God Hand (PS2)

Resident Evil 4 was universally acclaimed as the best game of 2005, but with director Shinji Mikami not working on the next game (which isn’t due till 2007 at the earliest anyway) you may wonder what exactly he’s been getting up to since then. The answer is God Hand. This is no crowd pleasing epic though, but a purposefully hardcore beat ‘em-up that works as both an ode to the likes of Final Fight and a means to let of steam after his previous work. It’s punishing hard, unapologetically repetitive and has possibly the oddest sense of humour in gaming. At first the game seems impossibly simplistic with nothing to do, no puzzles or platform jumping, beyond fighting. Many of the enemies are very similar and initially your characters has few moves with which to combat them.

By the end of the game though you will have unlocked over a hundred moves and fought the strangest rogues gallery in gaming, from a puppy kicking dominatrix to a giant wrestling gorilla and a bunch of midget Power Ranger clones. The game’s music is just as bizarre with a cheesy rock sound track and even a laugh track to accompany the various pratfalls. If you ever wondered what a beat ‘em-up made by Vic Reeves would look like, this is it. Beneath all the surrealism though there is depth as you dodge attacks with the right analogue stick for a brief boost of invulnerability. You also have to learn to daze larger opponents before doing real damage and pace your use of special moves for otherwise impossible bosses. There’s method in the game’s madness and a welcome shelter from the often wearying banality of other games.
HARRISON DENT

a romp of a game that delivers high levels of violence and risqué humour by the bucket

God Hand is a stylish over-the-top action game. Play as a drifter bestowed with supernatural abilities who must confront the fate and responsibilities inherent with this new found power. Hand-to-hand combat is at its best when gamers unleash the power of the God Hand to deliver righteous punishment onto worthy enemies. The brainchild of Clover Studio's Atsushi Inaba, acclaimed producer of Okami and Shinji Mikami, director of Resident Evil 4, God Hand delivers dangerous whirlwind adventures filled with slapstick antics.

Centuries ago, the world was in imminent doom until a man with the divine powers of god in his arms defeated Demon King Angra. Grateful that Angra's threat had subsided, people bestowed this fighter with the title God Hand. Legend states that to this day, a single clan continues to protect the sacred hands and anyone who acquires such immense power could become a deity or demon. Fast forward to a small town overrun with thugs wielding super-human strength. A gruff drifter named Gene finds his way to this troubled region only to fall unconscious after his right arm is severed while trying to defend a woman in distress. He later awakens to find his limb whole again and is now the possessor of the legendary God Hand. Now the burden of being hunted by demonic legions seeking the right hand of god begins.

In God Hand, it's judgment day as players try to ward off the demons that seek to obtain the coveted appendage. Although Gene may have been granted the strength of the almighty, keeping these foes at bay won't be easy as evil approaches one after another for the ultimate showdown. Fortunately with a vast repertoire of moves and accompanying canned laugh tracks, delivering deadly blows and crushing attacks has never been so satisfying. Featuring a deep fighting system, customize combos to suit any particular desire by choosing from more than 100 moves or trigger the Roulette to execute a number of flashy and often humorous finishing attacks. Or better yet, build up the special God Hand meter and unleash the power of god to make attacks effortlessly stronger and faster. It's Armageddon time!

Centuries ago, the world was in imminent doom until a man defeated Angra and sealed away his godly powers into his own arms. People feared and revered this person who would become known as "God Hand". Legend has it that anyone who acquired such hands would possess immense power that could turn them into a deity or demon. Fast forward to a small town overrun with thugs wielding super-human strength. A gruff drifter named Gene finds his way to this troubled region and defends a woman surrounded by a brutal mob. Despite his valiant efforts, Gene is overpowered by these thugs and his right arm is severed before falling unconscious. He later awakens to find his limb whole again and that he is now the possessor of the legendary "God Hand". The burden of being hunted by demonic legions seeking the right hand of God soon begins.

In God Hand, it`s judgment day as players assume the role of Gene as he tries to ward off the demons that seek to obtain the coveted appendage. Although he may have been granted the strength of the almighty, keeping these foes at bay won`t be easy as evil approaches from all directions for the ultimate showdown. Fortunately with a vast repertoire of moves, delivering deadly blows and crushing attacks has never been so satisfying. Disintegrate every enemy into the very dust that blows through the town and exorcise the evil spirits that possess the locals by unleashing the power of the God Hand. With nearly limitless combo possibilities, gamers can juggle enemies in the air and obliterate them with spectacular finishing moves. It`s Armageddon time!