Tenchu 2: Birth of the Stealth Assassins

"The Tenchu Tradition Continues !"

INTRO

''TENCHU 2: Birth of the Stealth Assassins'' is an excellent new chapter in the incredibly unique and original Tenchu game series. In this follow up game to the immensely popular ''TENCHU: Stealth Assassins'', the developers improved greatly in numerous aspects although unfortunately they left a few key things out. Tenchu 2 is an excellent game nonetheless and is far from disappointing as numerous follow-ups tend to be. In my opinion it is worth every penny and will be a welcome addition to anybody's collection of games regardless of preferences.

STORY 10/10

The story is very dominant in this game compared to its predecessor in that it dictates the course through every mission whereas Tenchu 1 had certain missions that seemed almost non-related to its unfolding plot. Tenchu 2 is a prequel to the first game and takes place several years prior to Tenchu 1. The characters are much younger since the game takes place earlier in their lives and it gives a better insight in how they became who they are as well as the violent and evil enemies that they had to overcome. The story revolves around three playable ninja's who must accomplish multiple missions and tasks both good and bad in order to fully conclude the storyline. It is a very well written story and conceptually it gives us a great glimpse into the fantastic world of the ever elusive and highly secretive ninja.

CONTROLS 8/10

The controls in this game are very similar to those of the first game with the addition of several new capabilities that add to your arsenal of moves and abilities. You should have the controls down in very little time and grow very comfortable in handling the various characters. Also the analog stick is useable this time around which is a nice touch that part one lacked. The button configuration was well thought out and allows for fluid moves and extensive character freedom.

GAMEPLAY 9/10

The characters handle very well overall although sometimes it can get a bit tricky if you are being attacked from behind by certain enemies. There are a host of new features in Tenchu 2 including the ability to swim underwater, breathing through a bamboo snorkel while remaining out of sight below the surface, sheathing and unsheathing your sword, dragging and searching dead bodies for items as well as a host of new combat moves. In terms of the famous ''Stealth Kills'' there are now a whopping seven different cinematic kills for each of the three characters. The characters that you can play with include Rikimaru and Ayame from Tenchu 1 and a secret third character that is unlocked after completing all of the missions for the first two characters. There are also many more levels available this time around including a very impressive ''Mission Editor'' that allows you to create your very own layouts and themes. This is a very cool addition. Tenchu 2 also boasts a whole new set of secret items and weapons including flaming arrows, invisible camouflage, powerful explosives as well as a blow gun which can kill unsuspecting enemies with one hit. Several of the old items also make their return including the grenades, smoke bombs, poison rice etc. One drawback this time around however is that certain items can only be carried in limited amounts which takes away a little bit of the freedom that T1 had. Also some of the best items from T1 were simply left out or revamped with less than equal results. The grappling hook also makes its return again allowing you the freedom to get onto roofs and ledges but unfortunately this time you do not have total freedom in choosing where to shoot your grappling hook but rather must aim for selectable areas that are predetermined. This is a major letdown compared to the freedom you had in the first game. The enemies A.I. in this game is much better and in most levels you will have to stealth kill them all in order to get a ranking of ''Grandmaster''. This makes the game much more challenging overall which is welcomed by me. unfortunately there aren't multiple enemy layouts in this game like T1 had but at least there are many more of them to keep you on your toes.

GRAPHICS 9/10

The graphics in Tenchu 2 are very well designed for the most part and are pleasing to the eyes. The landscapes throughout the various missions include mountains, islands, jungles, harbors and villages and most notably include daytime missions as well as the trademark night time environments. The background is lush with details and the enemies are very well rendered, animated and varied. One slight flaw is the occasional blockiness of your characters hands and such. Truthfully though it is not enough of a flaw to detract from the overall experience which is quite consuming and engrossing to say the least.

CAMERA 9/10

The camera angles in this game handle quite similarly to its predecessor although at times it seems less free. Again you have your typical view behind your character of choice and with the press of a button can switch into a first person mode which allows you to both zoom in and look around from within your characters eyes.

FMV's, MUSIC and SFX 8/10

The FMV's are plentiful in this game and the entire storyline unfolds with countless clips of action, dialogue and significant events which add a great dimension to the overall gameplay. They are very well rendered overall except for the occasional blockiness caused by forcing the PSX to carry more than it should. The music unfortunately is one of the key points that was left out altogether it seems. There is music here and there but this time there is no mystical background music during gameplay at all. Tenchu 1 was very well bound together by beautiful music and it was quite surprising to see that this was not the case again. The SFX are also well done in this game. The guards have catchy comments and the battle sounds are also very realistic sounding. There are lifelike sounding waterfalls, thunder and lightning and other effects that all add to the surrealism of the game. The characters also have good dialogue for the most part with the exception of Ayame who does not come across as a ninja at all but rather as a 12 year old little whiny girl. Why they portrayed her in this light I cannot figure out. Rikimaru and the third character are excellent though.

REPLAY VALUE 10/10

The replay value is very high for several legitimate reasons. first of all there are three characters and a ton of missions to choose from. also there is no set way of completing any mission so you can literally explore each level at your pace and stalk and kill your enemies in a wide variety of ways. The ''Mission Editor'' also allows you countless hours of replay value since you can create thousands of different levels all complete with enemies, landscapes, traps and objectives. There are also several websites online where Tenchu 2 fans can share and download each others mission creations as well which means you could literally play a new mission every day for a long, long time. Some of these user created levels are even better than the in game story levels so it is worth checking them out.

OVERALL 9/10

Overall I think that Tenchu 2 is a great follow up to Tenchu 1 but could have been even better with a few minor tweaks and adjustments like keeping the old items and grappling hook as they were before. That coupled with the old background music added would have made this game beyond perfect. Still though the game lives up to its tradition by delivering a unique and expounded prequel with numerous improvements and new additions to make up for some of its shortcomings. If you are considering buying this game then I say go right ahead because you will certainly not be disappointed. It is a very unique and original game and between this one and part 1 you should have years of fun playing them again and again and again.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/10/03, Updated 01/10/03