daughter kidnapped, and then banished for 10,000 years, he explodes with rage. This game is unlike any other I've played. It's main focus is storytelling, but manages to keep players interactive as the story unfolds during cutscenes. I look at this game's Hinduism mythology and realize that I've never seen this type of content before. I believe this move on the developer's part was very bold and risky, but ended out being exceptional.Asura is a very angry character. Who wouldn't be in his situation? The game's visual's, which really close in on character's faces quite often, were very accurate at depicting Asura's deep burning rage. Basically, the game did a good job of making the main character LOOK just as angry as he really is. The boss battles are just insane. They range from a giant, bigger than the whole planet to a fight on the moon with a character who wields a Samurai sword that's as long as a football field. Everything was on a massive scale not seen in gaming. I thought the blend of science fiction was a very interesting touch and brought something new to the table.The music was pretty solid to the situations it corresponded with throughout the game, but was a little overdramatic at a few spots. The voice acting sounded good and matched the characters' personalities, even if their words didn't always match their mouth movements. At the end of the day, the overall sound was at least fair.

The only negative thing I can really say were the regular, non boss, enemies. They are called Gooma, but are pretty much safari animals seen herein our world with a bunch of red lava-looking stuff on them. You'll be faced up against apes, giant turtles, and a giant elephant, all with that red looking impure stuff covering their bodies. The idea itself isn't so bad, but the whole concept just didn't stick.
What really drives the point home for this game is the incredibly interactive story. With it's few technical shortcomings, I give this game a 9. Very intense combat, for being rated Teen. Everything is on an immense scale. But most of all, it's DIFFERENT. This needed to happen in gaming!

Wiki: Asura's Wrath Guides

Anonymous — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 23:44:00 GMT

Guides for Asura's Wrath

Blog Post: The Gods Are Angry

Mike Mahardy — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 06:39:00 GMT

Capcom's newest title is a revenge tale that I thought was destined to succumb to commonplace elements so many video games are known for. The hero is wronged, he sets out on a quest to destroy his enemies, and the rest is history. I was pleasantly surprised in this respect, however, for Asura's Wrath is every bit the deviation I have come to expect from the developer.

The gameplay of Asura's Wrath lies somewhere on a spectrum between that of fast-paced action title and interactive movie. In fact, the game leans more heavily towards the latter. Only about a quarter of the story is spent fighting, while the rest is comprised of button-press quick-time-events that take place during breathtaking cutscenes. In fact, the cutscenes are so engaging that having on screen instructions is little more than a hindrance to a great element of this title. This is all the more evident seeing as how most of these QTE's occur during the many epic boss fights, which pit demigod against demigod in battles of will.

Cutscenes are reinforced with gorgeous visuals, while the game as a whole boasts a spine-tingling score that blends traditional Japanese music with futuristic sci-fi elements. From the space battles rivaling those of Star Wars to the duels taking place on the ground, Asura's Wrath has struck the sweet spot between preposterous and low key. I constantly felt myself torn between laughing and staring raptly as my enemies plummeted to the ground or performed an outrageous combat maneuver. The characterization also amplifies the entire experience. Their models and dialogue serve to flesh out each personality perfectly, which is saying something, considering the eccentric cast put on display in this adventure.

Asura is one of eight demigods ruling over the people of Gaea, the planet being contested in a war against the evil Gohma. These monsters constitute the majority of disposable enemies the player dispatches, but the demigods themselves pose the biggest threats once they betray Asura. Similar to Kratos from God of War, Asura seeks revenge on a titanic array of enemies. Their archetypical vices, such as greed and violence, are portrayed well in their mannerisms and actions, ranging from absurd to fairly believable. The relationships between Asura and his former allies provide the basis for a compelling plot as the tale unfolds. Between all of the yelling and threatening, the dynamics between Asura and his former allies demonstrate an ambiguous web of motive and deceit.

