Score: 78
Overall User Average: 7.84 / 10 (77.9%)
Gameplay User Average: 7.54 / 10
Graphics User Average: 8.51 / 10
Sound User Average: 7.65 / 10
deltron
Date reviewed: November 18, 2003.
Overall: A fast paced 3rd person shooter set in the future. You're part of some sort of commando squad investigating the disappearance of colonists. The story takes a backseat to the action though.
Gameplay: Great controls! It just takes awhile to get the hang of them. Just watch the demo of the computer playing the game and try to mimic it. If you don't learn to play the game this way it will pretty much suck. Battling the enemies from the ground is boring and a lot more difficult.
Graphics: Sharp looking graphics. No real complaints here. The monsters don't vary much and the same with the bosses. They do look pretty cool though. Weapons effects are also decent.
Sound: Sound is okay. I don't recall the monster noises to be all that special. The weapon sound effects are pretty good though.
Suggestions: I believe it is impossible to collect all the upgrades. It would have been nice to have a new game plus option allowing you to start over again with all the upgrades of your previous game. Also there isn't much of a point to using the guy. All of the upgrades went to the girl.
Overall: 70 %
Gameplay: 90 %
Graphics: 70 %
Sound: 60 %
BunnyRabbit
Date reviewed: November 8, 2003.
Overall: This game has a good story and its fun if you just wanna mess around and what not, but the controls are so complex its really hard to pull off the moves you need sometimes. This game is really environmentally WEIRD and easy to beat. But to beat it with all rank A's on everything is another stroke-giving story. LoLz
Gameplay: You barely want any extras besides the story because you barely even want to waste your time going throughout the entire story mode as sickening as it can be and as stressful as it can get.
Graphics: The visuals are all very weird so I cant really say they looked realistic, but the weird creatures and their homes sported a nice look with some sweet graphics.
Sound: All the noises of various human attacking creatures in your ear at the same time only adds to the building stress this game causes. So thats why I have to give it a low sound rating.
Suggestions: DONT MAKE IT SO ANNOYING!!!
Overall: 60 %
Gameplay: 50 %
Graphics: 70 %
Sound: 50 %
RyoTheWanderer
Date reviewed: November 3, 2003.
Overall: controls are shot, terrible to play, you never play as the man, b/c he is just terrible, the game revolves around the girl even though there is a 2nd character. and u never get to use the guy's sword so dissapointing. but hey, its sega.
Gameplay: horrible, i just cant explain how bad, the stages are so confusing, and u have to jump around alot and u fall and have to restart alot.
Graphics: sega, which indicated one thing: shiny. seems like theres always something shiny in sega games, i dnno, its probably just me. anyway, the vusual effects are ok, but the aliens look terrbile, like one of the bosses is a big baby? whats up with that!?
Sound: not good, not good at all, cant stand it, sega can get u amped about a game, but cant follow thru with a good game at all, sound is poor, doesnt get u amped at all. I couldnt stand it. I personally want music that gets me amped and comming back 4 more, music in a game means ALOT to me.
Overall: 30 %
Gameplay: 20 %
Graphics: 20 %
Sound: 20 %
armyof_one/ltd
Date reviewed: October 25, 2003.
Overall: It?s a really cool game with all the monsters, the details and the character upgrades... I mean Kelly?s upgrades.
The story was quite atractive but soon it gets bizarre and the fact that you have to read Poe?s reports in order to have a clue of WTF is going on!? Is really boring ?cause there are no pictures and withuot the plot the game becomes monotonous.
"Pens are fun. Paper is fun.
I like the ball everything is so fun."
Gameplay: At first it is a bit tricky, with the "original" controller settings and the aim gets you really frustrated but with the time you get used to it and it gets really entertaining, just after your joystick stops working and your thumbs are numbed.
Graphics: It is quite a bit really shiny, even more than Blinx!
What the hell is Svart?
And if the colonists are the bugs why should I kill them?
Sound: I think it is fine. Munch, munch. Yum,yum.
Suggestions: Nice of you to add a "Challenge mode".
And don?t bother to make a second part because "Second parts are always worse", If it can be worse...
Overall: 60 %
Gameplay: 50 %
Graphics: 50 %
Sound: 80 %
Lord Vivic
Date reviewed: September 14, 2003.
Overall: Well i got to tell the truth.I was lured to this game by the hot chick on the cover.The game was an averge game.
Gameplay: The gameplay was similar to that of Gunmetal.I was suprised to find out how good the game turned out.
Graphics: The visual effects were pritty original.Though I thought they could have spent a tab bit more time on them.
Sound: The sound effects were top of the line for this type of gamme I thought.I could recamend this game to anyone to try.
Overall: 80 %
Gameplay: 90 %
Graphics: 70 %
Sound: 100 %
Cloud Strife
Date reviewed: December 23, 2002.
Overall: I feel that Gunvalkyrie is one of my favorite Xbox games. It reminds me a lot of Burning Rangers on Sega Saturn. The game can get pretty tough, but very rewarding.
Gameplay: The gameplay is very original. The controls take time getting use to but when you do, the game starts to grow on you. I'll say this, only hardcore gamers apply.
Graphics: The graphics in the game are gorgeous. Although they seem to have a Dreamcast look to them, they seem to have a different feel I've never seen before. There is a few popup problems sometimes but only in the civilian base levels.
Sound: I personally love the sound of the game. The sound of firing weapons, boasting is excellent. The background music in the game is great. I find myself hearing the music in my head wherever I go.
Suggestions: I would like each level to be selectable any time.
I also want shorter, but several missions.
