Asura's Wrath Is Deeper Than You Might Think

[@WritingOnGames]

Hey! I hope you enjoyed the video and are doing alright just now. Just a reminder that the first 1000 people who go to skl.sh/writingongames7 will get two free months of Skillshare Premium entirely risk-free. Doing so really helps the channel! Also, a massive thank you to my patrons. Times are rough right now so make sure you're good first and foremost, but if you feel you can, heading to patreon.com/writingongames can get you access to perks like early access to completely ad-free uploads and the like. Your support allows me to keep doing this and I cannot thank you enough for that. You're the best!

[@pauliusbaranauskas7915]

I never though someone would actually speak about this game. I think the main problem of it's quick time events could be fixed by simply cutting out the timing part, 'cuz you basically can't see what the heck is happening in the background since you're focused on timing that shit right. That's probably why people say it's better to watch than to play. Btw, have I told you that the soundtrack is F*CKIN AWESOME??!

[@MauZangetsu]

It tooks literal years to see people appreciated this gem and Asura as a character. Nobody is angry at this game anymore, I hated how everyone tried to bash it into oblivion, and now my wrath... is finally... ...gone.

[@SquallNoctisGUX]

It’s just something about seeing people talk about Asura’s Wrath in such a positive way warms my soul

[@azharulislam-ds8rg]

same

[@pepiomega]

Use Wrath to warm you soul?

[@re11o]

Exactly

[@GoldenGoose69]

Just finished yesterday and its my favorite story game oat

[@dayaftertomorrow1]

My favorite bit of the game is (spoilers for the true DLC ending) when Chakravartin gets his own QTE popups. It's an oddly fitting, thematic link between protagonist and antagonist that would make even the biggest QTE skeptic feel like they did something seriously meaningful with them. I love this damn game.

[@dekdenfor9770]

that final chapter is one of my single favorite sequences in gaming

[@drakeford4860]

The most amazing bit for me is when Asura literally wipes away Chakravartin's input prompt. It's such a brilliant capitalization on the symbolism they had built up that it honestly blew me away.

[@OffAirProductions]

I held off on watching this video until I finished the game just yesterday, and that was the part where my jaw hit the floor. I literally shouted "HEY, THOSE ARE MY QUICKTIME EVENTS, YOU CAN'T DO THAT!" The QTEs are so integral to why I enjoyed the game so much, I don't think I'm gonna forget this one anytime soon.

[@Trombi01]

My favorite use of an QTE in the game is ironically the one that you shouldn't press.

[@cfields8507]

I really liked the chakravartin final fight. They go from super powerful, reality altering gods, to rolling around in the dirt, throwing punches.

[@tehNinjanaut]

Asura as a protagonist reminds me a bit of Guts in the archetype of "the struggler". A guy who is driven by anger, but also by the simple act of survival against oppressive characters and powers

[@rockingtundra2830]

Exactly! I love these kinds of characters! They’re literally in a situation of impossible odds, yet while they know for a fact that it ain’t gonna work, they do it anyways!

[@goofyvoi4129]

Expect he not a weak ass mf

[@tylerslagel5485]

Asura is also literally the most pure character among the anger archetypes ever. This super scary, savage rage fighter who’s always shouting “die!” like he’s Bakugo is also a very pure and goofy family man. Seriously, check the art. He ate Mithra’s vegetables with a goofy look on his face when Durga chewed him out for it.

[@joshuahendra4918]

his hair kinda look like guts' as well, except that asura's is white

[@lovewilcox6874]

Years ago a friend of mine bought me this game out of the blue. He told me "I've just watched a Let's Play of this game and just HAD to buy it for you. Trust me, you'll love it" and he was 100% right. That was the most thoughtful gift I've ever received.

[@sockitpoppet3665]

Aw

[@kairo3201]

Unexpected wholesomeness is still good wholesomeness

[@mediocri5y]

@@kairo3201 Indeed

[@DeadwingDork]

Honestly, Yakuza cut back on the number of QTEs in recent games and I miss them. Some games just do them right and they fit perfectly in the scenario.

[@godzilla4189]

I think the Dragon Engine might have made button presses an issue. They are back with a vengeance in Yakuza 7 though, even if it turned from an Action RPG to a Turnbased one similar to Mario and Luigi (Button presses during your turn to make attacks stronger)

[@chadhardt6136]

it really depends on the situation imo, The QTE of that weird mode that Kiwami 2 and 6 has feels more like a slowing the game to a crawl for no reason at all, but the QTE of the boss battles where so fucking cool.

