Article by: Zach Goodier
Bleach: Soul
Resurreccion is a ps3 exclusive that features the battle against Aizen and the
Arrancar. The story mode takes you
through a run of many of that major battles, and has you take on the role of
the characters that fight those battles.
Aside from the story mode, there is also a mission mode that lets you
choose any character you have unlocked to take on missions to earn soul points
to purchase upgrades. These upgrade
points are specific to that character, so you need to play the characters in order
to purchase upgrades for that specific character. The characters are voiced by the actors from
the series, and the characters have their own unique abilities.
To start with,
the presentation is fairly simple: fight through the map as one of the characters
from the show, and then once you get to the end of the level, you fight some
sort of final battle, usually against another of the characters. The story doesn't allow you to choose
characters, but if you have upgraded the featured characters then those
upgrades apply in story mode. The level
design features environments inspired by the show, but they aren't overly
detailed or original. Once you play
through the first couple levels, you realize that there isn't a lot of variety. The levels themselves change, but the overall
feel is still the same. Having partially
destructible environments helps a lot, though.
Characters all have their same voices, but the acting isn't up to par
with the show, and you will find the in-game lines they use somewhat tiresome
after a while. When a character grunts
or has a line they say when they get hit, then you'll hear it EVERY. SINGLE.
TIME. This can wear quickly in the boss
battles, and keep you from hearing some of the actual story dialogue that goes
on in the background between the characters. Also, some of the relatively central
characters are missing. This was done
for a reason, if you think about it. Due
to the diversity of powers, some (like Renji, and Chad) don't really have
powers that fit into the combat dynamic of the game, so they aren't playable,
but they can be found in the upgrade system, and the give the characters some
interesting abilities. The game even
features Kokuto, the character from the 4th Bleach movie, Hell Verse.
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| You'll be doing this over, and over, but you can literally fly through most of it. |
The gameplay
itself is pretty good. You may think
this will be something like a DBZ game, and in many ways it is. Characters feature individual moves from the
show, and they all have a powered up version with a finishing move that is also
taken from the show. However, the combo
system isn't incredibly deep. You just
hit, blast, or special. This makes the
game feel somewhat tedious at times, but if you're here because you like the
show, which I would assume so, then you will enjoy it regardless. Sure, the combo system isn't as deep as an
A-list fighting game like Devil May Cry or Ninja Gaiden, but this isn't an
A-list game, unfortunately. Once you get
that through your head, your expectations should drop a bit. THIS ISN'T A BAD THING, you just have to
realize that like many anime adaptations, this didn't get the big budget and award-winning
studio you might be used to.
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| Surf's up. Play as your favorite heroes/villains and use their powers. |
The mode you'll
be playing the most is Mission mode.
This is where you have free pick of the characters, allowing you to take
your favorite one out and play through the missions. This features many of the same maps as the
old ones, but you won't mind the repetition.
This game isn't about the polish or the depth of story; you're supposed
to just enjoy getting to control the characters. The challenges bring you back, forcing you to
eventually take on wave after wave of other characters, sometimes 3 or 4 at a
time. This gets to a real challenge on
the higher difficulty levels, which you almost HAVE to play in order to get
that S ranking overall and rake in those soul points. However, you won't be equipped to do that
until you get your character upgraded.
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| Some challenges are... *puts on glasses*.... BIGGER than others. |
Overall, Bleach:
Soul Resurreccion is a game that could have been so much more. The depth of the story, the characters, the
emotions, that's all missing. However,
this game assumes you already know all that.
This is made for those of us who wanted to jump into one of our favorite
characters, and start being a total badass.
This game might not be as deep or engaging as it could have been, but it's
an anime adaptation; they never get the budgets or polish that they
deserve. So if you judge this next to
your A-list titles, then it will be a bitter disappointment. However, if you see it as simply what it is:
an attempt to give us Bleach fans a chance to grab our favorite zanpakuto, jump
into a swarm of hollows, and face off with some of the toughest villains in the
series, then this should be your cup of tea.
I bought the game almost a year ago and I still find myself going back
from time to time, just to play as Ichigo and save Orihime; or maybe I want to
play as Aizen, and crush everyone.
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| This game isn't about polish or detail, it's about reliving your favorite battles with your favorite characters. |
Good:
-Get to play as
most of your favorite characters.
-Gets you ahead
in the story if you're watching the English version of the anime, but not in great
detail.
-Characters well
animated in-game and have all of their signature moves.
-Allows you to
enjoy more of those characters that may not have received as much screen time
as you might have appreciated in the
show.
-Solid game, considering the tiny budget it was made with.
Bad:
-Not an A-list
game, that sums up most if not ALL of the game's issues (graphically
unimpressive, lackluster environments, voiceovers decent but not up to par with
the show) .
-Couple of key
characters left off the roster, but understandable when you think about it.
-No multiplayer.
Scully Rating: 7.5 out of
10
