Samurai Warriors

"New samurai style, same DW goodness"

When I went to my mailbox and picked up my monthly issue of Official Playstation Magazine, I opened it and started looking at the game previews. I saw an article for Samurai Warriors. I didn't expect much, even though I'm a fan of Dynasty Warriors. I thought, "Hmm... Maybe I'll just rent it...". I called my friend up and told him about Samurai Warriors and he said he'd heard about it and was going to buy it. How ironic it was that I bought the game and my friend didn't. It was kind of strange that when I called him up he said that he didn't want it anymore. So I popped the disk into my PS2 and waited 5 mins. for the disc to load up (my PS2 is jacked up). Little did I know that it would be just as good as (if not better) than it's predecessors...
Here comes the review, the anatomy of this game.

*cracks knuckles*

Graphics- 7/10
The graphics.... the outer body of the game. Nuthin' special about the graphics. They're just about the same as the Dynasty Warriors series' graphics. They don't detract from the gameplay (unless your used to playing games with great graphics). The only thing I really noticed was that the mouthes of the characters moved more fluently (OMG I'm soooo impressed). The landscapes are O.K., they are not the colorful and cheery landscapes of the DW games. Usually when you're playing, it's raining.
Final Judgement- OK graphics, but nothing that we haven't seen before.

Gameplay- 10/10
Ahh, the gameplay of the game. The heart of the game. This is by far the best part of this game. I could even go as far to say that it's better than the old DW system. Whether you pick story mode or free mode, you WILL have fun with this. Before your battle begins,a fold-out map appears on the screen, showing where your enemies, and your allies, are. At this screen you pick your weapons, items, and bodyguards that will go with you onto the battlefeild. Once you start playing, you are placed on a huge battlefeild with plenty of enemies to hack-and-slash your way through. The best part is the mission-based system in which your commander gives you, well, commands that require you to do special thing. For example, you may be asked to kill a certain general, or take a fort, and, if your playing on story mode, whether or not you complete the mission may affect the ending you get. Another new feature Koei added was the castle mode. You may get a mission where you're not on a battlefeild anymore, your in a castle swarming with enemies, alone. Throught the castle are traps, like floors dropping you into a spike pit, or darts shooting from the wall. It gets a bit tedious after a while, but it's pretty fun overall.
Final Judgement- Excellent and well thought out missions and maps. Koei did a VERY good job on this.

Characters- 9/10
Characters, the brain of the game. I have to say that Koei did a very good job on them. The characters are very diverse and well thought out. For example, there's Oichi, the happy-go-lucky kendama-wielding chick who has a brother who's a crazed lunatic but she thinks that he's normal and that she could unite her husband and brother who hate each other (OK maybe a little to diverse). There is Sanada Yukimura, a valiant and brave warrior who will do anything to take his rival's head. Another cool thing is that the characters are ALL REAL historical characters who actually lived (at least most of them). Koei, nice job.
Final Judgement- Cool cast of characters who, although some are weird, are well thought out.

Sound- 7/10
Sound, the ears of the game. Unfortunately, they are like the graphics. NUTHIN' SPECIAL. Most of the music is rock (not the hard rock in DW games) and techno. Like the DW series, it changes mid-battle based on if you're winning or losing. If you're winning, the music will change to fast-paced techno music. If you're losing, it will change to rock music. The characters voices are nice. The only one that got on my nerves was the female-ninja, Kunoichi. I think Koei over-did her, with her ANNOYING LAUGH. Other then that, they're not bad. Yet they is still room for improvement.
Final Judgement- Normal, average, everyday (are there any more words for normal?) sound.

Story- 8/10
The final part of this review. Story, the um... lungs? Whatever, back to the point. The best part of the story is the fact that it's real history. Another good thing is the minimum of 2 endings per character. For example, if you did good, you will get a CG ending for the character you played as. If you failed to complete an important mission, the it will come back to bite you. You will get an ending in the graphics of the game (they are usually supposed to be silly endings). Some characters have a love story going opn, or revenge, so there are good premises. The reason this review was so short (and the reason it got an 8/10) was because before each mission, you get a 2 paragraph maximum briefing. Kinda pathetic. *sighs* Oh well.
FINAL Judgement- Good story, but could use a better briefing system. Yet it has a good amount of ending that you can get.

Rent or Buy?- I would recommend buying this game, seeing as how you will get plenty of hours of play with this game.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 05/28/04