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[Persona7]

"The job... KILLER IS DEAD"

• PLATFORM : PLAYSTATION 3 / XBOX 360 / PC (OT)

• DEVELOPER : KADOKAWA GAMES / GRASSHOPPER MANUFACTURE

• GENRE : Action

• RELEASE : [CONSOLE] August 2013 / [PC] May 23, 2014

• EGGS : Soft Boiled

• LAUNCH EDITION : Includes 80 page art book, 25 track OST and "Smooth Operator" DLC pack

• OFFICIAL WEBSITE

KILLER IS DEAD™ is a brand new action title jointly developed by KADOKAWA GAMES and GRASSHOPPER MANUFACTURE, with SUDA51 lending his trademark sense of style at the helm.

A reputable execution agency’s newest recruit, Mondo Zappa, takes center stage as he stalks and beheads a wide variety of heinous criminals all across the world (and even, perhaps, outside of it). As he settles into his new job, he also comes to terms with his own inner demons, balancing his talent for dispensing swift and brutal justice with his fleeting memories of a traumatic past, and peppering it all with his many sensual conquests.

Be he a killer, a lover or a gigolo, his many tales of passion and brutality begin with his appointment at Bryan´s Executioner Office. A whole world of pain and pleasure awaits, and there’s no telling where it might take him next...

• TRAILER JP
• TRAILER ENG
• KID TV #1
• KID TV #2
• KID TV #3
• KID TV #4
• KID TV #5
• KID TV #6
• KID TV #7

JP

NA

EU

KILLER IS DEAD: the game
- An 80-page hardcover art book
- A soundtrack CD containing 25 songs

‘Smooth Operator’ DLC pre-order pack containing bonus in-game goods
- 'Gigolo Glasses'
- Alternate costumes for Vivienne and Mika
- Bonus ‘Gigolo Mission’ with Betty
- Additional ‘Episode 51’ featuring the vampiric Sebastian

 

[Wario64]

is this game worth it

 

[Ultimadrago]

is this game worth it

You tell me.

 

[Nemesis_]

I've played the first three missions. It's weird. >_>

 

[Urban Scholar]

Man I was wondering where an OT was.

I'm currently at ep 7, stuff is weird combat isn't exactly mindblowing. The game overall feels like a good way to spend a weekend if nothing else.

 

[FrostuTheNinja]

Righteous OP. I think I'm finally comfortable in saying that this is my favorite Grasshopper game.

Spoiler

And all these post game goodies! Ulti Mondo is some of the coolest stuff I've seen. Can't wait to unlock the wire arm.

Hope it finds a fanbase.

 

[Nemesis_]

I feel like the combat system is probably the deepest one that Suda has ever put to a game, but when you consider his pedigree that's probably not saying much.

The first proper mission, an Alice In Wonderland (but warped) kind of level was just so bizarre.

I've played every one of his games and besides the obscure DS / PSOne games, I think this might be his most weirdest game yet. I can kind of see why it wouldn't gel well with any audience and would perform quite badly commercially.

 

[TentPole]

So if I was to order this off Amazon right now would I get the launch edition bonuses or is that just for preorders?

 

[Xevren]

I've played the first three missions. It's weird. >_>

Same here. Will dive into more the coming weekend. Graphics have won me over though I'll give it that much.

 

[Persona7]

Man I was wondering where an OT was.

I'm currently at ep 7, stuff is weird combat isn't exactly mindblowing. The game overall feels like a good way to spend a weekend if nothing else.

Yeah, someone else was supposed to make it but dropped out right at the last moment and nobody else wanted to do it and I finally got a chance to throw together one really quick today.

 

[Squire]

This sounded awesome when they first announced it. I don't know how, but even Sudan missed the joke in Lollipop Chainsaw.

 

[Barakov]

I've played up through mission 4 and seems pretty ok so far.

The camera seems a little jittery to me and the screen tearing is pretty damn noticeable at certain parts. For me it's not a deal breaker, but it's definitely been quite some time since I've played a game where it was tearing as much as this. I'm playing on PS3 by the way. Also, this game has the appropriate amount of weird that I was hoping for.

 

[Urban Scholar]

Yeah, someone else was supposed to make it but dropped out right at the last moment and nobody else wanted to do it and I finally got a chance to throw together one really quick today.

Coolness

 

[TheSpaceBetween]

I've only watched the first trailer so I'll be going in fresh. Can't wait!

 

[Yoshichan]

Is there naked boobies and sex in this one?

 

[Urban Scholar]

The bundled soundtrack is ok but I can't wait until the real deal is available for purchase. Some songs in this game are too sexy.

