It's definitely the season for conceptually refreshing - and exceedingly left field - games.

Asura's Wrath is unlike anything you've ever played. It is probably the best anime-style game ever even though it isn't actually based on an anime. It uses Quick-Time-Events extensively, but actually implements them well so they aren't annoying.

Let's just say this upfront: Unless you skip almost every story beat, you will watch Asura's Wrath more than you play it. Even then, th...

Crazy; over the top action; Good story; Plenty of style

Lack of interactivity; Short length; Some degree of repetition

Asura's Wrath was a game I'd little followed since its announcement as generally I hold little interest in games so intensely ‘Japanese', so when a review copy fell into my lap I ventured into the experience largely blind.

Visual style and sheer delightful absurdity; Bug-free and polished to a shine

Lack of actual gameplay; Priced too highly for the experience it provides

One thing I've always loved is when you get so proficient at an action game that you are practically unstoppable. When the controls work well you feel invincible, almost god-like, as you cut a swath of destruction through the enemies you face.

Asura is one of the Eight Guardian Generals, demigods who fight to protect Gaea from the corruption of the Gohma. Filled with a constant rage he is a fierce force on the battlefield, his wrath only quelled by thoughts of his family.

It's always refreshing to see a new game such as Asura's Wrath hit the shelves – a change from the twentieth Resident Evil or sixteenth Street Fighter, to choose just two lengthy franchises from Capcom's own wheelhouse.

Unfortunately for Asura's Wrath , this is a games magazine and we will therefore be reviewing it as a game. If you are a huge anime fan we recommend you purchase a copy of the excellent publication NEO, where you'll find all the latest news and reviews of wonderful anime and manga products.

Azura's Wrath, made by Cyberconnect2 and Capcom, brings a different style to the genre of action and adventure games. Azura's Wrath is a button masher that offers an interactive and entertaining story mode.

Great art design; unique style and story format; entertaining and fun to play

Azura's dialogue gets a little annoying; the game doesn't offer too many hours of story

Asura's Wrath would be almost nothing without graphics and sound, so it's fortunate that it's nearly a first-rate production. Everything is based on Japanese mythology, but there's a barely-concealed cyberpunk aesthetic behind much of the divine stuff; just wait until you see the Brahmastra.