Monday, June 21, 2004 - Mastiff today announced Gungrave: Overdose for the PlayStation 2, sequel to Gungrave, the stylish cell-shaded action game created by the artists behind the beautiful anime series Trigun. The new installment, scheduled for a Fall 2004 release in North America, features character design of noted anime artists Yasuhiro Nightow (Trigun) and Kosuke Fujishima (Sakura Wars) and a soundtrack composed by Tsuneo Imahori (Trigun, Hajime No Ippo). Joining Gungrave: Overdose for the PlayStation 2 on retail shelves will be a series of DVDs and soundtracks from the anime TV series published by Geneon Entertainment.

Beyond-The-Grave, the undead hero of the series, is back to fight the Corsione family and prevent them from using the Seed to gain control of the world. Two new unlockable characters will be available in the game: Juji Kabane, a blind, foul-mouthed, and perpetually angry swordsman who wears a shabby overcoat and carries a pair of gunblades, and Rocketbilly Redcadillac, a rock star who wears a red riding jacket and sports a slick ducktail.

By performing "elegant and effective destruction" players can earn Artistic Points that unlock new hidden moves and power-ups. "The designers of Gungrave: Overdose believe in the art of the kill" says the official press release. If it wasn't for the talent of the character designers, one could say this sounds terribly stupid.