Kengo Legend of the 9

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Game Information

Developed by Light Weight and Genki
Published by Crave Entertainment and Majesco Entertainment
Platform : Xbox 360 and Playstation 2
Genre : Fighting
Age Rating : 16+
Players : Single player, 2 player head to head
Additional Contents Provided : None
Release Date - Xbox 360 : 11 September 2007
Release Date - Playstation 2 : 4 April 2002

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Synopsis

Kengo: Legend of the 9 is a 3D fighting game set in feudal Japan, with legendary samurai warriors serving as combatants. Playable characters include Musashi Miyamoto, Jubei Yagyu, Sanako Chiba, Ittosai Ito, Izo Okada, Soji Okita, Kojiro Sasaki, Ryoma Sakamoto, and Yasubi Horibe. Each samurai possesses distinct attack moves and attributes. The characters also feature separate storylines in the main single-player mode, where core stats in health, stamina, attack power, and defense can be upgraded by collecting "spirit spheres." Samurai earn experience points as well, which gradually opens up new moves for characters to become more proficient at combat. The atmospheric environments offered in Kengo are loosely based on historical events or points of interest, from Ganryujima Island to the story of Chushingura. In addition to the main game, players can participate in a Mission Mode, Combat Mode, or Xbox Live leader-board.

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Gameplay

Now the gameplay in this game is okay in my opinion. It's pretty much a fighting game that takes place in Japan. Now the place where it's set already has my mind reminiscing playing the game on both the Playstation and the Xbox. I can honestly say that it was quite fun and some points and sluggish and boring in others. It was fun to send enemy samurais drowning to their death by by blowing up a bridge and the fact that all the playable character samurais all have a different storyline. What I found myself doing was complete the single player experience with one character, as soon I finished I moved onto another which did have a somewhat addiction factor to it. Enemies aren't that strong as long as your character is equipped with the right tools. Most of them are quite weak and won't deal you much damage if you're witty about who to hit when you hit them. You can upgrade your sword to do more damage and even pull off amazing combos. Now the bosses in the game that you come across are pretty hard to kill. Sometimes I found myself restarting the fight again and again because I was getting demolished by the bosses. They also have their companions also and they aren't that hard to kill, but they are a nuisance when you are trying to focus on one person and you're getting hit from all angles. Most of the game is in Japanese I believe but just stick subtitles on and you're good to go. Assuming you can read... haha. Back on track, Head to Head 2 player is really fun and diverse. You can fight various other samurais from the campaign and even some hidden ones, if you defeat them you will earn experience and you can use this experience to your advantage and upgrade your weapons. In the game, when you are targeting an enemy a yellow cursor will appear above their head so you know who you're targeting and will switch as you look at other enemies. As this is a perspective from a 3rd person point of view it is pretty easy to fight the enemy in front of you while seeing other enemies close up behind you which is pretty nifty in situations. Gameplay was somewhat enjoyable and definitely had loads of playing hours.

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Graphics

Graphics in the game aren't that tight. It was released in late 2007 and nearly everything seems underdeveloped. The environments that you play post no real look to be honest. However, texture that is applied to trees, Djojos and even fountains look pretty nice. Blood is really gory and from time to time if you kill a enemy beside a wall their blood may stop dripping down, I found this pretty cool and it looked neat too. In the top left hand corner you have your health bar and specials. These look okay and they're clear and definitive on how much health you have. Also, when your health is low the bar will start to flash and this looks great and it's definitely noticeable and even give you the chance to get to cover. Swords look really good and that clash on clash sword against your enemies does look swell in game especially when sometimes sparks emit from them. Combos can sometimes look amazing when you pull them off but this is really as the ones that look the best are really hard to perform. Landscapes, the sky, the ground and even water look developed and are responsive with what time of day it is. Once again, graphics in this game are great in various places but the graphics has to be one of it's main flaws.

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Controls

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Overall, this game isn't bad but then it isn't good either. Gameplay and campaign are enjoyable and playing as different characters with different storylines definitely mixes things up and gives a variety to the player. Other than that, there are no things that are better than mediocre to be honest. As it came out some while ago, you can find it quite cheap. But if you're not into fighting games then this isn't the game for you. I would recommend this game to very few that are fighting game fanatics.

Game Rating : 6/10 (Gameplay and Campaign pose an addiction factor and missions vary with character, graphics are really underdeveloped and 2 player head to head is pretty diverse.