Gravity Rush 2 - Review

Well, here we are again, time for another review, but first some backstory.  I remember playing Gravity Rush (also known as Gravity Daze in Japan) on the PS Vita when it was first released back in 2012.  I was working in HMV at the time and hadn't yet committed to getting a PS Vita,  I played it a few times on my lunch break and really enjoyed it.  I eventually got one, and Gravity Rush was the first game I bought with it.  Strangely enough, when Gravity Rush 2 was announced for PlayStation 4 it was one of the things that prompted me to buy one.  It might be a bit late, but I finally got around to playing it.


Any fans of red velvet cupcakes in the house?  Me, me, me, me!  They are soft, sweet, and they look awesome.  Unfortunately, with the popularity of red velvet cupcakes everywhere is making them, and some of them taste bad.  The sponge is sometimes too dry, or there is so much sugar in them you can taste the granules, or the cream on top just doesn't taste good, and if you are really unlucky all three.  So, naturally finding a high-quality red velvet cupcake can be tough.  Playing Gravity Rush 2 I found myself asking, did it have the right combination of ingredients, or was this a dry, sugary, mess?

Story


The original game had you playing as Kat, a girl who had lost her memory and has the ability to control gravity, with the help of her cat Dusty.  Gravity Rush 2 sees Kat transported to a new world after falling through a gravity rift in Heskville, her hometown.  Unsure of her new surroundings, and having lost her gravity-controlling powers that had made her the Gravity Queen, she is forced to work mining gems.  She's not the only one forced into slave labor, it seems everyone is, with the exception of the upper echelon. This, of course, is only the start of her journey, and things get pretty interesting fast.


The story answers many questions from the original game, along with asking, and answering some new ones.   The sidequests, while at times could be fun, felt a little samey, and were simply a distraction from the main story.  The pacing overall in Gravity Rush 2 was pretty good, with exception of a few minor bumps. 






Visuals

The art style used in the game is beautiful, from the towns to the character designs they all look so good.  The way Kat's long hair moves when she is moving around looks realistic, but also very artistic at the same time.  Her cat Dusty has a great design that makes him look like he is part of the night sky.  Story panels are used to help narrate what's going, they look really good and is a lot more exciting then it may sound.  Without a doubt, my favorite area in the game was Jirga Para Lhao, a set of floating islands that are spread out vertically and horizontally.  They feature marketplaces, government buildings, a high-security fort and mansions high above the clouds.  The town feels alive, full of different people, all going about their daily lives.  Overall a visual spectacle and one of the biggest positives about the game.


Music


The score features an array of instruments, with a particular focus on; piano, strings, brass, flute, and percussion.  The opening track features a crescendo of brass and strings that help create an intense yet upbeat sound.  Similar to the original score, Gravity Rush 2, has a distinct anime sound, which isn't surprising as the composer comes from an anime background:


Kohei Tanaka has worked on a number of anime series, and movies, along with some video game titles.  Some of his works include; Pokemon The Movie, Angelic Layer, Dragonball, One Piece, The Cursed Holy Sword, Gravity Rush, Sakura Wars and Resonance of Fate.


The soundtrack runs for over three hours, has seventy-three tracks and spans four CDs.  While I felt it was good, I did not feel it was as good as the original Gravity Rush score. My favorite pieces included:

Requiem
Banga Ambient 1
Suspense
Mining for Ore 1
Storm and Triumph (Full Version)
Forbidden Zone
Frustration
Night Gale
Fort Bismalia
Endestria (Abandoned Version)
A Cue Aun Tu Oi/A Red Apple (Original Version)
Queen of Electromagnetic Force
Despair

Special shout to Kat's version of  'A Cue Aun Tu Oi/A Red Apple', that I found to be really good and quite endearing.  Overall a good score, that in time may hold the same place for me as the original.