[@thegatorhator6822]

ay lmao funny internet man. Agreed, Yakuza killed it with the QTEs just like Asura's Wrath did.

[@HenriqueHCA14]

Depends on how inconvenient and well done they are. Cyberconnect for example knows well how to make QTEs enjoyable and great to watch. The famous ''standing here, i realize'' meme from MGS is iconic because Raiden did the punches the same speed you were pressing the button

[@rocketpunchgo1]

Yeeeees Asura's Wraith finally gets some respect that it deserves

[@Zandeyninja]

@@The_WIll_OF_D99 Ya actually I thought it was underrated but most people who played it enjoy it despite the gameplay being shallow. The overall package is so fun despite ending being locked behind DLC. I do think it's kinda been forgotten because it didn't get rereleased on pc like many other games of the time.

[@georgedellapiazza380]

If only it'll come to steam, or something.

[@DrSalad-ye6hr]

Hell yeah

[@Xannyphantom905]

it's great visually, as an animated movie, 10/10. they just drained the fun out of the gameplay itself. which is pretty stupid cause cyber connect was flawless in their Naruto

[@abdualrhmanaljasmi2107]

Yep he must be that guy can beat goku

[@TommyAck102]

One other great aspect of this game I love is utilising the music to really hammer home the type of anger asura is feeling, especially when he goes fully beserk.....gives me chills and genuinely tears me up since it's such a heartbreaking moment displaying sorrowful anger, those screams man.....

[@lovewilcox6874]

The OST is amazing. Probably the most underrated in gaming.

[@TheMaskedMan]

I absolutely loved this game. Asura is one of the coolest characters ever, and I would really like to get some more of his backstory. Either in an anime or like a prequel game. Capcom frfr need to bring it back!

[@merceralex1935]

Holy shit it's you

[@ianjohns5701]

@@Largentina. i wish

[@gutsusama2671]

Wait , the masked man ? You're the GOAT man

[@goofyvoi4129]

@@Largentina. smash is for lil losers like u

[@samnimations1170]

Let's just hope that capcom don't fuck up this game like the others

[@heitorbatista5392]

One of the uses of quick time events in games that I like the most is in the end of God of War 3. You just mash the same button to punch Zeus a bunch, as the screen gets red with blood. However, the catch is how long you have to do so. I think that was the longest quick time event I’ve seen and I believe it was a really smart design choice. It is a extremely cathartic moment if you follow the saga, but it requires so much effort and is so brutal that any sense of humanity that could have been left in Kratos is gone.

[@BryanTheCritic]

Some might see it as catharsis but to others it might be uncomfortable. With each punch I was wondering just how many more there was because I was finished long before Kratos was. Like you said, it showed the loss of humanity in Kratos; I still had mine though and it continued to grow more and more uncomfortable with what I was complicit in with each punch.

[@pedrobulby7639]

True ! What i love is that it is indeed a very long qte but the REAL catch is it doesn't tell you exactly WHEN you can stop... So you keep punching the meatbag until it's just wet mush but you can't even see it cause the camera is covered in blood. So, yes, it feels absolutely weird when you just stop, because you did it so long and nothing really tells you to keep going nor to stop ... Great memory, thanks !

[@jahjah74]

The qte in God of war 3 in the Zeus's fight you have yo get keep going until the screen is all red then you're supposed to stop but you can keep going

[@cannonfodder4000]

quick time event i like the most is in Wonderful 101, saying what it is would be spoilers, but its beyond amazing

[@Milkra]

I remember I hit that circle button for at least 5 minutes because I had no idea I could just let go

[@Jttg648]

I swear I just saw "Asura's Wrath" and suddenly found myself clicking without question

[@GeeMannn]

Facts. I did the same too hahaha

[@Zandeyninja]

One of the most underrated games of the last gen. It's gameplay is weak to almost non existant but it has the best usage of QTE, classic music and some of the greatest cutscenes ever. It rivals even some animes/movies in the cutscene production. Hope CC2/Capcom make a rerelease on PC at some point.

[@K4LAD1N]

@@Zandeyninja you can play it with the rpcs3 emulator, I did it a few days ago, I love that game

[@GeeMannn]

@@K4LAD1N really? Awesome I can finally replay this thing. Thanks a lot man

[@K4LAD1N]

@@GeeMannn and sorry for my bad English to everyone that has seen my comments

[@teehundeart]

Did we just come to the conclusions that this game's quick time events are art?

