"Great strategy game for the Playstation 2"

Well, I must admit, before playing this game, I had no interest in Japanese history, and had been strictly a Chinese history follower. But this game changed that. It was developed by Koei and sold about 400,000 copies in Japan, but was published by EA here and sold nearly nothing.

Graphics: 10

Incredible graphics and models. Beautiful FMV, the best on Playstation 2 yet. The frame rate is good, even when there are about 100 soldiers on screen at once. The graphics are great, and there is really no flaw with them.

Gameplay: 8

Here's a mixed bag. The first time you play the game through both the East and West, the game is on default easy. Most people foolishly think that is the difficulty of game, but it is not, because when you beat it, you unlock a mission select, where you can make the game much much harder. The gameplay is in real time, with one side vs another. You can use special maneuvers such as barrage, charge, volley, and tons of others. You have control over units though, and not separate soldiers (though you can modify the types of soldiers and formation in your units). This game is for strategy game fans, and not ones looking for action (or some just looking for a well told story).

Sound: 9

Truly epic music, and incredible at that. The sound effects are very good as well, with the huge barrage of rifles sounding great, or the cries of soldiers dieing in battle. For the most part, the voice acting is very good, Koei spent a lot of money on it, but there are a handful of really annoying voices you will want to die (Kobbayaka).

Replay: 8

There are two sides to this game, the east (Tokugawa), and the west (Ishida). Both sides can be beaten in about 10 hours, and less if you are playing through a second or third time. But the mission select screen is great, allowing you to play your favorite missions on other difficulties, or replay the game if you enjoyed it (like I did, I've played through it twice for both sides).

Overall: 8

Overall this is a great historical/strategy game for the Playstation 2. It is not something so great it'll make action buffs or adventure/RPG fans run out in buy it, but if you're a strategy fan, you won't be let down with this game.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 09/03/01, Updated 09/03/01