Playing Spriggan-Lunar Verse

Take one of the most exciting examples of Japanese animation to emerge in the last couple of years, put the license in the hands of developers known for perhaps the slowest games on the planet, and you've got Spriggan-Lunar Verse for the PlayStation.

Based on the animation of the same name, Spriggan is the latest attempt at a new action franchise by From Software (King's Field, Armored Core, Echo Night). Possibly one of the most visceral, dynamic, action-packed pieces of "Japanimation" to emerge in some time, it must be said that From Software's attempt at capturing this in a fully polygonal world has fallen pretty flat. While the game seems like a cross between Syphon Filter and Metal Gear Solid, it is simply a great example of all the things that could go wrong in a third-person action game.

Part platformer, part shooter, Spriggan suffers from cruddy camera control/angles, choppy graphics, and an uninspired control scheme (read: crappy). While an outright condemnation of this game will be better served in a review, for the time being, let's just hope no one decides to localize this debacle and just lets it lie in peace.