Samurai Warriors 2

"Now this is a sequel!"

Samurai Warriors 2 is the sequel to the Koei action title, Samurai Warriors, which follows in the footsteps of Koei's other popular hack and slash series, Dynasty Warriors. As a fan of these games, I've waited a bit for this to hit the 360 and now happy to review it.

Gameplay:8
As usual, SW2 follows the same formula of it's predecessor. You select a character and use them through a series of different modes, weather it be waging war across Japan, or simply playing a board game in a parlor. When your fighting on the field, you'll notice a few differences this time around; such as the revamped skill system. The new system allows you to buy skills with gold or either learn them from slain enemy officers. This also replaces the items from previous titles, and they will come in the form of newer skills that regularly increase your stats. Also new are the character specific "traits", which can be activated by enter a special stance and enter a button, varying from a volley of arrows to a troop of shadow clones. You'll especially notice the new experience bar during battle that slowly gains as you defeat soldiers and officers, eventually emptying upon a level-up. This gives off the feeling that you're actually becoming stronger and expecting a new move or skill, adding to the exictement of charging into battle. Survival Mode is back and now you have to select a mission and pay a fee before entering the infinite castle. While it may seem like a waste of gold, the rewards you'll reap are much better. I before mentioned a board game, which is called Sugoroku. The object is to move around a map of Japan, collecting territories(property like squares) and flags before returning to your home square to gain a rank and more cash. It's a bit addicting and quite fun.

Story-8
The first game focused on Nobunaga's reign over Japan and the attack on Honnoji, but the sequel shifts it's attention to afterwards with Hideyoshi Toyotomi's eventual rise to power and the battle of Sekigahara. Along the way, you'll play as various new and interesting characters, who open up some interesting views on the warring states. It's fun to watch and even to learn.

Graphics/Sound-7
The 360's power is used wisely as slashes, screams, shouts, flashes and bursts of light are beautifully rendered onscreen. Flashes of lightning sending an opponent across the screen after a frenzied musou have never looked better on my television. The battlefield's have better lighting and more vibrant colors, a breath of fresh air from the tepid backgrounds of before. The voices in this game are much better, in both quality and quantity, with each character having more to say than just a pre-fight line about not accepting defeat. However, the one bump in the road is Keiji Maeda's voice. It's atrocious, transforming from a cool, raspy voiced samurai for hire, to an excited surfer-esque peon.

Playtime/Replayability-8
Considering each character has a Story Mode, the amount of floors in Survival Mode, online multiplayer, the new Sugoroku game and the staggering number of guards and horses to unlock and your looking at a game that won't take just a weekend to complete, but a at least a month just to discover all the secrets. Clear your calender folks!

Final Recommendation-8
Fans of Samurai and Dynasty Warriors will eat this up and I absolutely recommend a buy for them; although newcomers should stick to a rental and ease their way into this new change for the SW series.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 12/08/06