Availability:
- currently only Japanese
Last updated:
2007 June 28
Author: Kaeli
Shinsengumi Gunraw-den
It's almost a shinsengumi boom that you could speak of. Not only manga and anime are being made about the famous group, but there's an increasing number of videogames.
And by the way, not all of them are action games like Gunraw Den or like Genki's Fu-un Shinsengumi. There is also the indispensable dating game aimed at girls (Bakumatsu Renka Shinsengumi) and even a... well, a shinsengumi magical girl dating sim? Does that make sense? Well, it's being turned into a TV show, so expect to see the daughters of Hijikata and Co. kick evil's ass in the future... in Kidou Shinsengumi Moeyo Ken.
With all this madness going on, it's no big surprise to hear Watsuki's name again. The announcement that Watsuki-sensei would once again visualize the heroes of the Bakumatsu was great news indeed. It's very nice to see his artwork, and it's great to discover that, for the most part, he's not let the image of the Kenshin-shinsengumis get in his way. In Gunraw Den, the characters look again different - if still easily recognizable.
I must admit I terribly like the new Okita. When I look at him, I suddenly wished there was a manga starring him, or at least more - more of this artwork. The new Hijikata looks even rougher than the one briefly appearing in Kenshin, and Saito even gloomier. Nice.
When you peruse the character page on the official website, or happen to get your fingers on the trailer video that's been flying around the internet, you will probably realize that despite all this, there are a lot of characters who remind you of someone from Rurouni Kenshin. The biggest surprise is probably a man bearing a striking ressemblance to a certain hitokiri... and I'm not talking of Kenshin...
I regret that I cannot say anything else about this game. I don't know enough Japanese to play it, and even if I owned it and were playing it... I'd probably not be able to see much of the game. I'm so terribly bad at all these games that require quick reaction and the like.
But as far as I could tell, the game was fairly successful, and also kind of popular. However, the only player I know personally told me that the game sucked. But then again, he said this about any action game he ever played, if I remember correctly. Judging from the screenshots and all I can understand if this game gets confusing easily, and this might not be for everyone.
I hope that one day I will be able to tell you more about this game.
August 17th, 2002 - 2007 by Kaeli (kaeli@gmx.de)
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