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Asura's Wrath review: Wrecking the curve
Asura's Wrath is a pile of impossibilities. It is a myth made real. It is a meticulous construction of unflappable absurdity. Asura's Wrath is a glittering, golden starchild of incredulity, and I love it. I also wish I didn't have to review it.The strictures of a review really aren't adequate to quantify the experience waiting for players in Asura's Wrath. Of course there are mechanics and systems and gauges, all of that, and I will endeavor to explain them, but understand that what follows falls well short of fully encapsulating the experience. About 380,000 kilometers too short.%Gallery-130728%
Asura takes his Wrath out on Ryu in upcoming DLC
Asura's Wrath is an anime-inspired take on Buddhist stories, but some new DLC announced in Japan will add a legendary character from another tradition. A single screen of new DLC released by Capcom shows Asura facing off against a distinctly Street Fighter IV-looking Ryu, complete with SFIV-style HUD elements and the traditional side view. Even the background imitates a familiar Street Fighter backdrop while simultaneously making sense in Asura's world.Capcom didn't offer any more details about the DLC beyond that one screenshot -- no date, no price, nothing. But that teaser is enough to guarantee we'll be paying attention.
Asura's Wrath launch trailer isn't all that crazy
We can hardly believe it ourselves: There are no trips to the moon in this Asura's Wrath launch trailer, nor will you find any dudes who can grow to many times their own size. What you will find is a perturbed Asura -- a nice change of pace from his usual ever-enraged self.
Capcom handing out mini Asuras with Asura's Wrath pre-order
Capcom has recently been producing "Bobble Budds" toys of its characters, and including them with pre-orders of associated games from its online store. The latest offer will get you your very own bulbous-headed, grimacing, six-armed maroon demigod. Pre-orders of Asura's Wrath for Xbox 360 or PS3 will include this adorable Asura Bobble Budd, which, like the others in the series, is designed to allow storage of the body inside the head. According to Capcom, only 1,000 of these trinkets will be available in the Americas, so pre-order soon or risk the wrath of supply and demand.
Asura's Wrath demo glowers at Xbox Live, PSN
An Asura's Wrath demo is now available on Xbox Live. A PS3 version should be available later today after the PSN update. You should download it as soon as possible. This is not a joke. There has never been a more serious post on Joystiq. Do it.
CyberConnect2 working on another .hack game
CyberConnect2 is busy. In addition to Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Whatever, Asura's Wrath, parts of SoulCalibur V, and a .hack movie, the company is working on a new .hack game. The latest Famitsu (via Andriasang) reveals a new game in the faux-MMO franchise is on the way, with more details to come following the movie's release on January 21. In an interview with the magazine, CEO Hiroshi Matsuyama said to expect a more photorealistic look than previous anime-style .hack games. A character resembling .hack//GU protagonist Haseyo reportedly appears in the included screenshots. There's no information on platforms or release date yet, but at least now you know you'll be able to immerse yourself in the world of The World once again.
Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations coming in March
CyberConnect2's Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations -- a title so long, it scarcely leaves any room for news in this news post -- has been given an official North American street date of March 13, 2012. This news will surely delight fans of the surprisingly swell Naruto Shippuden series, the whole Naruto franchise, fans of the month of March and fans of ostentatiously long video game monikers.The title will not only feature the same over-the-top combat of its predecessors, but also some sort of collectible trading card game mechanics woven into the core campaign. Personally, we love the juxtaposition of furious punching and kicking, followed by the thoughtful tapping of ancient martial arts mana cards.
