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| Samurai Warriors: KATANA Review; Can Koei conquer the Wii? | |
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| Topic Started: Feb 6 2008, 07:04 PM (665 Views) | |
| MegaXtreme | Feb 6 2008, 07:04 PM Post #1 |
The Maverick Hunter of Justice
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Ah, the Nintendo Wii. What a wonderful little machine it is. I mean, what was the first thing you thought of when you heard the Wii-mote was largely motion sensitive? That's right: sword fighting. We all saw Red Steel, we all were hyped about it, but it was an utter disappointment. Since then, our thirst for swords has not been satiated. I can now say that we do not have to wait any longer for a good sword fighting game. Koei has stepped up for their first outing on the Wii, a dramatically different system than what their accustomed to. We all know Koei has conquered hack 'n slash on the PS2 and Xbox, but can they conquer a Nintendo system, namely the Wii? Enter Samurai Warriors: KATANA. Let's begin with the basics. Samurai Warriors: KATANA is a first-person light gun-style sword fighting game. The catch is, you don't only use swords. You'll be fighting throughout four scenarios, a fifth one being unlockable, and you'll be joining the ranks of the likes of Nobunaga Oda, Kotaro Fuma, or rivaling the great Musashi Miyamoto. That's the one downside of the game though. You can't be any of the historical generals, which sort of makes you wonder "What's the point of the game?" Well, did you ever see Musashi, a famous swordsmen, use a cannon? Or a hammer, for that matter? No? Well, guess what, the lowly soldier you are throughout the game gets to use those, and more. You can choose from a sword, spear, hammer, or blades, and multiple ranged weapons as well for your perusal, which include a bow, a gun, a cannon, and a boomerang. More on those later, though. What I want to focus on is the gameplay in general and how every mission differs from the other. Within each scenario, in which there's only one to pick initially, called "Ascendancy", lies five battles, beginning with the first in the storyline. Each battle is broken up into anything from two to five missions. These missions range from killing a certain number of troops in a certain amount of time, getting to a certain location within time, rescuing peasants or fellow officers, defending a stronghold, and invading a base, to riding horses, hunting ninjas, and fighting enemy officers duel-style. Some missions allow you to use the control stick to free roam the battlefield sort of Samurai Warriors 2-style, while some have you navigating through mazes, and some are strictly shooting galleries. The stories are only decent, and are all entirely fictional, much like Koei's other Samurai Warriors games. So, the real hook of the game lies on the gameplay, which delivers well. Story: 6/10 The game plays out like a light gun-style game i.e. Time Crisis, Ghost Squad, House of the Dead and the like. The catch is that this isn't a primarily gun-based game. This is melee combat, through and through, like a Warriors game should be, except you hold a melee weapon AND a ranged weapon, not one or the other. Your normal attacks are done with the A button, and you block with the Z button on the nunchuk. Blocking consumes a "block gauge" with each attack, so letting go of the button refills it. If it runs out, then you're open to enemy attacks for a time. Your charge attacks are not mapped to another button like other Warriors games. Instead, you motion with the Wii-mote to slash with the sword. Slash to the right, and your sword does, too. Slash upward, and your sword slashes upward, uppercutting enemies into the sky. You have to have the cursor aimed at the screen when motioning charge attacks, but the Wii-mote reads them wonderfully; much better than Red Steel could dream of. The musou attacks are some of the funnest parts, as you can freestyle slash the screen with the sword, sending enemies flying about, while the musou meter runs down. You can trigger the musou attack by wiggling the nunchuk, and you won't have to worry about accidentally triggering it, as you need a good flick of the nunchuk to trigger it. One caution, though: the musou attacks WILL leave you sore, unless you do run around waving things like swords all day. The sword isn't the only weapon, as mentioned earlier. You get three more, as well as ranged weapons, each with their own unique effect. You'll eventually get a spear, where you can stab enemies with a thrust maneuver, and cause one-hit kills when hitting red "critical" spots on enemies. Hammers can hit a wide range of enemies and cause great damage, although it's slow, and charge attacks can be used when performing hammer motions with the remote while holding down A. The last is the worst of all the weapons; the blades. These are supposed to be a yo-yo with blades sticking out of it, but does a pathetic amount of damage and can only hit a single enemy at a time. It can be held outward to continue spinning at the cost of your block gauge, but is not effective at all. The motion attacks of it are a downward or upward motion while holding A, but is again only effective against one enemy. So, Koei was 3 for 4 with melee weapons; something that could be improved later on should they make a sequel. The ranged weapons are all useful in their own right. Ranged weapons are fired with the B trigger and aimed with the cursor. Simple enough and not over done, although one weapon utilizes the Wii motions, but does it in a fun way. The bow is the first weapon, and is the only weapon that can be rapidly fired, but with only a maximum of six shots. You then have to reload by firing off of the screen light gun-style. The bow can also have it shots charged by holding down B, which yields stronger shots. The gun is the most basic, as