God Hand

eToychest

What really pushes God Hand over the top, though, is the presentation and how fun it is. In other brawlers, you’re restricted to punching guys in the face or kicking them in the stomach. God Hand finally lets you kick that stupid demon that’s been giving you trouble right between the legs.

Play UK

The perfect mix of button-hammering and technique, and all at a suitable difficulty level. The battles stay fresh thanks to all the different attacks and the cast are odd enough to keep you interested without resorting to cliches. [Issue # 149, p.74]

Play Magazine

God Hand is awesome. [Nov. 2006, p.85]

PSX Extreme

Whether you picked up the stellar "Okami" or not, give it’s B-game cousin a shot if you’re a fan of challenging games with great mechanics. Oh yeah, the music rules, too!

Game Revolution

But all those bells and whistles take a back-seat to solid fundamentals and a commitment to comedy, making God Hand only the best beat-em-up game released for the PS2.

Console Gameworld

If you’re a gamer that is itching for a challenge, God Hand will deliver. It’s not the most brilliantly made game ever, and in fact it actually feels very unpolished, but once you get over the initial learning curve you’ll have a blast. Just make sure you start on easy mode.

Gaming Age

There are lots of clichés and stereotypes and the scrip makes fun of each one in turn, making for a light, fast story. But even with it's self-deprecating humor and over-the-top boss characters, the story takes a distant back seat to the action.

PSM3 Magazine UK

So ridiculous you'll wonder if you're actually dreaming it - but still one of the best scrappers in ages. [Dec 2006, p.86]

GameZone

The challenging nature and plethora of attacks allows you to go back to the game quite a bit. While it’s a pretty wacky game, it’s all in good fun, and more importantly, it’s actually funny.

PSM Magazine

So, yes, the controls can be problematic, and, yes, the game doesn't look all that hot, but God Hand is also fun and funny, and it's really these latter two factors that make the game well worth playing. [Dec. 2006, p.76]

Yahoo! Games

But you won't be getting this game for the advanced graphics engine. Instead, you'll be getting it for the fact that during one early battle, someone sticks a piece of paper on your character's back that says 'Kick my ass'.

G4 TV

It was my intention to give this game 3 out five, but we couldn’t put it down, despite its flaws, we had to see what was around the next corner, and that makes it 4 in our world.

Thunderbolt

God Hand is one of those games that will either leave you shaking your head in disappointment or practically drooling for more. It functions superbly as a beat’em up game, and it possesses the some of the charm that games like "Final Fight" and "River City Ransom" used to enjoy.

DarkStation

Capcom shows us how it's done with this refreshing take on the beam 'em up genre. Awesome boss battles, simple but deep combat system and tough enemy AI makes this a clear choice.

TotalPlayStation

Old-school to it's core, God Hand isn't perfect, nor is it the kind of game that will please everyone, but buy into the world and the characters, dig into the combo system and enjoy the quirky humor here and you're bound to have a good time.

NTSC-uk

Here's hoping for a censorship-free translation to the US and PAL territories. Bravo Clover!

Cheat Code Central

The average gamer will probably tire with the gameplay after a few hours while the hardcore will rise to the challenge. It can get really tough, don’t kid yourself.

GameSpot

God Hand's pure focus on ridiculous martial arts brawls makes this simple action game fun and challenging. Bonus points for the wild sense of humor and surf rock soundtrack.

1UP

Yes, other brawlers may perfectly replicate the real-life trajectory of a fist making its way to a face. But God Hand takes you back to those days when you were a little kid in Chuck E. Cheese's. And that's far more satisfying -- and impressive.

Games Radar (in-house)

Many will dismiss its satire as meaningless vulgarity, and fail to appreciate the intricate and satisfying ass-kicking. But for those able to dig it, God Hand is an excellent old-school game in a bizarre, new-school shell.

Eurogamer

It's really, really good gaming, assuming you don't let the game push you around like a playful big brother with little a superiority complex. God Hand just wants to have fun. And so do we.

VideoGamer

It's far from perfect and more annoying than accidentally ramming your already-bleeding knuckles against a table edge that's been smeared with salt and vinegar, but it's the kind of pain that probably turns people into fetishists. It might be wrong, but on this occasion it feels oh so right.

PALGN

For doing what it does confidently and without delusions of grandeur in multiple aspects of gaming, God Hand deserves a whole bunch of credit. Very playable, very fun.

