Gods Eater Burst Preview

The PSP is home to a great many top-notch action/adventure games, and the latest is a sequel to the popular God Eater . The latter launched about a year ago and enjoyed moderate critical acclaim and a fair amount of sales, so Namco Bandai and D3 Publisher have prepared a follow-up effort. The setting is Fenrir and humans have been brought to the brink of extinction by the Aragami, which are nasty, merciless monsters that have decimated entire cities and now rule the Earth. There’s a lot of battling, solid multiplayer support, and a healthy dose of combat depth, so portable aficionados should have some fun with this one. Based on the media we’ve seen thus far, Gods Eater Burst appears to be a colorful, fast-paced slashfest loaded with plenty of flashy gameplay and what could be a very engaging storyline.

You’ll be able to create a character at the start of your desperate quest, and the customization options will be appreciated. Once complete, you will receive your special weapon, the God Arc. The reason you need this is because without it, those monsters are basically invincible; in fact, up until the emergence of the God Arc, the only thing that could defeat an Aragami is another Aragami. The God Arc is a biological weapon that fuses with the wielder, and that weapon can transform during battle. Upon defeating an enemy, the God Arc can absorb the enemy’s carcass to assume the fallen foe’s abilities. …kinda gross, but still cool, and likely very helpful. Thus far, it sounds like a straight-up action title with a ton of battle and not much else, but that would be an erroneous assumption. Believe it or not, the story will take center stage throughout the adventure.

The cast will all be fully voiced and the developers have worked a complex plot into the game, which will add another level of immersion to the overall experience. As is the case with most story-driven games, there will be a heavy emphasis on character development and interaction, and the story of the Aragami, the embattled Earth, the God Arc, and your compatriots is bound to be somewhat intriguing, at the very least. We might even get a few unexpected twists and turns, and maybe a sampling of betrayal and even sweeping conspiracy… Take this and combine it with the solid gameplay, which lets you customize and upgrade your equipment (via synthesis), and you will progress through a mission-based format. You can even head out with a party that mixes both human and AI-controlled characters; your only limitation is that no more than four heroes can attempt any given mission.

Experimenting with the God Arc is probably a good idea; if the enemy is far away, let the weapon transform into a projectile. That’s just an example. It should also be tons of fun to customize to our heart’s content, and the bullet system is what will be utilized during the God Arc’s projectile phase: you can alter the elemental attributes of the bullets fired, and you can include other features, like explosive properties. Heck, you can even alter the height, speed, and curvature of the bullet fired. All in all, Gods Eater Burst could be one hell of a package, and one well worth your time and money. Sure, the fancy new NGP will be able to present us with much more advanced portable adventures, but don’t discount the PSP just yet. Developers have had plenty of time to understand this hardware, and games later in its lifespan should be technically sound. At any rate, look for this one in early March.