Bulk Slash
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I understand this is now an older game, but I have recently picked it up again - as I wasn't great at it at first. This game is a one player - and the controls follow closely to Virtual On. You pilot a transforming mech through a 3-D cityscape blowing targets and, once completed you face a boss. I would like to point out that your mech is not polygonal - it is "modelled" I believe is the term on a 3-D object. This game - as a twist, lets you pick-up a co-pilot (female of course) in each stage. The co-pilot adds a great deal of entertainment to the gameplay and works as a navigator... and of course chews you out if you screw up! 1-10 rating scale GRAPHICS: 7 There is a reason of course. At first I was not sure what to expect from this title - having little to go on. When I saw that the mech was not 3-D and that it went strangely with the background, I was a little disturbed. This was a minor item to be concerned with though and overall the environments look pretty good. ANIMATION: 10 This part is for the Full Motion Video and character art - what can I say - it is great. The mech though at first looks a bit odd for it's design... when it transforms to fighter mode it resembles a mechanised rubber chicken - well sorta - but it's still cool. The characters are all wonderful and the art for the intro is great. Pretty smooth FMV. STORY: 9 Nothing earth-shattering, I don't know Japanese, but it isn't too hard to grasp because of the well thought intro movie... a young pilot going up against a large enemy force - somehow remembering his childhood sweetheart (sorta) and wanting to rescue her from the enemy - only finding out that she is working for them (kinda lost with that), but it tells too much of the story to continue. Your co-pilots, all willing to serve the protection of the homeworld, and rather taken with our hero - I haven't beaten it yet, but it is said that the co-pilot you finish with determines a different ending. Of which there are 7 I figure (for each character). GAMEPLAY: 9 Handles really well. The only gripe is that in fighter mode you cannot stop - you always fly forward. No hovering ability here - which makes it hard to follow an enemy boss! MUSIC/SOUND: 10 It shines here - the music, although some have poked at the guitar-rock intro tune - it really does appeal to me. The voice actors for your co-pilots give a great range of personality for each character and it all sounds great. Your game as I said is basically mission-based, fighting through cities, underground complexes and outerspace - nice balance. There are 7 stages to my knowledge - and each is timed (plenty). One of the problems is locating your co-pilot. The first is basically handed to you almost, but the others are tricky to find... especially when you are trying to escort a ship under attack! OVERALL: 9 This is my view, it is of course partially due to the anime feel of the game - it plays well. I love the characters and really hope to see a great ending - someone who doesn't care for anime-based gaming may find it an "alright" title, but as I enjoy anime and the fun of a Japanese game - it really is a good title. Some may also desire more than 7 stages? Don't know, but it is keeping me busy - OH YEAH, you can't save - so either you beat it, or you start over. You have all the continues you want, but the last boss I went against - well, I couldn't beat it - so I have to start over. Review By: Kenshin |
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