Capcom's new protagonist is a bit of an anomaly. While at one moment Asura may emulate the masculine ideals of a Marcus Fenix, other subtle characteristics suggest a timid soul, bloodied by the death of its wife and counterpart. Unsure of what has become of the life he once knew, Asura's quest is one for answers as much as it is for revenge. As he rises from the ashes of his former life, his disorientation is so great that he barely knows where to begin.

The fighting that takes place in between the ubiquitous cutscenes is surprisingly easy. Admittedly, this is understandable in the context of Asura being a much more powerful being than most of those he faces. However, the lack of difficulty does little to make up for the monotonous button press minigames, especially since his arsenal of attacks in real-time fighting consists of only a handful of maneuvers.

The aforementioned boss fights are a constant reminder of how great the game could be. Whether it is the earth-shattering force of Wyzen, or the unbelievable agility of Yasha, every encounter with one of the deities presents a varied fight. The finishing bursts that show off Asura's power are satisfying ends to the events. These can range anywhere from acrobatic attacks to beat downs from any one of his six arms.

The main problem I have with the game is that it is more about watching than playing. I constantly felt robbed as new cutscenes began, wanting more in the way of real-time skirmishes and melees. The cutscenes are gorgeous, and provide a solid backbone to a larger story, but the button-press events did little more than mitigate the excitement of the action occurring. Heck, who wouldn't want to watch Asura punch a planet in the face, or see a sword so colossal it can pierce a planet's core?

Titles like Heavy Rain have proved that the video game industry is capable of providing an immersive film experience, and I absolutely adore games that can do this. Asura's Wrath attempted to blend action game with interactive movie, but it fell a little short when trying to find its balance. With more action and less interaction during the epic cutscenes, Capcom could have crafted something with the balance of a Metal Gear Solid title.

With that being said, the rich cast and intriguing story set Asura's Wrath apart from other games in recent memory and it did not disappoint me in this respect. It may be more about watching than playing, but it is quite an intriguing tale to watch.

Blog Post: MARVELOUS!

xXxMUGETSUxXx — Sat, 12 May 2012 14:27:00 GMT

I have really enjoyed this particular game. Yes, it is quite different from all the other genres but that is what makes this game unique. The first thing that caught my attention was the music. As you progress through the game the music really puts you in the thick of the battle. Making you notice your surroundings and correctly pressing the action icons at the right moment. The only challenged I received during play was playing Asura's Wrath on "HARD" and waiting for the "True Ending". I know most people may not like this style of genre but it is worth the experience. Give it a shot and enjoy!

Blog Post: The Best Anime You've Played This Year

Orochisama LEVON, Spectre — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 19:36:00 GMT

There are games, and then there's Asura's Wrath, an anime inspired sci-fi brawler mixed with a little Hindu mythology. Visually, it's probably one of the greatest artistic achievements I've seen this generation, rife with outstanding battles, compelling characters, and focused yet simplistic gameplay that makes the game accessible to anyone. If not an immediate purchase due to its flaws, it is definitely a worthy rental that sets a new standard for animation in videogames, if it can be called that.

Asura's Wrath begins with a space battle and an epic premise: you're a demi-god named Asura, one of eight near-immortal beings powered by cybernetic enhancements and mantra, a sacred force that grants those who use it unimaginable power. You're the embodiment of Wrath itself, which explains your short temper and often reckless approach to conflict resolution. Yet, you're also great at what you do, whether it's smashing your enemies and knocking them through outer space or shooting them with beams of energy until they implode. Irrespective the means, and there are many, the player's goal is to fight the Gohma, strange demon-spawn that corrupt the planet and destroy any threats they sense; unfortunately, the threat in this case happens to be humans and other organic life.

Asura and his fellow guardians have battled the Gohma for eons, and players are treated to a chance to revel in this colossal struggle in-between impressively rendered cutscenes that are a testament to anime. The scale of the conflict, however, becomes evident when players find themselves literally facing off against the planet through Vlitra, a gigantic monster that shoots destructive beams of lava from a mouth nearly half the size of the planet itself, and this is just the first major battle. If you think this fight is a bit too ridiculous, then you're probably playing the wrong game.

