Gungrave: Overdose Game Sample - Playstation 2
23Now is a great time to be a fan of Gungrave, the lovechild of renowned mangaka Yasuhiro Nightow (of Trigun fame) and Kōsuke Fujishima (of "Oh My Goddess!" and "Sakura Taisen" fame)! Originally a video game franchise, its popularity spawned an anime series (which required fans to watch as well as play the games to get the whole story) as well as a sequel, "Gungrave Overdose", between 2002 - 2004 before quietly fading into obscurity... but this wouldn't be the last of Brandon Heat and his battle with the Millennion syndicate. The franchise has recently risen "Beyond the Grave" (rimshot) with not one, but TWO games: a 2017 PS4-VR game (Gungrave VR, which is slated for an international release) and a PS4 game currently in development (Gungrave G.O.R.E., a proper follow-up to the teaser that is Gungrave VR). To celebrate, I dug out these oldie-but-goodies from the top of my closet to shine a little light on the franchise again.
Gungrave: Overdose was presented in 2004 by the prolific and cool folks over at Red Entertainment (best known for their involvement with "Tengai Makyou", "Sakura Taisen", " Chou-Genjin / Super Bonk", "Thousand Arms", etc.) and developed by Ikusabune Co., and the game can only be described as a cheesy, over-the-top action fest. It was published by Mastiff in the U.S. and by "Play It!" in Europe. The game is extremely repetitive and not particularly deep, but sports style, replayability to beat your top scores / ranks and in-game unlockables, and it's a game that knows not to overstay its welcome. The game released at the great budget price of $15-$20... if it was a "Simple Series" title, it would've been one of the best.
Little touches like his coffin scraping the walls and exploding debris are great, though the game does suffer even more slowdown and caps around 30FPS. The game isn't as vibrant either... so the game isn't too great visually, but makes up for it with added content, a longer story, and two extra playable characters who bring their different play styles to the table (Jyuji Kabane specializes in close range while Rocketbilly Redcadillac specializes in long range). The game is also considerably harder, as Demo Shots are harder to stockpile and waves swarm more intelligently. Basic combos and charged attacks are also welcome additions.
It borrows a little from Max Payne and Devil May Cry and A LOT from John Woo (Note: these are all good things), but otherwise puts its own little spin on the genre with "Beats" to rack up power for deadly "Demolition Shots" (you earn new ones based on overall performance after stages) and special finishers for some bosses. Players run around shooting literally everything in sight and are ranked on five metrics: Beat Count, Kill Rate (%), Clear Time, Remaining Life, and Artistic Ability (making poses, dodging and shooting John Woo style, Demolition blasting, etc.) as well as "Jackpot" (Demo Shot Body Count). The game controls well, though the set-up is a little cumbersome at first, and the game compensates by giving you a barrier before you lose actual health. You can guard with your coffin now as well as repel a few projectiles with it.
The music for cutscenes, movies and non-combat areas is great, but this game pretty much removed stage music... all you have is the SOUNDS OF MAYHEM to keep you company, but Tsuneo Imahori's style is clearly present. You have brief intermissions between stages where you can save and get briefed, but most of the plot happens before or after missions.
A little about the plot: After the events of the first game, all was thought to be well until three years later, a massive Seed outbreak is spread by a new new group with ties to both Millenion and Big Daddy, though much of their operation is shrouded in mystery. Mika has been fighting for years to take the city back from the Seed and Necrolyzation when she once again awakens Grave to be the anti-hero, but she's not alone. She also has the help of an amnesiac genius named Spike Hubie who was abandoned at an orphanage three years prior and Jyunji and RB join shortly afterwards to end the nightmare once and for all (at least, until now). Not much else can be said without spoiling the finer details of the plot, but as this is a sequel and anime tie-in, it is strongly advised that you reference both to fully enjoy this game.
The games aren't terribly expensive right now, so grab them if you like what you see. This game in particular is also available on the PSN. This is a game going through the tutorial and first stage with the anime trailer tacked on to the end. Oh, and one more thing... you can cut off the tutorial dialog in the options, but you still have to play the tutorial level if you start fresh. Anyhoo, you've got some Gungrave reference material, now sally forth!
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