it's just point and fire. It takes a bit to reload (really 2 seconds) but is more powerful than the bow to make up for it. The cannon is slow, but has a large attack radius, and is very powerful. Aiming it can take some getting used to, but once you see how you have to aim it like a real cannon, it only seems so much cooler to use it. The last is the boomerang, which is the only that uses motion controls. You hold B at where you want the boomerang aimed, then flick the remote to send it flying. The harder you swing it, the wider the arc. These can be used in any combination with any of the melee weapons; once unlocked, of course. Gameplay:9/10 The game overall plays well, and the motion controls work as they should and are fun to use. The duels with the officers are probably the funnest part, as they use all of their signature moves from Samurai Warriors 2. Some battles give you unique functions, like being able to sidestep, being able to time your dodges when an enemy slows down, and being able to parry moves like a master swordsmen by timing your use of the block button properly, leaving your opponent open to damage. Reading their moves is what will give you the edge, and some bosses are challenging. Pretty much every character makes an appearance in the game in one form or another, as a boss or an ally. It's nice to see your favorites popping in here and there, but you still can't help but wish you could actually play as them; something Koei could consider should they make a sequel. Overall, it will take you around 15 hours, more or less depending on how much time you invest in getting the highest grade you can on all of the missions. Other modes included are a Trial mode, which is much like Samurai Warriors 2's Survival mode, only with 5 "rooms" rather than hundreds of floors, and a VS mode that features 8 games to take on a friend in. These only start with one room and one game, respectively, but more can be unlocked as you progress through the Musou mode. Replay Value:8/10 We all know the Wii can't push graphics like the PS3 and Xbox 360 can, and SW:K is no exception. It's on par with Samurai Warriors 2, with maybe slightly better character models. You may notice that textures tend to look bland and some objects can be blocky, but this is just like SW2, and SW2 didn't have you seeing battle through the eyes of a soldier. The camera was much more pulled back, so the bland textures weren't as noticeable. However, the character models are still more than passable, even if the Wii has seen better days. Overall, the graphics are nicely done, albeit a tad dated. The sound consists of a soundtrack spanning the entirety of the Samurai Warriors games, even featuring music from SW1. There are some new tunes thrown in, retaining that techno-beat music combined with Japanese instruments. The new tunes are good, especially the ending music, which uses strictly Japanese instruments with some nice piano thrown in for a very soothing sound. As for the rest, if you liked the music, you'll like it here. If you didn't, this won't change you mind. It works for the game and it's subject matter, however, which makes the soundtrack very good in general. The voice acting is still not so good. These are the Warriors Orochi voices, unfortunately, so expect some poor acting on pretty much all of the characters' parts. There is a Japanese option, thankfully, that works much better, but if you want to listen to English, you'll have to put up with some rough acting, possibly causing you to lower the volume and missing out on the soundtrack. Graphics: 8/10 Sound: 7.5/10 As for the overall presentation, the game looks flashy with easily-navigable menus and fitting music to complement it. There is one noticeable bug that involves enemy troops running in place when they run straight towards walls, as they don't know how to run around it. It gives the game a sort of ugly look, and it could have been fixed, but it doesn't happen often. Also, there are a few translation errors here and there, something Koei really should've touched on better, since you'll be scratching you head when one comes up. Other than that, the game look fine and is presented well, even if there are errors here and there. Presentation: 8/10 Summary: To put it in perspective, this game is the choice for the Wii if you want to fight with swords and hack up tons of enemies. The game can be quite difficult, with multiple difficulties and a few hard spots among the Normal difficulty alone, but nothing beyond passable. The game is repetitive like every other Warriors game, of course, and is even more noticeable once your shoulder starts getting sore. However, it is fun while it lasts, even if you can't use you favorite historical figures, thanks to there being multiple weapons and differing missions for you to play through. At least the game retains its stats upgrading system while visiting the shop, where you can buy items to heal yourself in battle and boost stats. Be warned, though: This is not your typical Warriors fare. If you care too much about being one of your favorite characters and want to experience the full-scale battles the Warriors series is known for, pass on this one. If you want something different from your Warriors games, and an actual good sword-fighting game that makes the game a truly "Wii" experience thanks to the great use of Wii controls, then this is your answer. Final Score: 8/10 |
  Due to flame messages I have received while playing online on the PlayStation Network, I have set my profile so I will no longer be notified of incoming messages and all messages will be deleted until a Non-Friend blocking solution is developed by Sony. If you wish to contact me, PM me right here on Koei Warriors or e-mail me. Thanks for your cooperation. | |
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| Fayt | Feb 7 2008, 07:11 AM Post #2 |
Sakon, has left the topic.
