Very cinematic! But lacks something...
User Rating: 4 | Asura's Wrath PS3
Asura's Wrath can easily described in one word: unique. It combines beautiful Asian mythology with classic sci-fi space armada action. The game is also loaded with deep story and massive cutscenes, with several different modes of play ranging from beat-em-up, on-rails shooter, and context timed-button scenes. But even with all of this magnificent content combined, the game itself leaves something to be desired, which in a nutshell is the game play itself. Through the 6 and-a-half hours I spent playing the game I found myself groaning to the screen "just let me play, man!" A high majority of the time playing Asura's Wrath you're watching rather than playing, which is a shame considering the possibilities I saw in the very few actual beat-em-up moments the game had to offer. This wasn't what I got all hyped up to spend $60 for, but I did, and really that's whats so disappointing about it, as a title, it just falls flat on the gameplay alone, which in a video game is a very serious issue, and all the other beautiful aspects of it don't really make up for it since gameplay is the actual substance of a game, and considering this is a Capcom title I was actually quite disappointed. In the few moments of the game where you're actually fighting enemies, it's short-lived and there is no considerable end except to fill Asura's burst-gauge and get thrown into another timed button-pressing cutscene to further advance the plot and watch more story, the beginning and end of the game step it up a little but still fall short. While the entire game is packed with beautiful cinematic cutscenes and hardy Dragonball-Z style action that would make Akira Toriyama himself smile, it just lacks the darned gameplay that would complete it. I wouldn't mind a sequel, but Capcom is going to have to give us more to do in the next one. I found myself craving God of War and Bayonetta just to sate the missing action the game didn't give me, but I suppose it's another stepping-stone for us to wade on until God of War Ascension comes out.