[@rodrigosoares8247]

We sure did

[@saiova1526]

It helps that Asura's Wrath has a strong voice cast. Who would of thought that Gaara could scream and rage so well? 😁

[@memorableman3709]

AKA, Akihiko from Persona 3

[@StarForgers]

Wait this was yhe English voice actor for Gaara from Naruto?!? Holy shit its been so long since I even heard any English from any part of the Naruto series! Like 5 years other than maybe the pain diogue and such but never anything older that had the younger cast in it! I can kind of see it now.

[@saiova1526]

@@StarForgers Sergei was also voiced by Steve Blum->Orochimaru 👍

[@handmethatpochitussy]

Don't forget Dr tenma from monster and a quarter of the npcs in fallout new Vegas

[@jayfolk]

and cyberconnect2 is still trying their platnium hardest on every budget project they get, like the jojo and naruto titles, storms included.

[@Reloreee]

jay folk yeah but they throw it out of the window with kakarot: i was expecting some serious in-cutscene qte but no, massive let down even if i still enjoyed the game very much.

[@godzilla4189]

@@Reloreee I think its because they were going for more like their .Hack games, focusing more on the RPG side of things.

[@katzenjammer626]

My guys just want to make another .Hack but Bandai Namco won't let them :(

[@darthsreepa2820]

sad to see people not giving this game, a non-preexisting-IP one, perform so not-well. I think this is the final straw that broke CyberConnect2's straw, who focused only on licensed games thereafter. sad tbh.

[@seanv42]

I think this brings up the question, "what is the next evolution of the quick time mechanic?" This game shows how the mechanic can be refined into an intergral, thematic part of game play. I think an interesting direction would be adding branching paths within the qte. Things like choosing to dodge an qte boss attack or counter it. If you dodge, your next fight section would be in an arena with huge death trenches made by the bosses attacks. If you counter, the force could shatter the arena terrain, making cover sparse. You could make the qte a way to create unique arena, that change based on the players actions. Break up the fight ending qte with a small, extra difficult boss section that changes based on how you fought during the qte, before jumping into a finishing qte. It would be a tremendous amount of work, and would have the gameplay issue of there being an optimal choice path, but it could allow them to be more thematic.

[@anti-ethniccleansing465]

Good comment. It seems like when you mess up on QuickTime events, it doesn’t seem to matter because Asura will just do what the devs wanted him to do anyways in the cinematic, right?

[@Dzzy123]

Final Fantasy XIII-2 kind of did what you're suggesting. There were times in the game where a QTE would give you the option of casting magic or doing a physical attack during a cutscene. Some QTEs affected how the cutscene played out, but Square Enix didn't go as far with the idea as your comment suggests.

[@karenamyx2205]

Havnt they basically phased out QTEs though? I doubt they'll bring it back to try to innovate or whatever. It works with this game, because it is kinda like watching an anime that you get to play. But im not sure its great mechanic for an average modern game. It has to be used right. The scene in MGS4 with snake in that thermal corridor comes to mind. It works because the desperate mashing mirrors what your character feels. As just a mechanic for general play though, it kinda sucks.

[@timothymclean]

Asura's Wrath is like a good shonen anime; the action is ridiculous, but rooted in solid character writing. The balance of fight scenes to anything else is a bit...different, but I guess that's video games for you.

[@tombaker3731]

THANK YOU I think Asura's Wrath is a great game, not just a fun movie, and it always hurts me a little when a creator I like says "yeah Asura's Wrath is great but just watch the cutscenes online." You really do miss out on something if you're not the one smashing those buttons like a madman.

[@triplenike2753]

I'll say friend. I got the game after watching it, and it truly feels like a different experience compared to watching it.

[@johndavidtibbetts7320]

What I love about Asura is that he is, at all times, fully in control of his rage. Even when in full berserker mode, no humans are ever harmed by him directly, to the point where a cutscene even has a soldier say that berserker asura has gone out of his way to avoid human settlements. Asura KNOWS why he's angry. He knows who is to blame. He knows who needs to die for the wrongs to be righted. And he never pulls anyone uninvolved into the middle of it if he can at all help it. Asura is the epitome of the good kind of angry

[@Deathven1482]

Honestly, best fight ive witnessed in a while was between Augus and Asura. That fight was masterful.

[@TheCompleteMental]

This game has a very astounding ability for every aspect of the plot and even the design to be more solid and tightly written the more you look into it

[@Fredomato]

I love this game... but as an experience rather than a video game. I never felt like the spectacle was my doing. That being said, I'm happy to see the game get some recognition again, even if the game's ending is locked behind a price tag, which is honestly ridiculous.

