Asura's Wrath [PS3] [360]

[Siren2011]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PCDxS8uJFQ

I'm cautiously optimistic about this upcoming Capcom game, because its visual style reminds me of Bayonetta. For those of you who don't know, Bayonetta was the best video game to come out in years. I could go on about its greatness, but I'd rather stay focused on this game.

The reason behind my cautiousness has everything to do with the fact that the game's head director is none other than Hiroshi Matsuyama-- the man who helped make the .Hack// games on PS2, which were complete tripe aside from fantastic graphics and somewhat interesting storyline. Let's hope this turns out to be enjoyable to play, instead of mere eye-candy.

I can't say much more, because the trailer hardly reveals anything, but the character models look fiiiiine.

EDIT: Interview with one of the game's designers:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQHSgnvY ... re=related

Unlike the first trailer, this one shows us that the playable character will have six arms in addition to superhuman strength. Sounds promising...

EDIT II: WHOA! New trailer I missed!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgZvM3Jr ... re=related

This one shows off how the game plays more than the others. He's got a Godhand-esque wrestling move and a dash. It also appears he has a lot of fist moves, and can throw them pretty fast. Looks like they ditched the six arms idea as well.

I really hope this becomes a spiritual successor to Godhand! My faith in games would totally be renewed!

To be released "in 2012."

[sjewkestheloon]

Yep I'm hoping this turns out well, and hopefully it will maintain the crazy shit that happens in the trailers.

[mesh control]

I hope there are not too many QTEs like the TGS trailer, looks good otherwise.

[Rob]

the game's head director is none other than Hiroshi Matsuyama-- the man who helped make the .Hack// games on PS2,

Silent Bomber, duuude.

[Siren2011]

Holy crap!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLHPVxGJ66M

You're right, Rob, that looks awesome! Only he's not really silent at all...lol.

[Nico87]

CC2 usually rock, so yes please.

[Ruldra]

Demo confirmed to come out on Tuesday on PSN, will probably come out for the 360 as well. Looking forward to it

[Skykid]

Visual style looks way better than Bayonetta to me. Hopefully the game will be too.

[Estebang]

This looks great, and I like CyberConnect2, but they've definitely cranked the "cinematic" QTE bullshit up to 11. It's nearly at the point where every fight looks like that ridiculous Parappa Matrix boss battle from Indigo Prophecy. Might pick it up when it's $20, but at no higher.

Binary Domain is the upcoming Japanese-developed blockbuster that I think looks more worthy of one's attention. Seems to be a straight-up Kane & Lynch clone with cyborgs in a clearly GitS-influenced dystopian Tokyo, and no QTEs in sight. I don't think they're bothering with multiplayer, which is actually a very good decision: they'll never be able to compete with Call of Dookie's playerbase, and it allows all the budget to be funneled into making a quality campaign.

[evil_ash_xero]

Every time I see this game, I just think "RAWR!!!" in big comic text, in my head. But yeah, the QTE looks off the scale. That's one of the things that killed Ninja Blade for me(certainly not the only thing).

As for Binary Domain...I took a look at it a few months back, and it looks so dull. I mean the art style, and whatnot. I hope it's good, but after Vanquish, it looks really boring. It's art is actually duller than Gears. It's so generic.

I was hoping to seem more energy from it, but they just kept talking about the story. I hope it has some other features that make it stand out. Since, the story just looks like I-Robot, and I don't care about the story in a third person shooter anyway.

[iconoclast]

This looks great, and I like CyberConnect2, but they've definitely cranked the "cinematic" QTE bullshit up to 11. It's nearly at the point where every fight looks like that ridiculous Parappa Matrix boss battle from Indigo Prophecy. Might pick it up when it's $20, but at no higher.

Pretty much. This looks like it falls squarely in the "cinematic experience" style action game, with over the top QTEs and cuhrazy cutscenes being the main draw. Might be fun for a single playthrough, but it won't have any of the depth found in the top tier action games. Will gamefly it.