Total Video Games

On the wider scale of things, it's perhaps not the most original title. That said, with additions like the expansive combat techniques and God Roulette, there's enough to keep it feeling fresh at times.

GamerNode

God Hand's high level of difficulty and disappointing lack of technical innovation places it in the love it or hate it category. One thing's for sure though: it definitely should not be overlooked.

GameBrink

The sound is truly what sets it apart from the rest. From the crazy background sounds you get after some Techniques, to the insanely hilarious dialogue you get in cutscenes, the sound is what kept me going until the end. [JPN Import]

Games Master UK

A romp of a game that delivers high levels of violence and risque humor by the bucket. [Feb 2007, p.73]

Play.tm

God Hand will be shunned by a lot of people who'll cite the poor graphics, alarmingly retro game design and what appears on the surface simplistic combat. But for the select few who 'get it' and have a soft spot for such things or are willing to take a chance God Hand will be loved unashamedly and held up as an example of what can be made of an aging genre when refined to its purest form by skilled developers.

Official Playstation 2 Magazine UK

A game to throw in your PS2 when you're looking for a quick fix of fun violence, even if it's a little rough around the edges. [Feb 2007, p.66]

Sydney Morning Herald

Like a bizarre mixture of WWE Smackdown and Benny Hill, God Hand is one of the quirkiest, silliest and funniest games to come along in some time.

GameSpy

It's not exactly a a slick, accessible piece of entertainment, but anyone with decent reflexes and the ability to learn should be able to get deep enough into the system to enjoy what it has to offer -- namely technical, thumb-numbing martial arts action and satisfying, hard-fought victories.

DailyGame

A fitting end to Clover Studios. Vaya Con Dios, lads; you will be missed.

Gaming Target

There’s something about “God Hand” that just feels unfinished to me. Whereas previous Clover Studio games were almost polished to a fault, this one seems too rough to be complete.

Edge Magazine

Take it or leave it: just don’t ignore it, or you may miss the videogame equivalent of a daft night out with some of Capcom’s finest minds. [Dec 2006, p.88]

Official U.S. Playstation Magazine

Still, God Hand is a guilty pleasure in that it's so embarrassingly poor in its basic design, yet totally awesome in its combat. [Nov. 2006, p.118]

GamePro

It's more suited as a light snack and won't satisfy your hunger for a gourmet feat of beat-em-up goodness. [Nov 2006, p.93]

GameDaily

This completely over-the-top and utterly bizarre fighter is just what the witch doctor ordered. It's not exactly the most polished of games, but its lack of technical prowess is no match for its in-your-face style, brutal combat that makes me wince, then giggle.

GameShark

Throw in the hilarity that is a constant throughout the entire game and God Hand is a game that will keep you entertained for a long while.

Digital Entertainment News

If you aren't easily offended and you're looking for a good brawler, God Hand is worth a try.

GameTrailers

If you’re a masochist with a sick sense of humor, give God Hand a try, otherwise just watch the bizarre videos.

Electronic Gaming Monthly

Hardcore quirky-game fans will want to slow down for a peek at this car wreck, while everyone else is better off speeding on by. [Nov. 2006, p.125]

Game Informer

An almost totally uninspired 3D brawler that doesn’t avoid any of the common pitfalls of the genre. Locking the camera close in behind the character’s head is almost never a good idea, and certainly not in this case. The automatic targeting mechanic bugs out at least once every five minutes of play. Enemies are too predictable.

AceGamez

Much like many of the dubbed anime movies released in the early Nineties, with ridiculous voiceovers and outlandish Japanese humor hiding intriguing stories and characters, it will take a certain type of person to dig past the bad to reach the good - hence all the polarized reviews that God Hand has received.

games(TM)

It’s an amazingly in-depth system that rewards skill rather than persistence, and for this reason alone it’s near impossible to recommend God Hand to any but the most hardcore of player or fan of the genre. [Feb 2007, p.108]

3DAvenue

While the game does have some originality and unique features, ultimately the repetitive nature and button mashing feel to the game kills any thoughts of being a top quality title.

Worth Playing

Everything about the game feels old: the gameplay, graphics, control scheme and sometimes insensitive humor. It’s a tough combination to swallow, and the maddening difficulty doesn’t improve the situation one bit.

The Onion (A.V. Club)

Playing this flawed, oddball offering is like flushing your neurotransmitters with Red Bull—painful, mind-expanding, and occasionally laughter-inducing.

IGN

God Hand quickly becomes a boring, annoying and frustrating game.