As the story continues, Asura ends up betrayed and left for dead with his wife killed and his daughter kidnapped - as a priestess, she has the unique power to harness mantra - as his former allies become your new enemies in their own twisted desire to end the Gohma conflict, christening themselves the Seven Deities. Players then join Asura thousands of years later on his quest for vengeance, wreaking havoc whenever possible in outstanding battles that sometimes defy all logic possible. If you're a fan of anime or any high octane action however, the absurdity suits you perfectly.

In terms of presentation, Asura's Wrath is immaculate. Each level is actually presented as an "episode" complete with credits, a conclusion, and a preview of the next "episode" that keeps the otherwise repetitive gameplay from becoming a grind and always maintains the player's attention. Complete with a varied orchestral score of luscious music, voice acting - the dubs are kinda bad, though - crisp sound effects, and expressive artistry, players will relish what CyberConnect2's created. The theme of rage is also consistent and heavily emphasized, as honor, sacrifice, corruption, and even fatherhood flow throughout the narrative. It's a marvel to digest, but is its gameplay as satisfying? The answer is a complicated one.

Asura's Wrath is basically the lovechild of Super Smash Brothers and God of War. You have a light attack, a heavy one that has a cooldown meter, a dash move, a recovery, a counter attack, the ability to shoot beams of energy at your opponents in regular combat, and an on-rails segment that appears occasionally. A simple approach, but when combined it offers a nice bit of variety and action; especially with its wanton abuse of quicktime events.

In addition to a health meter, players also have one that charges and allows Asura to use heavy attacks without penalty for a short period of time, and a "Burst" meter. The Burst meter accumulates as Asura deals damage and increases his rage, allowing him to unleash a powerful barrage of attacks in a QTE that players are graded for, depending on how well they timed their button presses. Since most of these Burst attacks serve as a plot device to move forward in certain parts of each episode, they are unique to each scenario and certain enemy types; you'll even have the chance to play with another character in the story who will also have their own unique style of combat.

You'll see QTE's pop up frequently, whether you're countering a punch, dodging a kick, slamming a demonic elephant to the ground by its head, or growing two more sets of arms and engaging into blindingly frantic fistfights with enemies that recall Toriyama's work in Dragon Ball. Except, those enemies didn't grow larger than entire planets, impale people with infinitely-expanding swords that sliced through moons, or shoot you head-on with Buddha-shaped space lasers that harnessed trillions of souls into destructive energy. Nothing compares to Asura though, given his limitless wells of rage waiting to be released on the next unseemly enemy.

You'll be treated to everything from uppercuts to flurries of punches that cause explosions, even forceful headbutts and kicks to compensate for when Asura's literally unarmed, so don't expect the ideas to get stale later on in the game; they keep getting better. At the end of each episode, you're then ranked based on how well you played overall and can unlock various collectibles - such as concept art, videos, and even another ending.

The characters you'll meet in this game are never boring, from your longtime rival Yasha to the mastermind Deus and even your former trainer Augus. Scenes that remind players of why Asura fights to protect humans from both the Gohma and the Deities add some relevance to the otherwise ludicrous story. Then, there's Asura, a character that isn't fascinating or smart by any means, yet he's remarkably down-to-earth and relatable as the protagonist. He's committed, and his anger guides him to achieve tasks and break boundaries - quite literally - in ways you'd never imagine. By the time you've seen the cliffhanger ending of this game, which screams "rip-off" unabashedly, players will be too overwhelmed by the adrenaline rushing inside of them to care. Difficulty however, may be the game's Achilles' heel that muddies any sense of accomplishment for serious players.

To say this game isn't challenging would be an understatement. It's remarkably easy to play for most if not all, and even its heavier difficulties, which do provide some modicum of effort, aren't as epic. Since there's very little gameplay involved compared to the enormous amount of cutscenes players will watch and very limited combat depth, players will have a hard time taking Asura's Wrath very seriously as a game worth investing time in, especially at a sixty dollar price tag.

