Way of the Samurai 2

"When samurai ruled the world"

About 2 years ago, a game known as Way of the Samurai came out. It was an underrated hit and had a pretty much underground following. Now, Capcom has delivered a most anticipated sequel and it is completely amazing. WotS2 takes everything that was good about the first and fixes the problems it had.
And I have to say that this is one of the best Playstation 2 games I have ever played. So now on to the actual rating.

Gameplay
The true heart of a game and this game has a great, big heart. This game has added more swords, sword stances and depth to the combat in this game. They have simplified the parrying system in the game and made it a lot more useful. If you can successfully parry and enemy you can take them out in one-hit, so no more annoying battles with pathetic goons who take 5 minutes to kill. This makes the gameplay a lot more fast paced and exciting. However, it may take some a little while to get used to the pace of the game and difficultly. The A.I. In the game is no pushover and can be very hard at points. The A.I. can also be exploited though. If you are in a group and kill one enemy in one hit the others will be scared and start making mistakes and easier to kill. Which is one of the other improvements this game has made. Another BIG improvement this game has made (not really gameplay, but doesn't anywhere else) is the saving system. Now the saving system in the first was awkward and annoying how you could only save at certain points and you could lose everything if you died. WotS2 makes the saving a lot easier and you don't have to worry about losing everything because the game doesn't erase your save when you load. This makes the game a lot more fun and less frustrating. Overall, the gameplay is a huge improvement over the first and is just plain sweet. 9/10

Sound
Another HUGE improvement this game made was in the sound department. During talking sequences in the first we had grunting noises and a little bubble with text in it to read as dialogue. But that has all changed; there are now voice-overs in the cut-scenes. But, sometimes the mouths do not move in sync with the words and sometimes the words come to fast and it just doesn't sound right. Also, there are still no voice-overs when talking to people out of cut-scenes it is still a huge improvement over the first. Now for the music part. The music in this game is great and completely suits it. The music also adapts to what you're doing in the game. If you're just walking around, the music would be calm and peaceful. But if you get into a fight the music turns into more kind of like rock music. Overall, the sound in this game is great with few flaws but still good. 8/10

Story
This is where this game shines and makes it unique. You decide the fate of your samurai and story by making different choices throughout the game. Depending on your actions you'll get different ending to the game, just as in the first. The game also adapts to your actions as well. So if you go around killing people and not playing for things at the stores, you'll be barred from stores, people will run away from you and some will even attack you. The Magistrate (police) will try to arrest you if you start causing trouble or pull out your sword in public. All in all, the story in WotS2 is absolutely amazing and has a lot of freedom to it. 10/10

Graphics
This is one of the games few downfalls. Although the character models are good the environments are not all that great. They're plain and nothing too impressive. The areas are also very small in size when compared to the first. The environments aren't bad it's just that they aren't great. Swords also don't always go straight into the sheath and it looks awkward at times. Kimonos will not flow realistically as well which isn't too good looking. The graphics don't get in the way of the game and aren't horrible. It's just that the graphics aren't anything special and okay at best. 7/10

Replay & Value
Another place where this game truly shines. With so many different swords and endings, you'll have a reason to play the game over and over to get everything in the game. You'll also be able to unlock new difficulties, heads, and costumes for when you go through the game again. One problem though, is the fact that the one game can be completed in one or two sitting. It may also get repetitive for some. But once you play the game, it'll leave you wanting more, so that solves those two problems. Overall, this game has extreme amounts of replay value that cannot be topped. 10/10

Final Recommendation
Rent or buy? This game is a definite buy. You might want to rent the game but when you return it, you'll just want more. Plus, it's only $39.99, so go out and buy Way of the Samurai 2, NOW!

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 07/13/04