The Video Game Reviews Community (HonestGamers)
Forums | Blogs | Register | Login | Users | Staff | Links

3DS
Arcade
DS
GameCube
iPad
iPhone/iPod
Mac
PC
PlayStation 2
PlayStation 3
PSP
Vita
Wii
Wii U
Xbox
Xbox 360
All

Systems > Saturn > G > Gun Griffon > User Review

Sign up for a free user account and you can leave feedback for this review or even submit a game review of your own!

Review by pickhut
August 11, 2010

GunGriffon: The Eurasian Conflict is a first-person, giant mecha game that doesn't like to hold your hand. In fact, it'll kick you in the nuts if you don't learn to play properly immediately. Sure, it provides two optional, very simple exercises, but they're not great representations of the actual missions. What will surprise many people that play GunGriffon for the first time is that they'll be thrown right in the middle of a battle, literally having to hit the ground running. There's always a group of tanks, mechas, and helicopters nearby, and you're usually tasked with having to destroy them quickly, either because they're coming for you or your allies that you have to protect with your life.

Now, considering you have this high-tech machine at your disposal, you're probably scoffing at the idea that tanks and helicopters are a credible threat. Why, you might even be thinking you can charge into a group and annihilate them with ease.

You fool! That's the last thing you want to do!

Dash into a trio of tanks, and watch in horror as they make you look like a bumbling idiot with their simple, but very effective, circling maneuvers. And the helicopters, oh God, the helicopters are the second biggest threat in GunGriffon (heavily-armed mechas coming in first) if you don't know how to handle them correctly. I've lost a few missions simply because I couldn't swat down these pesky bugs... The one thing this game quickly teaches you is not to take any opponent with a weapon for granted. Actually, I should also say not to take your ammo for granted, either, because you really don't have enough to finish a mission. What intensifies combat in GunGriffon is how much you have to rely on supply helicopters in heated war zones. Ignore their presence too long and the enemy is going to make quick work of them.

No supply helicopter means no refill.

No refill means no more ammunition.

No more ammunition means be An Hero.

Needless to say, you're going to die a lot in this game thanks to the difficulty. It's the type where you normally have to play a mission two, three, or four more times before understanding where specific enemy formations are placed and when certain events are triggered. You will get frustrated, but GunGriffon is the kind of title where you want to jump back in and try again, since you're so emerged in the intensity of the battlefield. And it helps that you're placed in various circumstances, like navigating in a city at night, forcing you to use night vision, fighting through a heavily-guarded, snowy forest in an attempt to destroy a passing train, and protecting a plane trying to take off from a base that's being assaulted by a ruthless force hell bent on preventing that.

Though, some might find the reason why the game is tough is due to certain factors, the most notable one being the controls. Wanna move? Press X to walk forward and A to moonwalk. Jump? Z button. Or how about turning the turret in a different direction while walking in another? Hold the L shoulder button. Yeah, the control setup might seem whacked at first, but it's surprisingly easy to get the hang of if you don't give up so soon. Besides, you can customize the layout in the options menu, so this "issue" is moot to those that can find the Key Assign screen in two seconds. Also, another potential complaint is how the view is restricted to first-person only, in a game developed by a Japanese team, no less! Why not an additional third-person perspective? Well, for me at least, the first-person works well, because, since you're inside a giant mecha, it gives you the illusion of being a larger than life wreaking machine. This is especially true when tanks and helicopters swarm around you like you're King Kong.

However, there are some minor, legit complaints to be had with GunGriffon.

One reoccurring annoyance is unknowingly bumping into objects. Turn slightly to the side and be done with it, right? Wrong. In many situations, you'll need to either walk backwards or make a 180 degree turn, depending on what's behind you. Of course, in the heat of battle this causes obvious problems. Another downside is how short the game really is, with a total of eight stages, each with a typical time limit of ten to fifthteen minutes. The only reason it will feel longer is that you'll be dying all the time, though once GunGriffon is mastered...-ish, it should normally take under two hours to complete. It would have been great for a game like this to have a few more missions to mess around with, but for what it is, GunGriffon: The Eurasian Conflict is a tough, fun little game for the Sega Saturn. So if you're willing to work with these shortcomings for a challenging game with a tense atmosphere, then this is going to provide a nice alternative to the Saturn games you're used to seeing.