Gameplay


Onto the red velvety sponge that is the gameplay.  Straight off the bat I wanted to talk about the combat, and gravity control, these have both been refined versus the original, and that is certainly not a bad thing.  There is an ability called 'stasis field', this basically allows you draw items towards you and then fires them at enemies, which can be really devastating. The gravity kick and standard combat kicks feel smoother and more accurate too.  There are different combat styles this time around, including Lunar, and Jupiter.  Lunar allows you to jump further, and faster without having to use your gravity gauge.  Jupiter lets you kick harder and stronger, along with giving you the ability to create a ball of debris that can be really handy during boss fights.  While they are fun to use, switching between them using the touchpad is not, sometimes it fails to recognise the correct style or does nothing, on occasion, this disturbed the flow of combat.


Similar to the original game you can upgrade your abilities, these can be improved further by using talisman you find while mining.  If I'm being honest I didn't find them that helpful, you can combine different types together, fuse two of the same together or recycle them, overall it just felt unneeded as the skill tree did all you really needed.


The Nevi are your main enemies, basically purple goo with one or more weak spots that are always easy to see.  There are some new additions to the Nevi army, including a few that are really well armored.  Now, don't get me wrong a good boss fight can be a lot of fun, but near the end of the game it is wall to wall bosses fights, by the time I finished, I had grown weary of them.


The game has notifications, some of them let you know about new missions, others about new outfits and downloadable content, some regarding online challenges.  They never stopped coming, if I got that many notifications on my phone I would turn it off, and put it in a drawer.


Overall though some great gameplay, with only really a few minor issues.



Final Thoughts

After nearly twenty hours how did I feel?  Pretty good, with a few minor exceptions it did everything I would want from a sequel, larger world, and story, improved gameplay, and visuals, what more could I ask for?  The side missions for me were one of the bigger problems I had as they just felt a little too, meh, for those of them that were good there were really good.  Overall it was a great game that wasn't a hard to score, this one gets 4 out of 5

PleaSe, The Vita?

When I first saw the PS Vita all I thought was "hmm".  I was on a budget at the time & "hmm" was not enough justification to pay the same money for a handheld console as a home console.  I know, I know you can't look at it that way but at €249 for the cheapest bundle deal & that was without a memory card I really had to.


Of course I found a way round not having the money to buy one, it was really quite simple.  I suggested to the manager where I worked at the time, that we needed to spend more time "testing" the products we sold.  I mean after all if we were more confident of how the products work we will sell more of them. So for research purposes & building my product knowledge I played the Vita almost every lunch time for weeks.


While it took a little while longer then expected to actually buy one I can tell you this; if my PS Vita broke tomorrow & I could not get repaired where I now work, I would buy a new one straight away - no questions asked.

I am...I umm...this game is....I am blown away by this game!!!!  I had never played a Persona game before playing Persona 4 Golden Week.  It truly is a masterpiece & I have been absorbed completely into the Persona 4 world.  I have now played; Persona 4 Arena, Persona 4 Ultimax, watched some of the anime series (which I must finish), am currently playing Persona 3 just for some tie in purposes and am looking forward to getting Persona 4 Dancing All Night.


Anyone that knows me, knows that I am not really big into fighting or dancing games but Persona 4 is just so good I can't get enough.  I have the soundtrack, I even have a design sorted for a tattoo that would cost me a €1000 to get done & I am still thinking to myself "I can probably justify that".  Okay I am going to calm down & look at reviewing this game but yes I think it's a little bit alright.


The story focuses on the protagonist Yu which is you (I am sorry I couldn't help myself).  Your parents have to go abroad to work so you get shipped off to the quaint rural town of Inaba.  Lucky enough you get to live with your uncle Ryotaro; a gruff cop who is coping with being a widowed husband & raising a young daughter. It is not all bad for him though as Nanako is awesome, cute & the kind of kid you always wanted.  So far nothing crazy right? All normal, nothing weird, prepare for your mind to be blown.


It starts with a mysterious murder, finding some friends, falling into a TV at an electronics store & finding a life size plush Teddy who only speaks in Bearisms!  What do you mean Bearisms? He says things like, "I am Bear-y scared", "I am a Beary busy bear", "I am Beariffic".  So mind blown yet? No? But wait there is more!  Inside yourself you have another side of you so to speak, this is called your Persona.  Persona's are powerful beings that can be used to fight monsters in the TV world, you & your friends must all learn to summon them.  Only by working together can you help stop the monsters, solve the growing number of murders & pass your exams!


