Gungrave: Overdose[a] is a PlayStation 2 third-person shooter video game developed by animation studio Ikusabune and published by Red Entertainment in Japan and by Mastiff in North America, and a direct sequel to Gungrave. The game was released on March 4, 2004, in Japan, September 15, 2004, in North America and October 7, 2005, in the PAL regions. Gungrave: Overdose picks up where its predecessor left off, and follows its main character through a variety of stages on a path of revenge. It is the only known title fully developed by animation studio Ikusabune, as the previous title was developed by Red Entertainment. (Ikusabune provided animation and cinematics in the first game.)
| Gungrave: Overdose | |
|---|---|
 North American cover art | |
| Developer(s) | Ikusabune Co., Ltd. |
| Publisher(s) |
|
| Director(s) | Naohito Hanai |
| Producer(s) | Tōru Kubo |
| Designer(s) | Tomohiro Maruyama Takashi Hata |
| Programmer(s) | Naohito Hanai |
| Artist(s) | Yasuhiro Nightow |
| Writer(s) | Hidenori Tanaka Takashi Hino Tomohiro Maruyama |
| Composer(s) | Tsuneo Imahori |
| Series | Gungrave |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 2 |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Third-person shooter |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Two years after the original, Gungrave, and just approaching of that game's anime adaptation, Gungrave: Overdose was released. Preserving Yasuhiro Nightow's flair and artistic style, this outing adds new playable characters to the series and a new story, in which Grave resumes his tale as an unlikely anti-hero tracking down the sadistic son of a Mafia boss who has struck a deal with a symbiotic seed bent on taking over the Earth.
Gameplay
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Plot
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Development
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Reception
edit| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | 68/100[2] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Edge | 4/10[3] |
| Electronic Gaming Monthly | 4/10[4] |
| Eurogamer | 5/10[5] |
| Famitsu | 26/40[6] |
| Game Informer | 4.25/10[7] |
| GameSpot | 7.8/10[8] |
| GameSpy |   [9] |
| GameZone | 7.9/10[10] |
| IGN | 7.8/10[11] |
| Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine |  [12] |
The game was received more favorably by critics than the first game, but still received mixed reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[2] Many critics praised the game's longer length, IGN citing that the game can easily last for more than 6 hours, which they say is in stark comparison to the first game's 2 hour length.[11] The game received similar praise for the art and visual style as the first game did, and critics also praised the game's value, GameSpot's Greg Kasavin stating "its good-sized series of action-packed missions, multiple difficulty settings, three different playable characters, and dirt-cheap $15 retail price make it an excellent value."[8] However, the game's graphics were criticized for being simpler in order to prevent the slowdown present in the first game,[13] and the game's lock-on system was criticized for being too unwieldy and confusing.[11] In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of one six, two sevens, and one six for a total of 26 out of 40.[6]
Notes
editReferences
edit- ^ "Gungrave: Overdose ships". GameSpot. September 13, 2004. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
- ^ a b "Gungrave: Overdose for PlayStation 2 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved February 3, 2012.
- ^ Edge staff (May 2004). "Gungrave O.D.". Edge. No. 136. Future plc. p. 110.
- ^ EGM staff (December 2004). "Gungrave: Overdose". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 185. Ziff Davis. p. 170.
- ^ Walker, John (August 18, 2005). "Gungrave: Overdose". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
- ^ a b "ガングレイヴO.D.". Famitsu (in Japanese). Vol. 795. Enterbrain. March 12, 2004.
- ^ "Gungrave: Overdose". Game Informer. No. 139. GameStop. November 2004. p. 158.
- ^ a b Kasavin, Greg (September 17, 2004). "Gungrave: Overdose Review". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
- ^ Chapman, David (September 20, 2004). "GameSpy: GunGrave: OverDose". GameSpy. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on December 25, 2005. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
- ^ Bedigian, Louis (October 1, 2004). "Gungrave: Overdose - PS2 - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on December 30, 2008. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
- ^ a b c Lewis, Ed (September 7, 2004). "Gungrave Overdose". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
- ^ "Gungrave: Overdose". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. Ziff Davis. November 2004. p. 130.
- ^ Wadleigh, Jessica (October 2, 2004). "GunGrave: Overdose". Thunderbolt. Archived from the original on November 5, 2013. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
External links
edit- Red Entertainment page
- Mastiff, LLC page
- System 3 Software Limited page: PS2, PSN
- Gungrave: Overdose at MobyGames