The "realistic" touches really suck the fun out of what otherwise would be a good, gory, gothic, and fun game.
GOODS:
1. You use a guy with a big sword.
2. Nice story.
3. Fantastic boss battles.
4. Nice graphics.
5. Cool characters.
6. Simple, easy to learn controls.
7. Violent.
8. BERSERK!!!
BADS:
1. Sword is a big plus and minus.
2. You move way to slowly.
3. A sword works well in big, open places, but you'll be fighting in small hallways.
4. Your sword bounces off of walls when close to walls, leaving you briefly vulnerable.
5. Going berserk lasts way to short.
6. Short.
7. Challenging, to the point where it gets frustrating.
8. Small, hallway-like environments that don't use the Dreamcast to its best.
9. Sad 30fps.
10. Uncooperative camera that can't be controlled.
Ok. That's the basic idea. The reason why the sword is a minus is because the sword bounces off of walls, and you'll be surrounded by walls half the time. I've seen far better hack n' slashes that have far more stylish moves. Take Devil May Cry 1 for example. There's a lot to be taken out of slamming a demon into the air and pumping him full of stylized sword hits, than just hammering your big sword into enemies, who are ridiculously strong. The gameplay mechanic of going berserk is nice, but by then you'll have lost around half your health and going berserk lasts a pathetic 30 seconds, which is hardly enough to hammer enough enemies. Plus, you never get to go berserk during boss fights.
Don't get me wrong, this game is fun, but there could have been some more effort in terms of graphics, camera, combat, and environments. Everything else is virtually flawless.