[@BlazeMakesGames]

Yeah the biggest issue with QTEs like this to me is it doesn’t matter how ‘impactful’ the fame tries to make the button presses feel, it never feels like I’m actually the reason behind those impacts, rather that I’m just stopping the movie from pausing over and over. It’s a great anime, but The gameplay is so brain dead that it manages to bore me despite the action going on. My eyes are entertained but my hands are bored.

[@Fredomato]

@@BlazeMakesGames That last line perfectly summarises how I feel exactly.

[@AAhmou]

To be fair, it feels more like Asura is willing to do the beating up and you unleash him by the press of a button.

[@anti-ethniccleansing465]

The DLC was meant to be in a sequel, but the game didn’t do well so that is why they ended up putting the content as DLC. Makes more sense now, right?

[@goofyvoi4129]

@@BlazeMakesGames then go play Minecraft lil kid

[@DeCoR18]

I remember writing this game off for being another quick time focused game years ago when it first released, and now that I've seen more of it absolutely love the look of it and how unique it is, weird how time can do that, shame there's no steam version, definitely would have gotten a sale from me after your video, nice one man.

[@lukeism2]

This game absolutely wrecks your hand. I can’t play the damn thing because I have carpal tunnel syndrome lol. I really want to play it though.

[@BIRDasPROPHET]

I can only absolutely agree with everything you said, thank you for this video. Asura’s Wrath is a game that left such an impression that I haven’t found anything that gave me the same kind of experience.

[@domenriono]

Hey you. Yes you, the guy who's watching this video and lazily browsing the comments. Go get Asura's Wrath. I don't care if you take away nothing from this video and just go watch it instead, but get that story in your brain meats SOMEHOW. Because this game got slammed for it's quick time events so hard no one even bothered to mention what a truly fantastic and genuinely unique story it is. It DESERVES your appreciation.

[@RenoDojima]

Joke's on you, I got the game physically on PS3, and digitally on Xbox, both with their DLCs.

[@explosivesraspberry6795]

Im only a little bit in to the video and im not sure you mention this but id like to mention the masterful camera work that went into this. For the quick time events instead of the screen being rigid or static in asura's wrath the screen is fluid and constantly moving whether that be panning or the camera follows asura. They managed to avoid the slowing down of time during quick time events by instead making it appear sooner but making you wait until it hits a certain point for the best result.

[@RegnieRiku]

Asura's Wrath is a game I have played once through, every single year since it released. I've always understood why it got a bad wrap during the time that it came out, but personally it's always been the only reason I've kept my PS3 all these years.

[@maythesciencebewithyou]

It didn't really get a bad wrap. The problem was that they didn't advertise the game. Most people didn't even know it existed. Only half a decade later did it somehow get some popularity after someone uploaded it as a "movie".

[@anti-ethniccleansing465]

Someone stole my copy, and I just spent a lot more extra money than I originally paid for it to replace it off of eBay. So happy to be replaying it right now, despite the money!

[@JodaroKujo]

Asuras Wrath is one of my all time favorite video games The story is amazing And the Quick time events are beautiful I could replay it over and over again and never get bored

[@KazeMemaryu]

Asura's Wrath is pure, condensed, maddening hype. It eases you into its own design structure right from the beginning with shooting section that has you wrecking shit and the presentation already going nuts, but has a heroic undertone at first, making it seems like it's about Asura doing his job. But with the betrayal and his subsequent struggle to get out of Naraku to save his daughter and make the gods pay, this is thrown out of the window just as hard as Wyzen is launched into the atmosphere. And it doesn't stop there. The game has a great way of escalating the action more and more with each fight while refusing to back down at all - the hype train just gets faster and faster, and just when you think you've reached the pinnacle of ridiculousness, the next fight starts and is even crazier. When I first SAW Asura's Wrath, I was hyped to see what was coming next, ut when I finally PLAYED it, I never wanted the good fights to end. Hell, I started roaring along during mashing sequences to push MYSELF far enough to succeed. And as you said, this game knows how to convey the sheer rage of the best dad in the universe. It's such a pumping load of fun. Too bad the DLC plan majorly soured impressions on the game while it was already suffering from QTE hate.

[@kirbyc9042]

I hope capcom will port this to pc

[@andreamichelezucchi8600]

There are emulators, like rpcs3, that runs the game very smoothly. It's the only option so far for PC gamers.

