Keeping the Beat

A good run in Gungrave is all about pacing. Shooting is such an afterthought that it's a trivial affair finishing off a screen full of enemies. Of course, the real challenge comes from trying to string those screens together into a nice Beat count. This means killing them slowly, hitting the shot button deliberately instead of hammering away, keeping the last thug alive until the next one appears. This also means juggling the risk of closing in, exposing yourself to more gunfire, with the reward of keeping the combo going.

Pair this depth with my meager performance (I only got the fourth Demolition Shot at the very end of the game), and I've got more than enough reason for a second play-through before I take on Gungrave: Overdose. Luckily, it's a pretty short ride once you know what you're doing.