Graphics are about all that Gungrave has going for it. If Anime looked this good, I wouldn't stop watching it. Unfortunately, that's about all you can do in this game; watch it. It carries a heavily animated feel to it, even during the actual gameplay. Characters and backgrounds are almost indiscernible from each other, and a healthy portion of the scenery is alterable. The characters could have used a few more animation's though, especially the main character, as the movements can get a bit choppy at times.

Most of what you'll be hearing will be the exploding shots of your dual pistols, with occasional explosions mixed in there for good measure. And though there are other effects, most of them are drowned out in the mindless audio chaos of combustibles going off. The music sounds like it's something out a 1970's Japanese action flick, which, if that's what you like, probably isn't all that bad.

What Gungrave has in graphics, it most certainly lacks in gameplay. This game is about as deep as a pond in the Sahara, and only becomes dryer by the minute. As you take the main character, Grave, on a destructive romp through slums and subways, the plot as well as the action becomes more insipid.

As Grave, a former member of The Syndicate (how many Syndicates does that make now?), you have sold your soul for a body that can wreak havoc upon mortal man. Aided by an old friend and a pair of huge pistols that never run out of ammo, you trudge from level to level, carrying your coffin on your back (this also doubles as a weapon at times), blasting everything in site.

If done the right way, this method of gameplay can turn out great (Contra anyone?). However, Gungrave has twisted it into a recipe for disaster. Blasting the same enemies again and again, in very monotonous environments, tends to get a little boring. The guns, too, never change, except for the coffin on your back, which fires special shots that must be guarded with rabid enthusiasm.

Enemies you will face along the way can wield a number of weapons, including rocket launchers, suitcase machine guns, right down to samurai swords. Unfortunately, most of them are never on screen long enough to get a good look at, leaving you firing at a silhouette most of the time, taking the excitement out of crushing you enemies. Even the level bosses suffer from a lack of inspiration here. Making the bosses a little more unique could have saved a little face, but instead of battling crazed monstrosities, you usually end up face to face with a guy in a suit, and you have no idea of why you have to end their meager lives.

If you can smash buttons, there will be little problem getting through this game. Walking and shooting, or just standing and shooting, is priority number one here, and aiming is a feat looked down upon. Sure you can hit a button that will automatically target an enemy, but why do that when you can hack away at the controller with only a slight amount of effort, and lay waste to the scene. Even most of the bosses are a pushover, as they require little more maneuvering than the rest of the enemies in the level.

As easy as the enemies are, the controls are somewhat less than a match for them. Manual aim is discarded in favor of laying down an obscene amount of firepower. A shoulder button will lock on to the nearest enemy, but you can never aim up or down by yourself, limiting both your view and your ability to let slip your dogs of war.

Movement is equally as complex. Walking is painfully slow, but this is the only way to accurately relocate yourself while blasting away at the baddies. Running is nigh the same speed, but your skill of firing is unfortunately taken away. The ability to dive in the four cardinal directions while shooting is available, but trying to just plain jump on something is far more difficult than it needs to be.

Gungrave may paint a pretty picture, but it definitely leaves a lot of fun to be desired. The repetitive gameplay gets exponentially worse as you go along, which rules out playing this game in stints. And the closer you get to the end, the more the replay value rapidly approaches zero. If you're looking for a mindless action game to play, have a little patience and wait for Contra.