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| Pollyanna 1995th Post
 
Gold Carpet V.I.P- Platinum Executive
   
    
    
    
    
|  "God Hand ramble..." , posted Sat 16 Sep 17:55
WHEEE! I got God Hand, and it's fantastic. I highly recommend it to anyone who isn't lame.
Actually, no...I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested based on the trailer. It's exactly what it looks like...the trailer isn't a glorification or anything. The only difference is that it makes the game look easy...like you're an unstoppable ass-kicking force.
But anyway...the music is fantastic, the motion capture is great, the battle system is incredibly solid, the challenge level is just perfect and there's A MIDGET SENTAI TEAM.
The camera system might turn some people off, though. It's not that the camera is BAD, though...just that you're always looking right in front of you. You always have a good view of what your character is seeing (you can't control the camera), it's just that you sort of get "locked onto" a line and if you want to turn around, you have to press a button, which takes a second. So, it's more of a gameplay element than a camera thing. It doesn't bother me (I actually like it), but I believe it's turning a few people off to the game.
You can edit you attacks move for move, and there's a lot of stuff to choose from. Putting together a good set of moves is a very important key to success, and with all the variety, it plays like a (fairly simplistic) 3D fighter. I guess if Guardian Heroes was like a 2d fighter/beat 'em up mix, God Hand is like the same thing in 3D.
The difference is, there's a tremendous focus on one-on-one fighting. The enemies don't just stand around and take your hits, they block, dodge and counter. You have to have a number of strategies for different situations, and as you can take relatively few hits, it can get quite hectic when there are multiple enemies onscreen.
As a result, you do a lot of dodging, which is controlled with the right analog. Up dodges under attacks, left and right weave around enemies, and down does a sort of backflip to get you out of harm's way (you use this excessively).
Almost every fight, no matter how small seems engaging. Each enemy can pose a threat and takes at least some level of focus to defeat. Every encounter means something...there isn't just "wearing you down until the boss". There's no backtracking, running around in large areas or experience building either...it's just solid fighting all the way through. (well, most of the way...I haven't won it yet, but I'm fairly far)
If I had to complain about something, I'd say I didn't like the God Reel (super) system. You have a set number you can do, and when you run out, you're at the mercy of random boxes to decide when you can do them again. If there were recharge points or something it would be different. Haha...but maybe there is, and I've been so desperate to just kick ass that I haven't even noticed.
Ah...the cinemas are really terrible...in a good way. The English is nearly incoherent, though. I mean, each individual line makes sense, but the characters really don't seem like they're communicating at all, and many of them (especially random guys) say things that make no sense at all ("I'm Alexander the Great!"). The Japanese subtitles make a lot more sense, but aren't really that close to the English. I wouldn't have it any other way, but it does seem a bit awkward for an English release.
Speaking of which, since all the dialogue is in English, if the US version of the game is censored (which seems quite likely), I would recommend picking up the Japanese version if you can get it for relatively cheap.
But yeah...seriously, the game is tremendously good and lives up to all my expectations. I'm sad it isn't being recieved especially well.
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| Pollyanna 1996th Post
Gold Carpet V.I.P- Platinum Executive
| "Re(2):God Hand ramble..." , posted Sun 17 Sep 03:01
quote:
kicking crotches + absurd lines + cheesy music + shameless Hokutô no Ken parody = ULTIMATE WIN
All of this is definitely there, but I would take anything I say with a grain of salt, since our tastes tend to differ sometimes. The soundtrack really is almost undeniably excellent, though. It has a lot of variety, a lot of very clever tracks, and some great rock stuff, too.
I mean...well, you might not like the game as much as me, but I'm still confidant in the statement "it promises what it delivers."
It's NOT THAT HARD! Really! Of course, I still have a bit to go, but I've actually found the last few levels to be too easy! It's initially hard to pick up (it drops you right in), and some of the arena challenges are a bit unfair (and optional), but I would say it has a tremendously fair, balanced level of difficulty. It's not as hard as Viewtiful Joe at least.