Make lots of upgradeable weapons.
Overall: 100 %
Gameplay: 100 %
Graphics: 100 %
Sound: 100 %
LapisLazuli
Date reviewed: September 26, 2002.
Overall: This is an awesome game. True gamers know exactly why I'm saying this. I'm writing this review to set ppl straight. First off, anyone who says this game sucks doesnt know how to play it. The game is not easy, and isnt for everyone, but if you want to put your gaming skills to the test, I can think of no better game than Gunvalkyrie to play.
Gameplay: OK. This game is all about the gameplay. Unfortunately, you cant change the controls, so your stuck with Smilebit original configuration. It takes alot of skill to be good at Gunvalkyrie. That is no joke. Sure, you can move around and maybe even get pretty far in the game, but unless you master the gameplay, you wont even get a ranking score at the end of each level which means you get NO money to upgrade your guns. This game is only for serious gamers. Trust me.
Graphics: Excellent graphics, but nothing new. Ther is some slowdown occasionally, and the enemies are cool at first but get repetative. The characters and animations are amazing and the level designs are just as amazing. A seriously beautiful work. There are little things you'll notice such as heat coming from the gearskin as you boost and light plays with almost every texture.
Sound: Simply put, the sound isnt that great. There is no sound more annoying than a heatblaster being fired hundreds of times per level. I didnt notice any surround sound (though I could be wrong). The soundtrack however is very moodsetting and upbeat. It is inspired and definately helps keep you amped as you play. Custom soundtracks would have bben nice though.
Suggestions: We need to be able to create our own button layout and put some time into making the sound effects less irritating.
Overall: 90 %
Gameplay: 100 %
Graphics: 100 %
Sound: 70 %
natewebb
Date reviewed: September 25, 2002.
Overall: The controlls for this game are probably the worst part. Otherwise this is a cool 3rd person shooter.
Gameplay: This reminds me of a "Mechwarrior" type game because you have a jet pack and several types of weapons.
Graphics: Not bad but not spectacular either.
Sound: Didn't really pay attention to sound. It seemed good.
Overall: 60 %
Gameplay: 60 %
Graphics: 70 %
Sound: 70 %
alien_69
Date reviewed: September 6, 2002.
Overall: A great game easily worth the 29.99 for people who like arcade combat games. The suit control concepts are easy to learn and understand, but harder to master and require good coordination on top of quick judgement (which gun to use and which enemies you should take out first when encountering a mob all while concentraing boost skills to remain airborne and avoid attacks)
Naglfar's Pit will make or break you if you're renting it, it's one of the areas on the 4th stage I believe.
Gameplay: The main key to this game is learning to control your suit's flight. The controls require a lot of attention in the beginning to learn, but by the 3rd level, those who stick to the game will be able to deliver a lot of firepower from the air. The suit has an advantage when it is airborne to move quickly, and if a player only runs on the ground they will not be able to get far in the game.
A system link or split screen "one on one" battle would be great - it would show that the player who can better control the suit clearly has an advantage over someone who is not as good at controlling the suit, even with good firepower.
The better the person becomes at controlling the suit, the less wear and tear they will put on the controller. Early on, i found myself wanting to smash my controller because the controls require that you push the analog sticks while moving in both of them in certain directions to aim and maneuver, which could make some people feel uncoordinated and scream.
Now that i've put on almost ten hours into the game, i'm more relaxed and can remain airborne for a long time.
It's satisfying to learn the suit controls.
I plan on playing the game with both Suits. the first suit is quick, with less firepower, and the second is a heavy hitter, but not as agile.
Graphics: The graphics are great - a lot of nice effects, especially heat vapors.
The enemies are nicely designed, but it's rare to catch a glimpse of an enemy up close that's not covered with exploding gunfire :P
The only thing i would ding the visuals for is the large ground textures in a couple of levels where you have to run on narrow cliff edges. other than that the environment textures and detail is awesome. the skies are really cool.
Yes there is slowdown, but i use it to my advantage to actually form a game plan in the heat of battle cause it only happens when the screen is covered with dust and enemies and explosions :P
Sound: The sound and music are both good. There is an arcade feel to the sound FX and the music is bearable to good. Bottom line is it's not annoying for me, and if it ever does get annoying there are voice, music, and FX volume controls in the options, which is all that matters to me.
Suggestions: Gunvalkyrie2 should have a small arena type side-game head to head, maybe some starting cash set by the players to choose upgrades.
even a single arena like the Naglfar's Pit would be a great arena for boost combat.
Overall: 90 %
Gameplay: 100 %
Graphics: 90 %
Sound: 90 %
rootroot27
Date reviewed: September 3, 2002.
Overall: I was bored one labor day weekend, so i though i'd go out to the local video game store and see what i could get for 30$ or less. i found gunvalkyrie there, and heard that i was a fun game, though extremely hard, and decided to go for it. i am the kind of guy who is mostly attracted to rpgs which reward you pretty much instantly for anything you do. i had my doubts about how much fun i would have with this game because i'd heard it was pretty much the opposite of an rpg; you work hard on a level and kill everything, collect an orb, and finish only to be rewarded with practically nothing. let me tell you, this game has convinced me that rpgs are completely overrated. if you had to make a graph of the fun involved (if thats possible) in an rpg, it'd start out low because your character sucks, then it gets higher as you get better. it peaks when you reach a high enough level that everything is really easy to do. after that, its pretty monotonous and it just gets less fun leaving you with an empty feeling. gunvalkyrie is the exact opposite. when you begin, everything is amazing. you feel powerful as you gun down hordes of spider aliens (frekis) and find out the basics of flying. then it gets kinda frustrating when the game makes you learn more advanced moves and ways to fight, once you master those, the game gets soooo much more fun. then end boss is the climax of fun, as it should be. when you finish the game, you feel like you've accomplished something and had fun doing it.