[Ruldra]

Demo is out already on the JPSN store, and people are reporting that the game is a massive QTE fest with cutscenes all over the place.

Random quotes from GAF:

This is Dragon Lair with tub scenes, DBZ QTE fights, and some gameplay to tie it together.

This is the chapter based story game that attempts to emulate an anime series, with each chapter being an episode, and it has opening credits with each chapter, an episode title, tons of cutscenes, some random QTEs inbetween, an eyecatch, more cutscenes, more dumb QTEs, and then TO BE CONTINUED, along with a next episode preview.

You get to run around a bit on the moon fighting this other guy, but there's no life bar or anything either. Each time you hit him or perform some QTE garbage on him the bar fills up, until it's full and you hit R2 and Asura gets ANGRIER, and then more QTEs happen. Rinse, repeat, over and over. Zzzzzzzzz.

[Ruldra]

Demo playthrough:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... 99GbHzJ48Y
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... Fv2kAJckzI

The actual gameplay bits looks like Star Fox 64, wtf.

[Skykid]

Demo playthrough:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... 99GbHzJ48Y
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... Fv2kAJckzI

The actual gameplay bits looks like Star Fox 64, wtf.

Reminds me of Rez or Panzer with the lock on type.

Based on those quotes you posted my enthusiasm has quickly waned. I'd like some game with my cutscene thanks.

[Ruldra]

Demo is up! Downloading...

[Siren2011]

Based on those quotes you posted my enthusiasm has quickly waned. I'd like some game with my cutscene thanks.

Ditto. Hopefully that raw fighting footage we saw early last year doesn't just turn out to be a QTE fest, too. That would mean this whole project was a huge waste of time, manpower, and potential.

[Ruldra]

Okay, I'm done with the demo.

The game is basically an interactive movie, with QTEs prompting every now and then. There are some gameplay bits but they're very short, you usually fight or shoot something until you fill up a bar, at which point you'll go BURST and proceed to the next scene.

The game certainly has crazy over the top action, but that's it. Once you finish the story, there's no reason at all to play it again.

The whole thing feels like a shonen anime. If it was a show it'd certainly be great to watch, but as a game it fails.

[Skykid]

Okay, I'm done with the demo.

The game is basically an interactive movie, with QTEs prompting every now and then. There are some gameplay bits but they're very short, you usually fight or shoot something until you fill up a bar, at which point you'll go BURST and proceed to the next scene.

The game certainly has crazy over the top action, but that's it. Once you finish the story, there's no reason at all to play it again.

The whole thing feels like a shonen anime. If it was a show it'd certainly be great to watch, but as a game it fails.

Once again my disturbing lack of faith in the modern gaming industry has been re-enforced, and this time I didn't even need to play the demo.

Fucking pessimism is on overdrive these days, I wish someone other than Nintendo would prove me wrong.

[Ruldra]

Another quote from GAF:

HOLY SHIT.

I've just played stage 5 with the sole purpose of failing every sequence, and...

Most sequences cannot be failed. AT ALL.

Seriously, start stage 5 and cross your arms - do nothing:

There are only 3 sequences where you can die.
Two sequences, you'll be stuck in a loop (getting hit or just moaning) without taking damage
30% of them, if you do nothing, you will be pushed back and the sequence will start over, no damage taken
50% of them you will pass even without doing anything (the game will wait 5 seconds, then just go to the winning animation)

Lolz. The game will bomb hard and the guys over at Capcom will wonder why.

[Siren2011]

...

Everyone at Capcom can suck my balls. This shit is ridiculous.

[Skykid]

Another quote from GAF:

HOLY SHIT.

I've just played stage 5 with the sole purpose of failing every sequence, and...

Most sequences cannot be failed. AT ALL.

Seriously, start stage 5 and cross your arms - do nothing:

There are only 3 sequences where you can die.
Two sequences, you'll be stuck in a loop (getting hit or just moaning) without taking damage
30% of them, if you do nothing, you will be pushed back and the sequence will start over, no damage taken
50% of them you will pass even without doing anything (the game will wait 5 seconds, then just go to the winning animation)

Lolz. The game will bomb hard and the guys over at Capcom will wonder why.

