|
|
Post by Bob Ness on May 28, 2011 22:13:10 GMT -5
 -Visuals- 6/10
To put it short, the visuals are quite awful. The entire game is made up of expressionless chibi people. They're all chubby and pretty deformed looking, making even the worst of villains laughable. The various demons you meet along the way are even worse. However, when main characters are talking, their image will come up with amazing expressions, drawn by the original anime/manga artist, Rumiko Takahashi.
One of the worst visuals from this game is the actual scenery. I always feel as if I'm looking at the same thing over and over again, which also helps to get one lost. The castle interiors look the same, every forest looks the same- it's just difficult. Certain paths and items are also hidden. I'll find myself constantly running into the 'walls', knowing that it may be the only way to find such hidden paths, or pressing the X button continuously, hoping to pick up an item that the scenery blocks.
The saving grace of the visuals happens to be during the Co-op attacks. When choosing one of these, an anime-styled attack comes forth, with the amazing animation from the series. [However, I did get rather tired of the main character's co-op attacks, for unlike the rest of the characters, she only had one move to show. Very repetitive.]
In the anime, this sequence might look amazing...in the game, not so much.
Inuyasha at his best.
-Sound- 6.4/10
Luckily, the voice actors from the anime were able to do their magic at this part. Players are able to listen to their favorite characters without anger that they sound awful. Every main character sounds amazing. Yet, that is also a problem; while the main characters are flawless in their voice acting, the minor characters make me laugh. The acting is awful, and I'll find myself skipping bits of dialogue just so I won't have to hear it.
The music is okay. You tend not to notice it, unlike the music played in the anime. For the most part, it neither bothers me nor amazes me. It's just there. I don't think anyone would actually go out and buy a soundtrack, but they wouldn't sit there and complain about it, either.
One other flaw in the sounds are the battles. Since the co-op moves are the only moves worth paying attention to, I would have expected the hits to be just as amazing. I was wrong. The characters come in with amazing moves, only to end with a loud, cartoon-ish THWACK. Quite a let-down.
One thing that gets on my nerves beyond belief is how some of the battle cries or special moves that are yelled by the main characters are suddenly cut off. For example, if you choose Inuyasha's move, 'Iron-Reaver, Soul Stealer', he'll yell, 'Iron-Reaver, Soul Steal-' and it cuts off as he attacks and returns to his original position.
-Gameplay- 7.2/10
This is yet another thing that gets on my nerves. The gameplay is pretty bad. The appearance of enemies is random, that's for sure. However, there's one thing you can always count on- they'll appear constantly. You don't really seem to get a rest from them. The only way you can reduce the appearance is by walking, which is just as annoying as fighting, for you go much too slow.
I've played games where the random battles are too easy, then I've played games where the random battles are too hard. Inuyasha has (probably) the most perfect random battles ever. Each battle has been beaten on the first try for me, but it's not so easy that it takes me a minute or two. Sometimes I'll be stuck on one for ten minutes, but those are actually really fun. [It also gives me loads of money, which I never seem to have to spend, haha!]
The boss battles are even better. I'm pretty bad at video games, and I typically lose at many of the boss battles I play (which is why I usually invite my amazing video-gaming friend over to beat them for me). However, though Inuyasha boss battles proved to be a huge challenge, I didn't constantly lose at them. After a few turns, I was able to figure out what I had to do and I'd do it and win. [Also, I love fighting the original villains from the anime.]
Okay, one last thing- items. I hardly ever have to stop by a store to stock up just because the items are so plentiful. You can also grow seeds in a magic garden to gain new items. It depends on what seed you put in and what fertilizer you give it (or something like that. I actually haven't tried it out yet). Of course, after boss battles, I might stop by and grab some more health-related items (or, in one case, life-revival items), but I don't have to constantly go to every store I see for stuff.
-Story- 7/10
You play as a new and original character, either a boy or a girl (The gender doesn't matter at all to the story line- it just might change character interactions a tad. For example, if you play as the girl, the monk, Miroku, tries to flirt with you, but if you play as a guy, he doesn't). You come across a strange symbol in a storehouse, which transports you into feudal Japan. After running from some crazy townsfolk (who, for some reason, think you're a demon), you meet up with a demon who's ready to eat you. In fear, you release some sort of strange power. This is witnessed by the half-demon, Inuyasha. He marvels at the power, then notices your clothes are different. So, he takes you to Kagome, who also travels between the present and the past. You join their group and begin looking for a way back home.
All in all, the story isn't that bad. Granted, I didn't want some silly new character added in, but I don't even focus on him/her. It's the original characters that make the game worth playing, for they all do what they do in the anime; Inuyasha is moody and bad-tempered, Kagome argues with him a lot, Miroku flirts with every girl, and Shippo constantly picks fights with Inuyasha. You also have other characters from the show, such as Naraku, Kagura, etc. The story defiantly keeps me from quitting.
The game also offers more character interactions after some bosses are defeated- you can choose to hang out with one of your friends.
-Overall- 6.6/10
The more I play this game, the more I like it (even if it's only because I'm a huge Inuyasha fan). The character interaction is amazing (though I could have done without the thirty minutes of the new character being depressed because she feels as if she doesn't have any friends), and I thoroughly enjoy watching all of the original relationships continue to unfold (return of Kikyo, AHH!). If you're looking for a game to pass the time, I think this one might work.
Inuyasha and Miroku with one of the two playable characters, Kaname.
[EDIT: After playing more of the game, I raised the score. I was a bit too harsh...]
|
|