Gameplay: imagine starship troopers with a jet booster on, and instead of an army of marines its just you. and double the amount of bugs. thats gunvalkyrie. okay the controls are hard at first. okay, at some points you'll be very frustrated and angry. these things just make the game soooo much more fun in the end. i'm a big halo fan, and when i found out you cant really strafe, i was a little annoyed. now that i've finished the game, i see now that smilebit or sega or whoever made this masterpiece is a genius on making intuitive controls. playing this game too much might limit the life of your gamepad, but it's worth it. anyone who enjoys killing bugs will enjoy this game, unless they really cant live without getting an ogre sword of +3 or a silver mace after killing every little enemy.
Graphics: this game looks AWESOME! if you get up close to the bugs, you might just poop in your pants. they look that cool. the lighting is great, it really sets the mood. there are so many little shots flying around you sometimes that its amazing how it can keep track of them all. the game does slow down sometimes, but it never affects gameplay. i actually enjoyed the inevitable slow down caused by using the drive gun (like a chain gun) on large packs of aliens because it felt sort of matrix-style, but thats just me.
Sound: very good. i played on a surround sound thing, so i could hear what was behind me and all. the separation is great, you can really tell just by listening where you're being shot from. the soundtrack is very fitting. i cant really think of anything spectacular, just good so its a 4.
Suggestions: hmmm, i thought of several things i didnt like about the game when i played it, but after beating it and mastering it somewhat, i see that all those things really made it more fun. the only one i can really think of is GIVE ME MORE GUNVALKYRIE!!!
Overall: 90 %
Gameplay: 90 %
Graphics: 100 %
Sound: 80 %
flatbread
Date reviewed: August 27, 2002.
Overall: Gunvalkyrie is a game id like to rate higher, but with so many issues that detract from its core fun I cant recommend this game for everyone. On the one hand it has a very unique booster controls that sets it apart from any other game. Many of its levels are perfectly suited for the controls, giving the gamer a high amount of enjoyment. On the other hand, it took me 3 to 4 hours to get used to the controls. Anyone who just wants to get in and play this game is in for a rotten time, and will not see the good things the game has to offer. Other downpoints include the story, which never really gets woven into the gameplay at all, and is very odd also. Even after getting used to the controls, my thumbs would get tired, blistered and sore from the constant boosting, power moves and firing. The graphics are also uneven, way to busy for my tastes, which leads to some slow down on the boss levels. I hated how you had to complete the last 3 levels (2 of which are bosses) in one sitting without being able to save it. Some of us have to do other things besides playn 3 hours straight to beat a game. Gunvalkyrie is relatively short, i beat it first time in 12 hours. They add in some bonuses and unlockables for repeat value. Its a very uneven playing experience, with flashes of both brilliance and frustration.
Gameplay: Once you get the controls down its remarkable what you can do. Your able to boost and remain airborn for quite a lengthy time, based on your thumb manuerving skills. While in the air you can fire in any direction, giving you an impressive amount of versatility. The problem is to boost you have to first get in the air using left trigger, then while in the air press the left thumbstick down then press in the direction u want to go, this give you a short boost. Once the boost is over you will fall to the earth, to stay in the air you have to continuely press the boost before you drop, and its important to boost in all directions, then add firing and aiming with the right thumb stick and you have some major hand coordination needed to master this game. The game requires this skill, as staying on the ground will make it impossible to beat the game. Like i said its not for everyone. I enjoyed it, but it took some patience.
Graphics: Very uneven like the game. The graphics are busy, lots of details on the players, really too much for my tastes. The enemies were disappointing looking, they had very little color, were ussually small and indistinguishable. The bosses were good though, and a joy to play against. The graphics are like the story, odd.
Sound: sound is fine, nothing special.
Suggestions: Have a tutorial that slowly brings the player up to speed, building on skills just learned until it all comes together. Many people will just give up in the first 2 hours because of the frustration. Incorporate the story into the gameplay much better! This part of the game was dismal. Work on the controls, my hands get tired from constantly boosting. I think this game could be special if some of its problems are addressed.
Overall: 70 %
Gameplay: 90 %
Graphics: 70 %
Sound: 70 %
(ScArab)
Date reviewed: August 22, 2002.
Overall: I don't like SHOOT every SING last Enemy in THE level BEFORE you ARE able TO win IT. Often times trying to find the last enemy, LUCKLY they gave you a radar! Sega makes good games, but this is NOT one of them.
Gameplay: All you do is shoot shoot shoot, the game menu SUCKS!!! Worst menu I have encountered. This is a hardcore ArCaDe game!
Graphics: The visuals in the game are ok, but quite flawed, if you look closley you will see how they cheated, and didn't even use bumb-mapping. Character design is un-inspiring.
Sound: Simply awful enemy sound noises, the sound just like some guy making a *screech* with a bit of a muffle. Gun sounds are VERy annoying.
Suggestions: Leave the arcade games in the arcade! Sega makes good games, this isn't one.
Overall: 50 %
Gameplay: 40 %
Graphics: 70 %
Sound: 50 %
GDot
Date reviewed: August 22, 2002.
Overall: I bought the game casue I saw it being played in one of those demo stations in the store but I have to say I wasted my money. The storyline SUCKED! So boring and stupid. They messed with time and junk like that... It made me lausg when I first turned on the game adn I don't think it's a lauging game although I have had friends laugh at me for buying it.