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Excellent review, well written and provides much information on all the key areas about the new style game. Firstly you spoke of being a soldier having to perform various tasks for your army; I'm guessing the concept is a little similar to Destiny mode in Dynasty Warriors 5: Xtreme Legends? And my god, the way you spoke of how the Musou works and the attacks certainly does sound like something that would compound the repetitive factor in a cruel way due to overuse of your arm to perform them. This keeps me curious, although not jumping out of my skin either. Having a Wii of my own I enjoy the Wii mote, in particular with things like Wii Sports. I'll certainly be giving this one a try at the very least when I can get my hands on a copy. |
 Star Ocean Universe | Forum | |
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| Xalfrea | Feb 7 2008, 08:19 AM Post #3 |
Organization XIII's Number XV
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Wow, the review is very detailed. I'll definitely get the game when I get a Wii. Oh no... the WO voices are being used? What happened to Agile sound? |
ORGANIZATION XIII Crimsondramon wins again. Thanks for the sig! BB Senshi Sangokuden kit status: 29 gundams, currently missing 7 | |
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| BuddHA0991 | Feb 7 2008, 09:32 AM Post #4 |
Ace of Spades
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Probably workin on SW2XL, they are being released close to each other... |
  Farewell Chin, keep it real! R.I.P. Rosalba Lopez: You will always be with us. Megaten Series Fan! SMT 1,2,3 Nocturne, DDS 1/2, DS:R 1/2, Persona 2IS/2EP/3FES/4 all KICK ASS! | |
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| MegaXtreme | Feb 7 2008, 06:52 PM Post #5 |
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The Maverick Hunter of Justice
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Thanks for the great feedback. Yeah, the WO voices are still there. Luckily, there's the Japanese option, so you won't have to put up with them. Also, this is kinda like DW5XL's Destiny Mode, except you can't customize your character's appearance, obviously because you never see it. Also, the story progress is what will affect your standing in the army, not your performance. |
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Due to flame messages I have received while playing online on the PlayStation Network, I have set my profile so I will no longer be notified of incoming messages and all messages will be deleted until a Non-Friend blocking solution is developed by Sony. If you wish to contact me, PM me right here on Koei Warriors or e-mail me. Thanks for your cooperation. | |
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| KOEI Warriors | Feb 11 2008, 05:10 AM Post #6 |
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_root.admin
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This will be picked for KW main site!!! |
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| MegaXtreme | Feb 11 2008, 07:56 PM Post #7 |
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The Maverick Hunter of Justice
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SWEET!  Thanks dude! I'm glad I could contribute more to the site. I had to spread the word on how good the game was. Everyone enjoy the review!
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Due to flame messages I have received while playing online on the PlayStation Network, I have set my profile so I will no longer be notified of incoming messages and all messages will be deleted until a Non-Friend blocking solution is developed by Sony. If you wish to contact me, PM me right here on Koei Warriors or e-mail me. Thanks for your cooperation. | |
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| KOEI Warriors | Feb 13 2008, 02:30 PM Post #8 |
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_root.admin
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It's out and I hope this is okay... http://koeiwarriors.co.uk/swk-review.php Thanks a lot man! |
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| MegaXtreme | Feb 13 2008, 07:31 PM Post #9 |
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The Maverick Hunter of Justice
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No problem! I'm glad I could be of assistance in sharing info on the game. I hope I can contribute more reviews in the future. The videos give it a really nice touch, BTW. Thanks, Insp. Chin! |
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Due to flame messages I have received while playing online on the PlayStation Network, I have set my profile so I will no longer be notified of incoming messages and all messages will be deleted until a Non-Friend blocking solution is developed by Sony. If you wish to contact me, PM me right here on Koei Warriors or e-mail me. Thanks for your cooperation. | |
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| Chibicchi~~^3^ | Apr 22 2008, 04:00 PM Post #10 |
I will spread happiness!!! X3
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Woww.... Very detailed information....
 If that so, I want to buy this game because I already have the console.  Maybe I re-read it soon...  Thanks for the information!!! XD
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http://www.youtube.com/user/GeishaLovers Is not related with GeishaLovers isn't it??? XD | |
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| MegaXtreme | May 11 2008, 10:45 PM Post #11 |
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The Maverick Hunter of Justice
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No prob, dude. Glad I could help! I try to be as informative as I can. That way, people know what they're buying. Plus, I juts like writing reviews.
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Due to flame messages I have received while playing online on the PlayStation Network, I have set my profile so I will no longer be notified of incoming messages and all messages will be deleted until a Non-Friend blocking solution is developed by Sony. If you wish to contact me, PM me right here on Koei Warriors or e-mail me. Thanks for your cooperation. | |
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| MUTSU | Jul 7 2008, 08:32 AM Post #12 |
悪魔城ドラキュラ
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I didn't like KATANA when I did get it. I think it's too short or something like that... AND IT JUST IS BAD GAME xDDDDDD Though, I love Katana weapon<3 |
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| Travman1 | Mar 24 2009, 01:02 AM Post #13 |
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Sergeant
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If I had a Wii I would definitely give it a go. |
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| crazyboyz | Apr 30 2009, 11:10 AM Post #14 |
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Elite Soldier
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I own this game but not have palyed it yet |
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