You can trust VideoGamer. Our team of gaming experts spend hours testing and reviewing the latest games, to ensure you're reading the most comprehensive guide possible. Rest assured, all imagery and advice is unique and original. Check out how we test and review games here
The first time I got my hands on Genji 2 I could have sworn someone was playing a trick on me. I checked the controller, checked the logo on the kiosk and I even asked a passer-by. Apparently this was in fact a PlayStation 3 game running on PlayStation 3 hardware. To my dismay, Genji 2 looked near-identical to its PlayStation 2 brother, and while its predecessor was, and remains, one of the best looking games on PlayStation 2, it was hard not to be a little let down by the PlayStation 3 game’s visual flair, or lack there of. Nevertheless, I remained confident that Game Republic could deliver another surprise samurai hit.
The result is Dynasty Warriors (one of my least favourite franchises – make a legitimate sequel damn it!) meets Onimusha (make another awesome sequel damn it!), but with an added, albeit minor, boost in the graphics department and the ability to switch between any character on the fly. The demo begins in front of a burning temple. After a brief cutscene, I was introduced to the temple guards, who I proceeded to hack away at until the path was clear, allowing me to enter the burning building.
After rounding a few corners, kicking some ass, and avoiding falling debris from above, I entered the courtyard. Here a short cutscene showcased a dozen or so enemies, though the game only lets you fight three or four at a time. By now I had noticed that the character animations and moves seemed to be exactly the same as they are in the original Genji. The square button is still used to perform the three same slashes, the triangle button is still used for the leaping attack, which helps to continue combos, and so forth. You’ll also find that using the trigger buttons in conjunction with the attack buttons can help create even deadlier combos, including aerial and charge attacks.
The only difference is the ability to switch between characters on the fly by using the d-pad, which came in handy during the boss battle in the next portion of the demo. First though, I had to make mincemeat of the temple’s guardian: a big, hulking brute of a samurai who stood at least four inches taller than my character and clearly had a few too many Big Macs the night before. The fight lasted all of three minutes, mainly thanks to some quick blocking and counter striking. The bigger they are the harder they fall, right?
After yet another cutscene I was introduced to the last area of the demo, which really did look like something straight out of Dynasty Warriors. The battlefield, set in broad daylight, and the focus of attention at Sony’s press conference, showed a bit more promise than the temple grounds. The level featured a great draw distance and enemies that could be spotted patrolling the area miles away from my character. Aside from the awful frame rate (especially when switching between characters), Genji 2 started to look a whole lot prettier.
The first wave of enemies consisted of typical demon-like grunts, who I disposed of quickly with a few aerial combos and one well-placed charge attack. I then disposed of some crabs, before coming face to face with demo’s final boss. For those of you who watched Sony’s conference, the huge crab boss shouldn’t come as a surprise. The giant beast withstood all of my puny sword attacks until I switched characters, used the giant hammer-like weapon to flip it, and then switched back to the main hero to finish it off. After a few flips and a few more button combinations, I was ready to serve up crab legs for dinner. “Genji 2 is an action game, which is based on Japanese history.” Indeed.
The demo then ended and I was left with much higher hopes than when it had begun. The visuals are so-so, the combat is stolen straight from the original sans a new power attack, and the frame rate had me counting sheep while I waited for it to catch up. On the other hand, all of the enjoyable elements from the original return, with massive combos, unique levels to fight through, and four playable characters to hotswap between. With a little more polish – which it will most certainly receive between now and release – Genji 2 could be a solid early release for Sony’s next-gen console.
More on this one as it becomes available.
About the Author
