Bullet Witch preview

Japanese support for the Xbox 360 to date has been pretty sparse to say the least. Without the staunch productivity of Capcom it would almost be an entirely Western affair, and for gamers thats not good enough.Bullet Witch arrives from Japanese developer Cavia, who brought us the enjoyable (if limited) Adventure RPG series Drakengard for the Playstation 2. The debut title was a typical Square-Enix production, with the first in the series taking several years to reach the market. Although smothered with lavish cut-sequences and underpinned with a strong storyline, it ultimately fell down with gamers with its repetitive game play. Now Cavia is back with a new futuristic title and hopefully the benefit of experience.Set in the year 2013 the earth is a wasteland, perhaps due to global warming but Gamestyle isnt sure. Humankind is on its last legs and for once the hunted, with demons reversing the role and bringing hell above ground. The game is over except there is one who can turn the tide and win the day. Refreshingly it's a female lead in this game, with Alicia being blessed with magical powers and some shooting ability. Gamestyle prays that Cavia show enough restraint and style not to fall into the trap of BloodRayne, with all her gore and teenage excess."Bullet Witch flaunts exactly what next-generation gaming is all about with more destructible environments and stunning visual effects, coupled with a captivating storyline," said Jeremiah Cohn, Product Manager, Atari, Inc. "Cavia has made a slew of enhancements in both the European and US versions to deliver an extremely exciting game."The game will also ship with the promise that five packs will be made available on the Xbox Live Marketplace, every fortnight. A welcome move, although the additional costumes are a typical Japanese trait, of more interest is the ability to experience revised levels and hopefully extend the life of the title. "It's been a great pleasure for us working on this project with Atari, and we're very excited about the release of Bullet Witch in North America and Europe," said Naohiko Hoshino, Executive Vice President of AQ Interactive Inc. "How well the critically acclaimed Japanese title will be accepted in the leading countries of Third Person Shooting games is going to be a litmus test, and we consider it a challenge as well. We've been working on our upcoming titles and are looking forward to continuing to introduce those high-quality games to the global market in the future."For some the game worryingly features a reliance on magic and weapons. Nothing immediately wrong there, but given the excess of violence and their continuous use (Dynasty Warriors style), any room for experimentation is lost amidst the haze of carnage. Many gamers were turned off from Drakengard because of this very dynamic, with only the brave soldering on till the end, and returning to experience the multiple endings. "Bullet Witch shows a unique world-view with the combination of reality and fantasy through its guns and magical powers," said Tohru Takahashi, Producer, Cavia Inc. With the demon design being handled by Yasushi Nirasawa who counts film design and figurines on his rsum. "Also, by using the physics engine, we were able to have glitzy effects in the game as well. We hope players will enjoy Alicia's magical power to blow up cars and enemies and experience all the elements that are impossible in the real world, and we hope the overseas game fans are looking forward to this unique title."And Gamestyle certainly is looking forward to a new Xbox 360 adventure, only time will tell if Cavia can produce an interactive experience that matches their production and storytelling ability.