djblewis

@Softserve You probably weren't purifying your weapon when it became defiled (turning red/black). If you don't, you'll do next to nothing in damage and fights will go on way longer than they should. Think of it as a reload mechanic. A purified weapon should take out an enemy with a few combos.

@(Unverified) It's about 12-13 hours on your first playthrough, then you unlock two new modes, an optional HUD, and Score Challenge with rankings for each level and online leaderboards, plus new outfits and some other goodies depending on how many secrets you find in the game. Lots of replay value IMO.

@Kadrom Were you purifying your weapon when it turned red/black? If you don't, fights will last much longer than they have to. If you do, you'll take out an enemy with a few combos.

If you're at Comic-Con today, UTV Ignition Games is showing off the full retail game and handing out tons of El Shaddai double-sided posters. They're posting giveaway times at http://twitter.com/elshaddaigame throughout the day.

@TJF588 Amazon's offering a $10 credit when you pre-order, if that's a decent enough hook...

@Jovrick In terms of gameplay, it's hard to think of a more varied game than El Shaddai. Every level in the retail version is very different from the last, and there's a great mix of 2D action & platforming, 3D fighting & platforming, and even driving later in the game.

Also (even though it isn't very clear in the demo), button-mashing is the wrong way to approach the combat. It's rhythm-based, so try attacking, pausing, then attacking again for armor breakers.. mix it up with launchers, air combos, power attacks, etc. You can find plenty of YouTube videos that show how insanely deep the combat system really is.

@Father Of Noise Eurogamer gave it a 9/10, Edge gave it an 8/10.

@GTThaAceman I can confirm there's around 12-13 hours of gameplay in your first playthrough on Normal, and you unlock two more modes after that.

Here's Eurogamer's review (they gave it a 9/10): http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-06-01-el-shaddai-ascension-of-the-metatron-review

@FriedConsole

Austin's one of the most liberal cities in the nation, actually. Otherwise, you are correct, sir.

@mrantimatter

I believe the Austin area is home to 80+ game studios these days. Very good place to work in this industry.

@EatSleepChuck Edge Magazine gave El Shaddai an 8/10 in the new print issue. For comparison, they gave InFamous 2 a 6/10 and Witcher 2 a 6/10 in the same issue, and recently scored Shadows of the Damned a 5/10.

Famitsu also loved it, as you saw (9/8/8/9) and people who imported have been tweeting their love for it for months. GOTY for some already.