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27 of 29 found the following review helpful:
Way of the SamuraiJun 01, 2002
By Bryan Lassner
A very interesting take on the end of the Samurai era in Japan. I just purchased this title earlier today, but so far I am already enthralled with it. The first things I noticed about the game were: one, its very hard, and two, the story is amazingly open and varied. On the difficulty end of things, there are very few save points and you only get one life; if you die the game is basically over. The story plays out like and old samurai movie or Clint Eastwood western (think "Yojimbo" or "Fistful of Dollars"; you encounter warring factions in a small town and everyone seems to want to recruit you to help tip the balance of power in their favor. However, the game never pushes you towards a specific direction. Your character's choices remain refreshingly open ended as the plot develops. You can fight, switch sides, or just sit back and watch while the npc's fight it out. The game also has it's quircky Japanese moments, like the afro-haired samurai, and sometimes downright bizzare quips you can choose to taunt your oppents with during battle. The bigest weak point in the game is definately in the graphics department. The character faces are genuinly unique and fairly expressive, but the game itself is somewhat jaggy, and definately displays some texture seaming problems. Another possible quible could come from the intitial dificulty level, which is fairly high. However, starting from scratch often is not as bad in "Samurai" as in some other titles, because it alows the player a chance to view different possible story arcs. One final not on the music: it's fairly eclectic, I personally enjoy it, but its probably not for everyone. The rest of the in game sounds are fairly minimal, so if you want to listen to your stereo instead of the game you at least won't be missing anything important.
14 of 15 found the following review helpful:
Not perfect, but very fun.Jun 05, 2002
For those of you who are trying to decide whether or not to buy this game, this is the review for you. This game is not the best PS2 game ever, and it certainly doesn't deserve 5 stars. However, it is a LOT of fun. You just have to go into it knowing what to expect... The story is similar to "Last Man Standing" w/ Bruce Willis (which was a remake of Kurosawa's "Yojimbo"). Two rival clans are preparing for war against each other, and you are a lone Samurai with the power to sway the outcome of conflict. This is what makes the game so much fun. You are free to choose how you want to interact with people, and your decisions cause chain-reactions that ultimately change the entire story line. There's nothing forcing you to be good or bad. You can help those in need... or beat them up if you feel like it. Because of this, there are several different endings, giving the game high replay value. The story is relatively easy to follow, but the dialog probably could have used some revisions. Some nuances have clearly been lost in the translation. The graphics for this game are decent, but below the quality of what we've seen capable on the PS2. The characters are unique and have a lot of personality, but their bodies are blocky, and the (non-fighting) animations are repetitive and stiff. The environments are pretty nice, but they are limited in number, and there is little or no "exploration" to speak of. Most of the areas are noticeably devoid of the presence of humans. Even in the main town area is almost completely empty (except for when the fighting starts). It would have given the game some nice atmosphere to have at least a few random townspeople walking about. The music in this game is very good. It is similar to that which appeared in the first Tenchu game (no surprise). There aren't that many ambient sound effects other than random animal sounds or that of a passing train. Consequently, a lot of times the game seems overly quiet. It would have been better if the characters had speaking voices. All conversations take place in dialog boxes and balloons, and people just grunt or make random noises so you know who's talking. The fighting sounds, however, are great--on par with any fighting game out there--and that does a lot to liven things up. The highlight of the game (other than the changing story line) is the sword fighting. It is incredibly deep, and it takes a LOT of practice before you even begin to realize how much potential you have. There are air-juggles, throws, blocks and parries... and you can even use some items in the environment as weapons. If you play the game on normal or hard, expect to die... a lot. But once you get the hang of it, you'll be loving it. You start off with a single sword, but there are dozens of weapons you can obtain along the way. Each weapon has different moves, and you have the ability to improve the stats on them by taking them to a blacksmith. AND the ones you manage to "save" can be used in subsequent games. Because the fights take place in different environments, the camera sometimes gets stuck in unhelpful angles. Plus, the camera angles often switch, which will cause occasional confusion. But these issues are common in games like this, and they definitely don't ruin the experience. Also adding to the replay value is the fact that, based on your performance, there are plenty of things to unlock, including a 2-player VS. mode. Well, this review is already way too long, so I'll end it here. I am definitely enjoying this game, I'm sure you will too.