Tack on an equally short playing time to the game experience and players will feel like they've been marketed a bundle of DLC rather than an actual game. Most shameful however is how the game's true resolution (told in a final chapter that closes the story) actually is DLC that must be purchased, although cheap. Those who don't want to feel shortchanged should wait or rent it out until the price drops; for those willing to pay up though, they're treated to a surprisingly well-written narrative that avoids the typical tropes of the genre in favor of a far more primal and outlandish vision.

Concluding, Asura's Wrath is a blast when you're playing, and its primary weakness, apart from being so short, is that you won't be playing often enough. When you're watching each of the game's episodes and marveling at the excellent pacing and direction, you'll love Asura's Wrath and the level of attention CyberConnect2's placed into it. Outside of that, those longing for more substance than style will be let down.

8.25 out of 10

Blog Post: Angrier Than Kratos

Interrotta — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 13:07:00 GMT

Thousands of Gohma float through the sky towards The Eight Guardian Generals. Impurity levels flash on screen, some in the hundred thousands. Asura lets out a yell and jumps toward one. Mashing down on the attack button I punch my way through it. The opening scene for Asura's Wrath is epic in scale, and from this moment on it never lets up.

Asura's Wrath is about a Demigod, Asura, who is framed for murder by his brethren, and witnesses the death of his wife and the kidnapping of his daughter and sent to the underworld Naraka. The newly named Seven Deities are using Asura's daughter, Mithra, for her power to defeat the Gohma; huge creatures that resemble apes, elephants, and other assortment of animals, that have been in battle with the Deities and humans for thousands of years.

The story in Asura's Wrath is smartly written. Don't let the mindless action fool you; the story is heart wrenching, funny, and emotionally charged. Every character feels real, and I found myself liking every God that Asura goes head to head with. Unlike God of War, where Zeus is clearly the bad guy, Asura's Wrath opts for compassion in the story. There were moments where I was pounding the face of one of my friends in that I said "What if Asura is actually the bad guy here?" I enjoyed the way the game made me think and feel that way.

The gameplay is simplistic, with one button for punches, one for rapidly firing energy out of his hands, and a power attack that requires some cooldown after using, with quick time events rounding out the whole experience. It plays out like an anime complete with "to be continued" and "what's to come" style videos before each episode. Episodes take half an hour to complete, including cutscenes, and reward you based on Battle Points, time to complete, and synchronicity. The cutscenes and gameplay are linked together, with no transition, sometimes even having you push a button in the middle of the cutscene too. I was afraid to let go of my controller lest I had to grab it and push a button so that Asura didn't take a boot to the face. In between episodes there are drawings from the different artists on the game that dive into backstory, and help flesh out the characters.

I enjoyed my time with Asura's Wrath, the grand scope of the story, the characters, and action in the game held my attention for the whole story. It is a short game, but just writing about it makes me want to go back and experience it again. Don't expect to pull off heavy combos like God of War or Devil May Cry, but people who want to experience one of the better IP's (and personally my favorite new IP) should definately check this out.

This review was originally published on my blog at ghostofutah.blogspot.com

Blog Post: Asuras Wrath: Demigod- family= RAGE!!!!

Sonic20 — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 21:43:00 GMT

Asura is one of the 8 Guardian generals that protects the world of Gaia. After he is blamed for the murder of the emperer, and when his wife is killed, and when his daughter is stolen, and when he is banished to a strange world of Naraka, he's pretty ticked.

Asuras Wrath is a brilliant combination of Sci-fi and religion mixed together. The games graghics are great using an anime style.

There are basically two parts to the gameplay. The fighting part where you fight robots in close combat, or shoot energy, or Mantra, at huge spaceships. The other part is the interactive part. Most of Asuras wrath is cutscenes that you interact with pushing certain buttons that pop up on the screen. The button pressing is actually not super hard. Its better than some of the games that Cyber Connect makes with the button pressing.

