God Hand

Template:TOC-right God Hand is a video game developed by Clover Studio and published by Capcom in 2006 for the Sony PlayStation 2. The game is conceptually modeled after classic beat 'em ups like Double Dragon, Streets of Rage, and Capcom's own Final Fight: the protagonist, a carefree drifter named Gene, faces wave after wave of generic thugs in hand-to-hand combat. Unlike its side-scrolling predecessors, however, God Hand features fully three dimensional movement and environments.

Game design

God Hand was conceived when Clover Studio's head, Atsushi Inaba, and game designer Shinji Mikami were brainstorming ideas for their next title. They discussed how contemporary action games tended to be weapon-based (typically around swords and knives) rather than hand-to-hand combat, so Mikami worked up a concept image of a hand-to-hand combat action game and Inaba thought it would be really fun to do.

True to its retro game design sensibilities, God Hand opens with no exposition or tutorial. A short cutscene sets the irreverent tone of the game and Gene is thrust into a fight with a group of thugs, forcing the player to quickly learn the game's unconventional "tank controls": the camera is locked directly behind Gene; to quickly turn, players must press a button rather than push a joystick. The left joystick is used for moving, the right joystick for dodging attacks, and the four face buttons for all manners of punches and kicks -- 100 to be exact -- all of which are customizable. The steep learning curve, coupled with an unforgiving difficulty level, has earned God Hand its share of criticism; Eurogamer's Quintin Smith remarked that "defeating a foe will randomly turn the sky black, stop the music and spawn a leather-tough demon who will unquestionably wipe the floor with you on your first encounter."

To accommodate beginners and experts alike, God Hand features a dynamic difficulty that fluctuates between levels 1, 2, 3, and DIE: if the player performs well, the difficulty level raises; if the player takes too many hits, it drops. To alleviate the difficulty of direct combat, players can also use godly special moves through a time-sensitive roulette function, and duck, counter and stomp by responding quickly to context-sensitive prompts. and can build up "God mode" using a tension gauge to unleash Gene's "God Hand" -- a state which render him temporarily invincible and grants him greater strength and speed. Checkpoints reduce the frustration of too many repeated attempts of the same area, and after every area/chapter, the player can save the game file to a memory card. At these junctions, players can buy new fighting techniques, gamble at a casino, put money down on Chihuahua races, and practice in a fighting arena.

PRESENTATION

Graphics are plain. The environments range from Western-themed to steampunk. The player plays to the sound of surf rock.

Unlike most games today, God Hand is light on the story. Cutscenes are interspersed throughout the game, some of which are flashbacks to give back story. the demon angra...balh balh balh

Humor...over-the-top dialog. Stereotypes.

Reception

Such unconventional mechanics separate God Hand from its contemporaries Ninja Gaiden and Devil May Cry; they, along with its self-deprecating presentation, has earned it criticism. God Hand received mixed reviews across the board; its retro design, high difficulty level, and self-deprecating presentation earned it high or low marks, depending on the reviewer. IGN's Chris Roper infamously scored the game a shockingly low 3/10, . Edge's review summed up the situation well: "Take it or leave it: just don’t ignore it, or you may miss the videogame equivalent of a daft night out with some of Capcom’s finest minds."

Something about Clover's demise just two days after God Hand's release here.

External links

Kung Pao Fu is a God Hand fansite that includes multimedia, a full staff and credits listing, the game script, character profiles, strategies, and more.