I think GENERAL 3D fighting game skill will help you out, but it's not necessary (I'm mediocre at 3D fighters in general, but I have an understanding of how they work). If your fingers are trained in any kind of fighting game and you're used to a variety of moves, then you'll take to it pretty quickly. It's not like any of the combos you do are especially complicated, you just have to react fast, and sometimes change plans quickly. People who are having problems with it probably haven't organized their moves list very well or don't play fast paced action games/fighters much.
It's most certainly NOT so hard that anyone who is otherwise interested should pass on it. There's always "easy" mode, but I wouldn't recommend it, given that normal has been just hard enough to be rewarding without frustrating me even once. The zako can and will kill you, but there's very little setback when you lose. The levels are all like short, well-managed challenges.
Ah, and the dodging system does feel a bit like Viewtiful Joe, but it's also a bit looser and faster. Definitely more forgiving. The backflip gets you out of most situations, and if you spam the high dodge, you can easily dodge every or almost every hit in an enemy combo.
Hmmm...I guess there -are- a number of Viewtiful Joe similarities I never thought of.
War, what kind of complaints have you been hearing about the game? Maybe I can either say "I can see where that would be a problem" or "That's totally bogus."
Man, the sub-bosses are so much fun...like the Midget Sentai Team, the Gorilla/Man in a Gorilla Suit Spanish Wrestler, the completely useless rock guy (and his messed up drum buddy, who has the best character design ever)...etc. The poison chihuahua was great idea, too.
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| Pollyanna 1997th Post
Gold Carpet V.I.P- Platinum Executive
| "Re(4):God Hand ramble..." , posted Sun 17 Sep 09:49
quote:
The negatives I've read were from 4chan posts pissed and a 3/10 gamefaqs review. Sort of self explanatory, I guess?
Yeah, listening to ANYONE on Gamefaqs or 4chan is like listening to a homeless drunk with a piece of his brain missing. It drives me nuts when people take Famitsu's scores as word "I thought this game was good, but since Famitsu didn't LOVE it, it must totally suck", but they're still more reliable than 4chan or Gamefaqs. (to be fair, Gamefaqs is still more reliable than 4chan, though)
As for the "production values"...well...the backgrounds suck. They completely and undeniably suck. I watched the first 2 trailers released for the game over and over without noticing, and it took someone to point it out to me on the 3rd. When I'm playing the game, the backgrounds are the last thing I'm thinking about. If you think of it as a 3D fighter with a screen full of characters, I don't think it's fair to expect much more, but for the more "background-oriented" (if such people exist)...it's quite a letdown.
They definitely could have used some better textures, though...and there's tons of popup when you're running around next to buildings (which you very rarely do). Neither effect the game much, but they do make it look cheap.
I've seen people complain about the God Reel because they can't do the move they want all the time, or because they're stupid and don't understand how it works. I don't think the system itself is a bad idea, but it's stupid to have to rely on random items to be able to use it. Most bosses have a large number of boxes in their area, and their contents are randomized. If you buy good God Reel moves, they can be the difference between victory and defeat...and then your victory is riding on what's in the boxes.
Of course, it would be repetitive if the same boxes always had the same stuff, as I think there's a lot of fun in frantically running for boxes and hoping you get what you need...but I don't like anything that gives me an unbalanced experience.
I guess it's also a bummer that the God Reel moves are so cool and you use them relatively infrequently. Given that you have to use them strategically (this is why it's good that you can't always do the one you want immediately, and it's harder to do level 2s than level 1s), I'd like it if the game was a little harder and you could use them more frequently.
Some people might say the game is too short, as well, but it's not short on -content-, it's just that it throws you in and doesn't waste a second from beginning to end. The game easily could have been several hours longer if they padded it with more useless thugs, larger (empty) areas to explore, and the ability/necessity to go back and get EXP. I think all of these things are shortcomings of many of the games that come out these days, though. You have an artificially lengthened experience with your time being wasted. I'd rather have an 8 hour game that's so tight and fun that I'll want to play it twice than a 16 hour game that's half boring.
Of course, my opinion on the game is still a little exagerrated, because I'm completely crazy about it. Regardless, even if I can't expect everyone to love it as much as me, it's not a crappy game...it's absolutely NOT a 3/10 and it's not trash.
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| Pollyanna 1999th Post
Gold Carpet V.I.P- Platinum Executive
| "Re(6):God Hand ramble..." , posted Mon 18 Sep 06:39:
quote:
Could you elaborate a bit in what they could be censoring in the US/EURO version of the game?
