Asura's Wrath, a game that is more anime that it is video game. Seeing is as it's episodic like an anime show, I have decided to release it as such.
Migoy's complete playthrough of Asura's Wrath (minus the DLC) will be up on our youtube channel with each episode being released daily. I will also be sharing each episode on our Facebook page
Can this be? Are we going to get Asura as a DLC character for Super Street Fighter IV? Or is it the other way around?
Ok, I can't read Japanese so I have no idea what any of the stuff displayed said but with this video except for what appeared to be a release date for this "DLC" which said "2012/5/8".
I still don't fully understand what this video means. Is it really for Super Street Fighter IV? Or maybe it's a new game mode for Asura's Wrath? I mean the SF4 characters still look like SF4 characters while Asura still looks like Asura from his own game. Usually when Capcom puts characters in the SF4 realm, they give them a new make over to suit the SF4 art style.
This video has me both very confused and very excited at the same time. Though another thing still bothers me, why SF4 and not Street Fighter x Tekken? Given the nature of SFxT I think Asura's crazy moves would suit that game more.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qodustNrME[/youtube]
[Update]
Apparently I guessed right, it was the other way around. That video above was clipped out of the end of the full DLC trailer for Asura's Wrath. DLC content for Asura's Wrath is going to be released in Japan through the course of two months starting yesterday (3/27/2012) until May (5/15/2012), the Street Fighter bit being the last DLC.
What threw me off was the fact that Asura still looked exactly like he did in his own game and that after Akuma shoryuken'd Asura, he didn't get knocked into the air.
Here's the full DLC trailer for Asura's Wrath in Japan for both PS3 and Xbox 360.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZ8oyaGgExQ[/youtube]
Two games are out this week in the Philippines, and on time with the rest of the world too. The over the top Dragon Ball-ish game called Asura's Wrath and Syndicate; a remake of the classic game that was one a real-time tactical game now turned into a typical FPS. If these games are up your alley, go ahead and check your favorite game store. Reviews are also out so have a look-see to what critics have to say.
Asura's Wrath
I've tried the demo and got the impression that your going to spend most of your time watching that playing. With all the reviews I've been reading, that seems to be the case with Asura's Wrath. The game looks amazing,but the lack of content is shying me away from this title. Some local stores are pricing the game at P 1,890 for both Xbox 360 and PS3. take note that this game only needs around 6 hours to beat from what I'm reading and might have weak replay value.
Gameinformer - 8.5/10
IGN - 7.5/10
Destructoid - 5/10
Syndicate
Yet another FPS title. I also got the chance to try the demo but it was only for the coop part of the game. Even with all the progression and upgrades given, the coop came out dull for me. You really only have 9 stages to make use of all those upgrades. The single player is definitely the selling point in the game, with coop just adding extra meat to the title. If you like the cyber punk setting, you might get a trip on this game all about corporate espionage and whatnot. Plus you get the ability to hack into someones brain and force him to commit suicide, that should be fun. The game is being priced here in the Philippines for around php 1,995 for the PS3 and Xbox 360 with the PC being cheaper at php 1,295.
Gametrailers - 8.2/10
Joystiq - 4/5
Destructoid - 6/10
Gameinformer - 8/10
Gamesradar - 7/10
If you find any more review, do share in the comments.
I visited my favorite local gaming store which is Datablitz and noticed they have new pre-orders for us Filipino gamers. We can now pre-order our copy of Mass Effect 3, Syndicate, SSX, Sims 3: Showtime, FIFA Street, UFC Undisputed 3, and Asura's Wrath.
Thankfully, all EA games do come out on the said release date here in the Philippines. How I wish that would be the case for all games coming our way, but it's better than nothing I guess.
One of their latest pre-orders is for Mass Effect 3. Pre-order the game with Datablitz and you get the N7 galactic warfare and the M55 Carbine Rifle. The image above says Rafle, but I'm pretty sure it's a typo and should be Rifle.
Pre-order with them to earn two guns? Not the biggest incentive out there but if you want to go ahead and secure your copy, here's your chance.
Asura's Wrath, Capcom's over the top action game about defying the gods, will also get the pre-order treatment at Datablitz. Pre-ordering the game will earn packs including certain modes that will help you in the game. Depending on the platform you prefer, determines the bonus you earn for pre-ordering the game.
For the Playstation 3:
Devastator Pack - Includes Guardian Mode which reduces damage and Iconoclast Mode which fills your unlimited gauge faster.
For the Xbox 360:
Infinity Pack - Includes Extinguisher Mode which allows for quicker cooling and recovery after overheating, and Zealot Mode which provides an extended unlimited function
If your hyped for the third game of UFC Undisputed, pre-orders are also available. Place your pre-order and you earn:
Datablitz hasn't given information on the pre-order contents of the other games(Syndicate, SSX, etc), but it's good to know the option is up.
[Source: Datablitz]
If you haven't notice, a playable demo for Asura's Wrath and Final Fantasy 13-2 just came out a few days ago on the PS3 and Xbox 360.I gave the two demo's a try on my Xbox 360 to see if any of the two games play any good. One was pretty good and was at least an hour long while the other just left me confused.
Asura's Wrath
Let's start with Asura's Wrath. I'll be honest, I was not pleased one bit. The demo gave me the impression that the game is just one big QTE(Quick Time Events) sequence. The demo provided two fights - One was with this giant fatass and the other involved a one-on-one fight with Asura and his mentor on the moon.
