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Gengi 2 is an Action Game Which is Based on Japanese History

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 7
Date: October 31, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Being based on history, the stages of the game are also based on famous battles which actual took place in ancient Japan. So here's this Giant Enemy Crab. You can flip it over and attack its weakpoint for massive damage. Gengi 2 also has features such as realtime weapons change.

Great Graphics, Great Gameplay, Giant Enemy Crabs

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 26 / 32
Date: November 18, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Genji Days of the Blade is probably most notorious for its silly E3 demonstration. The speaker talked about how it portrayed authentic feudal Japanese battles - involving Giant Enemy Crabs :) He also talked about novel concepts such as "attacking its weak point for maximum damage" and how you could do (gasp) REAL TIME weapons change in the game. This last item actually looks very silly - you could be swinging one sword, hit a button and MID SWING the sword changes into a new weapon.

In general, this is a fighting game set in PRE feudal Japan, i.e. 1187. I ran a Feudal Japan newsletter for many years, and feudal Japan was the 1500s, the days of Oda Nobunaga and the wars then. Back in 1187, there was a quite different government setup. If you're curious about this time period, read The Tale of Genji sometime by Lady Murasaki - this is acclaimed by many as the first novel ever written. It was written back in the 11th century! It's a great read even today, which is quite an achievement.

So back to the gameplay. You play a young two-sword warrior and have as your pals an older warrior, a female warrior and a war-god turned spellcasting warrior :) You fight through various Japanese landscapes and settings, taking on the Bad Guys. You have your combat techniques and magical powers to help you triumph.

The graphics are very impressive. In the cut scenes, you can see the fabric weaves on the layers of kimono, the metallic sparkle in the lacquerware, the rippling heat waves by the fire. During gameplay the character movements were fluid and natural. Fabric pieces would sway and tiny, glistening sparks would float on the air. Some scenes were really quite lovely in a painting sort of way.

Gameplay itself involves slicing with swords, chaining up attacks and blocking. There are, a la the Giant Enemy Crab, situations where you have to Attack the Weak Point for Maximum Damage. I didn't like the HUD of the map in the top left - it took up too much space and looked "silly" in almost a PacMan kind of way. The top left HUD of characters and health was much better done, less intrusive.

For sound, I love Japanese culture and really enjoyed the traditional music that played in the background in many scenes. For me it really helped immerse the game in an authentic setting. Many of the characters speaking are obviously Japanese and hearing that accent and proper pronunciation of historic names was great. Some have British accents ... odd.

There were a lot of little details that I really enjoyed. Obviously these guys had done their research. The little click as a sword was reset into its scabbard, the traditional sword holders on the ground, the way the swordsmen would set up a stance and move, it was all really enjoyable to watch. In many ways it was like being in a well done movie. That all being said, they took a few liberties about what the buildings looked like, and the characters dressed like, back in 1187. It was more like a time traveller from the feudal Japan period (i.e. the 1500s) went back to 1187 in some cases :) But that's sort of like the movie Excalibur, where King Arthur and his knights were wearing armor from the 1600s England. Historic King Arthur certainly wasn't alive in the 1600s :) But we accept that anachronism as part of the myth. It's not like the Japanese soldiers in 1187 had magic powers, either.

In general I really love this game. If I'm going to pick out a particular flaw, it's the camera. You can't control the camera at all, and there are situations where it becomes incredibly annoying. Still, that's something you can just resign yourself to while you enjoy the game!

WTF is this

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 1 / 17
Date: November 19, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Whoa iam very surprised by this heaping pile of plastic. Get call of duty or something else. The graphics in this are very ps2 ish. Controls are good, sound is ok. I just dont think alot of time went into the game...it seems very rushed and incomplete