The only problems I have with the game is the lack of gameplay, and how short it is. The fighting part of the game only takes up 30%, the rest of the game is the interactive cutscenes. The game is only 7-8 hours long too, but its not really a reason not to get this game.

It also comes witha ton of extras.

Asuras Wrath is one of the best action games I've played so far.

Blog Post: Asura's Wrath: Game or Anime?

Picker of nits — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 00:16:00 GMT

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE Anime fans and over-the-top action junkies will find plenty of gorgeous, stylistic visuals and outrageous battle scenarios with CyberConnect2's action game Asura's Wrath. In the midst of ultrarealistic, brown and grey art design in the industry, this is a refreshing title sure to dazzle your ocular senses the way current generation game consoles were meant to do so years ago. With the game's focus towards combining intense action and dramatic, narrative gameplay, does this game successfully combine each of these elements to transcend the anime, action communities or is it doomed to settle for a smaller niche market?

You won't have much time to bask in the rich colors or sweeping soundtrack of the game as the player is near immediately thrust into a massive scale battle between Asura and the ginormously scaled beast army controlled by an enemy literally the size of the planet. Anyone just picking up the game might be surprised to find a rail shooter section right of the bat, smattered with a few Quick Time Events during the game's epically scaled introduction, however the game generally does a decent job of changing of the gameplay consistently throughout the game. However, the ratio of gameplay to story is disparagingly out of balance.

Consisting of 18 episodes divided into three parts, Asura's Wrath plays out like a full season of anime complete from common tropes the very structure of game. Make no mistake, anime fans will find Asura's Wrath treading familiar territory from the oft visited soft hearted, hot headed loner seeks revenge narrative to its fight first, ask questions later action and character posturing. The story manages to stay competent within the realm of anime, offering nothing particularly new or insightful to common character archetypes, but not overtly phoning it in either. The very structure of each episode furthers this TV show conceit by starting every episode with intro credits, bumpers marking the midway commercial breaks, voiceover previews of the next episode and the obligatory fanservice/swimsuit episode halfway through the season.

All of this serves to keep up the appearance of the game as an episodic show with a distinctly Japanese flavor. The oddest story component of the game however, are the 2D interludes at the end of each episode filling in the narrative gaps between episodes. The artwork in these interludes is stunning, but the text can be hard to read and generally serves to further break up the pacing of the game. Due to the mythical, sci-fi styling of the Asura's world, typically hard to penetrate Japanese cultural references are kept in check. You will not have to be an anime otaku to appreciate the story for what it is should you have the patience.

While this particular narrative structure isn't new to gamers across many different genres, the sheer weight of non-interactive story and anime influence may be enough to scare off gamers more interested in delving straight into the actual gameplay. The typical episode structure follows as thus:

Cut scene(s) and credits> QTE's > easy fight> cut scene(s) > outro bumper image> intro bumper image> cut scene(s)> QTE's> more difficult fight> QTE's> cut scene(s)> To Be Continued image...> episode score> 2D interlude> preview voiceover.

Gameplay is curiously underrepresented in this sequence of events. While you can skip through the non-interactive elements, it's a shame that so much of the game is filler for the sake keeping up the appearance of a TV show. It all just breaks up the flow of the game. I'd venture to say that nearly 70% of the game can be skipped. What's left are actually fighting, rail shooter and QTE events ranging anywhere from less than a minute to nine minutes per episode! These numbers reflect a normal difficulty so times can vary, but given an episode is about 20 minutes, that is a significant amount of time not interacting with a the game. The first two-thirds of the game typically struggle with this pacing; too much story, filler and not enough gameplay (I promise we'll discuss that soon). This sluggish pace may be enough to turn off those looking to jump into a game advertised as a relentless, over-the-top action game. Unfortunately, it's not until the third act that the game really finds the right balance between gameplay and story... at least length wise. Episodes 13 through 18 are worth the wait!