Feel the fury of retailer-exclusive Asura's Wrath bonuses [update]
The choice of where to purchase Asura's Wrath may not have religious significance in the strictest sense, but it will certainly affect Asura's outsized battle against the gods. Both Amazon and Best Buy will confer gameplay bonuses with pre-orders of the game. Amazon pre-orders will get the "Devastator Pack," which reduces damage and fills the "Unlimited Rage Gauge" more quickly. Best Buyers get the "Infinity Pack," offering the ability to recover from overheating more quickly, and spend more time in "Unlimited Rage." GameStop's bonuses don't alter your performance in-game at all, instead offering you something to look at on breaks from the game. Pre-orders will include a "combination art and comic book" by Penny-Arcade, half devoted to concept art, and half devoted to Penny-Arcade comics about Asura "and how he would deal with everyday situations." Update: Trailers for the Infinity Pack and Devastator Pack are available after the break.%Gallery-139325%
Asura's Wrath media sets the scene
This one time, we totally told the guy no ketchup and, sure enough, as soon as we got our order, it had ketchup on it. So we did what any rational person would do: we covered our arms in metal and beat the crap out of the guy on the surface of the moon. You know, for justice.
Asura's Wrath will be unleashed on February 21, 2012
Last week, during a Capcom event showcasing the publisher's upcoming games, a brief demo on Asura's Wrath was given by Capcom's Kazuhiro Tsuchiya and developer Cyberconnect 2's Hiroshi Matsuyama, giving us a glimpse at the game's opening portion and the stage immediately following Asura's fight on the moon. While the two talked about all of the crazy stuff going on in Asura's Wrath at length, the end of the demo yielded a far more juicier nuggest: a launch date for the game in North America. Capcom reconfirmed the date this morning via press release, revealing a February 21, 2012 launch for Asura's Wrath on both Xbox 360 and PS3. That gives us plenty of time to practice our pose!
How CyberConnect2 became a Soulcalibur 5 collaborator
CyberConnect2 has movie-making experience from working on a CG .hack movie, and it's that experience -- including motion capture expertise -- that drew Namco Bandai to the developer for Soulcalibur V. "I was approached by Namco almost two years ago," CEO and Naruto cosplayer Hiroshi Matsuyama told Gamasutra. "I knew they were working on Soulcalibur V, and they asked for help in the visual side of the game. The fighting gameplay was handled by their own team, and they just needed help in the visuals of the game, because they wanted to add more to the dramatization of the game." CyberConnect 2 did storyboarding and motion capture for the fighter. Matsuyama said that the motions have a CC2 look. "The actions look a little like in Naruto, in the sense that the motion doesn't look like we used motion-capture," he said. "In that sense, I think the game looks like it's been done by us." Matsuyama also said that Epic is surprised by CC2's use of Unreal Engine 3 for Asura's Wrath. He said it's "difficult" to make a cinematic action game in an engine designed primarily for shooters, but there's something like that for every engine. "I think the tools don't matter," he said. "And, a perfect engine doesn't exist. There's always something that's difficult to do with every tool."
Soulcalibur 5 story mode crafted by Asura's Wrath dev CyberConnect2
The story mode in Soulcalibur V has been elevated in importance, at least on the developer's side. Namco Bandai is working on the narrative component of its upcoming fighter alongside CyberConnect2, the exuberant studio behind Asura's Wrath and the Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm series. Andriasang relays the information from Namco Bandai, which claims that CyberConnect2 has been involved with the project since its inception, providing the storyboards and the motion-capture shoots that -- presumably -- explain all the eternally immolated souls and so forth. We imagine CyberConnect2's taken Namco Bandai's draft script and done a find-and-delete on anything that seemed even vaguely plausible. (You have seen Asura's Wrath, right?) If it's crazy enough, it could be even be a hit for Hollywood and its bizarre compulsion to adapt the game genre where story is of least importance. C'mon, they even did King of Fighters.
Hunt down Solatorobo: Red the Hunter starting September 27
The Nintendo DS will get at least one more grand adventure, in CyberConnect2's Solatorobo: Red the Hunter. The action-adventure game about a treasure-hunting dog man and his hulking robot vehicle will be released in North America on September 27, eleven months after its Japanese release. The first print run will include a soundtrack. On CD, we mean. Every copy will have sound. While you wait for September to just end already so you can check it out, take a minute to watch the new trailer. It's heavy on combat -- an aspect of the game that shows a lot of variety.
