NeverDead

NeverDead (ネバーデッド, NebāDeddo) is an action game developed by Rebellion Developments and published by Konami for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

NeverDead
Developer(s)Rebellion Developments
Publisher(s)Konami
Director(s)Shinta Nojiri
Producer(s)Shinta Nojiri
Shinya Fujimatsu
Artist(s)Atsushi Tsujimoto
Writer(s)Shinta Nojiri
Composer(s)Mark Rutherford
Platform(s)PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Release
  • NA: 31 January 2012[1]
  • JP: 2 February 2012
  • EU: 3 February 2012
  • AU: 23 February 2012
Genre(s)Action
Mode(s)Single-player

Gameplay

The protagonist is an immortal and will be able to survive severe injuries. Over time, the player will lose body parts and will have to collect the removed limbs by rolling into them. Players can cause large objects to crush nearby enemies, harming them but not the player. Gameplay will also feature puzzle elements. A female partner will assist the player, however she will not be immortal and the player will have to take damage to protect her.[2]

Plot

The player controls a wisecracking human demon hunter named Bryce, who was cursed with immortality five hundred years ago by the demon king Astaroth. Now in modern times, he hunts demons for money and revenge with a female private investigator in order to stop a demonic invasion that has nearly destroyed the city.

Characters

Bryce Boltzmann

Voiced by (English): David Lodge[3]
Voiced by (Japanese): Hiroshi Shirokuma[3]

A wisecracking demon hunter who was cursed with immortality five centuries ago by Astaroth after he witnessed the brutal murder of his wife at the hands of the aforementioned demon king. Since then, he has become a disheveled, bitter alcoholic who hunts demons for money and revenge, often using his ability to remove and reattach his limbs to his own advantage. Now in modern times, he is accompanied by a female private investigator, Arcadia.[4][5][6]

Arcadia Maximille

Voiced by (English): Michelle Ruff[3]
Voiced by (Japanese): Sayaka Kinoshita[3]

Bryce's partner. She is cold and methodical.

Astaroth

Voiced by (English): Joe Romersa[3]
Voiced by (Japanese): Kiyoyuki Yanada[3]

The main antagonist of the game. Astaroth is the demon king who murdered Bryce's wife. While Bryce was horrified by the murder, Astaroth gouged out one of his eyes and cursed Bryce with immortality. Astaroth is the demon king responsible for the demon invasion in the city.

Development

The game was directed by Shinta Nojiri,[7] and developed by Rebellion Developments.

Music

The main soundtrack to the game was composed by Megadeth, while the credits song "Pharaoh★Love" is composed by Osamu Migitera (Des-ROW) with vocals by Megumi Nakajima or Brittney Snyder depending if the player has set the game language in Japanese or English. Also, the song was made playable in REFLEC BEAT limelight and Pop'n Music Portable 2.

Reception

NeverDead received "mixed" reviews on both platforms according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[8][9] In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of all four eights for a total of 32 out of 40.[14]

The Digital Fix gave the PlayStation 3 version a score of seven out of ten and said that "its successes far outweigh its failings and for every frustration such as the pitch black sequence (where you have to set yourself on fire to find your way out) there are multiple moments of humour backed up by a solid combat system. It's not going to change the shape of gaming or be remembered forever but it far exceeds any claims that the body destruction element is a gimmick and nothing more. NeverDead deserves to be played but a sequel only deserves to happen if Konami and Rebellion give Bryce the world and freedom you will want to see him in."[26] Digital Spy gave the Xbox 360 version a score of three stars out of five and called it "a prime example of a game that conjures an excellent premise, but then destroys it with poor design choices. We don't play games to be exhausted, we play them to have fun, and there are just too many moments in this game that feel like a chore."[24] The Escapist similarly gave it a score of three stars out of five and said, "NeverDead does try something new and original, but its mechanics are unpolished and poorly implemented."[25] However, 411Mania gave it a score of 4.5 out of 10 and said it was "very predictable and uninspired."[27] GameZone gave the PS3 version 3.5 out of 10 and said, "We had high hopes for NeverDead, especially after seeing it at E3, but the end result falls apart as quickly as Bryce does. The gameplay never really develops a structure that leads to any fun, and the presentation's flaws are hard to overlook. You should easily brush this zombie killer aside in favor of Dante, even if that means reverting back to Devil May Cry 4."[28]