[@eep6903]

@@andreamichelezucchi8600 The problem is it is really hard to get the DLC for PC. Atleast I havent been able to find the DLC from the great world of internet still.

[@siemuel7553]

@@eep6903 I can send a link if you still need?

[@eep6903]

@@siemuel7553 Nah I got the links already!

[@siemuel7553]

@@eep6903 noicee

[@I-Rex232]

now this needs a remaster with all the dlc included, its a shame its so hard to get the full experience nowadays

[@AluminumFusion22]

Something else really significant that isn't talked about as much is how Asura's character is the positive inverse of characters like Kratos, characters motivated entirely by rage, anger and vengeance but unlike Kratos, Asura never loses sight of who he's angry at and never hurts innocent civilians and is even regarded in-universe as a very benevolent god. Kratos started with an understandable motivation but that gradually eroded away as Kratos ultimately decided to just wipe out the Greek pantheon, whilst Asura only attacks those who hurt him or those he cares about, i.e. humanity. Asura's Wrath did something not commonly seen in gaming where furious anger is justified, but only when it is wielded by a righteous heart and is kept under control.

[@brothersofwrath4785]

those who are also willing to sacrifice their own goals for a greater good

[@brentramsten249]

personally i couldnt help but shout "BURST!" every time i pressed the R2 button

[@williamchristensen7354]

I saw this and wanted to comment for engagement because I can't watch this right now, but I will soon, okay, thanks.

[@CallMeCJ_]

Thank you for summing up my thoughts perfectly. I absolutely love this game, and it's still made in such a way that watching the right person play it can still be super exhilarating. Maximillian_dood did a playthrough on his Twitch stream a few years ago, and posted them to his KZbin channel as parts of his compilation series "HYPE and RAGE", and as a part of his hilariously masochistic "Boss Rage" series. I still watch them regularly because they're so well made. Just from his tone of voice, you get swept up in it all alongside him, and Max is a master of hype. The full VODs exist as well as a part of his second channel Yo!Videogames, but I love the edited videos a lot more. If you watched this video, and want to play Asura's Wrath but can't, go watch those videos. And then go watch his full playthrough if you'd like.

[@russetwolf13]

The only playthrough I'd recommend watching is Maximillian Dood's playthrough. Dude gets hype about those buttons.

[@ibendover4817]

This game deserved better than Capcom. The worse part is there was supposed to be a sequel, but capcom fkd up there too and cancelled it, so everything was basically squeezed into a dlc.

[@Nightbanekaizer]

Asura needs to come back at some point. Shame CAPCOM won't put him in another game. It would be great to see him in a fighting game or a guest in another action game.

[@boolboi2296]

absolute banger video man, very glad to see someone show admiration and recognition for Asura’s wrath and what makes it so great, it’s been one of my favorite games ever since i first played it

[@sanfransiscon]

"Something as simple as mapping the QTEs to the buttons you'd normally press to carry out those actions elevates the game above the Simon Says approach you'd see in many other titles." This is why I love the Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm games. I got the collection not long ago and may do a let's play series of their story modes, starting with 2.

[@salas0727]

This is still one of my favorite gaming/interactive cinematic experiences I’ve ever had. Such a satisfying story with so much depth, and the amazing boss fights are some of the best I’ve played. Which is a bold statement for a game with truly basic gameplay in itself. But it is uses the music/QTE and environmental changes(as well as the beautiful style) to truly elevate the experience to an actual emotional level at some points. Lol amazing game, love seeing it get talked about still

[@darthsreepa2820]

Great writeup... no, great videoup? Anyway, I love how the final fight between Yasha and Asura uses QTEs not just to relay the truly immense scale of the fight and the physicality but also the emotional aspect too. In the last part of the fight, you are presented with a QTE(that's more of a Slow TE) that's meant to be the final blow Asura gives to Yasha. The previously quick-filling QTE circle for the ∆ button now takes a while to do so, as Asura is confronted with his past memories of Yasha. And then, just as the 10 second button prompt finally seems to be active, Asura notices something. He sees Yasha, the literal embodiment of melancholy, crack a faint smile beneath his mask. And then, the only time this happens in the game, the QTE disappears. I think that's the most cohesive player-protag experience I have experienced to date. Really good stuff.

[@rezonshinde7948]

This game is criminally underrated, its needs a remaster more than any other game. It needs the spotlight it truly deserves. Its one of a kind

[@lagaronoscar]

I love Devil May Cry, Bayonetta, Ninja Gaiden, Monster Hunter, God of war and so on, and Asura Warth dont have a combat near close to the others, but it's me guilty pleasure in the genre. It's the most crazy spectacular game ever.