Anyone who read the full interview (it's a bit lengthy) with Keiji Inafune (on NeoGAF I believe), will have seen this sort of thing coming a mile off. He hadn't tendered his resignation for no reason. The writing was on the wall with that interview: Capcom had only developed 2 games fully in-house in the preceding 3 years: Biohazard 5 and Monster Hunter. Everything else was farmed out to places in Canada and whatnot, and Inafune said the company had a complete lack of vision. SFIV is great, but it's hardly the most pioneering game they've ever done - if anything it's the most comfortable (gamble or otherwise.)

I love Capcom dearly and Asura's Wrath looked really promising a few days ago, but I really think these Japanese companies are between a rock and hard place. They need to emulate western success, but are failing simply in trying.

Does anyone know the budget for this game?

[Siren2011]

Exactly. I immediately thought of Keiji Inafune when Ruldra informed us on the game. God bless that man.

[Ruldra]

Anyone who read the full interview with Keiji Inafune will have seen this sort of thing coming a mile off.

Yep. When you're aware that the company is run by businessmen who never played videogames in their lives, you can totally see why something like this gets greenlighted.

[JBC]

Okay, I'm done with the demo.

Once you finish the story, there's no reason at all to play it again.

I'm not defending the game or anything, it's pretty well known that I dislike anime style and QTE's, but a demo is never enough to make a fair judgement. I played the demo for Bayonetta and f'ing hated it, but it's one the most beloved action titles to come out in recent years.

I mean, you guys may be right about the game but I wouldn't start bashing it hard until the real deal is out. Lotta people doing that with Aliens: Colonial Marines right now but I want to believe it'll be good SO HARD

[njiska]

I love Capcom dearly and Asura's Wrath looked really promising a few days ago, but I really think these Japanese companies are between a rock and hard place. They need to emulate western success, but are failing simply in trying.

For once I can relate to you. I took one look at the trailer when it was revealed at TGS and I started to get a sensation I'd not had since God Hand. I had really high hopes for deep and intriguing combat, but now they're dashed as this appears to be nothing more than a lame Rez clone with shit loads of QTEs. On the plus side this is really helping with my already tight gaming budget. Capcom is failing.

Everything else was farmed out to places in Canada and whatnot

To be fair the Canadian studio that worked on DR2 did a pretty good job.

[iconoclast]

Inafune was the one who steered Capcom into heavy outsourcing to begin with, which has resulted in one great game (Bionic Commando Rearmed), one mediocre game (Dead Rising 2), and lots of trash (everything else). He may have been good at one point, but he's gone completely insane over the last couple years. Good riddance.

For Capcom's sake, I hope focusing all of their internal manpower on Dragon's Dogma is worth it.

[CMoon]

Just to reiterate what others have said here, played the demo and didn't even really consider it a game. There was no way to lose. I like the comparison to Rez interrupted by QTEs. Amazing design and visuals, but this is more like an interactive movie than a game. On the other hand it makes me want to go back and play the other action games in my collections.

[Strider77]

I agree... all of Inafune's current generation games have sucked... hard.

[evil_ash_xero]

Capcom used to be the shit. Then they let all their talent go. And well, this is what you have. Still, even if you outsource everything, you'd think some of these GAME makers, would have a clue.

NOPE.

It's depressing, actually.
Well, at least their guys are making stuff at Platinum. But it'd be nice to see them at Capcom again. Maybe they can outsource some games to Platinum.

Man, I'd give anything for RE 6 to be outsourced to them, and let Mikami come in to work on it. We can dream, I guess.

[ryu]

The whole thing feels like a shonen anime. If it was a show it'd certainly be great to watch, but as a game it fails.

i heard the ceo of cc2 was a fan of naruto (hence all the naruto games they make). guess that ties together pretty well.