God Hand

Infobox VG
title = God Hand


caption =
developer = Clover Studio
publisher = Capcom
designer = Shinji Mikami (director)
Atsushi Inaba (producer)
engine =
version =
released = flagicon|Japan September 14, 2006
flagicon|US October 10, 2006
flagicon|Europe February 16, 2007
genre = Beat 'em up
modes = Single player
ratings = ESRB: Mature 17+
CERO: B
PEGI: 16+
platforms = PlayStation 2
media = 1 DVD
requirements =
input = gamepad

"God Hand"(ゴッドハンド) is a video game developed by Clover Studio and published by Capcom for the PlayStation 2 video game console.

The game is a fantasy/sci-fi/-themed comedy beat 'em up that combines traditional gameplay elements of the genre with new features such as knocking enemies into the sky and a new counter system.

Development was supervised by Shinji Mikami, best known for the "Resident Evil" and "Devil May Cry" series of games. "God Hand" is the last Clover Studio game.

There are a few minor differences between the American and Japanese versions of the game. The Chihuahua Curry power-up was changed to Puppy Pizza. A free Roulette called "Pan Drop" (スカ), which gives the user short-lived invincibility in return for taking some damage, was removed.

Despite the game being intended for a mature audience, there are no signs of actual blood or sexual content. However, there are a few profanities and some suggestive content. It was rated M in the US and 16+ by PEGI; however, Japan's CERO rated God Hand B, ages 12 and up.

tory

In the days after time, an angel filled with pride fell from the heavens to a life in exile as the Demon King Angra. Filled with spite and hatred, Angra spearheaded an army of demons and specters to overthrow the world of mortal men. His plan was foiled, a man appeared with the power of God sealed in his arms, and used this power to once again send Angra into exile.

The people, grateful that the Angra's threat had subsided, bestowed upon the man the title of Godhand. Legend states: "Although the man is long since gone, a single clan continues to this day to defend the Godhands, and the power held within". "Those who possess this power are capable of becoming either god or demon."

There has been some versions with a different story. The demon Angra is killed by man, but the energy of Angra released after his death, is captured by him in his hands, to prevent them from being gathered by evil. These hands become the God Hands, and are entrusted upon to a clan for protecting after the owner dies.

Characters

Main characters

*GeneA 23-year old, dusty rambler that ends up stuck with one of the famed God Hands -- with a bunch of nasty demons on his tail. Though outspoken and a constant complainer, he has a keen sense of justice. He likes to imagine he has a gentle, kinder side despite his rough, macho exterior. In the end, he slays the demon Angra by taking control of both God hands. Voiced by Beng Spies.

*OliviaNineteen years old, this beauty is a descendant of a family that protected the God Hands for centuries, until demons hunting for the arms wiped out most of the family. As the sole survivor, she fled with one of the God Hands, allowing fate to carry her to a small town where she crosses paths with Gene and entrusts the God Hand to him. Voiced by Bettina Bush.

"The Four Devas"

*ElvisPossessing amazing strength and a huge appetite, Elvis likes to chase the ladies when he's not kicking butt. Despite being a demon, he has acquired some nasty human habits. He's brutally honest and something of a potty mouth. Appears in "human" form as a fat, yet heavily muscled Mexican man in a poor fitting white vest and pants, with a giant set of purple Buddhist prayer beads around his neck. Is relentlessly and constantly chewing on an enormous cigar. Voiced by Jamieson Price.

*ShannonThe life of the party, this ravishing hedonist hides cold, cruel instincts. In the pursuit of satisfying her own hunger for pleasure, no sacrifice is too much. Appears as a coquettish, lithe female in an outrageous maroon and yellow outfit, with candystriped horns and green tattoos. Due to her status as an attractive, blonde, promiscuous female, and her association with Chihuahuas, some take her as a parody of Paris Hilton. She is eventually beaten to death by angry peasants with folding fans.Voiced by Susan Chesler.

*Azel (Devilhand)Azel is mysterious and supremely confident, and his left arm is one of the fabled Godhands. Though human, he joins the demons in order to further his own ambitions. He fights the same way as Gene does, having weaker variations of Gene's roulette moves. Azel was engaged to Olivia by arrangement. Voiced by Sam Riegel.