References
  1. Fleming, Ryan (12 April 2011). "NeverDead shows off in these new screenshots". Digital Trends. Designtechnica. Retrieved 9 December 2012.
  2. Kennedy, Sam (21 August 2010). "NeverDead Will Make Heads Roll". 1UP.com. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 26 May 2018.
  3. "NeverDead - Cast Images". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 20 May 2017.
  4. Steimer, Kristine (16 September 2010). "TGS: Heads Will Roll in NeverDead". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved 9 December 2012.
  5. McWhertor, Michael (21 September 2010). "NeverDead Preview: Amputation Amplified". Kotaku Australia. Allure Media. Retrieved 9 December 2012.
  6. Reed, Kristan (5 October 2010). "NeverDead (Preview)". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Retrieved 9 December 2012.
  7. McWhertor, Michael (18 August 2010). "Step Aside! New NeverDead Screens Comin' Through!". Kotaku. Gawker Media. Retrieved 9 December 2012.
  8. "NeverDead for PlayStation 3 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 9 December 2012.
  9. "NeverDead for Xbox 360 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 9 December 2012.
  10. Sterling, Jim (8 February 2012). "Review: NeverDead (X360)". Destructoid. Enthusiast Gaming. Retrieved 9 December 2012.
  11. Edge staff (March 2012). "NeverDead review (X360)". Edge. No. 238. Future plc. p. 120. Archived from the original on 22 February 2012. Retrieved 26 May 2018.
  12. Carsillo, Ray (31 January 2012). "EGM Review: NeverDead (X360)". EGMNow. EGM Media, LLC. Retrieved 9 December 2012.
  13. Donlan, Christian (31 January 2012). "NeverDead Review (Xbox 360)". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Retrieved 9 December 2012.
  14. Romano, Sal (24 January 2012). "Soulcalibur V scores big in Famitsu". Gematsu. Retrieved 26 May 2018.
  15. Helgeson, Matt (31 January 2012). "NeverDead". Game Informer. GameStop. Retrieved 9 December 2012.
  16. Charles, Devin (10 February 2012). "NeverDead Review (X360)". Game Revolution. CraveOnline. Retrieved 26 May 2018.
  17. McShea, Tom (31 January 2012). "NeverDead Review". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 9 December 2012.
  18. "NeverDead Review (X360)". GameTrailers. Defy Media. 2 February 2012. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 26 May 2018.
  19. Navarro, Alex (2 February 2012). "NeverDead Review (X360)". Giant Bomb. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 9 December 2012.
  20. Lynch, Casey (31 January 2012). "NeverDead Review". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved 9 December 2012.
  21. Mitchell, Richard (31 January 2012). "Neverdead review: Devil may try (X360)". Engadget (Joystiq). Oath Inc. Retrieved 26 May 2018.
  22. Lewis, Cameron (31 January 2012). "NeverDead review". Official Xbox Magazine. Future US. Archived from the original on 2 February 2012. Retrieved 26 May 2018.
  23. "Review: NeverDead". PlayStation: The Official Magazine. No. 56. Future plc. March 2012. p. 84.
  24. Laughlin, Andrew (31 January 2012). "'NeverDead' review (Xbox 360)". Digital Spy. Hearst Communications. Retrieved 26 May 2018.
  25. Goodman, Paul (16 February 2012). "NeverDead Review (X360)". The Escapist. Defy Media. Retrieved 26 May 2018.
  26. Gallagher, Gareth (31 January 2012). "NeverDead Review (PS3)". The Digital Fix. Poisonous Monkey. Archived from the original on 25 April 2016. Retrieved 26 May 2018.
  27. Watson, Dan (17 February 2012). "NeverDead (Xbox 360) Review". 411Mania. Archived from the original on 3 June 2012. Retrieved 26 May 2018.
  28. Workman, Robert (12 February 2012). "NeverDead Review (PS3)". GameZone. Archived from the original on 16 February 2012. Retrieved 26 May 2018.
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