Ermm..."fuck" in one of the songs, excessive use of the word "shit" and general offensiveness to any and all groups. There is a lot of sexuality in the game, but I've seen worse.
Really, the thing is that Capcom of America is quite excellent at screwing things up for English releases. The "M" rating should cover everything, but it hasn't in the past, and ridiculous things like smoking have been taken out. Most of the games I can think of that have included potentially offensive material have been American/European made games, not Japanese ones. Somehow, those tend to get get away with less. The M rating is a good sign, though as the game definitely wouldn't make the T pass.
I'm not saying "buy the Japanese one to be safe" (unless you're really impatient), I'm just saying "wait and see if it's censored before you make your decision." I'm sure if you can wait a bit longer the Japanese version will go on sale, as well.
EDIT: Oh, I forgot...hahaha...Satan is in it, but in the dub, it's "Amra" or something. The subtitles say "Satan", though.
[this message was edited by Pollyanna on Mon 18 Sep 07:03] |
| Pollyanna 2000th Post
Platinum Carpet V.I.P- Board Master
| "Re(2):Re(10):God Hand ramble..." , posted Wed 20 Sep 19:54
Ah, I finished the game tonight. I was delayed due to a tough work schedule.
Really, from beginning to end, every second of the game was thoroughly enjoyable. I find irritation and dissatisfaction (in varying degrees) with nearly every game I play, but I can gladly say that God Had is perhaps the LEAST irritating game I've ever touched. It's absolutely one of the best experiences I've had on PS2.
I still stand my by "not too hard, sometimes too easy" statement. Most of the difficulty complaints come from the last 2 levels (the last level being 2 boss fights). I managed level 8 on 2 continues and no God Reel attacks (I was saving them for a challenge that never came) and beat the last boss (after 3 failures) with 2/3 life, half an overdrive gauge and 3 God Reels. I am not, by any stretch, a pro at video games (or ANY game) and can only assume that complaints about the difficulty come from players weaned on the frequently easy games of today, or people who can't manage their moveslist. (or wusses)
That being said...the game is just hard enough for me to enjoy, but I fear that I won't be able to improve my game enough to handle it on "hard".
Also...the credits are great, and I was surprised to see that a telekinetic midget character was simply named "Psychic Midget."
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| Maese Spt 300th Post
Bronze Customer
| "Re(5):Re(10):God Hand ramble..." , posted Thu 21 Sep 07:17
Well, I'm at the middle of level 2 and, so far, the game seems rather enjoyable to say the least.
As Polly said, what you saw on the trailers is what you get, not more, not less. And that's fine with me. Difficulty is challenging enough to keep you always on tension, but once you get used to the dodging system everything goes much more smoothly. I have yet to learn a bit more about God Reel tough, but gameplay is quite fluid anyway.
But man, who cares about gameplay when the scenario is so HILARIOUS!! The twin dragqueen negroes were good enough, but when I heard the Heart-wanabee big boss swearing in perfect spanish I knew this game was meant for me. Lovely. And the music is truly amusing too.
I have a lot to play yet, and I wouldn't say GodHand is the best beat'em up I've ever played, but I can guarantee it's one of the funniest games I've seen, and that means a high replay value for me. I keep playing Parodius every now and then for similar reasons, you know.
Who gives a damn about graphics or mind-boggling stories? Games should be fun, as GodHand is. ¡Coño!
P.S.
For those wondering about getting the Jap version or not, I would add that this is the most non-japanese-speaker/reader-friendly game I've ever seen, so I wouldn't have any doubt at all.
マツケン サンバ!!!!
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| IkariDC 569th Post
New Red Carpet Member
| "Re(2):God Hand ramble..." , posted Thu 21 Sep 16:05
Yeah those secret bonuses in the website are crappy. There are two wallpapers at gpara, one is an artwork, and the other it's the same but rendered in 3D. Besides that and the artwork that you can see in the "free" area of the site, I haven't seen any more art from this game, which is a shame.
I learned that you get a "God Tracks" CD with the japanese version of the game, is that the full soundtrack or a sampler? If it's the full thing is strange that it's included with the game and it's not released appart so they can cash in some more money. The little pieces of music I've heard are lovely.