*BelzeCold as ice, the leader of the Four Deva's is deeply loyal to Angra and very proud of his demon heritage. He doesn't fight against Gene in his usual form, but transforms into his demonic form in the only boss fight against him. Belze's demon form is a giant Praying Mantis with Belze's face shown in between two big bug eyes that turn purple whenever he attacks. Voiced by Daran Norris.

*Angra The fallen angel who was slain by the Godhand Warrior centuries ago. At the game's conclusion he is nearly resurrected by Azel, using Olivia's body as a host. Voiced by Jamieson Price.

Minor characters

*The Evil Trio (Bruce, Conchita, and Felix) The group responsible for cutting off Gene's original arm. The three hound Gene throughout the course of the story seeking to retake the God Hand.Voiced by Sam Riegel, Melissa Charles, and Fred Tatasciore.

*Gorilla Mask Initially this appears to be a gorilla wearing a lucha libre wrestling mask and outfit. Upon defeat it becomes more apparent that he is a man in a gorilla suit.

*Dr. Ion A robot warrior sent by Belze to stop Gene. He appears twice as a miniboss during the course of the game, receiving an "upgrade" in his second encounter in the form of a battery on his back.

*Ravel & DebussyA rock duo who seem to have a problem with Gene. Originally aspiring (and awful) musicians, they sold their souls to the demons in exchange for musical prowess. Their names are those of two composers of classical music: Maurice Ravel and Claude Debussy. Voiced by Sam Riegel and Fred Tatasciore.

*Mad Midget FiveA group of five midgets dressed in Super Sentai / Power Ranger style clothing that resembles Viewtiful Joe. The emblems on their costumes are the Heart, Club, Diamond, and Spade suits on playing cards, along with a 'J' for 'Joker' (This possibly parodies Super Sentai's JAKQ Dengekitai also since the motif was also based on card suits). Featured twice as minibosses.

Gameplay

God Hand is a 3-D action game in the same spirit of Devil May Cry. The player moves in all directions, attacking with the face buttons and using special moves (unlocked or powered up as the game progresses through an in-game shop). God Hand's control scheme is borrowed directly from Resident Evil 4 with some major changes. The player must manually turn around using a button, and all actions (outside of basic attacks) are performed via a context sensitive button. Using this button allows the player to jump up ladders, pick up items, and use special attacks that can only be used when the enemy is in a dazed or tired state. The Right Analog stick no longer controls the camera, but maps four dodge moves to the directions on the stick; a duck move, a backflip, and a left and right dash.

The player maps any attack they wish to Triangle, Square, and X. Square is the only button that allows the player to chain multiple attacks at once. All buttons allow the player to map an alternative move to a combination of back (on the analog stick) and a button press (Back and square, back and triangle, back and x). There are over 100 moves in the game for the player to choose from including basic jabs and punches　to drunken-style and capoeira martial arts to spanking and groin kicking ("Don't act like you don't like the ballbuster!").

The player can map a limited amount of moves to their God Reel (aka God Roulette). This moves are limited to a number of orbs that Gene has collected throughout the level (in the form of cards in three levels). Some moves require Gene to have two or three orbs, while a good deal of them only require one. These attacks are notably more powerful then Gene's basic punches and kicks. Some moves send Gene's opponents flying into the stratosphere while others are simple punches or kicks to specific places (the ballbuster, for example).

Another move in Gene's arsenal is the God Hand itself. As Gene strikes and defeats enemies, his TP bar goes up. Gene can also taunt and use TP boosting attacks to increase his TP bar. When it reaches a set amount, Gene can remove the bracelet from his arm (referred to as the "Deistic Brace") to unleash the God Hand. In this state he is completely invincible and all of his attacks increase in both power and speed. By using various stat boosting items, Gene can increase the size of his TP bar to hold more power. Gene can also find cards or glamour pictures in the middle of a level to increase his TP.