defective beauty

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 7 / 9
Date: November 27, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Genji is set in ancient Japan that is supposed to be actually historical, However when you run into giant crabs and Ladies floating around with butterfly wings, you start to question that concept.
The graphics are awesome, obviously next generation quality and great sound to make you feel like you're in mythical Japan.
The problems with the game are obvious. You'll start playing the game and then when a battle is over, you'll have no idea where to go or what to do so you'll start wondering all over the map until a cut scene starts.
The camera doesn't help either. All too often your character will be fighting something off-screen or your character will disappear through a wall and you'll have no idea what or if you're hitting anything and you'll get frustrated when you die because you couldn't see what was happening.
The game play is hack and slash. All that happens is "kill this giant crab, wonder around, go through the door, activate cut scene, repeat." There's no variety in the game play that keeps the player interested.
If the game had fixed the weak points (which could have been very easy for some such as the camera) this could have been at least an average game. But these flaws are not acceptable for games anymore (if they ever were) and more should be expected for a next generation game.

PROS
Great graphics
Set in mythical ancient Japan
CONS
No idea where to go
Repetetive and straight forward gameplay
"Where am I?" camera

Attack the weak point

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 14
Date: November 29, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Lol lol this game is sooo bad only cows should play it
The giant enemy crab and realtime weapon change are the games only next gen features

Potential for greatness, but...

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 7 / 10
Date: December 03, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I have been playing this game for a while. And although this game has (or had as it is already released) the potential to become a great game, the developers blew it big time by some unnecessary intrusions a regular gamer will feel at unease with.
First off, the graphics are very well developed (mind you, im playing on a standard TV, so im one of those who should really feel at agony here). Crisp and clean is the way i could describe them. Gameplay is awesome; the protagonists' moves are brilliant, with sweet combos. The storyline itself makes sense to give the player the feel of the story's purpose, and the reason behind investing hours of playing this game. The option to play with 4 different players (with diff. strengths etc.) is also a nice addition.
So far, so good. No, not quite. And that is what makes me disappointed. First off, the camera view is terrible. So close and low (the player is big enough to fill half the screen) making it impossible to see everything around you, or where you're going (whether there's an enemy right there, etc.) You sort of have to go somewhere to see that place's contents (if any). For those who played God of War, the camera view is the exact opposite, so to speak. Secondly, like another reviewer said, the minimap on the top right of the screen is very intrusive. At some times, you will not pay attention to it, as you are focused in the game. But at others, you will notice it, and you will hate its existence. Thirdly, there is no blood gushing out of you/or the enemies at all. Some realism in that respect was definitely needed. Finally, the cut scenes are unusually excessive, which really gets annoying after a while. Are these idiosyncracies enough to turn off someone from this game? It really depends on the gamer him/herself. I for one will continue playing it, but can't see myself returning to it once (1)I finished it, and (2) when the real PS3 games starting hitting the shelves, which should be soon enough.
Overall, a big disappointment mainly because this game was so close to becoming an instant PS3 classic.

Good graphics and that is about it.

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 1 / 11
Date: January 18, 2007
Author: Amazon User

on my 50 inch plasma the characret looks very big, to big, so I cannot see anything else. Cannot see who are you fighting very very often if your enamy is behind you "kind of stupid".

thanks

-Mariusz

This game is Awosme if you are Japan fans.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 4
Date: January 25, 2007
Author: Amazon User

As I played most of the current realse of ps3 games this is one of the best game released yet in the market. the graphic sound even you can use the sensor option on the control.

If you are fan of Samurai and Japanese auction you should buy this game.

Wanna show off your PS3? get this game!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: January 31, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I have played this game for a week now, on a hdtv+hdmi connection and so far i have enjoyed it really much...yes the camera angles sucks and the recover time after being hit is way too long but c'mon its just the first wave of games! this will get better and better

In fact i have enjoyed it more than resistance! wich story line leaves many loose knots eventough graphics are great.

Genji provides a a great visual display on colors, textures, facial expresions, details on enviroment and inmersive soundtrack... if you liked onimusha, final fantasy series....you should go ahead and try ...

Great graphics and incredible story, not for beginners!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: January 31, 2007
Author: Amazon User

The graphics are awesome and the intricate story are great, but this isn't a game for "lazy" gamers who enjoy just easy button mashing sessions, as the controls will make you actually read the manual for instructions! However, once you get used to the controls, you will really enjoy this game's in depth gameplay, even if the amount of enemies overwhelm you sometimes!

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