Dcubed Posted March 7, 2014 Posted March 7, 2014 Well this sort of came out of nowhere! An 2D original side scrolling run and gun action game from Inticreates (the Mega Man team)!? SIGN ME THE HELL UP! http://www.gunvolt.com/ Not overly keen on the character designs or the story, but the action looks rock solid! Comes out Summer 2014 in Japan (eShop only), no word on when it comes out here yet (there is an ESRB rating pending disclaimer on the site though, meaning that it's definitely coming out in the west ) We're long overdue a new good 2D action game on 3DS! About time the hole finally got filled!
Hero-of-Time Posted March 7, 2014 Posted March 7, 2014 Looks freaking sweet. This is right up my alley.
Grazza Posted March 7, 2014 Posted March 7, 2014 Gorgeous sprites. Nintendo, we need a Metroid like this!
Grazza Posted April 9, 2014 Posted April 9, 2014 Now they've changed the character design: http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2014/04/subtle_character_design_changes_spotted_for_north_american_version_of_azure_striker_gunvolt Just seems a bit silly to me. I hope they don't actually change any of the in-game sprites, as the way the ponytail falls about is all part of the animation.
Dcubed Posted April 9, 2014 Author Posted April 9, 2014 TBH I actually prefer the US version's design. Not that I have anything against androgenous characters, but I prefer the simplicity of the US version over the JPN one. Grazza does make a good point about the animation though. The ponytail does make for nice secondary motion (which in turn may actually make the feedback more satisfying for whenever you jump or shoot, get knocked etc). I wonder how they'll design around that...
Hero-of-Time Posted August 20, 2014 Posted August 20, 2014 I've been reading the impressions from those you bought the Japanese version over on Gaf and it's not sounding great. Shame really as it looked like it had some potential.
Grazza Posted August 26, 2014 Posted August 26, 2014 I've been reading the impressions from those you bought the Japanese version over on Gaf and it's not sounding great. Shame really as it looked like it had some potential. Quite disappointing and surprising, really. Whenever I see a retro-inspired game that (visually) looks as accomplished as this, I just assume the gameplay will match. It's easy to forget that not every 2D platformer back in the day was great! Still interested in this though, especially to hear what the issues are.
Hero-of-Time Posted August 26, 2014 Posted August 26, 2014 Quite disappointing and surprising, really. Whenever I see a retro-inspired game that (visually) looks as accomplished as this, I just assume the gameplay will match. It's easy to forget that not every 2D platformer back in the day was great! Still interested in this though, especially to hear what the issues are. You should give this weeks IGN Nintendo Voice Chat podcast a listen, even if you just listen to the start. The guys over there have been playing it and seem to love it. Brian is a big fan of sprite art work ( as well he should be ) and says the game is gorgeous. *jumps back on the hype train*
Grazza Posted August 26, 2014 Posted August 26, 2014 You should give this weeks IGN Nintendo Voice Chat podcast a listen, even if you just listen to the start. The guys over there have been playing it and seem to love it. Brian is a big fan of sprite art work ( as well he should be ) and says the game is gorgeous. *jumps back on the hype train* Ah, that's good. Don't think there's much chance I wouldn't buy it, to honest.
Grazza Posted September 14, 2014 Posted September 14, 2014 Good review from Nintendo Life. Doesn't sound like there's much that would put me off. http://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/3ds-eshop/azure_striker_gunvolt
V. Amoleo Posted April 4, 2015 Posted April 4, 2015 Anybody played this since it's release on Thursday? Comes with Mighty Gunvolt until 3rd July.
Dcubed Posted April 4, 2015 Author Posted April 4, 2015 Anybody played this since it's release on Thursday? Comes with Mighty Gunvolt until 3rd July. I've played a demo of it before... But I don't really have the money to buy it right now :p
Grazza Posted April 5, 2015 Posted April 5, 2015 Anybody played this since it's release on Thursday? Comes with Mighty Gunvolt until 3rd July. Yep! Been playing it since Thursday, but finding it quite hard to form an opinion on. One thing's for sure, the 2D graphics are some of the best on 3DS. Stylistically, it's absolutely spot on: You must have JavaScript enabled on your device to view Miiverse posts that have been embedded in a website. View post in Miiverse You must have JavaScript enabled on your device to view Miiverse posts that have been embedded in a website. View post in Miiverse You must have JavaScript enabled on your device to view Miiverse posts that have been embedded in a website. View post in Miiverse Azure Striker Gunvolt plays and controls naturally - the main game mechanic involves tagging an object with your blaster, then unleashing your main weapon. There is also a certain amount of platforming that requires a reasonable amount of skill - jump between DKC-type boosters, for example, or use magnetic platforms to your advantage. The story and tone is very Japanese, with (not meaning to be rude) many of the clichés you may have seen in various anime films - "adepts" with special powers, female singers who can bring peace to the world with their voice and, er, some of the more peculiar conventions as well. Overall it feels like a classic Sega (or maybe Capcom) game from the 16-bit era, albeit one that's smoother and faster than we really had back in the day. I'm not sure how satisfying the "tag + unleash" gameplay actually is, but at least they tried something new. The game feels somewhat chaotic, with a difficulty level that's hard to define. Boss battles, for instance, often feel like standing in the only part of the screen with nothing going on, and hoping you can keep your charge going before you get hit by too many projectiles. If you do fall, however, you might get resurrected by the aforementioned singer-with-special-powers... but then again you might not. Add to that a Castlevania-style levelling system, plus many different ability accessories (which you can't use simultaneously), and the game can feel like it just needs to be blundered through. The phrase "style over substance" keeps coming into my head, although the game is so agreeable on most levels, thinking that feels rather mean. At moment I'm thinking the game is "Good", but it's hard to enthusiastically recommend until I'm sure there's more to it.
