Azure Striker Gunvolt 3: The "Bad" One

[@Etce]

NEW MAGS VIDEO LETS GO. Talking about my favorite game in the gunvolt series too, that's amazing. I didn't know this game got flack, which is unfortunate because the gameplay is definitely the best.

[@MagsIsGaming]

so glad you love it too!! this game does get a lottt of flack unfortunately, most of what I heard people say about the game before I played it were bad things (and is still the case). it absolutely nails so many things though, especially that gameplay!

[@Etce]

I come back to this from time to time to enjoy some more Mags content.

[@NTSTS0]

Re: the final battle soft-lock loop thing, that exact same thing happened to me, but the more I study my future attempts which also failed and other people's failed attempts, I'm convinced it's the result of an incredibly miniscule amount of damage tacking onto the boss somehow. It'd be so small you basically can't see it, but I'd believe that's what it is over this being just a random glitch.

[@scambocop7792]

Can I say we saw a hint of a primal dragon in the first game with nova (shiden) in his 2nd phase. The concept art for the full body gives off a full on dragon vibe around his septima. And even in gv2 zonda (pantera) can technically count in this as her fusing with lumen caused her to unlock her dragon form. Which makes me theorize that lumen somehow emits some form of dragon radiation to power up adepts as each mainline gv boss that fuses with lumen becomes a dragon threat.

[@WindigoTP]

Battle Priestess Kirin is a damn fun game! The new gameplay style is super enjoyable. Both the main one and ZedΩ variation. And hey, the game even has a cameo from Gunvolt, neat. I actually had a lot of fun going for SS ranks. Having a pseudo time limit, surprisingly, adds an extra punch and satisfaction to mastering the game.

[@aidans1028]

thank god there's 1 other person who plays these action platformers for the fun mechanics instead of the 200 yen light novel writing

[@CogDisso]

I had the exact same "infinite healthbar Morbius" glitch the first time I went for the good ending, too.

[@praisethesunnyd6933]

With GV3 I enjoyed the gameplay, and the Dragon Saviors as a crew, honestly that crew might be my favorite of the games so far when it came to their banters. The story is kinda what left me feeling Apathy towards the series nowadays especially after playing ix2 that year which just made me realize even if a new GV game came around they mostly abandon most characters and at most reference or mention them. I wished this was a spin-off instead given GV himself doesn't get much for himself and wished it had continued based after GV2 and not far into the future. Still was a fun watch to see and I will also say I love the Nova fight in GV3 as he actually becomes what he was supposed to be back in the CD dramas of being a failed Gunvolt.

[@praisethesunnyd6933]

Also a few things I recall that the apathy came from waiting from GV2 to 3 and how that game came out left me feeling like that where iX1 was a fun time with me wondering is it a sequel or in between or something, while iX2 is where my interest started to dwindle given the gameplay and suffering hard mode even after assist mode came *After* I beat the game. So with GV it's now a feeling of going from picking the game up to waiting how the reception is gonna be before biting the bullet.

[@shygaifu3592]

6:59 The games themselves never go into this, it’s explained in the web drama “Fleeting Memories,” but Sumeragi actually *wasn’t* responsible for Dr. Kamizono’s death. Not directly, anyways. He died in a freak explosion after a failed experiment of Project Gunvolt. The same failed experiment that gave Asimov his powers, as a matter of fact.

[@MagsIsGaming]

man I really should check out those drama CDs 💀

[@LTDLetsPlays]

@@MagsIsGaming in case you havent checked them out yet they are better written than the actual series

[@azurecreed9119]

People definitely overhate 3 because of the story, but it has arguably the best music, and the best gameplay feel with kirin and her and gv interactions are enjoyable

[@Octav2000]

20:14 Zed image pulse caused this as his wing deals very minor damage

[@cliffcaps2261]

Were you peeking at my script 👀 I didn’t know you did your own reviews until this popped up in my feed today! Great stuff man and (mostly) agree with your points, as you’ll see on mine soon(tm) too! Will definitely be skimming back thru the others soon too, as well as leaving a more detailed comment here as well 😊

[@MagsIsGaming]

this was the best notification I could have gotten today, thank you so much! I’m toootally not looking over your shoulder as we speak 👀 really tho, can’t wait for your video on it! (let’s hope soon doesn’t mean soon in CliffCap Time™)

[@LTDLetsPlays]

are you still working on it? XD

[@cliffcaps2261]

@@LTDLetsPlays slowly 😂

[@Stringblazer]

GV3 is definitely my favorite as well, at this is coming from a GV2 stan. They nailed everything (outside of the story) the visuals and effects are amazing, soundtrack is a banger like the rest, the supportive cast and Kirin's design are fantastic, etc. The gameplay is somehow a perfect combination of both GV's tagging and Copen's aerial "the floor is lava" playstyle, and the stages and enemy layout compliment it perfectly. The rng drops on stages being my only real gripe. In terms of living up to the rest of the games I think it's worthy of the GV3 title, but maybe not so much as a continuation for the rest of the games. Also, I know the secret end is kinda satirical, but I found it funny and genuinely wouldn't mind if they actually made magical girl mytyl a spin-off like Ix or something.

