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16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastically complex control scheme may turn some away., March 19, 2002
GUNVALKYRIE, from Sega is a beautiful game, set in a fantastic electric-punk alternative 1800's world. The graphics are astonishingly beautiful, the action is fast and frenetic, and the missions are reasonably varied, and fun.All this comes at a price, however. In an effort to fully utilize the xbox's controller, Smilebit has come up with a control scheme that is as versatile as it is difficult to learn. While you'll be giggling with unabashed glee as you leap into the air, jump over an enemy, blast it to pieces, cartwheel to the side, turn to the left, and fill a handful of aliens full of lead (or whatever it is your gun shoots), all in the span of maybe half a second, and all in one fluid motion, it's not easy to get to the point where you're that familiar with the controls. In essence, the left analog stick controls your body, and the right analog stick controls the direction your arms (and thus, gun) face. Left trigger jumps, right trigger shoots, face buttons switch weapons. But it's way more complex than that, because of the analog stick clicks, which add a whole new world of complexity to the controls. Click on the left stick and move, and you'll "boost dash", either forward, to the side, or backwards. Click on the left stick, and you'll change facing, in 90 degree increments, depending on which direction the stick's pointed in. So, while you'll be able to execute that jump-dash forward-shoot-cartwheel-turn-shoot move, it'll require you to left trigger/left stick click forward/right trigger/left stick click right/right click stick left, all in sequence. Rewarding, but again, difficult. Once you've invested the time, though, GV's an incredible experience. You'll start on the ground, running from the bugs, but by the end of the game, your feet won't even ever touch the ground. A unique, fast-paced experience, full of interesting levels, and a really unique world. If you can deal with the difficult controls, you'll be well rewarded with an action game unlike anything ever made.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Unjustly maligned controls, October 8, 2002
There are people who claim that all games should have simple, intuitive, pick-up-and-play control schemes. While I agree that simple and familiar controls are obviously a plus, some games, such as GunValkyrie, involve innovative mechanics which neccessitate controls that are complex and unprecedented and require some effort on the part of the player to learn how to use them properly. The impatient gamer will fumble around for a few minutes, stop playing out of frustration, and delcare that the game stinks. The more dedicated will take the time to familiarize themselves with the controls and the mechanics until they have a firm grasp on them.
A lot of people who dislike GV bemoan the fact that the dual joysticks are used to the exclusion of the face buttons. They see this as a design flaw. On the contrary, rather than a flaw, it's an utter necessity in order to facilitate the game play. In a way, GunValkyrie is like an updated version of Robotron 2084. It's all about moving in one direction while aiming and shooting in another. As Robotron proved 20 years ago, the best way to do this is by using dual joysticks. The game involves so much constant manuvering and shooting, there's just no feasible way to relegate any of the controls to the face buttons. If they did, you'd have to remove your thumb from the right joystick, and that would immediately sever your control of the character. There's just no other way to allow the player to launch into the air, jet horizontally over an enemy to get a clear shot at its weak point, and then aim down to fire at it. GV's controls are innovative and empowering to the point that they deserve an award.
All of that said, this game is indeed challenging. But the difficulty doesn't come from poor design or merely being "cheap". It's just an excellent update of the good old fashioned arcade style shooter that requires patience, practice and skill.
Beautiful graphics, by the way!
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Five Star game BUT..., March 21, 2002
It can be honestly said that GunValkyrie is visually stunning. It's anime style graphics will please all. It is definately an XBOX only game (too graphically intense for PS2 and the controls were obviously designed with the XBOX controller in mind only).The game centers around an alternate reality, where the British Empire controls much of Earth, thanks to a British scientist discovering how to harness the energy residue from Haley's Comet in the 1900s. After the scientist (his name escapes me at the moment) and the inhabitants of a colonized planet disappear, two GunValkyrie are sent to investigate. The game itself plays out like Halo meets Starship Troopers, where you battle it out with a variety of giant insect swarms in 20 or so missions. And now for the "BUT" This game is NOT for everyone. It has a very high learning curve in respect to player movement - and I mean a HIGH LEARNING CURVE. All 6 buttons, both thumb sticks, and both triggers are used heavily. Once you get the hang of it, a lot of the game will remind you of classic NES games, where you have to make a long series of timed jumps (actually, they're jet-pack boosts). This wouldn't be so bad, if you did not have to start the mission over again - from the beginning - if you die (try jumping from small platform to small platform in a 3D environment while giant mosquitos are dropping bombs on you in one life!). Another way it will remind you of old NES games is that after every mission, you can "buy" power-ups. Another intersting aspect of the game is how unforgiving it is if you don't walk, fly, and fight in the manner the game expects you to do. You will find yourself boosting all over the place to avoid swarms of giant insects to survive - mess up, and it's back to the beginning. As I stated, this game is not for everyone. If you thought moving your character in other games was finicky, you ain't seen nothin' yet. Once you learn how to navigate, the game is incredibly fun and fluid. I think it is one of the best games ever made, but there will be a lot of people who will disagree because of the difficulty in learning how to play.
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