[@seporokey]

Another series I think gets the QTE correct is the Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm series. You usually control your character, but during boss fights you use the QTE at certain sections and I love these sections. They really sell the emotion of the moment, especially the later games.

[@ivorytorea]

I think you said it perfecty when piecing moments together in the video: In some games quicktime events take away from strategic finesse of gameplay. You know that you could never achieve what is being shown onscreen through your own gameplay so the game takes control away from your incompetent hands. When it is done badly you end up becoming uninvolved in the action, when it is done well the buttonprompts are done in a way that challenge the player in a different style from the main course of what the gameplay is or simply become a clever/fun new way of interaction. The implementation in Asuras Wrath tho was always planned to have those impactful cutscene moments that are the tension, excitement and joy of the game and instead of taking away from that, those buttonprompts are part of the experience. In its narrative because Asura is no deeper than to clash and fight headon. But also in its player to character interaction, we are not meant to control Asura, we are meant to experience the events unfolding and the struggles he is suffering through together with him, so we share those moments "together". The buttonprompts as such become less of a way to take away from something that couldn´t achieve what they meant to express but rather to support the core of the game, which is the bombastic cinematics. Whether it succeeds in doing that may be personal taste, but it does what it set out to do and it does that well. It is not running behind a trend or copying others as a cheap ripoff, it merely fully focuses on the quicktime event mechanic as is which makes it unique in its own regard.

[@thesaviorofsouls5210]

Asura is bassicly guts from berserk, which is a really good thing, love em both.

[@Juggalozen]

Bless you, sir. I’ve loved this game since the day it came out. I’ve always found myself having to apologize for loving Asura’s Wrath. I’m glad at least a handful of people gladly voice their appreciation of its experience.

[@rhymenoceros3303]

It's funny I've been recently been binging on old Asura's wrath video's and then I find you've made a video on it literally just 4 days ago. What a happy coincidence.

[@ElectricBarrier]

Asura's Wrath is so anime that it even embodies the "seems really stupid and bad until you look closer" nature of anime.

[@Exel3nce]

oh, that video came on in perfectly. the other day i was thinking if i should pick it up because i was in the mood for some rage moment animes or games. i adore type of characters who are too angry to die to the topic of quicktime events: i can see why those are often looked down on and i also agree on that but there are some games that use it to their advantage and to generate hype. there was a title on the psp called "lord of arcana" and on the last boss you had to do some quick qte and it was great

[@cyrilv6598]

Wow. I played this game when it came out and I remember having a looot of fun but the only reason I never thought about it again was because I was pissed off that the end was abrupt and it was incomplete. Thank you for reminding me about this game and goddamn I'm going to look for and play the game again. This time the whole thing.

[@rockingtundra2830]

Probably cuz you need the DLC pack

[@dApOnTe145]

i enjoyed this game immensely when I first played it using the free trial of the playstation now free-trial. I wished for the longest time this would get some kind of PC port or PS4 remaster. Alas, I don't think either is ever going to happen. Thanks for rekindling some great memories.

[@AedannTracy]

I truly wish they adapted this into a full fledged anime. Every character has so much lore and history it could easily have its own series

[@therecklessreploid4342]

This game will always be my favorite. Asura's Wrath is such a beautiful game, with a simple yet entertaining story and some badass fights. Not only that, rage is portrayed well in this. It can be a powerful force when unrefined, but focused it becomes even more potent. 10/10 game, wishing for a sequel

[@ImaginaryCyborg]

My favourite moment was when the Olga bombards the village where Asura was in. Witnessing the pointless death of the little girl. Seeing his expression change from shock to pure grief fueled rage, was amazing. You could just feel that something broke inside him. Although he was screaming, it was his expression of the outrage he felt for the Deities absolute ruthlessness and malevolence. Needless to say, I was just as enraged and furious as he was, and in that moment, I resonated with him completely. In the improbable event that this game gets ported to pc one day, I will gladly dish out full price for it, if it includes all previously released dlcs. It's just THAT good.

[@supersharp0431]

I just played and finished this game 4 days ago, what a giant coincidence. I thought it was one of the best games I’ve ever played.

[@barkingbulldog2397]

I just bought the game 4 days ago and just S ranked every level on hard including the nirvana dlc. I'm just doing what i do with games i beat, prolonging the fact that I've no need to play them again. Which saddens me a lot. I'm not a person who connects with games emotionally, but with asura i felt genuinely connected to everything i did in that game. It was a blast playing through it all and seeing asura triumph everytime, that ending just sent me though.

