Let me preface this article by mentioning that I've had to upgrade this from a mere preview to, well, a mere review. In the process of typing the preview, the full game bounced into my demanding hands, thereby forcing me to bow to the inevitable and base it on a few days' gaming, rather than just a few hours, as the preview would have been.

Mardi Gra's come early this year...

Ever gone from a very hot sauna to an icy cold pool? Both are pleasurable but the extremes between both can certainly be shocking and that's exactly how I felt when I dropped Okami and began playing God Hand.

In terms of back-story with God Hand, or even having the tiniest role playing morsel to sink your teeth into, well, you can forget it, as it doesn't exist and that's good. Why? Because this game isn't about graphical depth, complex characterisations or groundbreaking this or that... it's one of the most pure forms of beat'-em-up I've played for ages. For the connoisseur of fine, old comedy films, it's like Blazing Saddles had a love child with Flying High and the resulting prodigy is an entertaining, but very weird tongue-in-cheek blend of beat'-em-ups from yesteryear.

It's also very strange.

The action is focused around a tall, muscle-bound man called Gene, who's been granted a right arm holding stupid amounts of power. Problem is, everyone else wants his arm for some nefarious reason, including your typical thug, villain and street urchin as well as a wrestling gorilla and a transvestite. So what does a guy with a stiff upper cut do with all these jealous types? He bashes the bejesus out of everyone, continuously and without the slightest pause.

There's no time wasted; an insanely brief intro ends with you approaching a town plucked straight out of a Wild West movie. My alarm bells start to ring; what the..? Then you notice the strange blend of surf and rockabilly/surf tunes that intertwines perfectly with the sweet brutality and you begin to realise this game's as bent but fun as a banana covered in hundreds and thousands.

How to run like a girl...

The game drags players over six small but intense levels, filled with nothing but endless waves of bad dudes, quick cinematics interspersed between each levels acting as humorous pit stops and of course, not a puzzle anywhere. Simplistic? Oh god yes. It's about as stripped down and honed a fighting game as you'd want or in fact, need. On one hand we have what seems a fairly basic sounding game but slowly scratch away at the surface and the rat turns into a cute little mouse via the insane amounts of unique combat-moves that can be discovered. With around a hundred different kicks and punches, the large arsenal comes in handy for the many difficult boss encounters Gene eventually finds himself in.

With reality firmly barred from entry, no punches are pulled when it comes to Gene's available powers. Slow moves mix with lightning fast jabs and hits that literally send enemies flying over the horizon. Occasionally though, even with godly powers just a mere hand away, you'll get swamped with more enemies than even you can handle. So it helps that with the flick of the right analog stick, you're able to back-flip out of danger, giving you time to pick off enemies one at a time. But who am I kidding... I've always been the style of gamer that relies on saved positions to enjoy my gaming experience. So what if you die for the six hundredth time? God Hand saves between levels, allowing you enough reloads to make your fingers snap off from fatigue. But that's good. Why? Because God Hand gets hard, very fast and intense. Again, that's good. The more you master the game, the more intense it becomes. This game isn't about giving a crap how fast or slow you progress, it's about enjoying the enormous capacity for customizing how you play. By defining which moves you assign to what controller button in which order, the old button mashing becomes a totally different experience.

So what about that God Hand? Fighting gives you energy and once sufficient levels are gained, you can activate some very powerful moves that deal massive amounts of damage.

Oh my...

Graphically, well... this is just between us, right? The graphics are okay. Maybe I should spice it up by describing them as sufficient? You get my drift though. Hell, it's the PS2 we're talking about. While it was the ideal platform once in the day for great console looks, this game is more about function than aesthetics and this game's sole function is to kicks as many nuts (trust me, the chicks in this game behave like they have nuts) as possible. I do have to mention the beautifully silky smooth fighting animations present in the game. I dare say even Jackie Chan could learn a few slick moves off Gene's super-human feats. Obviously more effort was placed into the characters than the surrounds and it's a logical move, as the eyes remain focused on what counts more than what does not.

There's only one word that describes this game perfectly for me: goofy. Between the seemingly misplaced but incredibly danceable music, this is as strait-laced a fighter game as you need. Take out the frills and insert a sense of humour, albeit a strange one, and you have a package that will have you brawling for hours. Get ready to be whacked, both with the innumerable punches flying and the odd-ball humour.

As I've already hinted at, the music is the type that's matched very well with the fast-paced action on screen; think 'Pulp Fiction' and you'll get my drift. Vocal acting is a laugh as well as is the canned laughter track in the game. You heard me right... there's a laughter track. Kind of sums it all up really.