Hello yet again, and welcome to my second edition of Fun To Read Blogs. Today, I’m going to be discussing and doing a full blown review of the game Warriors Orochi 2, like I said on my first edition of the Fun To Read blogs. This game, made by Koei and Omega Force, is for the Playstation 2, XBOX 360, and the Playstation Portable, not yet scheduled for a release until August 25, 2009. For those who have played Warriors Orochi 2’s predecessor, you should know the story to some extent, but for those who are new to this game, this game centers around the characters from China’s Three Kingdoms and Samurai Warriors Warring States heroes. In short, the demon Orochi was revived from a millenium of slumber and he brings Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors together. Now, in the first game, they successfully stopped him from world domination, but Orochi’s former officers made attempts to revive him. Guess what? He’s back, duh! Now, enough of the whole biography thing, onto the review.
Now that you guys get a small taste of the game, it is now time for the actual review! Now, this is my first time, so let me see how this will play out. I will organize this review into the following sections:
I: General Description, My thoughts
II: Gameplay
III: Sound
IV: Graphics
V: Controls
VI: Replay Value
VII: Tips to Know
Now, lets talk about this game in general. The game is very slick, with nice graphics, and plays out like a standard Dynasty/Samurai Warriors game with a few twists and changes. It has some nice sounds and such, but yeah. It has really nice graphics that make the game seem very realistic, and rather easy to follow controls. Time for some in-depth discussions now.
II: Gameplay
Overall, this game is pretty much like Dynasty Warriors, it plays out like a simple Dynasty Warriors Game. It also boasts a character roster of over 90 characters from the Dynasty and Samurai universe. It is pretty much just perform some rather tedious tasks before you are able to storm the enemy commander’s camp and kill him. Nothing much changed. However, the Warriors Orochi series implemented a new way to battle: the THREE PERSON TEAM BATTLE. This made the game so much more fun because it’s different.
As you can tell from the screenshot, there are 3 people that can be used per battle. When one character is out slaughtering the waves of enemies, the other two characters are recuperating and recharging Musou meter, which is the “big special attack,” though in this game, it is not as effective. Also, in this game, you obtain experience points, and you can raise your character before battle, and temper better weapons. Only problems that I seem to have here are the many loading screens, and the SUPER ANNOYING lag in battle. Seriously, we’re not playing The Matrix. We don’t need super slow motion when we walk.
Gameplay Overall Rating: 7.5/10
III: Sound
Nothing much to say here, except that the tune where you can prepare your weapons and raise your character is very catchy and I personally love it a lot. If you want to hear it, go on YouTube and look for Warriors Orochi 2 Optic Line. It sounds fabulous. In battle, the music is similar to other Dynasty Games, so not much really new, mind boggling stuff.
Sound Overall Rating: 8/10
IV: Graphics
Take a good look at these picture. Being XBox 360 Games, they should be much sharper than those of a Playstation 2, or Nintendo DS. The graphics are clear, without overdoing it, and the attacks are colorful and bright. For me, one major factor that I look for whenever I buy games is graphics and for Dynasty type games, I look for colorful attacks. Yeah, I know, it is weird, but that’s me for you. Too bad there also happens to be this whitish line during load that a lot of people mentioned, so I have to dock points for it.
Graphics Overall Rating 8.5/10
V: Controls
Yippee. The controls for this game are mostly the same, like the Dynasty/Samurai series. Very easy to get used to, and not hard for beginners.Just play older Dynasty and Samurai games and you should be right up to speed.
Controls Overall Rating 10/10
VI: Replay Value
This game is very satisfying. For me, I can play the story modes for hours nonstop, because they amuse me and the game is fun. I just love killing people. Also, if you have a older or younger brother or sister, this may be the game for you. The Versus Mode is a perfect time killer. With Elimination mode, where you kill all three of the characters, it gets fun if you play Random. For Tag Team, it gets really quick. It pretty much is first to kill a person. Tower mode: a little more difficult, but very fun. Knock as many people off as possible, including the other player. Simple, no? And Steeplechase. Three words here: MARIO KART DS. Pretty much, you pick three people, and you ride a horse around a course and you just try to beat your opponent. You get items that can hasten your pace, or slow your opponent down. Win-win situation here. Rather difficult to control the horses though. Maybe it is because my left button on the controller is jammed. I dunno. But this game can be played for a long time.
Replay Value Overall Rating: 9/10
VII: Tips to Know
What I am doing here is a helper. This game is mostly all about patience and grinding. If you have neither, I really don’t think this will suit you. I’m a Dynasty fanboy. I love these things. 🙂 I know a few tips to help with the grinding. Play Dream Mode. It is a long stage but gives a large number of experience points. Or, play Survival Mode, use Orochi. He is seriously a point farm. All you do is spam the Y button on the 360 controller over and over. They die pretty fast. Well, that’s all I can say. Good luck happy farming.
Overall, I thought this game was really amazing. It had stunning and beautiful graphics and I would recommend this game to many people, and to the Dynasty Fans out there. Just be patient and grind away! If you still doubt me, rent the game first and try. And, I envy those with XBox Live because they came out with a patch that eliminates a lot of the lag, so go for it!
And now, the final result! I now am pleased to rate this game, and the final score is:
FINAL REVIEW SCORE: 8.6/10
I was trying to be as unbiased as possible. I hope you all enjoyed my FIRST EVER REVIEW!!! Geez, now I’m kinda tired. Please feel free to send me feedback via comment, PM, or PM me on GBAtemp (shadowhunter93). I’ll probably be online, there is a really good chance. Stay tuned for more Fun to Read Blogging! Until next time! 🙂 What can I do for a fun article next time…? 😛