[@symphonyspeed3226]

Gameplay wise hell yes it does feel the most polished to me at least and Kirin's gameplay is a lot of fun But oh boy do i have a grudge against the story in GV3. Yes, the story has always been a side thing for GV series as a whole, but its similar to how good food cannot exist without the spices, the story being spice that adds onto the gameplay of the GV series Also you cannot just timeskip on me after letting me wait for years after the emotional roller coaster that is GV2 like seriously inti create you’ve more than shown you can write a good story in the Blaster Master series so come on! Also i get that GV3 is possibly inti's attempt to streamline considering this was released on switch in compare to the previous two games on the 3DS (console popularity and stuff) For new comers this may not be an issue, but for long time fans like me it was just like a slap to the face as if all those years of following the main story was for nothing P.S. fun fact GV3 is also the only game from the trilogy that doesn’t have any drama cd to add onto the story which i am still mad at

[@-xviniclausx-9904]

I feel becoming a gunvolt fan after the release of gv3 ended up being a good thing, the hype and long wait for a sequel to asg2 isnt a thing therefore i dont disappoint myself too much!! Regardless, while i prefer asg2 and ix2 (i blame the hard mode), asg3 is pretty fire. I do kind of like the story despite not being a proper sequel but asg2 still solos like everything imo

[@MagsIsGaming]

I feel the same about becoming a gunvolt fan after gv3, I cannot even imagine how it must have felt to wait so long only to be totally blindsided by that story. I can't blame anyone for hating it

[@-xviniclausx-9904]

@@MagsIsGaming i intend to keep an open mind about gv4 whenever it comes out I would like a proper sequel to the story but also if it isnt one i'll just hope whatever is there is good

[@SomewhatlikeIsaac]

I just binged your gunvolt videos. Nice jib man. btw I would recommend the NovaZone Gunvolt videos to find out how we got here to GV3. Short answer is they really did not know where they were going with it.

[@MagsIsGaming]

thanks so much! I do know of novazone, haven't gotten around to watching his gunvolt videos but I want to at some point!

[@capstalker5539]

One complaint I have about ASG3's gameplay is that they overuse the arc chain, it's really fun but you have to use it on almost every boss, which makes skill IPs and swordsmanship almost useless because you can't play without the arc chain. Another complaint is that GV doesn't have a weaken but unrestricted playable mode, they didn't need to make another story, but just choose the playable character before misson like X5, but they finally copy the much-maligned playable Zero from X3.

[@Octav2000]

7:05 sumeragi didn’t kill him an electric adept did this was in the very obscure fleeting memories so I don’t blame you

[@shygaifu3592]

I love how you didn’t say anything about Epilogue ATEMS beyond the fact it exists because that’s exactly what Epilogue ATEMS does

[@MagsIsGaming]

I did actually want to at least say I really liked how it gives the antagonists more depth and the friendly relationship they develop with the dragon saviors is really nice to see, but story-wise I agree that I just do not care about it and so couldn't be bothered too much with including it lmao

[@capstalker5539]

There are even only six bosses. I know that it is impossible for Zed to fight other bosses from the story, but in ASG2 protagonists can play each other's exclusive missions without the story.

[@shygaifu3592]

@@capstalker5539 which is even more ridiculous considering zed is basically an echo fighter of kirin whereas gv and copen had completely different playstyles

[@NovaZoneTV]

Damn. SS should've been called GV rank...

[@MagsIsGaming]

@@NovaZoneTV it’s so intuitive 😭

[@brutalnobody5240]

oh GV 100% will come back. Either Someone follows his and mobius ass in or They fuck up and need another new dragon related deus ex machine.

