Impressions suggest that Working Designs did their best in translating, and adding new elements withing limited time period of the game's announcement and the official release. While there's isn't much to be giddy about in terms of extras or enhancements, Working Designs once again, succeeds with applying the genuine integrity - and it shows. In short, Gungriffon Blaze radiates a polished feel and while it lacks longevity, packs quite a punch for the five level action-paced adventure.

That's right, I said five.

While each level offers an exceptional degree of diversity, it's not enough to be acknowledged as unique. The learning curve is a bit harsh though, as the intensity rises upon completing the training mode. A time limit doesn't help one bit in your reign of destruction. But once you get the hang of it all, everything becomes a bit easier. After a good amount of time behind the controls (more about those in a bit), you can blow through the levels pretty easily. This is where the lack of levels hurts the most. But to help out with the length, there are few extra things you can shoot for. You can earn points throughout the levels to buy weapons; armor and accessories after you have either finished the level or died. But there's once catch: If you die on the level, the items in which you had equipped are gone. For good.

On my first go with the training mission, I hated the controls. I had never used both of the analog sticks at the same time, ever. Naturally I was a bit disoriented during the initial run in my mech. But slowly, it all began to come together. To illustrate, the left analog stick (and digital pad, whichever you prefer) controls the top half of the Mech, or the guns and cockpit, while the right stick controls the bottom half, or the feet. The L1, L2, R1 and R2 buttons takes care of your weapons and the rest of your Mech functions. The only button on the face of the controller that is used is the Triangle button, which conveniently allows you to zoom in, sniper style, on your target. The other buttons control the basic features of your Mech, such as shooting your main weapon, switching your weapon, and using your jump jets. If you hold down your jump jet button for awhile, it allows you to fly a pretty good distance delivering a "fiery death" to the enemies below. So, in all, while the control scheme takes a bit to get used to, once mastered, you realize this is one of the best uses of the Dual Shock controller in awhile.

Graphically, the game lies within the 'middle of the road'. While Gungriffon Blaze runs at a smooth 60 frames a second, (being the fact there isn't anything that to obstruct the overall frame rate), the textures are mostly bland. One aspect that remains apparent - there's plenty of stuff to blow up, which is perhaps the coolest element to enjoy about the game. You can pretty much blow away anything and everything that stands in your way. From bridges, and launch pads - if you pump something full enough of holes, expect it to turn into rubble.

One of the strongest points with Gungriffon Blaze lies in the soundtrack diversity. With an ample degree of typical techno/rock themes which generally found in such titles, it's the slower tracks that really stand out. Personally, I found the melancholy piano solo that plays over the title screen to be one of the best pieces of music I've heard in awhile. While it may seem out of place, it harmonizes well to the visual display of the damaged mechs burning slowly - smoke churns and all from their broken innards. Looking to the sound effects, which bode well with the aural experience, aren't noteworthy to be addressed as unique. To its credit, Working Designs added some background radio chatter into the mix, and while this is a nice feature, in the heat of battle, it doesn't actually enhance the experience since it's usually drowned out in the hard beats and screeching chords from the guitars.

Admittedly, I enjoyed Gungriffon Blaze a great deal, but in the end, it was a quick, destructive romp. It would seem that Game Arts was faced with time constraints, and given the circumstances, could've developed a more solid and entertaining game. The game is just begging for more levels, and perhaps a little bit more freedom of optimization of the Mechs. In retrospect, Gungriffon Blaze qualifies as being a notable addition as Working Designs delivers a launch title that succeeds in being better than the lot of junk that floated about during the frenzied PS2 launch.

· · · Mezz