I'm starting to get tempted, but until I'm finished with Yakuza, I don't need any other game. By the way, is it true that all the swearing in the US release is censored? Subtitles, the dub, or both?
GAZEROCK IS NOT DEAD
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| Pollyanna 2004th Post
Platinum Carpet V.I.P- Board Master
| "Re(3):God Hand ramble..." , posted Thu 21 Sep 17:25
quote:
I learned that you get a "God Tracks" CD with the japanese version of the game, is that the full soundtrack or a sampler? If it's the full thing is strange that it's included with the game and it's not released appart so they can cash in some more money. The little pieces of music I've heard are lovely.
It's irritating because it's not QUITE the full soundtrack, but close. As a bonus, it's great, but it's frustrating, since it may prevent them from releasing a full soundtrack later. And even if they DO, then those who have the game will be reluctant to buy it, since the free CD has most of the soundtrack.
Argh...the lack of the end song is a shame, but hearing it on the soundtrack before winning the game would spoil it a bit. I waited until I won the game to listen to the soundtrack.
Maybe Hiroaki just did one illustration for the game, but surely there are design sheets. By the way, check out the Clover blog (on their main page) for an Okami/God Hand picture. Amaterasu wants nothing to do with Gene. Speaking of Amaterasu, I think they just released an Okami artbook, which I'll have to pick up. Even though you unlock hundreds of illustrations when you win the game, they're so excellent that I want them on paper.
The only thing I KNOW is "censored" is "Satan", which is only in the subtitles and not in the dub anyway. If they have a problem with you kicking Satan's ass, then I'm concerned that other things might get cut as well. Since the game is rated "M", I can't imagine them cutting ALL the cursing, as there's quite a bit, but who knows.
Also, I'm not mistaken about the song in the trailer having "fuck" in it, right? If they cut that (the song, not the word, of course), that would be quite a loss. Still, my favorite is the song when you fight "The Devil Hand", which I think is (the "secret) song 4 on the webpage.
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| KumagaiToshiro
118th Post
Regular Customer
| "Re(1):God Hand ramble..." , posted Fri 22 Sep 06:45:
quote:
The camera system might turn some people off, though. It's not that the camera is BAD, though...just that you're always looking right in front of you. You always have a good view of what your character is seeing (you can't control the camera), it's just that you sort of get "locked onto" a line and if you want to turn around, you have to press a button, which takes a second. So, it's more of a gameplay element than a camera thing. It doesn't bother me (I actually like it), but I believe it's turning a few people off to the game.
Have you noticed while playing it that it seems to be based off the Biohazard 4 engine? The movement system, the camera movements (especially when leaping off ledges)..it's just a bit too similar.
But, in any case, this game is great. The difficulty is up there, but it's really a matter of keeping on the move and making sure to have attacks that do guard crush. Once that's down pat, it's a lot easier. Enemies still do a ton of damage, though.
And despite being annoying as hell, the Mad Midget Five still kicks ass.
[this message was edited by KumagaiToshiro on Fri 22 Sep 06:47] |
| Pollyanna 2006th Post
Platinum Carpet V.I.P- Board Master
| "Re(2):God Hand ramble..." , posted Fri 22 Sep 10:13
Yeah, the camera system is a bit like Biohazard 4. It works very well for keeping you lined up with whoever you're fighting.
In addition to cancelling attacks with dodges, you can cancel a lot of moves into moves as well. I don't think guard breaks are necessary, since it you can predict blocks/attacks and act accordingly to stuff them for counter/critical damage.
I used a combo starting with the drunken punch and ending with the mach punch. I never actually got to the mach punch unless I was in overdrive, as I would usually do one or two quick hits, then cancel into a reverse-something or other kick. It had good stun, good recovery, came out fast, and allowed me to hammer the enemies with the same combo until they were dizzied. On the ground, I would use the axe kick to knock them up, and since they would usually counter the full pop-up, dragon punch, jumping spin kick combo, I'd just do the drunk punch into the reverse-something kick, knock them back and repeat.
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"Re(3):Re(10):God Hand ramble..." , posted Thu 21 Sep 06:18
Flowers Scattering on the Wind ~