Asura's Wrath includes second angry playable character
Should you get bored with Asura's Wrath, developer CyberConnect2 has revealed a second playable character, who no doubt has a totally distinct and fresh style of wrath. Yasha blames Asura for the death of his sister (Asura's wife), and thus has that rage going for him in addition to sharing Asura's own ire against his many, many enemies -- including the "Shinkoku Army," a newly announced faction of would-be Asura-punchers. Capcom says it'll tell us more about Yasha at TGS. For now, you can look at the screens and check out his weird mask.%Gallery-132970%
Pick up info on Solatorobo's combat with these videos
We've talked about Solatorobo: Red the Hunter, but we haven't seen much of how the game works. In these videos (one above, two after the break) you can actually see for yourself what the combat is like, including the basic action of picking up and throwing enemies, and even a shooting match with a pirate airship. In this gameplay footage, you'll also see that the camera is sufficiently zoomed out for you to ignore that your character is a dog-man. That's helpful.%Gallery-132519%
Asura's Wrath preview: Drunken boxing on the moon
We saw Capcom's bizarre CyberConnect2-developed action game Asura's Wrath back at E3, and JC wrote up an excellent preview at the time. Walking into the Gamescom presentation of a previously unseen part of the game, I was reticent to write up yet another preview just a scant few months later, but that feeling quickly vacated my brain and was replaced with pure, unadulterated madness -- madness that I'd be remiss not to share. If you're not already sold on Asura's Wrath, here's why you should be: you fight a dude on the moon. Oh, is that not exciting enough? Would it be better if you knew the dude you fight is a god? Oh, and he's also obsessed with battle, constantly going on about how he "lives for it" and ... pffft, whatever, Asura's not listening. He's too busy being furious and punching that dude in the face with one of his six arms. You'll excuse my lack of tact, but I came out of the presentation grinning like a child, ready to evangelize the uniquely bizarre experience that is Asura's Wrath.%Gallery-130728%
Solatorobo ships with soundtrack
Solatorobo: Red The Hunter, now the best shot at a light-hearted, island-based treasure hunting adventure (with Mega Man Legends 3 gone), will come with a nice bonus if you purchase one of the first-run copies: a soundtrack. In a distinctly Atlus-like move, XSEED is bundling a 24-track soundtrack CD with the initial shipment of the DS game. XSEED also shared some new images of the beautiful floating-island locations in CyberConnect2's game, along with a couple of in-game screenshots. What lovely places to instruct a walking robot to pick up and throw every single available piece of scenery.%Gallery-130259%
CyberConnect2 loves Naruto this much
Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations appears to be in the right hands; developer CyberConnect2 seems fairly passionate about the series. How passionate? That's CEO Hiroshi Matsuyama (whose "Asura pose" you might remember) above, cosplaying as Naruto himself at Japan Expo in Paris.
New Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm, Dragon Ball games coming from Namco Bandai
Two new games in longtime Namco Bandai anime franchise series are on the way. People who either love Naruto or love CyberConnect2's brand of cinematic fighting will be delighted to hear that a new Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm game is on the way next year, called Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations. The PS3/Xbox 360 game includes a "number of playable and support characters far beyond any Naruto game" and promises some kind of updated online functionality. In other Namco anime license news, the game formerly known as "Dragon Ball Game Project Age 2011" has been named by fan feedback. Proving that they fear change, the community decided upon "Dragon Ball Z Ultimate Tenkaichi" for the new fighter, which is coming out on Xbox 360 and PS3 October 25.%Gallery-127534%
Solatorobo: Red the Hunter flies to North America, published by XSEED
Namco Bandai published CyberConnect2's DS action-RPG, Solatorobo: Red the Hunter, in Japan. Nintendo itself picked the game up for Europe and now, finally, XSEED has announced that it'll bring the game to North America this fall. The Tail Concerto-esque Solatorobo stars Red Savarin, a dog-man with a walking robot that he uses to explore a series of floating islands. His quest starts as a treasure hunt, but ends up tangled in bigger events (as all RPG undertakings are destined to). Luckily, it all leads to plenty of opportunities for that robot to pick up and throw heavy objects and enemies. Check out a trailer after the break and try not to focus on the fact that the game stars anthropomorphic animals.%Gallery-127106%