[@Killerboogyman]

I actually have to agree it breaks my heart to see a game I literally loved so much never have a chance for a part two or to inspire another game to take up its almost beautiful gameplay.

[@sirloteuqrop4208]

This game so deserves a remake or remaster!

[@DustyVita]

Glad to see Asura get some attention.

[@DMitr0]

love that you show some love to asura. i got every achievment in that game, and every second of it was a blissful anger 😊 and the dlc ending, uh boy if that wasn't the most batshit insane gaming moment, your enemy breaking your quicktimewheel, you slowly overpowering your enemy, just to see the backside of its quicktime wheel 😂 sadly, no vsync and 30 fps hold it back, but i heard that it's slowly becoming more and more emulatable. this game deserves a remaster.

[@dekdenfor9770]

one of my absolutely favorite games I've ever played, and one I've never replayed because I've never forgotten it. literally almost none of it, and my memory is full of giant holes from various sources. This game was incredible.

[@BPLOL]

Lol at Spidey failing and getting fryed.

[@bambi20082148]

Yakuza games do QTEs in a way i enjoy They make the fights cooler by showing flashy and fluid moves between rivals and either giving you a cool as shit scene when getting it right with the qte, or just getting humilliated and some less health you dont inmediatly lose normally and it doesnt ruin the fight, it makes it more memorable and you are not punished a lot for not seeing the qte coming (which is usually obvious too)

[@KUROSHURA]

A seriously underrated game. It’s like playing and Anime. Very engaging, very interactive.

[@fallenangel9614]

Man I had completely forgotten about this game now I wanna go play it

[@brandonnunez6566]

Yes, keep bringing up the homie so that people can be cultured of this beautifully crafted game.

[@heardofrvb]

1:00 Somehow I can hear Matt laughing in the distance.

[@Heywoooo]

i really want a remaster of this

[@Lickicker]

I do really like asura as a character, because even though you could easily lump him in with kratos and guts, but asura isnt just enigmatic to the atrocities casued by the gods hes hunting, he even goes out of his way to try and protect people. Ya asura is a angry character, but hes also a good guy. Honestly who in his situation wouldnt be absolutely pissed? He was a family man who just wanted to protect his family and his "friends" destroyed that. Obviously he wants to kill them, but hes also not gonna sacrifice his morals to do so, which is quite a refreshing take on angry characters since most of them are either indifferent or actively willing to sacrifice people to achieve their goals.

[@TheKnightPatriot]

Loved this game with all my heart. It’s saddening that it didn’t get more attention. I hope it gets an adaptation sometime.

[@eggworth_III]

The funniest thing is i bought the game FOR the quicktime events. This game has so much flare and spectacle, and i fell in love with how beautiful the cutscenes look (letalone cutscenes in a fucking xbox 360/playstation 3 game). I cant wait to delve into this game, and honestly sad that it didnt get enough praise when it first came out.

[@Gorkson]

This Game.. this Story changed a Part of my Life.. We need another part

[@EeveeShadowBacon]

Asura's Wrath was so big, *they ran out of space on the disk* and had to sell the ending seperately. The game is fucking huge.

[@EruditeMMA]

I always wanted to play Asura's Wrath when I was younger but never came across a copy, I recently bought the game, haven't got started on it yet but this video has gotten me extra hyped to play it.

[@C4DNerd]

For YEARS, I would tell people about this game and tell them they need to play it, only to often hear from someone else "Eh, just watch a playthrough it's basically just an interactive anime." I never agreed with that suggestion and always felt it would lessen the experience for them. But as a 17-year old kid in Spring 2012, I always had a hard time putting into words why I felt it was still worth playing. This video managed to put into words exactly how I felt when playing through it. Thanks for making it, this is easily the best Asura's Wrath video I've seen on the internet!

[@memorableman3709]

While it is true that most of what you are watching is just a cutscene with button prompts put on top of them, but if you ask me, it helps me relate to Asura that much more. When I have to mash my entire life force onto the circle button and I internally scream and feel the pain of doing it so fast, but also wanting to push forward to see it to the end, I know that this is how Asura must feel. I am facing a nigh insurmountable struggle WITH HIM. Not WATCHING HIM do it for me, no, we are BOTH facing a hard challenge. And when I have to press the triangle button at JUST the right time to get an “excellent” I get all tensed up only to unload my stress in an instant with a heavy blow. And because I get so nervous and hit the triangle button so hard and with so much tension, it helps me feel the strength behind Asura’s punches even more. I can understand how some people may see it as “taking control away”, but in my opinion, all Asura’s Wrath is doing with all these QTE’s is immersing me THAT MUCH DEEPER into the narrative and the combat. Its fucking amazing.