Quick Time Events, while not skippable, do try to add some sense of interaction and player agency during the more intense moments of a cut scene. However, this feels more like a cheat as timed button presses are often forgiving and almost always Y (360 version) and button mashing B is more dependent on how long the dialog continues versus your ability to vibrate the molecules in your thumb to inhuman levels. It's almost unforgivable that a game made today takes the most impactful actions in a game and reduces them to the press of a single easy button. While these events are meant to involve the player in the crazy, rage induced feats of Asura, they tend to distract from the scene and act as an easy button, limiting player agency.

Between the numerous story elements, Asura's Wrath takes a relatively shallow approach to combat. Rail shooting segments, while varied and boast some of the more visually stimulating segments of the game, rely in two buttons and the analog sticks to fire repeated blasts and a stronger, homing attack. The fighting segments quickly underwhelm as combat mechanics are fairly limited to dodge, weak attack, ranged attack and occasional strong attack with minor variations while jumping. Combos are nearly non-existent with only the flashiest of moves resulting from a forgiving QTE counterattack- replacing player agency with an easy button once again.

Enemy variety is fairly limited, and although you will see repetition of tougher enemies a couple of times in the game, the small pool of time you actually play makes the repetition less noticeable, but a longer game may have highlighted the lack of enemy variety. Regardless of enemy type, fights typically follow one of two paths: One) beat up lots of little to medium guys until your burst meter fills up or, Two) pick away at a boss until your burst meter fills up. Players can speed up the process by building up a secondary "Unlimited Mode" gauge which strengthens attacks and allows unlimited use of the strong attack. Additionally, counterattacking with context sensitive QTE's results in larger burst meter gains than standard attacks. Once the burst meter is filled, players press the right trigger. An animation sequence will start with a few QTE's to finish the fight or area. While the burst ability acts as a kind of reward for whittling away at a boss, any sense of overcoming a significant obstacle is lost. Enemy tells and patterns are not particularly difficult. Rinse and repeat fights.

You'll see these baddies a lot

Be prepared to witness some pretty intense boss battles in the game cut scenes however. QTE's aside, the sheer audacity, strength and scale of AW's boss fights are as visually impressive as the God of War series, if not in difficulty or length. Fight a colossus size boss? Check. Start a fight on the moon and take the carnage back to the earth? Check. Lose you limbs, fight anyway? Check! The colossus sized boss wasn't large enough for you so pick a fight with the planet? Double check! This might not be the next great action game like God of War, Devil May Cry or Uncharted but it's undeniably entertaining in its strongest, and strangest, moments.

At least it's not the middle finger

As shallow as the combat system is, you will absolutely see some of the most outlandish, absurd and jaw rapping battles and space environments in gaming to-date. While some of the earlier planet side battles seem fairly bland, the space battles and scenes are beautifully rendered and just might challenge your HDTV to use some colors you haven't seen in a while. These high production value moments are the reason many of us bought HDTVs, 360's and PS3's years ago. It would have been nice had all the environments and character models been given as much attention.

Ten years ago, I envisioned what it would be like to interactively play an action style anime series. This is as close to that vision as I've ever seen without converting it into an RPG. Unfortunately Asura's Wrath falls short on the action game element. Combat is shallow and player agency is masked behind an unfulfilling QTE system that ultimately distracts from the crazy, sci-fi action. Without spoiling the ending, the game leaves open the possibility of a sequel or future DLC and I will be there for a day one purchase. This series shows tremendous promise. What I hope for the future of the series is deeper combat system that allows upgradable combos and skills to increase player involvement and longer, more interesting battles between boss fights. The stylization of episodic chapters to mimic an anime series was fun, but Cyberconnect2 needs to better balance story and gameplay, particularly during the first half of the game, to reach a larger audience.

Replayability: Moderate with some incentive for collectivores to unlock gameplay modifiers, CG screens, illustrations and a secret ending.

Nitpicks:

Episode Bumpers: Really? Other than enforcing the conceit of Asura's Wrath as a TV show, these serve zero purpose midgame and only get in the way of continuing the story or the next battle.

