God Hand

Looking at God Hand, it's hard to believe that what you're seeing is from the same mind that brought us the Resident Evil series. There's no horror here, no deadly zombies and the combat is heavily tilted towards the humorous side of the fence. Yet, for all its absurdity, God Hand carries a certain beat 'em-up appeal that is difficult to ignore.

Set in the Old West, the game is equally inspired by classic "Spaghetti Western" films and classic rock-'em sock-'em anime. Fans of post-apocalyptic shock-cartoon Fist of the North Star will spot an uncanny resemblance in Gene, the main character. As for the story? It is a simple revenge fantasy. Gene's family has been wronged and he's on a mission. You know the rest, right?

This is one of those games that will work your fingers to the bone, tapping buttons to bust out as many punches per second as possible. Crazy combos and insane moves form the basis of Gene's repertoire, making it easy to fight one-on-one or battle a large group. What's a little stranger is the game's camera - it always rests behind Gene, rocking around sickeningly as he moves through the level. The uncontrolled motion sometimes makes it hard to stop more powerful enemies from getting the drop on you too.