Gameplay: the game play is ok... the concept is good. Who wouldn't like a chick running around with two huge guns and a jet pack? But the controlls are HORRIBLE!!! The boost function is hard to get used to and even when I did get used to it it was still hard to use. PUSH THE STICK IN AND MOVE IT ASWELL??? SO HARD FOR SMALL BRAIN TO COMPUTE!
Graphics: Grafix are AWESOME! Love them Love them! Soooo Purdy! They are the one thing that kept me coming back to the game even after I had given up on the storyline (which SUCKED!)
Sound: Sounded good... neat woosh from the jetpacks and good BOOMS!
sdsdsdsdsdsdsdsdsdsdsdsdsdsdsdsdsdsdsd
Suggestions: Multiplayer, better storyline
Overall: 70 %
Gameplay: 40 %
Graphics: 100 %
Sound: 90 %
x-pimp
Date reviewed: July 30, 2002.
Overall: This game is a good game. The level of difficulty is high enough to keep my attention, but not difficult to a point that I get frustrated. This game also excels in many different areas: The premise of the game is original, the gameplay and the graphics are excellent and the bosses are inspired.
Gameplay: I have never played a game similar to Gunvalkerie before. It is a 3 dimensional game that actually takes place in a 3 dimensional environment. I enjoyed the ability to use a jet pack combined with different combinations to navigate the maps as well as to reach otherwise unreachable areas.
Graphics: The graphics in this game are very well done. The environment and all of the little touches and techniques that the development team added made this game a work of art.
Sound: The sound in this game was good. It did what all good sound does in the game. It added to the experience without(for the most part) being noticed. The only complaint I have about the sound is a certain level where the music and background noise almost drove me insane(if you've played the game before, you'll know what I'm talking about).
Suggestions: Make a sequel. Add a larger variety of weapons as well as special attacks.
Overall: 100 %
Gameplay: 100 %
Graphics: 100 %
Sound: 90 %
vectorman35
Date reviewed: July 10, 2002.
Overall: This game rocks! But let this be a fair warning to all you people, this game is VERY HARD! after the first 3 levels you will notice a hugr increase in the difficulty! If you don't like games that are hard then don't even try this one. But for all you who do your in for a blast!
Gameplay: What you mostly do in this game is kill all the little buggies. you can fly (glide) with your jet pack and do all kinds of ariel attacks. the gameplay is very fun (IF YOU LIKE SHOOTERS THAT ARE HARD).
Graphics: The gaphics in short are amazing, in volcanoes there are little ashes flying around and you can see the heat waves coming from the ground. When you see hordes of bugs coming at you they seem like they are going to come out of the screen. Altough sometimes when you have bugs on every side of you and you use your special attack and alien chunks go flying there is a little slow-down. But besides that there awsome.
Sound: The sound is decent. It sounds like any other shooter out there, the usual gun sounds and foot steps echoing through a long canyon. The music dosn't all the time match whats going on, like in the valcanoes it is playing pretty music while your shooting and stuff that would need action music.
Suggestions: You need a sniper rifel or atleast binoculars, but other than that keep up the good work.
Overall: 100 %
Gameplay: 100 %
Graphics: 90 %
Sound: 80 %
Megaherz *RAGE*
Date reviewed: July 10, 2002.
Overall: Have you ever read the review of Gunvalkyrie on ign.com. They give a 9,0 on ten for a game that was so boring to me that i was unable to play ten hours. How could you apreciate a shooter that give you no skill at the end. What i mean about no skill ? Simply it's because you got a auto-aim. Ouah ! It's look like i am playing counter-strike with the online gaming cheat. No multiplayer, boring story, lack of variety of character and weapon make that game one of the worse you are able to play on x-box. The best advice i can give to you is to rent before buying, you have been warned.
Gameplay: Like i was saying two minute ago, the auto-aim give a bad feeling about our skill but it's also because we got a jetpack which is hard to move. Some of the cliff are too hard to pass with him and you don't have unlimited fuel, of course you can full it by waiting. The gameplay can be summarize by press the trigger to shoot ( just the trigger because of the auto-aim is aiming for you ) and jump around to see where you should go.
Graphics: Probably the only thing that was great here. Ok it's a nice background with the mushroom, but i prefer to eat it ( did you understand the joke ) instead of jumping on them. Character are also great but they look better in Halo or another shooter. One thing that make the game sick with the graphic is the color, sometimes is flashing with a light purple. The only question that came to my mouth with those sort of colour is : Does i am stoned or i am ok ?
Sound: Audio is put to good use in Gunvalkyrie thanks to the Dolby Digital Surround Sound. You can imagine how effective the echo effects are in indoor levels and canyons and what not. But you'll really appreciate it with all of those spiders creeping up behind you and long range attacks from behind draining your health. You want me to talk about voices ! I didn't pay much attention to sound, so i'm sorry about that.
Suggestions: Sorry sega, but all you done is boring except for Jet set radio future ! So don't make boring game like that or if you want to do a sequel , my advices should be : erase the auto-aim script, make the graphic more realistic like Halo, put a good multiplayer and more character.
Overall: 60 %
Gameplay: 30 %
Graphics: 80 %
Sound: 80 %
Syrillix
Date reviewed: July 4, 2002.
Overall: This game is a throw-back to the good ol' arcade shoot-em up games like afterburner and space harrier. With that in mind GunValyrie does extremely well at giving the player throngs of enemies to shoot at while trying to move and dodge all sorts of nasties. Although the control scheme has a steep learning curve (and when i say steep i mean like climbing-mount-everest steep), it is the backbone of this game and well worth mastering.