2D Interludes: Gah! How many ways do you need to convey a story in a game? Gameplay dialog helps, cut scenes are expected and the episode previews were cute, but for a game advertised as relentless action, these 2D artwork breaks with hard to read text were just painful. Let me play the damn game already!

Unnecessarily Large Battle Areas: Some, not all of the bosses were huge in this game. Fighting relatively medium to small enemies and bosses in a large area make filling the burst meter aggravating, especially after you've knocked a tough enemy across the map and have no fast way to close the distance and activate the context sensitive special attack.

Nitperks:

Extras: Should you want to watch the episode cut scenes without those pesky combat scenes, you can access movies and artwork from the Extras menu.

Progress Sensitive Menu Video: I hate it when a game's menu or idle screen shows all the best cut scenes in a game; Asura's Wrath changes the menu video to match your progress in the game. No more spoilers!

Extra Ending: I generally won't collect everything in a game, unless it's an old RPG title or an extra/alternate ending. Asura's Wrath does not hide the fact it has an extra ending nor does it make it nearly impossible to obtain.

Blog Post: Action and Entertainment in a Blink of the Eye

tonyadpx — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 02:11:00 GMT

I'm going to start off by saying ASURA'S WRATH's biggest problem is it's length. It took me somewhere in the ballpark of three hours to complete it on normal, and that includes all nineteen episodes. That alone takes a full point away. The remaining quarter of a point is taken away because, at such a short gameplay length, the $60 dollar price tag feels kind of steep.

That out of the way, I thought ASURA'S WRATH was magnificent fun. The fighting is as intense as any GOD OF WAR title, mixing in moments of pure action with moments of timed button sequences. In between, you get lengthy--and I must say well-done--moments of cinematic storytelling, where you're incapable of putting the controller down in case of the occasional button press. In essence, ASURA'S WRATH plays out like an anime where you get to control the action moments. Even the presentation is like that found in anime, complete with credits, commercial bumpers, and episode teasers. So clearly, if you're a fan of anime, then ASURA'S WRATH is a great title for you.

After that, ASURA'S WRATH has an endearing cast of characters as well. All have a personality of their own, easily recognizable and likable (or unlikable as the case goes), which makes the extended cinematics all that more easy to follow. You'll find yourself enjoying certain characters, cheering for them when the time is right, and when the plot twist happens not only will you be satisfied, but you won't feel it's contrived or forced. And, it's not terribly predictable, as anime story lines tend to be.

Finally, there are the graphics. It's a rare moment within ASURA'S WRATH that things aren't exploding, images aren't zipping across the screen, or larger-than-life enemies aren't attacking Asura. ASURA'S WRATH handles all this action beautifully, with a unique graphical style. In fact, the art style reminds me a lot of Borderlands, only more Japanese, if that makes any sense.

There really aren't many titles out there to compare ASURA'S WRATH too, besides, and this is a stretch, HEAVY RAIN. The game is definitely cinematic first, with gameplay second, and certain sequences can be changed according to how you respond (i.e. shutting a bad guys monologue up, or looking around a hot spring when all you really need to do is finish a few drinks). Still, ASURA'S WRATH is kind of a one of kind. If not for how short the game was, this'd easily been a 9+ for me. It's definitely not perfect, and I would never recommend outright purchasing it at retail. But as a used or rental game, it's perfect.

Blog Post: Definitely overrated

Goldnazivampir — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 03:43:00 GMT

I am going to keep it short: techincally good, interesting style, game play meeeeh, story (turd).

Capcom must have a paid a lot for those reviews...

Blog Post: This game suck...period!

Scorpio80 — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 23:26:00 GMT

It's just a bad game...it's like Dragon ball Z took a God Of War concept and totally misunderstood it!

Blog Post: Rage in a disk

Robin Loynd — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 23:07:00 GMT

I agree with the review, it is a good game that many will enjoy. While there is that certain group who prefer a more methodical approach as evidenced by DMC or assassin's creed, but I can't think of a better way to vent some steam then popping this game in and off-loading some fisticuffs on some planets. Kudos to you Capcom for a brilliantly made game.