10 of 10 found the following review helpful:
 By far one of the best PS2 games out there.Jun 02, 2002
This is one of the best games I have ever played, period. I am not a hardcore gamer, so take that with a grain of salt. But still, this is an incredibly well crafted and well thought out game. Fans of the PSX Tenchu series will immediately be reminded of Way of the Samurai's roots: much of the background music is similar to that of Tenchu, as is the general approach to the scenery. The swordplay is similar to that of Kengo: Master of Bushido (an underrated game, in my opinion). The graphics are incredible, as is the sound. The camera is moveable with the right analog stick, which is a very nice touch.You assume the role of a samurai in the early Meiji Period, and as such must make decisions as to how to interact with the many characters you meet as you travel around the map. Each decision affects the outcome of the game. The non-linear aspect of this game is very well created, and makes for interesting gameplay. But the game is not only about meeting and talking to other characters. Intrinsic to it is sword fighting. In the beginning you are equipped with only a mediocre sword and few fighting skills. As you fight other samurai, you can obtain new swords and new skills. You can also have the swordsmith work on your sword to increase its durability, sharpness, and flexibility. The approach to fighting is interesting: your sword has a certain durability factor that determines how many "strong attacks" can be blocked before your sword will break. You can parry, cause your opponent to stumble in order to open up an attack opportunity, and even low and high kick while fighting. I only bought this game yesterday, and have not played it for very long so far, but I can tell you that it is well worth the money. And while some of the reviews of the Japanese version (or maybe it was a demo version, I don't know) have claimed that it plays a bit short, I can say that it is not easy to win sword fights against the more powerful opponents. That, combined with the non-linear play, should make for a game with high replay value. In addition, there is a 1P vs. CPU and 1P vs. 2P fighting mode. Some cons. The map is a bit small. But that is intentional, as the story is supposed to take place in one mountain pass and the immediate environs. Since there are many characters (some minor, some major) that you meet along the way, the small map does not detract from gameplay at all. Each area of the map is rather small, meaning that each time you move from one area to another you have to wait for it to load. But load times are really, really short. The only other gripe I have is that sometimes when fighting the view is blocked by something in the landscape (a small tuft of earth, a fence, etc.). It only happens once in a while, though, and is relatively minor. If you are at all a fan of samurai/sword games then this is a must own. If you are interested in playing a fighting game with stunning graphics and a lot more to offer than the usual hack-and-slash, then this is at the very least a must play.
7 of 7 found the following review helpful:
A 79 year old gamerJun 04, 2002
By art
After reading some negative reviews about the games graphics and length I was hesitating to buy it. But it definatly turned out better than I thought. The graphics really aren't bad - characters are detailed and the landscapes are nice. In fact at times this game looks quite beautiful, especially at sun rise. Even though the game is short it has great replay value. From what I read there are 6 endings, but even more ways to get there. EVERY time I played it something different happened. There's a great variety of swords and the fighting is awsome and extremely fun. There is an unlockable two player feature wich I haven't tried yet. You can unlock new costumes and head to edit your character. In my opinion the only flaw in this game is the saving system. You can only save when u get to certain points. Then you have the option to either save and quit or continue without saving. Sounds normal right? But the catch is that every time you load the game your saved game will be erased and you have to play till you reach the next save point. If you do not reach it and turn the ps2 off, the next time you'll play, you will start from the beginning of the game again. This is especially bad when its bed time and your mother keeps shouting at you to go to bed, or when you are late with something and you can't find a damn save point. This flaw doesnt bother me too much though since I think the game is so fun that i dont mind starting from the beginning again. But for some this is quite annoying. This minor or not so mnor drawback schouldn't stop you from getting this great game though. And parents should not be too worried about the M rating. I have not yet heard any foul language, the violence isnt that violent- really and there is an option to turn the blood off wich there isn't so much of anyway.
6 of 6 found the following review helpful:
Either hate it a lot or you like it a lotJul 10, 2002
By J. Leigh
"jleigh7"
Pros:
- Some nice musical pieces - some of it is kitaro-esque, some of it is light rock. (like I said, you either hate it or like it). - Excellent texture mapping for the faces. - Beautificul backdrops- makes you feel like you are in a small village in Japan. - No cheesy dubbing of any kind. Just comic strip voice ballons- which I kind of like. - Wide range of fighting styles that can be obtained through obtaining new swords. - Fun to see how the stories weave into each other. Not an easy task to accomplish. Have to play multiple times to try different paths. - Fight controls are simple to learn and difficult to master. - Provides dual vs CPU and dual vs another user, after a certain level has been passed. - Sufficient cheats available. - Online tutorial provides step by step training. Later tutorials consist of video sequences which are not particularly good. Cons: - Save system is awkward. Everytime you save you also delete the saved game. So if you die in the middle of the game that's it! You have to start all over. I guess that makes it more like real life. So get yourself an extra memory card and backup the saved game before you start. - Camera tries to blend in a first person shooter viewpoint with a Resident Evil viewpoint. Works sometimes to create a dramatic effect but often times, especially during a fight sequence, it can be fatal. - Areas are all very limited in size. Likely to be because of all the memory eating up in the texture maps. But they are all well done- reminiscent of the old samurai films. - No way to skip through dialog quickly so restarting the game means you have to suffer through all the text. This game definitely deserves a rental. I have both Kengo and Bushido Blade and I like both. This game's major improvement over the aforementioned is a deeper story element that gives the users choices for the path he/she takes. Buy it if you think you can tolerate the user interface problems.
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