One of the worst games I've played this year. High hopes after playing the demo failed to materialize.
Artistically this game does a pretty good job. The cell shading captures the anime tie-in. The early levels in the game are fairly well designed and gorgeous. Unfortunately this trend continues to wane as the game progresses. The blood and gore is very satisfying at first and the animation is also superb.
Sound: 4/10
This sound in this game is horrendously sub-par. You'll hear the same background song over and over for most of the game. Voice acting is generally good "Samuel L Jackson" but it gets EXTREMELY repetitive after the first couple of levels. Hearing the same 5 or so phrases repeated every 30 seconds really wore on me after awhile. I actually had to turn the sound off after awhile because it was grating on my nerves so badly. Also of note... many sound effects are simply absent... no sound at all when jumping up walls for instance? Gunshots, swords clanging, ect are the only saving grace.
Technical Gameplay: 3/10
They put a good amount of effort into the combo system. Generally it works pretty well. Unfortunately there are only a few combos and you'll basically spam the same ones over and over again through the entire game. The plat-forming aspect is so bad it should have been removed altogether. If the mechanics don't make you tear your hair out the excruciatingly bad camera will.
Fun Factor: 5/10
Despite it's shortcomings, moments (especially the first few levels) are quite fun. The pacing needs work. Level design and the above mentioned problems really make it hard to enjoy for long. Some Boss fights are completely asinine. I had to use a guide a couple time to figure out how to beat them. At the end of the game you will spend roughly an hour beating up the same guys over and over and over without knowing what's going on. I don't know how many but I'd guess 200 or more. Tedious! My hands actually cramped up.
Value: 3/10
I can't recommend buying this game to anyone. Even at it's bargain price. It's a rental, pure and simple. You'll get roughly 8-10 hours out of this.
Tilt: 6/10
The artistic merit makes this a game worth playing. That is all...
Score= 4.6