Blog Post: Asura's Wrath

microphonist — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 22:56:00 GMT

This is a solid Manga syled interactive game. It borders more on anime cinema than an actual game, hoenstly this games offers around 2 hours of actual gameplay, while rest of the time, its more conceptual linear driven chapters that play out as if it was a sitcom, and they even included a trailer before every chapter starts, similar to how any modern show today recaps what u may have missed last week, exactly like Alan Wake and etc.

This is a must play for any, and i say any anime fan, this is the Japanese version of Heavy Rain.

Blog Post: Asura's Wrath Review: Anger Management Isn’t In This Hero’s Vocabulary

Jeff Cork — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 19:01:00 GMT

Asura isn’t happy. The demigod has been cast out of the heavens after being framed for a treasonous murder. To make this betrayal even more personal, his wife has been slain and their daughter kidnapped and exploited for her own unique powers. Rather than simply brood about it, Asura taps into his feral nature and punishes his former comrades in an epically scaled tale of revenge.[Excerpt]

Asura’s former friends comprise a unique vision of a godly pantheon, marrying elements of extreme technology and Eastern mythology into something fresh. Each of the seven demigods fills an archetype – mentor, mastermind, beauty-obsessed sadist, etc. – with Asura’s primary attribute being his short fuse. Seeing how mortals are being exploited by the demigods only serves as another motivator for him to pound them into oblivion.

The combat may not be as deep as other hack and slash offerings, but it does a great job of making Asura feel (and play) like the unhinged demigod that he is at the expense of a degree of finesse. It sells the concept of Asura as a powerhouse who uses his strength like a maul rather than a scalpel, but players who like methodically dismantling enemies with juggles, cancels, and other technical flourishes may be left cold by the mash-heavy engagements.

Whether it was a conscious decision on CyberConnect2’s part or not, the bulk of enemies simply don’t put up much of a fight, either. Instead, combat sequences are framed around building Asura’s burst gauge. Once it’s filled through pummeling enemies and performing well in QTEs, players can unleash Asura’s full fury with a quick press of the right trigger. That’s basically the “end combat sequence” trigger; until you activate that burst mode, the majority of battles will continue indefinitely, with enemies respawning on a loop or simply refusing to die. When it’s activated, you’re treated to a reliably impressive sequence of Asura giving someone the business in a comically over-the-top beatdown.

Over the top is as mundane as it gets in Asura’s Wrath. This is a game where your character sprouts (and loses) additional pairs of arms without anyone giving it a second thought. You will get impaled with a weapon that is longer than the diameter of Earth. Heck, before the credits roll, you will literally punch a planet right in its face. While I was expecting these kinds of ridiculous moments from the game, I was surprised to see that it wasn’t just a revolving freakshow-like series of big moments. Instead, Asura’s Wrath is grounded by one of the more interesting stories I’ve seen in a game, focusing on human suffering and how even the noblest of intentions can be corrupted.

Asura’s Wrath isn’t as brainless as it may want you to believe. The ridiculous moments and likable characters kept me smiling, which was odd, considering it’s essentially a story about misery. It’s a nice change of pace from other hack-and-slash games, featuring an interesting story that’s not blocked off by insurmountable difficulty.

Blog Post: Asura's Wrath Review: Anger Management Isn’t In This Hero’s Vocabulary

Jeff Cork — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 19:01:00 GMT

File: Asura's Wrath

Tim Turi — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 18:44:00 GMT

Street Fighter's Ryu and an anime art style come to Asura's Wrath via DLC

File: Asura's Wrath

Tim Turi — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 18:44:00 GMT

Street Fighter's Ryu and an anime art style come to Asura's Wrath via DLC

File: Asura's Wrath

Tim Turi — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 18:44:00 GMT

Street Fighter's Ryu and an anime art style come to Asura's Wrath via DLC

File: Asura's Wrath

Tim Turi — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 18:44:00 GMT

Street Fighter's Ryu and an anime art style come to Asura's Wrath via DLC