What Games Have I Been Missing In 2012: Asura's Wrath

What Games Have I Been Missing In 2012 where I try to make up for lost gaming time each day by playing games I know I should've earlier in the year and give my initial thoughts and gauge and see if that game was worth the time investment to reach out and play.

Today's game is Asura's Wrath for the PS3/360. I'm playing the PS3 version in case you wanted to know that information. Now for those who don't know the premise of Asura's Wrath I'll try to give a descriptive but spoiler free version of it. There's a dude named Asura and he's pissed and has a legit reason for being that way. The game itself has been described as an "interactive anime" and that describes it to a T. The pedigree for this type of game has been around for years but never have I seen it on this grandiose of a scale. And the best part is this isn't tied to any license so everything here is new and fresh and it adds a wonderment to it because you have no clue to what's happening and that in turn makes you want to watch and play more to see what happens.

At the time of the writing of this article I'm about a third of the way through and at the moment I'm very invested in Asura's tale and want to know and experience more. This game does a perfect job of what a narrative is supposed to..get you invested! I might not be able to finish it as I have a lot of games to get to and #RunDatReXXX to do but I will be coming back to this game to make sure Asura gets exactly what he deserves. And I want to take the time to acknowledge Liam O'Brien's awesome work as Asura and the whole cast as well for bringing this tale to life. I can't wait to play more whenever I get the chance.

This is an idea that needs revisiting on both ends. Not only with licensed titles but original tales as well. The Naruto games and the upcoming JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle both cooked up by the force behind Asura's Wrath, CyberConnect2. The Ultimate Ninja Storm series has been teasing at these possibilities for years with the boss battles throughout the series but Asura's Wrath to me seems to be a crescendo of what the UNS games have been doing for awhile now and shows that there is a place for these types of games and that the premise behind it does work. I know that this game didn't sell gangbusters and I heard about the DLC and the issues with that however when you think about from an anime perspective it doesn't sound so bad. All the DLC in this case really are OVA's for the game when you think about it and to even think of it that kind of way is really cool. So if CC2 wants to keep doing them and there are ways to tell stories in this dynamic of a format then bring it. And I hope that Asura isn't a 1 and done character like Vanessa and that they find ways to take advantage of a great character like Asura and the rest of the characters as well.

If you haven't played this yet and have thought about doing so then please don't waste any time in doing so. You can pick the game up now for $15 and from what I've heard repeatedly that if you want some finality you'll have to spend $7 for Part IV: Nirvana. When I get to that point we'll see how invested I am in Asura's Wrath to see how it "ends."

Check one off the list and move to the next one. A lot of games on the list and not a lot time to get it all in. Sounds better as prospect to me to be honest. See you next time!!

-Triple Da G.O.D