Viewing Single Post From: Kessen II Review

Viewing Single Post From: Kessen II Review
Fayt	Aug 23 2007, 11:49 AM
Sakon, has left the topic. Posts: 3,638 Group: Members Member #9,265 Joined: August 19, 2007 Gender Male	Game: Kessen II Platform: PlayStation 2 Setting: The Three Kingdoms Description: Based on a fantasized spin-off of the Three Kingdoms story, the game begins with Liu Bei; beginning a rebellion against the Cao Cao army. This is due Cao Cao learning that Liu Bei's love, Diao Chan possessed the 'heavens mandate' and therefore captured her. In response Liu Bei calls war against the Wei army, full of emotion he attempts to regain Diao Chan; at times it appears he is fighting only for her, and not to defeat Wei. Defections and lack of trust issues present the Shu army and its leader on this fictional & epic journey. Those that know the Three Kingdoms story will quickly realise it contains a high fictional value as opposed to history. Story Review: The assessments of the story really vary, for those that are after something true to history will be very disappointed, even offended by this fantasized spin off of the famous “Three Kingdoms” story. Having said that it does share some key relations to history; just unfortunately more so in minor details rather then the core of the product. The armies are pretty much spot on, as are when various officers join you, just unfortunately the main line of the story is well off the history trail. If you can cast the main theme of the story our of your expectations, or simply do not know the Three Kingdoms history you will find it extremely enjoyable, full of drama with many fascinating events along the journey. 7.5/10 Battle System: This is where Kessen II really stands out from the first of the series. The battle engine in particular has being dramatically improved; you’ll witness about five times the number of troops on screen; more battlefields to tackle & also the introduction of powerful Elephant Troops due to the addition of the Nanman tribe. Also introduced to the series are epic “Magic” style attacks, here you can exclusively move your officer within a melee of soldiers to position yourself for the best area to unleash some devastating magic attacks; such as Lightning & Meteor Showers. As before in Kessen you can order all of your units into position, and command them during battle, although this time around it’s by and large far better. This offers a solid RTS & Action combination to your battles. The areas are more interactive now as well, you can climb castle walls, or try and bust your way into enemy castles. Kessen II battles are a truly enjoyable and addictive experience. 9/10 Graphics/Sound: Since once one is great and the other is terrible I’ll split this one up. Graphics: There is a great improvement to the first in the series. In battles and battle environments in particular are much improves. The revamped battle engine makes the battles feel real, taking the experience of fighting something to enjoy on its own. The FMV’s are still as great as they were in the first Kessen, if not even smoother. It’s a much better appealing game to watch, and even better to play as it looks and feels smooth. 8/10 Sounds: Sound effects for magic etc are fine, no problems there. However the voiceovers…really disappointing, it seems there has being both translation problems/or lack of translations, and the rightful voices just don’t come up when they are supposed too. Often characters are repeating what was said in previous scenes, and the magic summoning is very raw and sounds like grinding against a blackboard. In FMV’s the voiceovers are great, but in battle its very ordinary, you don’t want the sound up to high for this one. 3/10 Replay Factor: The game offers harder difficulties and also the ability to play the story from Cao Cao’s side upon completion of Liu Bei’s story. It is also designed so that you simply cannot attempt every mission in one playthrough, as at times your army splits up, a trait that is now used in Kessen III effectively as well. The combination of these factors and the enjoyable battles give the game decent replay value, providing the in battle voiceovers haven’t drove you up the wall yet; although if they do just keep the music down and play a CD you enjoy…then you’ll love it much more. 7.5/10 Final Thoughts: The battle system is a real joy to play, if you want a nice managerial strategy game with a mild action and story flavour you should really fall in love with it. With abilities to make troops siege castle walls, climb castle walls as well as defend them adds a nice realism and live flavour to the series. Just ensure you command your units for time to time and don't leave one stranded and you should do well. The noticeable weakness of the game however is the lack of translation and timing of character actions, and of course the dramatisation of the original Three Kingdoms story. Rating: 7.5/10
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