While in combat, the player must monitor a level bar that goes up and down depending on how much damage the player is dealing or receiving. If the player gets caught up in a flurry of punches and combos, his level will drop. If the player deals a large number of attacks to their enemies, then their level will go up. The lowest level is Level 1 with the highest numerical level being 3, and the highest overall being Level DIE. During Level 2 and below, the enemies will not attack Gene unless they are in his line of sight or he is attacking them. On level 3 and above, the enemies will attack regardless of the camera position (leading to many offscreen blows or hits unless the player monitors the radar in the top screen). Also, enemy attack strength increases as the levels increase; at Level DIE a fully maxed out Gene can be killed in about 6 hits. Gene possesses a move called Grovel, in which he falls to his knees and begs. This has the effect of instantly resetting the level bar to 1, regardless of its previous state.

The in-game level meter ties in with the difficulty options that the player has when they first start the game. EASY mode keeps the level meter capped at Level 2. NORMAL starts the player at Level 1 and lets them go as high as Level DIE. HARD difficulty, unlocked by beating NORMAL, increases enemy health slightly and keeps the level on DIE. While NORMAL keeps the level meter open for all levels of difficulty, most high level players will want to play the game on HARD to avoid maintaining the level meter and keeping it at the highest level possible. Grovel is unavailable on Hard Mode.

Music

Infobox Album
Name = GOD TRACKS!
Type = Soundtrack
Longtype = to "God Hand"
Artist = Masafumi Takada


Released = flagicon|Japan 2006
Genre = Alternative rock
Hard rock
Rave
Techno
Length =
Label =
Producer = Masafumi Takada
Reviews =
Last album = "killer7 Original Sound Track"'
(2005)
This album = "GOD TRACKS!"
(2006)
Next album = "No More Heroes Original Sound Tracks"
(2008)

Masafumi Takada from Grasshopper Manufacture (of "Killer7" fame) composed most of the game's soundtrack. The soundtrack is heavily influenced by 60's and 70's theme songs and other genres, including techno, rave, rock and funk. The song "Gene's Rock-A-Bye" is considered to be a variation of the "Hawaii Five-O" main theme.

The soundtrack itself, [http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/GOD_TRACKS! God Tracks] , is composed of 23 tracks.

Reception

"God Hand" received mixed reviews from many magazines and websites, including a 3.0 out of 10 from IGN. It garnered an 8.0/10 from Gamespot, a 6.4/10 from GameTrailers, a 4/5 from G4's X-Play, a B+ from Game Revolution, and an 8/10 from Eurogamer. Famitsu rated the game 26/40. VideoGaiden, in the final episode of season 2, claimed the game to be one of the "best ever made". Press Start Online awarded "God Hand" a score of 9:10 (9 being the score representing overall quality, 10 representing the reviewer's individual opinion.) [ [http://www.pressstartonline.co.uk/view.php?item=240 pressstartonline.co.uk - Site inactive ] ]

Independent PlayStation Magazine listed "God Hand" among the "11 PS2 Games You Need to Play (But Haven't)." [Teresa Dun and Tom Hololen, "11 PS2 Games You Need to Play (But Haven't)," "Independent PlayStation Magazine" 129 (November, 2007): 37.]

Erik Wolpaw remarked in an interview, in regards to the rock song that plays over the end credit sequence: "... [the song is] one of the many reasons [God Hand is] so great." [ [http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/?p=518 Rock, Paper, Shotgun: Still Hoping For That Post-Apocalyptic Robot Versus Monkey Immersive Sim » Blog Archive » RPS Interview: Valve’s Erik Wolpaw ] ]

References

External links

;Official websites
* [http://www.cloverstudio.co.jp/godhand/ Japanese website]
* [http://ww2.capcom.com/godhand/ North American website] ;General resources
* [http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/GOD_TRACKS! Japanese Wikipedia entry for the soundtrack]
* [http://kungpaofu.com Kung Pao Fu - A God Hand Fansite]
* [http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/action/godhand/index.html?q=god%20hand/ GameSpot "God Hand"]
* [http://ps2.ign.com/objects/822/822478.html IGN's "God Hand" Game Profile]
* [http://hg101.classicgaming.gamespy.com/godhand/godhand.htm Hardcore Gaming 101 God Hand article]
* [http://www5b.biglobe.ne.jp/~kokuyume/GODHAND3.htm Voice actor credits, jukebox section titles list]
*moby game|id=/god-hand|name="God Hand"
* [http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/ps2/home/932558.html God Hand at Gamefaqs]