"It wasn't for me."

First and foremost, Kessen is not a game for everyone. If you are the kind of person who prefers to take a more tactful approach to a game and plan things out, this game is made for you. On the other hand, if you are the kind of person who would rather rush in and kill everything you see, maybe you should rent something else.

In Kessen you are one of two generals fighting for the control of Japan after the former ruler dies. One general is fighting to become the sole ruler of Japan while the other general is fighting to give the control of the land to the former ruler's heir. I don't want to divulge any more information about the plot line, but it is a good story, and historically accurate from what I've heard, but I know nothing about Japanese history. =) 10/10

The graphics are pretty good in the briefings between levels and when there is action, but the overhead map where you spend most of your time isn't anything to write home about. The overhead map reminds me of Ogre Battle 64 with the moving of units and so forth. 8/10

It is hard to comment on the sound and music of Kessen because well... it wasn't that special. Like DarkRider X wrote in his review of this game, the voice work was horrendous. For a game that is based on Japanese history, with Japanese generals, the men sound awfully American... The muskets, cannons, and horse hooves sounded realistic, however it wasn't enough for me to really get into the game. I thought the sound and music was the weakest point of this game. 6/10

This game's playability depends on the person who is sitting down and playing it. If you enjoy tactful strategic games, you'll love Kessen. I went into this game not knowing a thing about it, and I didn't really enjoy it that much because I don't care for these kind of games. My suggestion to you is that you rent it and try it to see if you like it first, and then if you do, purchase it. Also, if you enjoy the whole Samurai culture and like Japanese history, you'll like this game.

Overall: 80%

In closing, I personally did not like this game very much because I found it too slow. I thought this was a role playing game and in fact it is - just not the kind I like. I would rather be controlling three or four people than five or six units containing several thousand people.

The overall enjoyment of this game relies totally on who is playing, and the type of game they enjoy.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 12/28/00, Updated 12/28/00