[@Octav2000]

Ah yes gv3 I absolutely hated it when it came out Why the fuck is it my favourite game of all time and I bought the collectors edition later on

[@Octav2000]

I also would really love to see gunvolt 4 follow up this game as it definitely feels as if there is room for more story (I mean technically records is the sequel as it does take place after 3 and has luxia from 3 go to a different world and this is only revealed in a drama cd in the special edition)

[@2elusivereviews]

This video definitely mirrored my thoughts on the game. Well, most of them. Do I like the story? Heeeeeeeell naw! As you pointed out, I was expecting to see a direct continuation of GV2 and answer all of the questions that game left us on, only to have none of it addressed and shaft my boi on top of this... BUT, I would be lying to the 10th degree if I said this game is not fun in anyway, cause I've replayed this game A LOT since it came out, and I still go back to replay this one very often. The visuals, the combat, the overall flow, it's marvelous! Plus the game's soundtrack is likely my most favorite one out of all three games. Although I never had that issue when getting the true ending against Morbius...it must be a random bug that can happen and you just got unlucky. Honestly, if there's any game in the entire GV line up including spin offs that is considered bad, that is easily Luminous Avenger 2. I've beat it once and hadn't felt the urge to pick it up all that much...though I know I will when I eventually cover that game.

[@MagsIsGaming]

ooh, an iX2 video will be a fun one! looking forward to it, and I agree that it's absolutely my least favorite game in the series by a pretty wide margin also that is something I forgot to point out, the soundtrack in this game is amazing even by gunvolt standards. the vocal track lineup in gv3 is probably my favorite so far as well!

[@capstalker5539]

If you consider the development time and budget of both games, I think the iX2 is good enough, while the GV3 is far from good enough.

[@2elusivereviews]

@@MagsIsGaming Right?! GV3 imo has the best sound track out of all of the games. Yeah the other games have some good ones too, but 3's is an absolute bop through most of it's music. I will say this however, LA2 has the best regular boss theme out of every GV game.

[@2elusivereviews]

@@capstalker5539 Mmmm...See that's the thing. Even with that consideration, GV3 is still WAY more fun than LA2. LA2's melee is clunky and overall useless as his ranged attacks deal more damage overall, he feels clunkier compared to how he felt in GV2 and the first LA, and while the weapon selection is nice, I felt they were more potent in the first LA. Meanwhile GV3's combat and moment to moment action is very fluid and handles like a dream. Both LA2 and GV3 does share one thing in common though! Both of their stories are pure weak sauce. 🤣

[@wendra3676]

The only problem this game has that its a main line game, if it was like iX then nobody would have complained, the entire story comes out of left field There is a massive time skip out of nowhere and GV suddenly lost control of his power and now has the ability to potentially end the world if he doesnt supress it somehow, the ending felt rushed and even with the updated ending it just doesnt feel good at all, and the plotline they were setting up with Xiao and Mytyl Septima got thrown out the window, not to mention Copen who would have had plenty of room to grow as a character from where GV2 left him at the end. GV3 is a good game yes But the story does ruin the initial experience of the entire game *because* its a mainline game

[@skye.xv88]

NEW MAGS VIDEO OMGGGG

[@AlolanRoy]

The bug in the final fight happened to me. I just stopped playing after that

[@MagsIsGaming]

damn, I don't blame you tho. I was pretty annoyed to have to restart the entire fight

[@LTDLetsPlays]

im personally not a fan of how much they abused arc chain but other than that i find kirin very fun also not a fan of gunvolt being reduced to god mode we should have had both of them playable maybe ability to swap between them

[@kyle123456789986]

main dev wanted to be done with the series thats why this game is everything it is community thinks main series is dead now which is also why all the spin offs that look terrible

[@akiradkcn]

Based review, gameplay>>>>story People need to learn that plot is only half of the content of a game, sometimes even less, sometimes basically ZERO Because last time I checked, no one complains about the lack of story in Chess or Monopoly, or using videogames as example: most Mario Bros games on the NES and SNES They really fumbled the bag with the lore in this game and the writers really should have shown more respect and care for the prior games, but they still nailed the most important aspect of any game: THE GAMEPLAY the story is only ever truly a absolute in games that are narrative-focused down to its very gameplay, like interactive fiction types of games like RPG+Visual Novel hybrids or Dating Sims but no, this is a action plataformer, story CAN take the backseat here. The only thing I dislike in this review is the gacha comparisons, can we not start calling random drops "gacha" please? This is just stage rewards have worked in many games since the early 90s, it doesn't work like actual gacha to begin withz Xenoblade 2 had actual a in-game gacha, that would be a proper comparison, not this

[@AkyraMMDandCovers]

I mean yeah there's nothing inherently bad gameplay wise but the story deserved a different title not a numbered one. Imagine they start doing the kingdom hearts thing lmao. also in the second game you don't fight sumeragi

[@WurmyBoi]

Very Good review, nevertheless, I still hate this game's story. I should really go back and S++ the stages soon

[@agreedboarart3188]

Imagine playing Gunvolt for the story. No, seriously, the story is awful.