Onto music! I have always had a like for J-Pop due to some of the anime series I have watched.  The music in Persona 4 Golden Week brought this to a whole new level for me. Shoji Meguro composes a brilliant array of songs accompanied by the lyrics of  Reiko Tanaka & vocals of Shihoko Hirata.  The music perfectly fits with every part of the game & really helps reflect why video game music is so important in games.  My favorite tracks are; Reach Out to The Truth, Junes Theme, Heartbeat, Heartbeat, How Much? & I'll Face Myself.


The game looks beautiful, everything from the warmth of Dojima's living room, to the quaint living, breathing town of Inaba & of course the TV World with it's varied dungeons. The changing seasons is another great visual effect & helps make everything feel more real. It is difficult to be non biased about a game you love but I can't think of anywhere in the game that I felt it was dull or uninteresting.


The game play is difficult to sum up because there is simply so much you can see & do.  Like with any JRPG you have dungeons you need to clear to power yourself up & beat bosses.  To me though the game really shines with all the other things you can do.  Hanging out with friends & building relationships is highly rewarding not only from a story stand point but also helps improve your Persona.  Getting a part time job is a great way to make money, level up skills & make new friends. Fancy like watching a movie, fishing, catching butterflies or visiting a shrine it is all possible & more in Persona 4 Golden Week.


How do I best sum this game up? Buy It. That is all.

I remember seeing all the TV commercials when Gravity Rush was being released & I thought to myself, "yes this seems like a game I would like".  It ended up being the first game I tried & bought on the PS Vita, I was not disappointed.


The game is set in the upside down town of Hekseville, the place is falling apart & I mean literally.
You play as Kat, a girl who has lost her memory but rather than let it get her down she picks herself up & gets on with. She quickly meets a mysterious black cat called Dusty, he helps you rediscover your power - the power to manipulate gravity.  Kat's mission is try & help the people of Hekseville put there town back together by destroying crazy shadow monsters, collecting crystals all while trying to remember who she is, oh & of course stopping the bad guy.


The music is composed by Kohei Tanaka is interesting & runs between beautiful melodic pieces & a jazz sound reminiscent of the 20s/30s. These sounds are really apparent on tracks like; Pleasure Quarter, Douse Shinundakara, Old Town & Ease.  Then out of left field you have very intense tracks like, Bloody Claws & Gravity Raven. It has a really great soundtrack & is one of the best features of the game.


Visually speaking the game is gorgeous, Hekseville reminds me of an alternate universe french town. The cobblestones & architecture of the buildings really bring the town to life.  The developers went for a cell shading style when creating the game which works fantastically on the PS Vita.  I love little touches like the comic panels being used to break up the the normal speech bubble dialogue when talking to people in the world.  Another great touch is that for the most part cut sequences flow seamlessly into gameplay & back again.


The gameplay is fun but at times can be frustrating,  the movement of Kat can feel a little unpredictable. I can't remember how many times I fell off of somewhere or missed landing an attack on an enemy.  While the controls could be fiddly at times I still really enjoyed playing.  I have many great memories from the game but one of my most memorable parts was when Kat is trying to find a home.  She ends up living in a sewer which is actually way nicer than it sounds.  Obviously she needs some furniture & has to scavenge it from round the town.  It takes time but when you finally get all you need I felt really proud,  I thought to myself, yes I could be happy in this home.  I quite enjoyed helping the people of the town out & helping pull parts of the town back together.  Collecting crystals to level up your abilities was very satisfying & helped in getting orientated with the controls.


With few flaws I found it to be a lot of fun & I have not played any game like it before or since.  Well worth adding to your collection if you don't already have it.

