El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron (Sony Playstation 3, 2011)

It's difficult to compare El Shaddai with any other games as it is extremely unique. It's part hack-and-slash (with no computer-aided aiming, giving you complete control of the character) and somewhat reminds me of the Kingdom Hearts combat. It's also a brilliant adventure-puzzle hybrid (much like Shadow of the Colossus). And it is graphically-stunning, placing you in dreamscapes not often found in today's games (visuals in El Shaddai are accented with wild, colorful, sometimes organic overlays, reminiscing of Rez and Okami).

The camera is third-person and I've never found it to be wonky. On some levels it feels like a platformer. The storyline is bit confusing from the start, but becomes clearer as the game progresses. I believe that was intentional. There's a lot left to the user to discover in El Shaddai, and I think that's what pure adventure games need to feature in order to be good. The soundtrack is also very solid and fits the game like a glove.

When you put these elements together, you get one hell of a game. I definitely recommend you pick this one up. There is animated violence and some gore, so take that into account if you're purchasing for a teen who is on the borderline of not handling that sort of thing.

There will be 2 occasions most people will buy this game when it comes out this summer. The first is girls who think this game looks pretty and wont be AS violent as the "boy" games. The second occasion anyone will buy this game is when it is used for couples to have a mutual interest game. Ladies, if you are looking for a game you AND your boyfriend can play together, El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron is a pretty good choice. This game has bright, pretty, japanese style graphics and an entertaining story line plus great fight mechanics. Add in "easy to learn controls" and this game should keep many couples, women, and japanese teens entertained for hours on end. Lets just hope the price is competitive enough to be sold as a limited market game. Keep your eyes peeled for a mid-summer release.

This game is simply brilliant! The artistic design is amazing. The environments vary a large amount, each being incredibly well developed and spectacular. The music matches each level perfectly and are amazing as stand alone tracks as well. This is a combat that is easy to pick up and difficult to master, it is wonderful. The only comment I have against this game for other players is that it is quite difficult. Novice players ensure they should play on easy, even regular hack and slash players might want to stay away from the harder modes at first. I would recommend this game immediately to anyone. I do not have much to say, just get this game and experience this amazing game!