Gameplay: (i cant believe theres no multiplayer)
The gameplay revolves around shooting throngs of enemies while performing boost combos. boost combos are done while your in air with the aid of your gear skin and are essential to boosting you gv fuel gauge so you can perform special moves. boost combos ac !&%$@#* ulate and as they do your primary weapon increases in damage. so you see mastery of the controls is essential to getting the most fun out this game. And fun it is, once your boosting around the place you feel unstoppable.
of course all this would be for naught if you couldnt hit anything which is 2 primary functions of the game help out. the first is the auto-targeting which is fine-tuned by the right thumb stick and the second is the quick-turns you can do by clicking the right thumb stick in the direction your turning.
boosting, turning, aiming and shooting this is everything the game is based on and all though this sounds like an easy feat, i assure you it isnt.
(helloooo... multiplayer???)
one of the biggest problems the game has is a lack of variety in both the types of enemies you'll face of and the number different environments you'll fight in. although there all well done you still end up feeling the need for more especially once youve mastered the controls.
the mission types also dont vary much at all. most missions are kill everything that moves others are variations on that theme by giving you a time limit. And once in a while you'll do all that and retrieve a certain item of interest.
even though the missions are rather uninteresting the level design in most cases is fantastic. Canyon runs and installations to vertical tunnels and everything are done very well.
(cmon smilebit, where'd you hide the multiplayer?)
The best thing about this game is the long forgotten boss fights there are 5 in all and although the first boss isnt very imaginative the rest are both challenging and very well designed.
and what would an good ol' arcade action game be without weapon power-ups. Although theres only a few weapons in the game there each upgradable. this is by spending GVP that you earn after each mission and what you earn is based on how well you performed according to how many enemies you killed, how many secrets you found and how well your technique is. the last is based pretty mush how well you can use the controls.
did i mention theres no multiplayer option at all. none, nada, zip, not even co-op. this game deserves multiplayer more than any other game in history and im rather disappointed it was left out or not even considered at all.
also the game is quite short. after about 20 hours or so you'll probably have done everything you possibly can in the game and although theres a challenge mode thats opened up after you beat the story mode once that allows you to replay all of the missions and bosses that you had to previously beat. But re-playing a mission just for the "challenge" of it can hardly be regarded as replay value.
Graphics: One word. Amazing. Gunvalkyrie's graphics and animations are an awesome display of what an xbox can do. the special effects of the special moves are beautiful and the characters all look very detailed and well animated especially kelly (the main character) with her lithe aerobatics and other nice touches.
Sound: The sound and music in this game are somewhat a little lacking and thats a shame given the high quality of everything else. the weapons dont sound like they have nearly as much punch as they do visually and the characters themselves arent very well voice acted. although the latter is of very little concern since theres very little voice acting anyway. the sounds of the enemies are really bad. the throngs of insects you dispatch will sound like something out an episode of Pacman when they give out a resounding "Chomp, chomp!". i personally laughed my !&%$@#* off when i first heard it.
Suggestions: More missions, Multiplayer, more enemies, multiplayer, more weapons, multiplayer and a better storyline.
Overall: 80 %
Gameplay: 80 %
Graphics: 100 %
Sound: 60 %
Polarbear
Date reviewed: May 24, 2002.
Overall: As soon as you have mastered the controls you will start to get faster and hopefully get a nice ruch as you boost yourself through hordes of enemies.
It is kind of hard though. Sometimes you just wont know where to go next...
Gameplay: It is fun to play aslong as you dont get stuck...
If you do, you'll just have to try and try. Eventually you will find a way to proceed.
Some levels are really fast and they often have a time limit. It's fun to play. I really miss being able to strafe and the looking around stick is inverted. I haven't found a way to change that.
Graphics: It looks good. Nothing to complain about. Not exeptionally beautiful though. I don't really know what more to write.
Sound: The menu misic is really good in my taste. The ingame music fits it's purpose, it's very fast and is probably made to make you try to beat the time records. The sfx are not bad ither.
Suggestions: More upgrades, more guns and less where to go feeling. Some of the levels are really odd...
Overall: 80 %
Gameplay: 60 %
Graphics: 80 %
Sound: 90 %
AnubisOTE
Date reviewed: May 18, 2002.
Overall: This game looks tough at first, but it is incredibly fun. The graphics are awesome, some of the best on Xbox. This game was gonna be on Dreamcast, but it looks 500 times better on Bill's Mean Green Machine.
The story is a little weak, though.
Gameplay: The controls are tough at first, but as you go through the first few levels, it becomes second nature and the controls end up being some of the most comfortable in a video game. (with the exception of not having anything assigned to the A button)
There are many levels, and when you finish them, you can go through the game again to unlock a more advanced version of the main character.
This game is what i like to call Next-Gen Old School.
Graphics: The graphics are beautiful, and matched by no other third parties on Xbox. Smilebit is great at textures, and this game is no exception.
Sound: The soundtrack is nice, but a little bit cheesy. The sound effects are great, though. It is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1, so if you have a dolby receiver, get ready for some fun stuff.
Suggestions: Make it longer and more reasons to replay it. (And more costumes for kelly)
Overall: 80 %
Gameplay: 90 %
Graphics: 100 %
Sound: 90 %
mrmp3
Date reviewed: May 5, 2002.
