Gungrave G.O.R.E

I’ll be honest, I’ve never played a Gungrave game, but I knew they were synonymous with action. Gungrave G.O.R.E is the continuation of the past games with better gameplay, better graphics, lots of action, more action, and bad guys who constantly curse at you. But you know what? It’s pure fun, and I’m all about that.

Gungrave G.O.R.E. is a stylish third-person shooter filled gory action. And luckily, this is one we can now enjoy on the Steam Deck.

Gungrave G.O.R.E feels like a perfect title to release on Xbox Game Pass, the kind of thing most people really will want to try before they buy. It's absolutely not for everyone, it's old-fashioned, obnoxiously loud and highly repetitive, but if you fall under its spell, if you get into the murder rhythm of it all, you may well find yourself thoroughly addicted. It's a shame there's not better feedback when you take damage, and we wish there was an option to hold in the trigger for continuous fire, but beyond these shortcomings this one absolutely nails what it sets out to do. This is a loud, ...

Gungrave G.O.R.E suffers from old style linear gameplay tropes — while the combat is fluid, the constant enemy waves over 12-14 hours quickly lose any sense of joy. Lack of available exploration also means you really only have the boss fights to look forward to.

Alright, folks. Let’s get this out of the way. Not everything that was produced by the PlayStation 2 era was a banging success. I know that it may sound hard to believe, but it definitely stays true for a game like Gungrave G.O.R.E. and the game it’ll be inevitably compared to, Devil May Cry 2. Why DMC2 specifically? Because the game can be a bit terrible in some regards, that will become clear over the rest of the review.

Gungrave G.O.R.E is a decent game. It's not the best shooter, but it is often very entertaining if just for the spectacle. It has a few issues, mostly in level design, and the story isn't particularly memorable, but there's plenty of fun to be had in chainsawing your enemies with a transforming coffin.

“Gungrave G.O.R.E delivers on the run-and-gun, stylish action with a modern PS2-like coat of paint that you'll either love or hate.”

Gungrave G.O.R.E's fleeting moments of fun and carnage are buried beneath a mountain of issues, including a bland story, repetitive and overly simplistic gameplay, cumbersome and clunky movement and controls, and more. This isn't an old school game- it's just old.

Despite its shortcomings, there’s something undeniably enjoyable and nostalgic about Gungrave G.O.R.E’s straightforward, no-nonsense approach to the action/shooter genre. The game’s promotional trailers repeatedly promised three things—bullets, beauty, and “a badass” anti-hero protagonist—and it delivers these attributes in spades.

The only impressive thing about this game is how it fails miserably on every front. Who was this for, and what was the idea behind it - all those questions will remain unanswered.

Gungrave G.O.R.E promises to shake you to your Gungrave core, but mostly ends up as a Gungrave chore. Before long I was Gungrave bored of the Gungrave lore and my trigger finger was Gungrave sore. Here's hoping they can fix things up if we see a Gungrave four.

The additional features you’d expect from this genre are there — extra lore, visual guides, a grading system, and increasing difficulty levels — but the extra trimmings don’t offer much in the way of redemption. While Gungrave G.O.R.E. began as great to watch and okay to play, its approximately 13-hour playthrough finishes off for me as a viewing pleasure unfortunately attached to a gaming displeasure. Honestly, you’re better off watching the anime.