• ID = PS0355
• STYLE = Third-Person 3D Shooter
• DEV. = RED Entertainment
• PUB. = Sega of America, Inc.
• R-DATE = Sep-19-2002
• ESRB = M / For Mature
• PLAYERS = 1 player
• LIST PRICE = $49.99
  

Gungrave casts you in the role of Grave, a long-dead assassin sent to annihilate a mysterious criminal organization. The tools at your disposal: a gun in each hand and a coffin full of hardware strapped to your back. Gungrave features an intuitive control system that lets you perform a variety of graceful moves, all while unloading more bullets than in a John Woo flick.

You'll lead Grave through huge environments ranging from the bowels of the criminal underworld to graceful towers stretching toward heaven, all filled with relentless foes and insane power-ups. In these stages, there's no such thing as window dressing--everything you see on the screen can be perforated with your firearms. This includes the myriad enemies and boss characters foolish enough to stand in front of your gun barrels. If simply shooting your enemies isn't enough, there are devastating special attacks to unleash and secrets to be found.

• Play as a gun-wielding, death-dealing anti-hero
• Weapons include a coffin strapped to the character's back
• Fully destructible environments
• Roam the bowels of the criminal underworld
• Anime cutscenes by Yasuhiro Naito

Description 2:
The time of the merciless anti-hero has arrived. GUNGRAVE for the PlayStation 2 system casts you in the role of Grave, a long-dead assassin sent to decimate a mysterious criminal organization. You will have a gun in each hand and a coffin full of hardware strapped to your back when you explore everything from the dark recesses of the underworld to heavenly towers, full of enemies trying to mow you down. In these stages, there's no such thing as mercy -- everything you see on the screen can be destroyed with your firearms. If you are crazy about mayhem then GUNGRAVE is the game for you.

• Play as a gun-wielding, death-dealing anti-hero.
• Weapons include a coffin strapped to the character's back.
• Fully destructible environments.
• Roam the bowels of the criminal underworld.
• Anime cutscenes by Yasuhiro Naito.

Amazon.com Review
The name of our dead hero is Grave. The name of the game is Style. From the opening stab of jazz in the titles to the metal coffin chained to our hero's arms, Gungrave roils in hard-boiled cell-shaded .50-calibur style. The gameplay is the heir to many button-masher arcade games, offering an instantly gratifying gaming experience. Twin guns--called Cerberos--pound destruction to swarms of "syndicate" enemies and many objects in your environment. The coffin can be swung around to hammer foes at close range. The shots from the Cerberos can ring singly or as a spinning fountain in Grave's bullet dance. If you can keep a steady stream of destruction, your beat count goes up, and you generate demolition-shot special attacks and abilities which can restore life to Grave or serve damage like piping-hot fire to his enemies.

Gungrave is inaccurately compared to Devil May Cry. The games share some style points but otherwise have nothing in common. Grave's controls only permit him the most cursory of acrobatics. He can dive à la Max Payne, but his normal gait is the shuffle of a zombie. In an original twist on controller schemes, he can move at regular walking speed via the L3 (pressing down on the joystick) but this kink quickly loses its novelty as it is difficult to hold and feels as if it will damage the controller. Unfortunately, the instant gratification this game brings is short lived. At about two hours of play, it clocks in as one of the shortest, as well as most repetitive, games available. --Ashley Pond V

Pros:
Fabulous style and arcade action
Minimal load times
Easy to jump into

Cons:
Too short
Shallow and repetitive gameplay