Overall: This is one of those games you have to master before it becomes rewarding. The first 1/2 of the 1st board is boring, but once you start running back and get the chain gun, that's when the fun starts :). The controls were a bit odd, but I easily adjusted to them in about an hour and a half. The game instantly becomes a lot harder and requires to use some of your rocket pack techniques. And even though I get stuck on half the puzzles, I absolutely love it.
Gameplay: Let me say first off this game is hard. I got used to the controls rather quick and have only died by falling into a pit. The part that is challenging is the puzzles. At times, you can't advance until you kill every single enemy, but that 1 enemy could be anywhere from where you are and at the beginning of board. So a 20 minute search begins and finally you find the enemy kill it and can advance. Reaching platforms is sometimes difficult as I undershoot the platform or completly over shoot it thus my guy falling to the ground and me having to start all over again. This game takes time to learn. I've only played this game about 5 hours and I am no where near becoming close to mastering this game. However, it always feels like I'm getting better and better which sucks me back into the game. I also like the fact you constantly upgrade your weapons and armor. The only problem I have with gameplay is my guy constantly locks on to the wrong person. Someone is like right next to me yet I'm still shooting someone 50 yards away from me. If there was a button that would let me alternate I'd appreciate it.
Graphics: The graphics on this game are very impressive. Everything including little things found on the enviroment appear to have a very high polygon count. I also like the menus. Very purrrrty. Nice eye candy all around.
Sound: I'm not to impressed with the sound in this game. Though it doesn't suck, it's far from great. The weapon noises are futuristic and seem right on, but your enemies make these noises that really don't scare you that much. The quality sounds like a 86/kbps song. The voice acting is ok but isn't that great. The music also doesn't seem suitable for a sci-fi game such as this.
Suggestions: All around good game. Maybe improve the sound effects and add some better music. Get some professional actors to do the movie scenes and how about a button to alternate which guy your firing at.
Overall: 100 %
Gameplay: 90 %
Graphics: 100 %
Sound: 80 %
darianX
Date reviewed: April 12, 2002.
Overall: I adore this game! I'm considering putting up a shrine to Smilebit and Sega in my house...they have given the Xbox 2 of the most original games ever seen. Whiny brats and casual gamers shouldn't bother with this game because they are ruining this fine piece of programming's reputation. See below why I say that.
Gameplay: This game is HARD! Let me say it again: IT'S HARD! The casual gamer will break the controller or the TV set after playing this for 3 minutes. The whiner set will do the same thing because it's DIFFERENT than most other games and because of it's difficulty level. Gameplay gets a 5 from me because it is difficult and it forces you to play at it's level and not your own. In otherwords, you play it the way the designers want you to. As for the control scheme, it's really not that far from the beloved Halo's but at the same time it's radically different. You will get a workout playing this game. Generically speaking, GV is a platformer with a jet pack. 90% of the game is spent in the air, so you must master the controls and learn how to stay off the ground. Please also remember that GV was originally designed for the Dreamcast, using a light gun and the controller at the same time. I think they did a great job translating that to a single controller.
Graphics: These graphics are fantastic. Nice textures and smooth framerates abound. No stuttering to be found in this one, although twice I noticed a slowdown. Notice the difference between slowdown and stutter. Halo stutters (jumps frames all over and gets you killed), Gunvalkyrie slows down (still playable and won't get you killed). I'd like to see every game look like this one does.
Sound: The in-game music ranges from Alice type music (the PC game) to sci-fi cartoon type music. Makes for a nice backdrop as your hands are cramping from doing so many combo moves :) Could have been some better I believe....
Suggestions: Keep on giving us these unique games!! JSRF and now Gunvalkyrie...2 outstanding games that take a simple genre (platforming) and make it seem fresh and new again. Thank you Sega!!
Overall: 100 %
Gameplay: 100 %
Graphics: 100 %
Sound: 90 %
sinizuh
Date reviewed: April 11, 2002.
Overall: Disappointing. sure, it's a lot better than some of the xbox games i've played, but i was expecting more. the controls, moronic story and 0% fun factor ruin this game. The graphics are pretty good and there are hardly any load times. and the Pink Whale with wings is cool D:
Gameplay: This is only game i've ever played that i was worried i'd snap my analog stick. i mean, wtf. you have to do some insane button smashing to do some dodge combos. and viewing around are horrible, the right analog stick is reversed. The story is boring and pretty dumb as well. and being made by sega, i was hoping for atleast some fun in this game... this game had none. no motivation to play this game.
Graphics: Graphics might not be much to look at first, but there is hardly any slow down with so much going on in the environment. jaggies in this game is very noticable, but since it's such a fast game, you won't notice it.
Sound: the music is pretty cool... but the voice acting is some of the worst i've heard. the pain sound (getting attacked) sounds like taking a radio and throwing it into a tub of water :P
Suggestions: nice try, but you've failed.
Overall: 50 %
Gameplay: 40 %
Graphics: 90 %
Sound: 50 %
aronx
Date reviewed: April 10, 2002.
Overall: I was really excited to get this game home and play it. The first few hours were definitely entertaining. The controls were fairly easy to master and the gameplay was fun (for the most part). Then I got to Nfgalfars (spelling?) Pit I and discovered just how diffucult it can be to execute several manuevers in a row (which is absolutley necessary to reach the top). Thrusting forward, then side to side, then forward again just to get to the next platform was great until I missed the platform and had to start all over again. I'm surprised my controller survived this level of the game since I threw it several times and cursed myself for having ventured into this game.
Gameplay: If your a fan of classic NES games, you know the ones that force you start over at the very begginning of the game if you die, then you'll love this game once you get past the controls. For me I believe in difficult games, but I do not believe in frustratingly difficult games. If the controls had been done a little more efficiently then maybe, just maybe, it would have been more enjoyable. (At least add some checkpoints so I don't have to re-do all the jumps that I have mastered just to get the jumps that I haven't).