I have played only a few of the Final Fantasy titles but by far this one is my favorite.  I remember saying after I finished the game on the Playstation 2 I would love if this became available on a handheld console. The big reason for this, apart from the convenience would be that I could play Blitzball on the go.  I loved playing blitzball & if it was a real sport I would definitely watch it. Naturally when I heard it was announced for the PS Vita I was excited & bought it immediately upon release.


The game opens in the futuristic, tranquil, neon lighted city of Zanarkand, Tidus narrates what happened just before his life got turned upside.  You play the character of Tidus the star player of the Zanarkand Abes Blitzball Team. People are cheering for you as you run late to the stadium for a big game, then it begins.  You get to watch one of the best cut sequences I have ever seen in a game & I still stand by that now.  All I will say is something happens & causes you to be transported to another world - Spira.  As it is massively story based like any RPG I don't want to spoil anything for you, I will say the main enemy is impressive & is so much more than just a simple enemy.


The music is put together by Junya Nakano, Masashi Hamauzu, Nobuo Uematsu.  There is a beautiful heartfelt piece by Nakano Ritsuki called Suteki Da Ne, if you have played the game you will know the song well. If you have not played it find it on line right now & listen to it.  The soundtrack for the game is huge & is available as a 4CD set.  There is so much to say about this soundtrack that I could easily do a post solely on it.  The music has so many levels & even if you don't like Final Fantasy games listen to this soundtrack.  Some of my favorite pieces are; I Want to Tell You Everything, Hurry,  Rikku's Theme, Enemy Attack, Song Of Prayer - Valefor, Auron's Theme, Otherworld, Brass De Chocobo, Blitz Off, Someday the Dream Will End.  If I was to sum the music of the game up I would say, it is magical.


The game looks superb!  From the small village of Besaid, to the breath taking temples & character designs they are all a visual delight. The cut sequences are amazing & as mentioned one of my favorites is right near the start of the game.  I remember seeing the opening sequence before the title screen the first time & I was blown away.  Hearing Tidus narrating & the camera panning showing a beach with all your allies standing around looking distraught & tired. There was just something very powerful about it & set the tone for the whole game.


Where to begin with the gameplay? Well I am going to jump right ahead & say "Let's Blitz!" I loved playing blitzball & I know I am not the only person that got into it in a big way.  Playing through various leagues trying to win overdrives & special techniques was awesome.  Basically the stadium is a sphere of water where two teams try to score the most goals before time runs out.  Aqua football is an over simplification of what it is but is a great visual aide.  I easily poured 40+ hours into playing Blitzball alone & I don't regret a moment of it.


Summoning Aeon's on the battlefield was always a delight & in quick battles watching their attacks swot aside enemies with ease made me smile with glee especially if you got overkill's - which you almost always did.  Once of my favorite Aeon's was Yojimbo who was a slight luck based character who I always had great success with especially when it came to his instant kill move -  Zanmato.  In some cases I had not even had my overdrive charged half way & got him to pull it off anyway. Ahhh even thinking about him performing the move nearly brings a tear to my eye.


Like any great RPG character interactions are key, whether they are with your allies or someone you have met on the side of the road.  There are many great characters in FFX, some of mine include; Auron, Maechen, The Chocobo's, Dona & Barthello, Belgemine, Wakka, Lulu.


It is difficult to flaw this game, however there are some parts of the story that can be slow at times, getting some of the more specialized weapons (Lulu's for example) is a real pain, there are also a few enemies like Malboro who can end up killing before you have even landed a punch, this is slightly frustrating especially if you have been powering up for an hour & forget to save. In the grand scheme of things these are minor issues & does not spoil the overall experience.  Whether you have played it before or are just considering playing it for the first time pick up a copy & play it today!

Well that's the PS Vita & all the console reviews for now.  I am sure at some point in the future I will review the Nintendo 3DS & the XBOX One.  Going forward I will just be looking to review games that I am playing.  Before I finish with the PS Vita I wanted to give a few honorable mentions:



Sine Mora
Hot Line Miami
Guacamelee!
Freedom Wars
Nihilumbra
Uncharted Golden Abyss



This is Little Monkey signing off!