Hey all,
I wrote a review, so to speak, on the Asura’s Wrath Demo. I’d appreciate any and all critiques on my writing style.
… so I finally got around to playing this demo after hearing my partner in crime, J. Agamemnon, salivate over how it was “everything that he had hoped for.” He didn’t say those words exactly that but that’s as best as I can remember. Regardless, I must admit that although the game looks as cinematically impressive, as I had anticipated from watching the trailer, my impression of the game differs from his, if only ever so slightly.
http://punchingthewallsofreality.com/images/asurawrathpunch.jpg
I kissed my honey with my fist
First order of business, can somebody kindly pass me an ice pack? Because damn does my thumb hurt from mashing the “O” button. Isn’t there something else I could be doing with my hands? Well, besides that. I meant as far as the gameplay goes, because Asura’s Wrath doesn’t really feel like much of an actual video game. It feels a lot more like an interactive movie. I realize that Metal Gear Solid 4 had more than its fair share of cut scenes but at least you actually got to play the game in between those movie sequences. Instead, the developers of Asura’s Wrath felt content to let you press buttons in between the cut scenes; giving you only a few moments where you almost feel like you’re actually playing a game. Although Asura’s Wrath looks absolutely amazing and the grandeur of the battles is on a scale that would make the designers of God of War blush, but unlike God of War it wasn’t in the least bit challenging. I breezed through the demo whilst chatting on Facebook and not even giving the game my full attention. So maybe it was my own fault that I found it to be a little difficult to figure out exactly what the hell was going on. Regardless, the controls didn’t feel as intuitive as I would have liked them to. I mean for a game that keeps telling you which buttons to press I would have expected it to be a bit more self-explanatory. Also, while I understand that they’re trying to make the demo accessible, and they don’t want you to die so many times that you don’t even want to finish the demo, it couldn’t hurt to amp up the difficulty just a bit, even for a brief demo. I’m not necessarily asking for Ninja Gaiden level, controller tossing difficulty but a happy medium between that and a complete cake walk would work just fine. Nothing against cake walks though; cake is goddamn delicious.
http://punchingthewallsofreality.com/images/mashcircleagain.jpg
circle circle circle circle circle
I found it pretty amusing that when when the giant god boss gives you the finger and breaks your arms off you’re somehow able to defeat him with a single blow. I mean, moments ago you were fighting a weaker and significantly smaller version of him and it still takes at least a few minutes to polish him off. So how would it take even less time to beat him the second time when he was supposed to be tremendously stronger? Who knows, but it looked bad ass when it happened so I suppose that’s all that really matters, right?
http://punchingthewallsofreality.com/images/comeonrubmybelly.jpg
pull my finger
All in all, I’m still looking forward to playing the full game. I’ll most likely wait until J. Agamemnon buys it and plays his copy through. Regardless, I really hope that there’s more to Asura’s Wrath than an assload of quick time events. If not, at least it looks pretty. Let’s hope that what could have been an epic game instead will not turn out to be a disappointment, not unlike a hot chick with no personality. Maybe if Asura’s Wrath is successful it’ll spin off into an anime series which is what it may have been better suited for.
http://punchingthewallsofreality.com/images/asuras-wrath-lotsofarms.jpg
But wait, there’s more!
Part 2:
…so while speaking with J. Agamemnon about how I felt about the demo, he raved about the “moon stage” specifically citing the epic music; Dvorak - Symphony No. 9: From the New World, 4th movement. It was at that point that I realized I had completely missed the second half of the demo. (Opps!) Well, I took some time to play it and I definitely enjoyed it much more than the previous chapter; it was significantly more challenging and even more over the top (Which I didn’t even think was possible)! The “blind eyes” guy stabbing his sword his through the Earth was both ridiculous and epic at the same time. It’s moments like that which really make the game enjoyable to watch.
http://punchingthewallsofreality.com/images/stabbedthroughearth.jpg
Penetration: Not just for the fairest maidens anymore…
I must have not been paying close attention during the previous chapter because I didn’t notice just how poorly scripted and voiced the dialogue was. To say the very least, it definitely left something to be desired. The delivery was laughable, it reminded me of a child who’s still learning to talk, struggling to get the words out of their mouth. Then on top of that there are lines like, “I have had carnal knowledge of the fairest maidens in Heaven". While hearing that line did make me laugh out loud, it also left me scratching my chin. Considering the over the top nature of the game, I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt that the dialogue is supposed to sound as ridiculous as it comes across.
http://punchingthewallsofreality.com/images/asuraswrathfaceoff.jpg
Asura, I am your father, probably, still waiting on the results of the blood test
On another note, I wonder if Asura loses his arms every time he fights. I mean seriously, he’d lose his arms if they weren’t attached to him, oh wait… Maybe when they put together the demo they simply chose the two chapters where he loses his arms. Who knows? Either way, I found it pretty amusing. Especially considering that he didn’t even seem at all phased that his arms were just blown off.
http://punchingthewallsofreality.com/images/asurasarms.png
'Tis only a flesh wound!
While Chapter 11 provided more of an opportunity for melee, I’m still not sold on the fighting mechanics and I still hate having to pound the “O” button, over and over and over. It’s not endearing in any way; it’s tedious and annoying.
http://punchingthewallsofreality.com/images/asuramustsleep.jpg
thumb…soo…sore…must…rest…
All in all, it’s definitely a game that’s more fun to watch than actually play. I’d be more inclined to pass the controller over and watch action unfold. At the very least, my thumb will thank me.
http://punchingthewallsofreality.com/images/tobecontinued.jpg
- The “Callous Thumbed” Prometheus