Graphics: The graphics are great. On par with Halo. Animations are flawless and the environments are rich. Enemies are modeled very well, even though youm can't tell what your shooting at most of the time because theres so many of them.
Sound: Sound effects are relatively well done. The background music is barely noticeable until you get Nfgalars Pit and spend some time doing the same jumps over and over and over and over and over...you get the point. Oh yeah, the music! By the time your done with this level you will have Dr. Hebbles lines memorized and engrained in your brain forever.
Suggestions: Please rethink the controls. Everything is cool except the quick boosts (forward, side to side, and back). Trying to execute these manuevers when it is absolutely necessary becomes painfull. Also add some checkpoints to the jumping levels so I dont have to redo the same jumps over and over and over and over...there I go again.
Overall: 70 %
Gameplay: 40 %
Graphics: 90 %
Sound: 70 %
Kooster
Date reviewed: April 6, 2002.
Overall: I love this game. Gamespot totally underrated it. I have heard many people complain about the controls, but I had no trouble learning them. The whole first level is a tutorial on how to use the controls! This game is difficult, though. I had to buy a strategy guide for it. Anyway, in this game, you are a Gunvalkyrie Dolphin Team operative, either Kelly O'Lenmey or Saburouta Mishima, your choice. You have been sent to the planet Tir na Nog, which is infested with insect-like mutants which are thought to be genetically transformed colonists. Dr. Hebble, a brilliant scientist who supposedly has gone mad and vanished, is suspected to have something to do with the mutants. Your mission is to get to the bottom of the colonists' transformation, and to find Dr. Hebble and bring him back.
Gameplay: The controls aren't difficult! It should only take 30 minutes max. to master them. What you do in this game relies on what level you are on. In some levels, your mission is to kill all the enemies. In others, your mission is to kill only a certain species of enemy. Some missions just want you to get to the end of the level. This game is defintitely not short. It is very hard, which I like. Both Kelly and Saburouta have 3 guns. The guns lock on to your enemies, but you need to line up shots manually, sometimes. Kelly is the easier character to play with. You use your jet pack a lot, doing flips and turns all over the place. The more flips you do, the higher your GV fuel gets, which allows you to perform special attacks. At the end of each level, you get a grade. You usually get a bad one. I don't really like the grading scale because it is very harsh.
Graphics: The graphics are amazing in this game. The ground and rocks have texture. The water reflects and ripples. Kelly and Saburouta look like a mixture of cel shaded drawings and computer drawings. When you shoot the enemies, they explode realistically. These graphics can compete with Halo's.
Sound: I enjoyed the music. Each level has its own song. I felt that the songs very much matched the levels. The sound effects were great. When many enemies approach me at once, the sound of their hungry groans makes me want to escape right away. Flying enemies fly over me and drop whistling explosive spores. Scary!
Suggestions: Great Game!
Overall: 100 %
Gameplay: 90 %
Graphics: 100 %
Sound: 100 %
silverx10
Date reviewed: March 31, 2002.
Overall: The game, at first, when I saw it on the shelf at Wal-Mart, didn't seem all that appealing (as normally, I base my buying decision on the cover art (stupid, I know, but hey, we've all got our own strategies for things)), but then I remembered that it had a relatively good review in OXM5, and I had to check it out. And seeing as I lack patience entirely (meaning that there was no way that I could wait for OXM6 to come out next month), and seeing as I had $50.00 to spare, I figured you know, what the hell... So I went down to Wal-Mart and bought the game for two primary reasons: good review in a reputable magazine, and plus, it's got futuristic weapons, and... ROCKET PACKS! So I just HAD to have it, and now I do.
Gameplay: Gameplay leaves a bit to be desired, seeing as the control scheme is non-customizable in any way, shape, or form. And, after playing HALO for the past four months (hey, it was sold out where I live until December, so sue me), and becoming acquainted with its control scheme, it's more than safe to say that getting used to Gunvalkyrie's controls took some time, to say in the least. Especially considering that I've got inverted looking pitch disabled in HALO, and GV's looking pitch is, by default (and again, not able to be changed to anything else) inverted. I'll give the Gameplay attribute of GV 4.5, because I don't have too much of a problem with the controls now that I've adapted (but hey, this game would be SO much easier with HALO-like controls (left analog stick to move forward/backward and strafe, right analog stick to look up/down/left/right, etc.)). Oh, and I also included in the -.5 score the fact that there isn't any multiplayer support (come on, people: chicks in rocket packs, flying around, laying the smacketh down with a Driver Gun... think about it!).
Graphics: Visual Appeal... Oh, my god (and this is coming from an atheist)... The lens flares in this game are only parallelled by those of HALO, and perhaps, Giants: Citizen Kabuto for the PC. Everything looks so !&%$@#* ed smooth, including Kelly's fine figure. ;) The particle effects are excellent, and so far, I've witnessed no framerate issues, even when hundreds of those damned bugs are coming toward me...
Sound: I can't really complain about the sound, seeing as up to the point in the game where I'm at, the sound has been excellent, and it's let me know when the !&%$@#* ed enemies were getting too close, so that's all good... The music is fine, the weapons audio is great... Good job to Smilebit here.
Suggestions: Well, the only issues that I have with the game were covered in the Gameplay portion of my review. So just give the players the options to customize the control scheme, add a little multiplayer support, and I'm perfectly happy. Perhaps you could make use of the XBOX Broadband when it comes out this spring, and release one hell of a patch that lets us do those two things? A bit farfetched, but that'd be awesome!