 

[nckillthegrimace]

I just finished episode 4 and the difficulty shot through the fucking roof during that boss fight. I kind of hate it so far, and I'm a big grasshopper fan. I tracked down Samurai Champloo: Sidetracked for god's sake, and I can safely say that, so far, this is their worst game by a pretty wide margin.

Anyway, this might be a Lollipop Chainsaw-esque case of the game not playing very well until you unlock more moves, but the game doesn't play very well. It feels super awkward to control compared to NMH and LC; the time after you swing your sword and before you can move again is way too long. It's like fucking Monster Hunter. Couple that with the copious amounts of screen tearing, and the first few levels just feel super choppy and nausea-inducing. To be fair, there are a bizarrely large number of systems underlying the combat, so maybe it gets better when you level up. Maybe?

The story so far just seems weird for the sake of being weird, and the dialogue is shockingly terrible. This isn't Killer7's tense, disturbing writing or No More Heroes' snappy, clever script...it's like someone took the most popular parts of Grasshopper's games and repackage them in a way that makes it pretty clear that they've forgotten why that stuff is good. It's like the Star Wars prequels. They've attempted to give everyone exactly what they want and failed spectacularly.

Oh and Gigolo mode or whatever. Who gives a shit. In context, it's clearly meant to be tongue in cheek, and staring at cartoon breasts is probably actually the best part of the game. The limited edition even comes with xray specs that you can wear to enhance your breast viewing, just like in real life. Fuck everything.

If you like Grasshopper and are on the fence, just replay No More Heroes and hope they make a third one instead of continuing this trend of making increasingly derivative parodies of their own games. Maybe that'll recenter the studio so they can finally move on. Or drink yourself stupid and pray for cleansing fire.

Now watch me finish the game and love it.

 

[Hasemo]

is this game worth it

Thread with impression from the Japanese version.

 

[The perfect Dark]

Yeah, OT! Finally!

To anyone who has the game: How many side missions( not gigolo) / unlockables are there?

My copy should arrive today.

 

[FrostuTheNinja]

Anyway, this might be a Lollipop Chainsaw-esque case of the game not playing very well until you unlock more moves, but the game doesn't play very well. It feels super awkward to control compared to NMH and LC; the time after you swing your sword and before you can move again is way too long. It's like fucking Monster Hunter. Couple that with the copious amounts of screen tearing, and the first few levels just feel super choppy and nausea-inducing. To be fair, there are a bizarrely large number of systems underlying the combat, so maybe it gets better when you level up. Maybe?

You can dodge out of the attack cool down animations.

 

[BubblegumCrisis]

Sold my copy yesterday. Put in enough time to what I thought warranted the money spent but ultimately I was very disappointed with the finished product and could not see myself wanting to put that disc into my console ever again.
Shadows of the Damned and Lollipop Chainsaw whilst less than brilliant, were certainly superior products than Killer is Dead which really is just a mediocre action romp with poor direction and somewhat atypical art style.

Aside from the combat being quite frantic and enjoyable to a degree (though lacking any sort of depth with its criminally small move set or enemie variants to use them on), I consider the rest of the game to be borderline garbage with senseless filler and over-reliance on trite anime tropes, even more so than past Grasshopper outings.
Narrative and characters in particular were the worst offenders, coming off as completely brain dead and uninteresting, totally devoid of the witty writing/ dialogue found in Killer7 and Flower, Sun & Rain, and lacked the self-awareness and self-referencing prominent in No More Heroes.
I love Japanese zaniness and absurdity but this game just crams that stuff in there with no cohesiveness or purpose. Throw in a shallow combat system and a story a teenager could have come up with and you've got a game that is deserving of the low review scores and sales it will surely get.

Please try harder Grasshopper, as there is only so many shite-ish games I can take before permanently placing you on the 'avoid this developer because they no longer make decent games' list. Do yo want to join SE and Konami huh?

 

[Arklite]

Got through the first four episodes. It's weird, it's crazy, it's nonsensical, and the combat feels awkward until episode four forces you to learn to be more deliberate. The expected Suda51 feel minus a clever script.

 

[FrostuTheNinja]

Oh yeah, it's directed by Hideyuki Shin. Someone in the review thread asked who it was and yeah, it's him. Only reference to him I found was some work he did on Silent Hill 4: The Room.

 

[Nemesis_]

I think Shadows of the Damned still feels like their tightest and most well polished game, easily.

But I love this game for some reason. Once you get down the dodge and countering mechanics, everything just works and it becomes much less clunky.

 

[xXBetter Off DadXx]

Through the first 3 missions so far and enjoying it quite a bit.

 

[The perfect Dark]

Okay, got my copy.
I'll play it now for the next two hours....don't disappoint me, Suda!

