Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet

For those unfamiliar with the light novel and anime franchise it is based on, Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet may seem weird – First, while there is online multiplayer, the entirety of the game is single player-centric. Additionally, the “sword” in the title may seem like a misnomer because the game revolves around guns. But bear with us, it makes sense in the end.

For the uninitiated, Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet is a 3rd person shooter RPG based on the Gun Gale Online part of Reki Kawahara’s Sword Art Online light novel and anime franchise. Unlike previous Sword Art Online games, Fatal Bullet follows a user-created custom character inside a VR MMORPG game called Gun Gale Online. The user character’s story will intersect with those of the franchise’s main characters Kirito, Asuna, and the rest of their crew.

The Online part of the name pertains only to the faux VR MMORPG. The player gets to roleplay a person who plays the fictional VR MMO called Gun Gale Online. The in-game world’s population of player characters are only computer-controlled AI. The actual multiplayer is limited to a couple of modes where characters either try to duel each other or fight alongside each other against a Boss Monster, competing on who gets to do the most damage before the monster falls.

Story

It is not surprising that the story is decent, given that the game is based on a light novel. Obviously, people who dislike Sword Art Online will not like the game’s story as it is an almost direct adaptation, but SAO fans will definitely love the twists and the game, as far as we know, contains a plot thread that is exclusive to the game. So it is still worth experiencing even if you have already read the novel.

Graphics

Befitting of a 3D anime game, Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet uses a 3D cel-shaded engine that aims to simulate the look of 2D cel-shaded anime. While it is still obviously a 3D game, the visuals do a great job by perfectly showing its characters as inspired by anime visuals, without looking out of place in the 3D environment. Some versions (particularly the PC port) also take advantage of post processing techniques to add more flourish to the visuals, most notably its use of chromatic aberration. This gives the game a slightly blurred but cinematic look.

Gameplay

When it comes to gameplay, Fatal Bullet can be a bit of a hit and miss. There is obvious potential in how the game handles. The characters handle perfectly depending on how you build them (as expected of an RPG, leveling up gives you points that can be invested into different attributes such as agility, dexterity, strength, etc – with each stat affecting different factors such as handling of the character, damage, inventory capacity, aiming efficiency, etc.)

The aiming is also forgiving. There is auto-aim that is functional but will not do as good of a job as manual aiming. This means beginners can rely on the auto-aim at first, until they get accustomed to manual aiming where they can do optimal damage.

The combat is not perfect, though. Some handling issues are present particularly when it comes to the use of two non-gun weapons: the UFC, which is a grappling hook that can be used to climb up places require some getting used to. And the photon swords will require practice to use effectively, because there is no lock-in targeting, you will have to struggle with the camera controls a bit in order to avoid hitting a lot of thin air. Fortunately, the photon swords provide some of the most consistently large damages in the game (bested only by the slow and heavy sniper rifles), and provide the ability to block bullets and lasers, which provides a tradeoff to its limited range and unwieldiness.

The game, we feel, could have also benefited from a cover system. Fortunately, your character is very mobile so the lack of a cover system does not hinder survivability, provided that you can adapt to its more fast-paced gunplay.

Replayability

Another glaring drawback to the game is its length. The campaign is extremely short, and can be finished in one sitting if not for some artificial lengthening tricks such as the need to grind affinity for each of the side characters in order to get the true ending, and the addition of a fourth wall-breaking time-rewind capability to the plot. People who love grinding may find this a plus, but people who just want to go through the story once should read a guide first, so that they can fulfill all the requirements for the true ending on their first playthrough, thus removing the need to rewind and re-grind.

All in all, Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet is by no means a perfect game. There is potential for the game to appeal to people who are not fans of the franchise, but it has glaring flaws that may be dealbreakers for people who are just looking for a good third person shooter. So if you are coming in and looking for an anime version of The Division, you should temper your expectations or else you’ll come out disappointed. Fans of the Sword Art Online franchise, on the other hand, will definitely enjoy this flawed, yet faithful adaptation of the Gun Gale Online arc.

Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm Revolution (PC)

This covers the Steam release of CyberConnect2’s Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Revolution instead of the console versions because of two very simple reasons: first is that I don’t have an Xbox 360 or a Playstation 3, and second is because the PC port of the previous game in the series had so many technical problems that there may be a lot of readers wondering if the PC port is worth buying this time.

On that note, everyone should relax and be glad that CyberConnect 2 seems to have learned from their past mistakes. Unlike the poorly optimized Full Burst, Revolution works right out of the proverbial box. I’m still using the low-end PC (Pentium G2020, 4GB RAM, nVidia GT240) that had problems running Full Burst in full speed at the lowest resolution, yet Revolution ran like a champ at 1080p with a few dips in fps here and there (as I said, I’m running a PC that would be considered low-end 3 years ago so we shouldn’t be expecting miracles.)

Additionally, it seems like they’re no longer using frame-dependent timing because even at times when my PC struggled to maintain full frame rate (I got dips as low as 25 fps, according to FRAPS), the game didn’t feel slow-motion at all. Maybe they’re properly skipping frames this time around.

Unfortunately for the PC Master race, the frame rate is still capped at 30 fps. You’ll just have to grin and bear it as they’re probably keeping it uniform with the console versions in order to ease porting. Anyway, even at 30 fps the game still feels smoother than Full Burst, owing to a few tweaks in combat (which we’ll tackle later.)

As for a review of the game itself, Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Revolution is basically an upgraded version of Full Burst, and is probably using a modified version of its engine so there’s really no point in a standard review of the game. You can refer to the Full Burst review here if you want the basics. Instead, we’ll just outline some of the more noticeable changes (and whether they’re good or bad.)

Presentation

The first change that will hit you is the tweak to the presentation. It’s a minor tweak but helps a ton in making the user experience better – they simply sped up the time it takes for menu items to load. Most of you will remember that Full Burst’s menu required patience as it takes a few seconds too long before you can get it to do what you want. Moving from one section to the next is instantaneous now.

Kishin Douji Zenki: Batoru Raiden (Super Famicom)

Kishin Douji Zenki: Batoru Raiden (Demon Child Zenki: Battle Raiden) is a sidescrolling action platformer for the Super Famicom, based on the manga/anime series that ran from 1992 to 1996, which focuses on a demon guardian spirit who’s been sealed away by a powerful monk and later revived by the monk’s descendant in the form of a bratty demon child.

The game is in Japanese and there have been no English ports, but it’s hardly a point of contention because the game can be played without any need to understand the story - just go from point A to point B while killing every monster that blocks your path. But in case the story is important for you and you’re a big fan of the series, it is worth pointing out that the game diverts a lot from the source, presenting a simpler version of events (many important characters won’t be making an appearance, for instance.)