Samurai Warriors 2
Same as it ever was... and yet we still love it.
Published: September 21, 2006
It's 2:24AM on Thursday the 21st -- two days after I should have had this review written and moved onto the dozen or so other games I have on my plate right now. And yet, as I let the electronica-infused koto notes come bleating out of my speakers, I realize I've lost another four hours to a game I'm supposed to ignore.
Samurai Warriors 2 -- like all the Warriors games from KOEI, have become something of a joke. It's not a joke one makes terribly often, because it's a bit like picking on the short bus kids; yeah, there's plenty of material, but it's an easy target. Sure, these games sell like crazy, but they haven't changed much in ooooohhh nearly a decade, and yet that's good enough for some. But not me. No sir, I've only poured... oh, hell 26 hours into the game?
It's true. Reaching back, I can actually remember the scattered marathon sessions that the game inspires. There's something deeply satisfying about racking up four-digit kill counts, something that makes you feel like a badass. And of course there's the RPG powerleveler that absolutely adores watching stats slowly ratchet up, seeing vast mobs of enemies fall to my blade (or, as I've been goofing around with the past four hours, a cup and stone).
And this is the appeal of SW: character progression meets simplistic gameplay. There's no crazy formula to analyze, no complex battle system, you just hammer the Square and Triangle buttons until your thumb falls off, and yet my disdain for the series as a whole has wrapped right back around and I'm into it more now than I was six years ago when I first discovered the games. How the hell does that happen?
It happens, apparently, very slowly. The very same gameplay that's become a staple of the series over the years is here; none of that has changed. And yet, it's been augmented enough with optional RPG-style stat boosts, unique weapons, branching storylines and extra modes (which I'll get to in a second), that it doesn't necessarily feel like those games from years past. Or hell, maybe it's just the setting. I've said it before, but I feel like I know a little more about Japanese history thanks to games like Onimusha, and that definitely goes a long way towards making me feel like I want to learn a little more about the characters. Yellow Turban Rebellion? Nah, not here.
But yes, the game at its core is unchanged. You still hack and slash away with the Square Button handling major attacks and the Triangle button handling a branched finishing attack for more damage. Holding Circle will charge the Musou Meter, and then tapping the button will unleash a Musou Attack that clears out enemies. At the start of every battle, you can choose accompanying officers and a mount, and-- you know, is there anyone out there that doesn't know this stuff? Basically, you have buddies that kick ass alongside you (slowly) that level up too.
There are some nice updates to the basic formula. Now, you can zip in and out of castles seamlessly instead of waiting for them to load up. Combo trees advance according to characters themselves rather than their weapons. Those weapons, along with the 14 different playable icons of Japanese history, can be upgraded with skills and enhancements bought in the game's shop, and the level cap for all characters has hit 40, which isn't terribly hard to get to if you play through all the different modes.
Samurai Warriors 2 -- like all the Warriors games from KOEI, have become something of a joke. It's not a joke one makes terribly often, because it's a bit like picking on the short bus kids; yeah, there's plenty of material, but it's an easy target. Sure, these games sell like crazy, but they haven't changed much in ooooohhh nearly a decade, and yet that's good enough for some. But not me. No sir, I've only poured... oh, hell 26 hours into the game?
It's true. Reaching back, I can actually remember the scattered marathon sessions that the game inspires. There's something deeply satisfying about racking up four-digit kill counts, something that makes you feel like a badass. And of course there's the RPG powerleveler that absolutely adores watching stats slowly ratchet up, seeing vast mobs of enemies fall to my blade (or, as I've been goofing around with the past four hours, a cup and stone).
And this is the appeal of SW: character progression meets simplistic gameplay. There's no crazy formula to analyze, no complex battle system, you just hammer the Square and Triangle buttons until your thumb falls off, and yet my disdain for the series as a whole has wrapped right back around and I'm into it more now than I was six years ago when I first discovered the games. How the hell does that happen?
It happens, apparently, very slowly. The very same gameplay that's become a staple of the series over the years is here; none of that has changed. And yet, it's been augmented enough with optional RPG-style stat boosts, unique weapons, branching storylines and extra modes (which I'll get to in a second), that it doesn't necessarily feel like those games from years past. Or hell, maybe it's just the setting. I've said it before, but I feel like I know a little more about Japanese history thanks to games like Onimusha, and that definitely goes a long way towards making me feel like I want to learn a little more about the characters. Yellow Turban Rebellion? Nah, not here.
But yes, the game at its core is unchanged. You still hack and slash away with the Square Button handling major attacks and the Triangle button handling a branched finishing attack for more damage. Holding Circle will charge the Musou Meter, and then tapping the button will unleash a Musou Attack that clears out enemies. At the start of every battle, you can choose accompanying officers and a mount, and-- you know, is there anyone out there that doesn't know this stuff? Basically, you have buddies that kick ass alongside you (slowly) that level up too.
There are some nice updates to the basic formula. Now, you can zip in and out of castles seamlessly instead of waiting for them to load up. Combo trees advance according to characters themselves rather than their weapons. Those weapons, along with the 14 different playable icons of Japanese history, can be upgraded with skills and enhancements bought in the game's shop, and the level cap for all characters has hit 40, which isn't terribly hard to get to if you play through all the different modes.