Kessen
Amazon.com Review
Kessen is the first DVD PlayStation2 title–boy, what a difference a DVD-ROM makes! Kessen’s fantastic cutscenes showcase the difference between the visual capabilities of non-DVD and DVD formats. That difference is analogous to the gap between analog box and HDTV quality.
The graphics are awesome, too. In a triple barrage, three rows of gunmen draw and fire their guns. Not everyone does it at exactly the same time, and the number of men goes back as far as the eye can see. The smart choreography makes the battle seem much more real. In fact, you in fact can see other soldiers fighting as the generals duel.
The game’s orchestral score is wonderful, and the sound effects also are splendid, with flourishing cannons, neighing horses, and clanking spears.
While all of the above makes for a very gaudy presentation, it doesn’t do much for the gameplay. Those who have found fault in the micromanagement of past Koei approach titles indeed will be disappointed with Kessen. It’s often painful to see every release stat and try to increase them all in a set amount of time. Kessen goes too far in that every battalion has a morale level, called zeal, as well as a certain number of soldiers of different types. Each general has a different amount of loyalty to you, but it really doesn’t affect gameplay, as far as we could tell.
Before each battle, you go owing to the political stage. Here, you can persuade undecided generals or enemy generals to join you in battle, or not to fight at all. That’s a cool aspect, but the game basically tells you outright who will join you and who won’t.
The pace of the battles is extremely slow, like in most other Koei sports meeting. But, the difficulty is not. Many times, you’re given so many reinforcements that you just can’t lose. Also, every release event involves a 20-second cutscene, with no obvious way to skip these. Sure, the triple barrage is impressive the first few times that you see it; but, after the 100th time, it wears a small thin. And you get to see a cutscene every time that your enemies do the same to you.
Unlike other RTS sports meeting, there’s hardly ever any cause for alarm or stress–even if you’re losing, you feel like there’s not a lot you could do about it, anyway. –Todd Mowatt
Pros:
- Fantastic cutscenes showcase the visual capabilities of DVD format
- Splendid graphics, score, and sound effects
Cons:
- Too many statistics to manage
- Slow game pace
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This game is awesome. It runs smoothly with splendid graphics. It will keep you playing untill u beat it. If you have the cash go out and get this one with your PS2
Rating: 5 / 5
The game is alright. I only bought it because it seemed like a bloody barbaric war kind of game. There is NO blood in the game whatsoever. And it is so dramatic. Like in the first batle of Sekigahara, when Lord Tokugawa is with that concubine named Okatsu and he sees Lord Nobunaga in the clouds and starts talking to himself saying he has his own vision of Japan or something. Oh PLEASE how much cheesier could this game get. Instead of bloody warfare I got a history lesson about some Japanese family who needs to sort out their priorities back in the 15 or 1600’s. And the other thing that just puts the cream on the coffee is that that stupid Princess Sen got herself married to the guy whom is head of her Grandpa Ieyasu Tokugawa’s enemy. Is that small tramp just trying to get some attention or does she reflect ” if I walk down the aisle him, My grandfather and him can make peace”? Give it a rest. If she knows her grandpa despises that guy and is going to war with him, why is she gonna walk down the aisle him? The cinema parts are always so soap opera-like. And that officer Masanori Fukushima has such a small circuit and goes owing to these temper tantrums like he just entered puberty and he even gets drunk in the game[ either he got drunk or Tadakatsu Honda].
Rating: 3 / 5
I thought this was going to be like Ghengis Khan for the original Nintendo, but on a grander scale…. it turned out to be more like chess on a grander scale. The graphics are alright, the game play is lame, and the movies are pretty much the same. It’s not as advertised.
Rating: 1 / 5
this game blows chunks! don’t let people kid you, this game is not worth your time. i was so thankful i rented it first. the game practically plays itself. there are better sports meeting to be bought.
Rating: 2 / 5
I am a fan of approach sports meeting and was really looking forward to playing Kessen. But, this game is the worst game I’ve ever bought. In fact, I’m furious with myself that I wasted my hard earned cash on this game without renting it first. I in person didn’t find the graphics that splendid, the game was too simple, and the pace was exceedingly slow. Don’t make the same mistake I did, avoid this game and save your cash.
Rating: 1 / 5