[@Aries27379]

Usually ima game “watcher” instead of a “player” like my brothers the gamer and I’m content just watching and providing funny commentary but when he plays asuras wrath ..boyy I be damn near tryna break his fingers for that remote 😂

[@kazimierzliz8280]

I loved this game. If you’re a hardcore gamer looking for an engaging (will keep your interest) over the top thrill, play it. If you’re more casual and shy away from certain types of games but could enjoy an extremely explosive rollercoaster then play it. It’s just a damn good and absurd time to play through this.

[@e2rqey]

Yeah Asura's Wrath was great and I think you perfectly summed up how it elevated the quick time event. I went into the game completely blind and was blown away.

[@liamkopp]

Absolutely fantastic video, very insightful. I love to hear people representing under appreciated games.

[@ScientificZoom]

this is the channel where asura is on positive side, i felt this also about asura, he is single blow leaves enemy in super pain

[@unknownpsi9128]

Im glad youve made this video, its one of my favorite games of all time.

[@TuRaTic]

finally someone who understand me when i say "im actually quite happy when im angry enough to carve from this world whats mine". this very VERY masculine trait is the answer to depressed men in more cases than you may think; stop letting your rage dissipate into despair and submission. take them out before you take yourself out, have more faith in what you know is right.

[@JustSomeDamnGinger]

Thank you for this. I absolutely loved this game back when it came out. I was a huge God of War fan, so I went into it kind of expecting a similar experience since QTE was brought up so much, but your point about the QTE being more meaningful in this game than most others is true. As much as I love God of War and its QTE sections, the buttons you press are not indicated by the mechanics, but by the difficulty you've selected. At least in GoW3. It just makes it feel arbitrary and, I would argue, distracts the player from the spectacle they're supposed to be enjoying because they're instead watching for the button prompt so they don't miss it or hit the wrong one. Plus I just love big shouty guys killing demi-gods.

[@jpraise6771]

hello fellow struggler. In this dark world, i just thought i'd let you know that God loves you and that you should also always love yourself

[@SolidLink64]

Could not say it any better

[@gwarriorfromhell]

I played this when it first came out and loved the hell out of it. Recently found a ps3 copy for 5 bucks at a pawn shop and instantly picked it up without realizing its actually worth a hell of a lot more. Playing through it again is bringing back all of those fun and stress inducing moments. Amazing game, definitely deserves more than it actually got. What helped is Capcom doing the Capcom thing by having pointless dlc along with some that actually makes the true ending locked behind a pay wall. Release the game today as a budget digital only title with everything included and integrated, and it would probably be much better received as QTEs aren't as prominent now and may be seen as a quirky gameplay style.

[@hammer3885]

Cyberconnect 2 is the best at this, the Naruto Storm games feel so good even if you've seen the anime because of how you're the one pressing the buttons to do the actions

[@tamsinsandrielle]

Thank for this video! Thank you so much for your time and your work :D

[@extreme_junky]

There is a great deal i could say about QTE's but honestly Asura's Wrath to me was the first game to get them right. Before Asura's Wrath QTE's were either assigned to random buttons or buttons that were randomly selected. Asura's Wrath made the great decision to put context behind those button presses.

[@artfilmcentralworldnouveau]

What a great video. I truly appreciate your ability to see and deliver these details about games with such depth. These videos create the mental space for inspiration for me every time. Keep it up. 👍

[@Weighty68]

You forgot that Chris Redfield’s boulder punch is, so far, the epitome of QTE’s in any game. Otherwise, great video Hamish!

[@Wazzen563]

I definitely don't remember motion controls ever being a "scourge", lol. They were loved & awesome at best, and a gimmick at worst. Unrelated, but @1:05 is absolute gold, lol.

[@niyaking-khari3515]

Imagine how amazing it would be to play a game like Asura's Wrath with the haptic feedback of the PS5

[@ThePunishersRevenge]

My dream with this game in particular is get Platinum Games to remake it.

[@keisenchang3744]

My inner asura’s wrath simpage is quenched and my love for this game has been refueled

[@kingofthe_humanz8285]

I just bought and fully completed the game over the summer. Definitely in my top 10 games