 

[Heavy's Sandvich]

Awaiting my copy to arrive.

 

[Dragon1893]

This game sparked my curiosity the moment it was announced but I'll wait for bomba price. Read a lot of impressions and reviews and I think I'll regret paying full price for this.

 

[Sn4ke_911]

The OT full in caps sadly doesn't make this game better

 

[Mr.Monitor]

I really don't know what to think of this game yet. The script is terrible, definitely; all the cutscenes so far have been really robotic and awkward, but honestly it's kinda cool. This isn't a good thing for sure, but something about it is appealing in a weird way. It's honestly like watching a car accident, it's terrible, but I can't take my eyes away. The gameplay isn't anything amazing, but it isn't the worst thing I've ever played. It definitely doesn't live up to the gameplay videos so far, though. Maybe it gets better when I learn more skills? But yeah, I really wish Suda would go back to his clever scriptwriting. I feel like even Lollipop Chainsaw and Shadows of the Damned were better than this. I know he didn't write LC, but still. Those scripts were at least fun. Maybe this game hits its stride later on? We'll see. Oh yeah, the box set is also very nice. I wish more publishers would do stuff like that.

Spoiler

Lastly holy shit, after playing Gigolo mode for myself, I think I can say that it's hilariously inoffensive. No clue why people made a big deal about it. It's clearly tongue in cheek. That and there are so many other things to complain about.

 

[lonely]

Has anyone made their papercraft model yet? Did you guys reinforce that paper at all, cause it feels thin and cheap.

 

[UnluckyKate]

fake edit : wrong post haha I wanted to creat a thread

this game looks so good. Will buy soon

 

[Stone Ocean]

Can't wait for the download to finish.

 

[Samurai_Heart]

Too many games out this week, this will have to be brought later =/, need more impressions from peeps as well.

 

[Mr.Monitor]

a story a teenager could have come up with

The script feels like it was written by a teenage anime geek who just watched a David Lynch and Quentin Tarantino movie and thought they were the coolest things ever. I know plenty of people say stuff like that about Suda's other games, but this time it's for real.

Spoiler

I should know, it's just like something I would have written in high school.

 

[Gbraga]

Wow, the NA boxart is way better than the others imo, that's kinda rare.

Already bought and downloading, can't wait to play it.

 

[Omnistalgic]

Just use this graphic engine in an RPG!!! Please someone! RPG's showing up only on handhelds this gen only make art styles like this all the more painful.

Dragon Quest, Dark Cloud, etc...come back to the big screen already!!!

 

[Sakujou]

Bros, iam shocked. I ordered the fan edition, it'll arrive tomorrow, but some of the said stuff from you guys shocks me infinitely....

I was expecting something better than lc but this game seems, despite the super awesome artstyle, the worst...

Killer7,nmh,nmh2 were the best games from suda... After those games the rest was more of a meh....

 

[polyh3dron]

I got this from Amazon and it's still sealed... should I send it back for a refund?

 

[Mr.Monitor]

I got this from Amazon and it's still sealed... should I send it back for a refund?

I probably wouldn't but it depends how interested in it you are. If you can wait, why not just put the money towards one of the games coming out in September? There are tons and I'm sure Killer is Dead will reach bargain bin prices by the end of the year.

 

[witchedwiz]

Opinion on this sounds so undetwhelming i can as well wait for bomba

 

[Booker Dewitt]

Played the first first four episodes, getting a real "Only God Forgives" feel around it. Mostly with the dark and awkward atmosphere so far (and chauvinistic/misogynistic themes), and the critical lambasting that they both received. Unfortunately, I can see people making the argument for Refn's film being misunderstood way easier than Killer is Dead, which oddity's seem manufactured rather than OGF's personal feel.

Still early in, but yeah, hope I'm wrong.

 

[Heavy's Sandvich]

Up to the 4th Episode.

Technical issues - The screentearing isn't that bad at all. Even then you're concentrating on the enemies to even notice. Framerate feels stable (as you'd expect if you're having screen tearing). That for me is the most important thing.

Combat - doesn't feel as stiff as Lollipop Chainsaw. I'm still very early in but there is already a greater depth to the combat that LC, even more than No More Heroes. Love the fact it has a version of

Spoiler

zandatsu/witch time

. Feels greatly rewarding. Mechanics so far have been the soundest in a Suda game, probably since Liberation Maiden (or Frog Minutes). Use of the gun arm will take getting used to as you have to be careful of the amount of blood it consumes.

Visually - I think it looks stunning, like genuinely beautiful. Already in Episode 3 it's demonstrated a variety in design I've not seen in a while. Loving it.

Music - Has its own vibe. Still early so I've yet to find a song rival the theme of the light sushi.