Rating: 7/10


Most recent video game reviews written by pickhut

Rotastic (Xbox 360) [January 23, 2012]
Power Blazer (NES) [January 15, 2012]
Power Blade (NES) [January 11, 2012]
Super Thunder Blade (Genesis) [January 02, 2012]
Golden Axe II (Genesis) [December 19, 2011]

[more reviews]

You can click the tabs on the above bar to choose whether you wish to read comments from visitors who have posted on Facebook, or from registered site users who have left feedback on the forums. Please leave a comment of your own if you have anything to say!





Follow Us

Advertise exclusively for 1 month... only $1000!

Recent Forum Discussions


+ Alpha Olympics 2012
+ JoeTheDestroyer's Tales of Phantasia review
+ holdthephone's Final Fantasy XIII-2 review
+ Where's SkyWard Sword's review ? And please bring back the rating feature.
+ JoeTheDestroyer's Area 51 review
+ zippdementia's Mega Jump review
+ [News] Schafer has pitched Psychonauts 2, Minecraft dev says 'let's make it happen'
+ playstation vita, yo.
+ RotW January 29 - February 04 2012
+ Games to be added to the database...
+ The Final Fantasy XIII-2 thread
+ [News] Final Fantasy X HD will be a remaster, not a remake

Staff Game Reviews

SoulCalibur V (Genesis) artwork sample The Simpsons Arcade Game (Genesis) artwork sample Quarrel (Genesis) artwork sample
Star Ocean: The Last Hope (Genesis) artwork sample Pushmo (Genesis) artwork sample Medal of Honor: Airborne (Genesis) artwork sample

SoulCalibur V
The Simpsons Arcade Game
Quarrel
Star Ocean: The Last Hope
Pushmo
Medal of Honor: Airborne

Site Staff

Jason Venter's avatar
Jason Venter
Editor-in-Chief
Email | Twitter
Masters' avatar
Marc Golding
Associate Editor
Email | Twitter
Gary Hartley's avatar
Gary Hartley
Associate Editor
Email | Twitter
Rob Hamilton's avatar
Rob Hamilton
Associate Editor
Email | Twitter
Zigfried's avatar Sho's avatar
Sho
Editor
Email | Twitter
Rhody Tobin's avatar
Rhody Tobin
News Editor
Email | Twitter
Skyler Bunderson's avatar
Jonathan Davila's avatar

Featured Reviews [+]

Rayman Origins (Genesis) artwork sample Othello (Genesis) artwork sample Scarface: The World is Yours (Genesis) artwork sample
The Last Express (Genesis) artwork sample Golden Axe II (Genesis) artwork sample Assassin's Creed: Revelations (Genesis) artwork sample

Rayman Origins
Othello
Scarface: The World is Yours
The Last Express
Golden Axe II
Assassin's Creed: Revelations

Exclusive User Reviews [+]

Tales of Phantasia (Genesis) artwork sample Mega Jump (Genesis) artwork sample White Knight Chronicles (Genesis) artwork sample
Dragon Wars (Genesis) artwork sample F-Zero GX (Genesis) artwork sample Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door (Genesis) artwork sample

Tales of Phantasia
Mega Jump
White Knight Chronicles
Dragon Wars
F-Zero GX
Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door

Info | Help | Privacy Policy | Contact | Advertise

© 1998-2012 HonestGamers
None of the material contained within this site--from reviews, guides, cheats and editorials to message board posts--may be reproduced in any conceivable fashion without permission from the author(s) of said material. This site is not sponsored or endorsed by Nintendo, Sega, Sony, Microsoft, or any other such party. Gun Griffon is a registered trademark of its copyright holder. This site makes no claim to Gun Griffon, its characters, screenshots, artwork, music, or any intellectual property contained within. Opinions expressed on this site do not necessarily represent the opinion of site staff or sponsors.

eXTReMe Tracker