The fight with the fatass was a huge QTE sequence than a boss itself (Not sure if it was a boss really). QTE is short for Quick Time Events; this feature is seen in games like God of War or Heavy Rain where the player is tasked to press certain inputs during a scene(for example, pressing the X button rapidly when the character is lifting a boulder). The fight included some lock-on projectile firing but aside from that, it's just a huge fight scene where you have to press a certain input when the game tells you to.
The next fight with the mentor in the moon gave me a better sense on how the gameplay feels like. Those QTE again are present during the start but then pick up when the opponent brings out his sword. It then felt like games such as Devil May Cry or Bayonetta but minus the flashy moves. You have one button to do light attacks and another button for heavy. No combinations can be done from what I can tell and mashing the hell out of the light and heavy attack was all I need when I saw an opening. There's a red bar on top of the screen that when filled can do a burst move which can be triggered by the RT or R2. This pretty much ended the fight. A wild scene happens and of course it being a demo, they end the demo before the fight was about to end.
The first fight in Asura's Wrath felt like Capcom showing the games visuals more than gameplay. The second fight was more in gameplay but still not that much. It was more on those QTE and those over the top battles that felt like Dragon Ball Z all over again. This is of course a demo and maybe the game comes out better in the full game, but demo's are there to see if the game is for you or not. For me, it didn't hit the right spot. It really feels like its going to be a game that you would rather spend watching than actually playing.
Final Fantasy XIII-2
To be honest, I'm not looking forward to this game at all. but the demo showed that the game improved to some extent. Wasn't impressed with Final Fantasy XIII overall but I will say this - XIII has the best gameplay and graphics in any Final Fantasy out now, everything else though just let the game down. I won't go on how I was disappointed with the first game don't worry, on to the demo.
The demo was pretty lengthy. When the demo ended, my in-game time was at 1 hour and 11 minutes. The demo starts with the fight shown over and over during E3 and other events when Square shows off the game. A fight between an invisible giant with an arm as the target. A tutorial pops up asking if I want an explanation on Paradigm Shifts(gameplay), since I played the first game I said no and started the battle. What was cool is that the gameplay felt exactly the same which is perfect. One of the things they got right in XIII was the gameplay and I was pleased to see that everything felt intact. I easily picked up the game quick and before I knew it, the boss was down. Then what a coincidence, QTE happens to finish the boss. A new feature that I wished they did not add. The inputs required in the QTE were very simple compared to Asura's Wrath. When the inputs were done correctly the boss was down and the demo fast forward in the story and placed me in a part of the game where I can explore.
Changes seen in the demo
The second part of the demo is really where I spent my one hour on. Serah and Noel was on an excavation site and is tasked to deal with Atlus. The starting area of the excavation site had a lot of NPC to converse with, something that was hardly present in the first game. As I was moving around exploring the area, I then head to the menu screen to see the changes done with progressing your character. Crystarium is still present but felt simplified. Instead of picking where to go through the Crystarium in the first game, XIII-2 makes you chose which class to level up. Each time you spend CP(experience Points) on a certain class, that class levels up and your stats increase. At the same time, when you reach a certain level in that class, you learn skills like froststrike for example. I wished they sticked with the old Crystarium, but SquareEnix has this tendency of moving forward and always changing things up.
I left the safe area of the site and entered the area infected with monsters. In the first game, monsters are seen on the screen as you explore, now its sorta like a random encounter. As you walk around, monsters appear near you all of a sudden and to engage them, they either attack you or you attack them with X. If you attack them quick enough, you'll get a pre-emptive strike which makes you attack first really. After the first random battle, I was introduced with the weird feature of having monsters as your third character. Yes, the third slot in your party of three will be infested with monsters. Think Pokemon, but Final Fantasy style.
It's like a third character with the ability to shapeshift really. Compared to Noel and Serah that has multiple classes to shift through, each monster only has one. You can bring three monsters into a fight, and you can change between the three monsters just like how you switch classes for the other two characters. It's pretty interesting since each monster has different stats and abilities. At the same time, you level them up individually and can only level if using specific items which are dropped after a fight. Only way to earn new monsters is to fight them and hope to earn them after the end of the fight. No Pokeball sorry. When a monster is defeated and turns into a crystal, you got yourself a new monster to work with. While the concept is interesting, I still would prefer just a third character in the game.
As I explored the ruins a bit more and after a few fights and tampering with the progression of my character/monsters, I noticed I was enjoying myself. There were a couple of side quests open to me which is a huge deal for me. The biggest problem with the first game is that there was nothing during the first half of the game where I can derail myself out of the main quest for a while and just do something else. It was ride that you could not stop going forward. The fact that they showed sidequests in the demo showed me that they understand that it was missing in the first game.
Exploring a bit more, I find myself fighting Atlus once again. After defeating him, the demo ended with a trailer of the game(Hinting DLC for the game). I actually liked the demo given. Did it get me interested in the game? A bit. One thing for sure though, the game overall feels better compared to the first. Still not sure if I want to play the continuation of Final Fantasy XIII's story which to me got even more confusing. Sorry, the first game just ruined it for me.
If you're worried about the changes in gameplay, don't be. Everything feels perfect in that department. While the Crystarium is different and Square giving us monsters as the third playable character, it was still fun in the end. Fans of Final Fantasy XIII will definitely be pleased with the sequel when it hits at the end of Jan.
This is my impressions of when I played the demo of these two games. Give these demo's a try for yourself and give me your thoughts and if you think otherwise. Migoy played the Asura's Wrath demo on our live feed so check that out when you can in our video archives.
Final Fantasy XIII-2 will be out on January 31, 2012 for Playstation 3 and Xbox 360.
Asura's Wrath is coming on February 21, 2012 for Playstation 3 and Xbox 360.
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