Dcubed Posted April 5, 2015 Author Posted April 5, 2015 (edited) I'm not sure how satisfying the "tag + unleash" gameplay actually is, but at least they tried something new. The game feels somewhat chaotic, with a difficulty level that's hard to define. Boss battles, for instance, often feel like standing in the only part of the screen with nothing going on, and hoping you can keep your charge going before you get hit by too many projectiles. If you do fall, however, you might get resurrected by the aforementioned singer-with-special-powers... but then again you might not. Add to that a Castlevania-style levelling system, plus many different ability accessories (which you can't use simultaneously), and the game can feel like it just needs to be blundered through. The phrase "style over substance" keeps coming into my head, although the game is so agreeable on most levels, thinking that feels rather mean. At moment I'm thinking the game is "Good", but it's hard to enthusiastically recommend until I'm sure there's more to it. That's kind of the impression I got from the demo... It doesn't seem to have much depth to it, as you end up basically doing the same thing all throughout (see an enemy, tag it three times, hold R to destroy it and move on), but I do appreciate how fresh the core gameplay feels - it's definitely something different as far as run-and-guns go! The level design also doesn't seem particularly interesting... very very basic... nor does it seem to have much in the way of environmental interaction in general... This kind of game CAN work well under those design restrictions though... As long as the enemies and bosses are well designed, interesting, varied, decently challenging and that there are a lot of unique ones... Alien Soldier took a similar approach after all and it is one of the greatest 2D run-and-gun action game ever made! Now I'm not expecting something on that level here, but I really just want to know if the enemy/boss encounter design is strong enough to really carry the gameplay here and to keep it fresh enough to not let the game run out of steam before it's done... Edited April 5, 2015 by Dcubed
Grazza Posted April 6, 2015 Posted April 6, 2015 The level design also doesn't seem particularly interesting... very very basic... nor does it seem to have much in the way of environmental interaction in general... This is one of my biggest issues with the game - the levels are designed not knowing which abilities the player has (apart from the very basics). You can forge accessories that allow you to Air Dash, Air Dash multiple times, Air Hop (double jump), Air Hop twice etc... and others that combine them. Whether you can obtain the materials for these, though, is almost completely random, meaning that if you do want them, the game becomes a grind. I actually found one of the mandatory levels difficult before I'd obtained Air Hop. Also, there are seven jewels to gather, finding some of them makes me want more abilities than I've currently got. Now I'm not expecting something on that level here, but I really just want to know if the enemy/boss encounter design is strong enough to really carry the gameplay here and to keep it fresh enough to not let the game run out of steam before it's done... My opinion is... unfortunately not. The mini-bosses aren't bad but soon descend to palette swaps. The main bosses are basically endurance tests that require you to be invested in the story.
Dcubed Posted April 6, 2015 Author Posted April 6, 2015 This is one of my biggest issues with the game - the levels are designed not knowing which abilities the player has (apart from the very basics). You can forge accessories that allow you to Air Dash, Air Dash multiple times, Air Hop (double jump), Air Hop twice etc... and others that combine them. Whether you can obtain the materials for these, though, is almost completely random, meaning that if you do want them, the game becomes a grind. I actually found one of the mandatory levels difficult before I'd obtained Air Hop. Also, there are seven jewels to gather, finding some of them makes me want more abilities than I've currently got. My opinion is... unfortunately not. The mini-bosses aren't bad but soon descend to palette swaps. The main bosses are basically endurance tests that require you to be invested in the story. That's a shame Sounds like it's not worth my time in that case... It's a pity because the core gameplay does seem to have a lot of potential...
Ronnie Posted April 6, 2015 Posted April 6, 2015 I was tempted to pick this up but the less than overly positive reviews make me think I'll probably just pass. Was hoping it played similar to Mega Man.
Recommended Posts