Love the little nod to

Spoiler

Shadows of the damned

Enjoying it immensely.

 

[Nyoro SF]

Lemme repost my opinion from the last thread:

Finished first four chapters.

I really like it so far. The combat is fluid and the enemies are diverse.

If I have two complaints, it's that:
1) The music doesn't even come close to being as good as NMH or NMH2.
2) The non-boss environments are pretty bland, and not even in an artistic way.

I would still recommend this to someone if you like action games, without hesitation. There's quite a few fun and interesting action game mechanics and if you're sloppy the game will punish you. Especially the bosses.

I didn't notice any screen tearing issues playing on X360 (or framerate issues). Playing this game on 360 though really shows how dated current console hardware is though.

 

[The perfect Dark]

Finished the first four missions + 2 gigolo missions + 2 challenges

I really like this game. It's definitely more Suda than Shadows or Lollipop.
Combat feels great, lots of unlockables.
gigolo missions are fun imo (a nice change of pace)

Spoiler

magnifico, lol

Level design and gameplay is pretty much like No more heroes and the style is ...well...Killer7.

I can't say anything about the story because I've no idea what's going on lol.

 

[schlew]

Love the little nod to

Spoiler

Shadows of the damned

Enjoying it immensely.

Damn, I must have missed that. What was it?

I'm enjoying the game a lot, but I still can see where the complaints are coming from.

Also, anyone know when I should take on Mission 51 from the DLC? Should I wait until I beat the game?

 

[BubblegumCrisis]

Don’t want to be a downer again but I think people should perhaps wait ‘til they at least get beyond the first few chapters before deeming the combat as “deep” or “great”, because honestly it really isn't and I’d liken it closer to a Musou game than a true combat centric title like Bayo (though I don’t necessarily think anyone here is really making that comparison).
It’s very swift and ostentatious but there is little to no depth behind it, as the bulk of the enemy is bested (including on Very Hard ) with the same pattern of Just guard then counter smash followed by spamming slash and/or Perfect dodge (which can be initiated regardless of good timing) followed by more spamming of the slash or guard crush buttons. That goes for all Bosses as well.
Sure you can throw in the odd sub-weapon attack (which seems insanely over powered by the way with essentially infinite ammo), a launcher here or there (which is quite useless because you can’t even jump for a follow up), and a stinger (minus the use or practicality) but you’re still left with a system that tries to trick you into thinking its more profound and proficient than it in fact actually is (I won't even mention the press to win adrenaline burst button).
Don’t be fooled by the loud colours, pretty button prompts and overzealous use of slow-mo effects as they’re just superficial. When you get down to the gist of things its nothing more than a limited albeit somewhat flashy repertoire of abilities which in turn offers little in the way of variety and free-form flowing combat.
For lack of a better word ‘clunky’ as Lollipop Chainsaw may have been, at least the move-set in that game gave you something to work with, never really making you feel trapped into using the same attack patterns over and over the way KiD does.
Whilst I believe the core of the combat in KiD may have had some potential, Grasshopper seemed adamant in keeping it on the “all style, no substance” side of things, resulting in the spam fest we have ended up with.

 

[ViewtifulJC]

This is definitely one of those "thank god for Gamefly" situations. The writing and the narrative is just awful, clunky and awkward, with the worst excesses of "wackiness" to make up for a huge deficiency in interesting characters. The combat is about as deep as a shallow pool of sweat worked up from a 30 min treadmill session, with a lot of bright colors and sub-systems to distract you with, but fights that play out almost the exact same way with the too-often repeated enemy types and repetitive spamming of attack and Perfect Dodge. The dodge is kinda like Metroid Other M, in that it doesn't require any real skill or good timing on the player's part, just keep spamming that along with the ol' Just Guard and you'll win. Yes, even on Hard. Yes, even against bosses.

The screen-tearing is fuckin' horrid, and the framerate is almost constantly in the 20s. And the Gigolo missions, on top of whatever weird/stupid/creepy voyeuristic bullshit you want to apply to them or not, are just fuckin' BORING, which is the worst offender. They're technically skippable, but you'll be missing out on some of the best sub-weapons in the game and give the combat some much needed variety, what little that is.

It's decisively not good.

 

[Brofield]

Briefly popped in this thread once before a while back. Just read the character bios.

HUGE deja vu moment reading Mika as "eccentric and fangirlish" to dissolve tense situations.

I think I need this game now. I haven't had as such a moment like that since I dreamed I was playing TimeSplitters 3 second-to-last boss, maybe 8 years before it even existed.

 

[Astarte]

Oh I'm in love with this game. It's so odd I can't help but be drawn to it!
Mission 51 is long as fuck though, and the boss fight isn't even good =/