American Release Date for Gungrave

The highly anticipated Playstation 2 action/shooting game Gungrave will premier in American stores on September 17th. “Gungrave” intertwines rogue-driven action with an artistic hardboiled flair that will appeal to fans of mature anime and manga. Lending credibility to the project is Yasuhiro “Nightgow” Nightow, who provided the original concept and character designs. Nightow is the renowned Japanese manga/anime artist whose most popular contributions to pop culture are the animated programs, graphic novels and action figures built around his “Trigun” series.

“Gungrave” is all about Hong Kong action-styled retribution as Grave, a long-dead assassin, is resurrected to clean house in a corrupt cartel while a deeper story unfolds. Players battle through massive, destructible areas in an over-the-top, anime-inspired fashion, earning punk-pummeling special attacks and life-saving power-ups. By vanquishing enemies with style – such as leaping backwards over the edge of a stairwell while keeping your trigger finger recoiling nonstop – players can unlock secret movies and attacks.

To help keep rival goons and their bad-ass bosses in check, Grave totes a coffin on his back that can be swung like a pendulum or converted to a rocket launcher when it’s not scraping every doorway he walks through. Of course, the attention to detail goes beyond Grave’s freestyle “enemy ventilation” techniques and his coffin’s interaction with its surroundings. The dramatic movie quality cut scenes showcase original animation from Yasuhiro Nightow, creator of the hit series Trigun, resulting in both a compelling playing and viewing experience.