Overall: 100 %
Gameplay: 90 %
Graphics: 100 %
Sound: 100 %
armguitar
Date reviewed: March 28, 2002.
Overall: The game isn't all tha great. It is very annoying and fustrating. I am glad that I rented instead of bought it, that would have been a mistake.
Gameplay: There seems to be no real point to the game. You have to kill all the enemies before moving on. Its not a real exciting nor interesting game to play. The controls and movement suck.
Graphics: The visual is good, but annoying. The visual turns me off from the game also. They made it too in your face. Weak.
Sound: Sound isn't all that great either. There is no heart put behind the voices. Just does not appeal to me all that much.
Suggestions: Stick with jet set radio future and the other fun sega games. This one is just annoying
Overall: 70 %
Gameplay: 50 %
Graphics: 70 %
Sound: 60 %
RaTm_skater
Date reviewed: March 27, 2002.
Overall: this is a great game overall, its not as bad as some review sites say it is. like gamespot gives it a 6.2 or something. thats not fair.
Gameplay: this is game is extremely fun to play! and the controls arent bad at all (in my mind). they barely took me anytime at all to get down completey. less than an hour id say, and once ur done that part, its so much fun!!! awesome for gameplay!
Graphics: i think the graphics in GUNVALKYRIE are pretty impressive. they arent halo or RSC stature, but they are still really good.
Sound: the sound in the game is pretty good. its all typical of your alien blasting sci-fi game. but the guns do sound really good.
Suggestions: multiplayer would be great. something like a battle arena. or co-op mode would be awesome as well, two GV suits against all the aliens, i think that would be awesome.
Overall: 100 %
Gameplay: 100 %
Graphics: 100 %
Sound: 90 %
zhiwiller
Date reviewed: March 26, 2002.
Overall: Now, I'll be the first to admit that I am not very far into this game, just a few missions in, but unless its differs much from what I'm getting, this game is a sure keeper! I don't believe that a game has to be perfect to get a five, just something that everyone should at least TRY. Read on.
Gameplay: I really wonder if anyone who doesn't like the control scheme has actually played the game. I'm only a few hours in and it is second nature to me. The only problem may be too MANY options! I guess the majority of people are used to Blood Omen 2's wide variety of block or attack... You blast stuff from EVERYWHERE in this game. You must think fast and be skilled, or the game will not reward you. I just don't see how you couldn't get all fired up with this game. This is definately one that will take a while to beat and will probably have some serious replay value.
Graphics: Crisp. Clear. What more can I say? It isn't perfect, but it beats or ties the majority of the box's games out there and thats just not bad.
Sound: People have said that the sound sucks because it sounds like an old genesis game or something with a little more modernization. Well... yeah. This whole game screams old-school blast fast blast fest, so of course the music is going to be a throwback to those games. I'm giving it a 5 for NOT using modern crap metal. :-)
Overall: 100 %
Gameplay: 100 %
Graphics: 100 %
Sound: 100 %
Project Ego
Date reviewed: March 26, 2002.
Overall: BEWARE: LOOKS ARE deceiving in this pretty, over-the-shoulder shooting game. In Gunvalkyrie, you play as a well-armed soldier, who must prevent recent scientific discoveries from falling into the wrong hands.
Gameplay: The normal accouterments are here: You can upgrade your weapons and equipment, plus there are secret power-ups throughout the entire game. But as soon as you try to figure out how the heck you can perform aerial attacks while constanly avoiding enemies from all sides, Gunvalkyrie immeadiately turns into utter frustration. Every part of the controller is used, including both analog sticks, which have dual functions. It's nearly impossible to master these controls, but to pass even the first stages, you must do exactly that. Unfortunately, while the control setup is unique, it's also Gunvalkyrie's downfall.
Graphics: On the surface, Gunvalkyrie's visual style is like watching a quality anime--there are plenty of vibrantly colored levels and slick weapon effects to make your eyes water for more.
Sound: The upbeat soundtrack, which consists of the usual gun noises and echoing footseps, plays nicely throughout the game.
Suggestions: Dont make a sequel!
Overall: 40 %
Gameplay: 30 %
Graphics: 80 %
Sound: 60 %
TheDorfler
Date reviewed: March 26, 2002.
Overall: It's PSone's Armored Core on steroids. The story is pure Japanese, but you can get into it. I like it and I hope SEGA keeps up the good work.
Gameplay: It's everything I loved about Armored Core, plus better graphics and faster gameplay. I like how you can upgrade what you have and earn more things by doing tricks to get more cash. It's pretty kewl. Though you can't compare this to the gameplay of Halo, I like Halo a lot more.
Graphics: Outstanding. The visuals in this game just flow. What's best is there is no slow down at all. But, I do disagree with earlier reviews saying this is better than Halo. It isn't better than Halo.
Sound: The sounds and sound effects are really good, unfortunately they get in the way of the voice overs. I couldn't hear anything that was said in the five minute long intro to the game. My advice is to dumb down the music and the sound effects in options and raising the voice level so you can hear what is needed to be done.
Suggestions: Make the voices louder. Can't hear anything. Would have been nice if you had more options in designing and upgrading your character, like in the original Armored Core. From what I see there aren't that many detremental options you can upgrade to that will effect your gameplay too much or make missions easier. Also, maybe you can make and design your own shoulder patches just like in Armored Core. That was a nice option.
Overall: 90 %
Gameplay: 100 %
Graphics: 100 %
Sound: 80 %
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