Each of the game's 15 or so playable fighters specializes in a specific pointy object and wades through rivals with a repertoire of pokes. But it's the behind-the-scenes strategy that puts the art in Samurai's otherwise mindlessly fun war. To thwart a warlord, you'll have to maintain your army's morale, know when to attack and retreat, and work in concert with allied commanders. While the Sun-Tzu slant gives Samurai Warriors an edge over most slashers, so little has changed since the series' inception that its shortcomings-namely, repetitiveness and choppy performance-are starting to show. Interior stages aren't cutting it set in booby-trapped castles, they take away the trademark tactics, the cavalry charges and clashing armies, and go back to the genre's grindstone with mazes and monotony. A few made-in-Japan heroes-like the ninja Hanzo, who swings a sickle and chain-put a faster spin on the bloodletting, but most of the cast aren't much different from their cousins in China's Three Kingdoms. Of course, diehards won't care-they'll be content maxing the stats of each officer in their entourage, collecting every last weapon and power-up in the warring states. Taking out 500 enemies or more in a single battle could've become dreadfully repetitive, but Samurai Warriors stays sharp, thanks mostly to RPG-ish character advancement (including lots of new moves to master). This war won't be over in a weekend, either-five branching campaigns provide plenty of opportunities to earn honor in battle. A somewhat confusing interface and disjointed midbattle cut-scenes make keeping track of allies and major enemies a chore, occasionally shrouding the path to victory, but otherwise, Samurai Warriors slices and dices. Split the screen, and two can slice through Samurai Warriors' story mode together or compete in several challenges. To claim victory in showdown mode, simply slay your opponent and his army. Strike mode's object is to slaughter 1,000 enemies, while pursuit pits players in a race to capture the lard-assed Goemon, who's hiding in a fortress full of look-alikes. Finding fatty is the most fun, but in all cases, the action slows to a crawl with too many characters onscreen.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
March 2023
Categories |