User Reviews (1 - 11 of 66)

Show these reviews first:

Highest Rated
Lowest Rated Newest
Oldest Most Helpful
Least Helpful

Way of the Samurai...A Must Buy

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 9 / 11
Date: June 10, 2002
Author: Amazon User

This game is a must buy for any fans of samurai action. Way of the Samurai is a very intriguing game that allows you to determine the outcome. There are around 6 different endings to acquire, different costumes to earn, hundreds of swords and moves to learn for each sword, and much more. You can customize your character's face and clothing. Two-player vs. mode is fun and plays much like Bushido Blade. Combat isn't too hard to learn and provides plenty of entertainment though after killing a little over 100 guys...it kind of gets repetitive. Camera angles screw you over a few times, but not often enough that it gets frustrating. This game is tons of fun and should be rented at least if not bought. And sometimes it's pretty comical like when you go into the little restuarant, there is a black guy with an afro who has "dedicated his life" to the ways of a samurai. What are you waiting for? Go buy it!

By far one of the best PS2 games out there.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 8
Date: June 03, 2002
Author: Amazon User

This is one of the best games I have ever played, period. I am not a hardcore gamer, so take that with a grain of salt. But still, this is an incredibly well crafted and well thought out game. Fans of the PSX Tenchu series will immediately be reminded of Way of the Samurai's roots: much of the background music is similar to that of Tenchu, as is the general approach to the scenery. The swordplay is similar to that of Kengo: Master of Bushido (an underrated game, in my opinion). The graphics are incredible, as is the sound. The camera is moveable with the right analog stick, which is a very nice touch.

You assume the role of a samurai in the early Meiji Period, and as such must make decisions as to how to interact with the many characters you meet as you travel around the map. Each decision affects the outcome of the game. The non-linear aspect of this game is very well created, and makes for interesting gameplay.

But the game is not only about meeting and talking to other characters. Intrinsic to it is sword fighting. In the beginning you are equipped with only a mediocre sword and few fighting skills. As you fight other samurai, you can obtain new swords and new skills. You can also have the swordsmith work on your sword to increase its durability, sharpness, and flexibility. The approach to fighting is interesting: your sword has a certain durability factor that determines how many "strong attacks" can be blocked before your sword will break. You can parry, cause your opponent to stumble in order to open up an attack opportunity, and even low and high kick while fighting.

I only bought this game yesterday, and have not played it for very long so far, but I can tell you that it is well worth the money. And while some of the reviews of the Japanese version (or maybe it was a demo version, I don't know) have claimed that it plays a bit short, I can say that it is not easy to win sword fights against the more powerful opponents. That, combined with the non-linear play, should make for a game with high replay value. In addition, there is a 1P vs. CPU and 1P vs. 2P fighting mode.

Some cons. The map is a bit small. But that is intentional, as the story is supposed to take place in one mountain pass and the immediate environs. Since there are many characters (some minor, some major) that you meet along the way, the small map does not detract from gameplay at all. Each area of the map is rather small, meaning that each time you move from one area to another you have to wait for it to load. But load times are really, really short. The only other gripe I have is that sometimes when fighting the view is blocked by something in the landscape (a small tuft of earth, a fence, etc.). It only happens once in a while, though, and is relatively minor.

If you are at all a fan of samurai/sword games then this is a must own. If you are interested in playing a fighting game with stunning graphics and a lot more to offer than the usual hack-and-slash, then this is at the very least a must play.

A 79 year old gamer

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: June 04, 2002
Author: Amazon User

After reading some negative reviews about the games graphics and length I was hesitating to buy it. But it definatly turned out better than I thought. The graphics really aren't bad - characters are detailed and the landscapes are nice. In fact at times this game looks quite beautiful, especially at sun rise. Even though the game is short it has great replay value. From what I read there are 6 endings, but even more ways to get there. EVERY time I played it something different happened. There's a great variety of swords and the fighting is awsome and extremely fun. There is an unlockable two player feature wich I haven't tried yet. You can unlock new costumes and head to edit your character. In my opinion the only flaw in this game is the saving system. You can only save when u get to certain points. Then you have the option to either save and quit or continue without saving. Sounds normal right? But the catch is that every time you load the game your saved game will be erased and you have to play till you reach the next save point. If you do not reach it and turn the ps2 off, the next time you'll play, you will start from the beginning of the game again. This is especially bad when its bed time and your mother keeps shouting at you to go to bed, or when you are late for something and you can't find a damn save point. This flaw doesnt bother me too much though since I think the game is so fun that I dont mind starting from the beginning again. But for some this is quite annoying. This minor or not so mnor drawback schouldn't stop you from getting this great game though. And parents should not be too worried about the M rating. I have not yet heard any foul language, the violence isnt that violent- really and there is an option to turn the blood off wich there isn't so much of anyway.

This game kicks bum!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 7
Date: May 08, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Just a little warning to those of you who are thinking about buying this game, if you do not like Samurai things this game is not for you. This game is great. The graphics are much like the graphics in Kengo: Masters of Bushido. The game play for this game is really good too. There are about 5 different endings that you can recieve by beating the game a certain way. You can also pick up new weapons along the way. There is a 2 player mode which makes it even better, mostly so that you can show your friends who is the better man. The only thing this game lacks is Save Points. There are not that many places where you can save your game. Also the saves are not like the normal saves you have on the rest of the PS2 games. The saves on this game are more like so that you can go do something then come back. The reason I say that is because you can only load that file once. Other than that one detail this game is REALLY good. So I would say get this game if you like Kengo, or any of the Tenchu series.

A really cool game that lets you LIVE as a Samurai

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 7
Date: July 05, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Way of the Samurai is a game that puts you in the clothes of a samurai fresh to the world around him and lets you progress throught he game as you wish. it presents you with a multitude of choices which set your path till the end. Before you start, you can name your samurai, and choose his looks yourself before you immerge in adventure.
This fact about choices needs good thinking. The player can follow a path of honor, kindness, bravery, or ruthlesness and evil. One can even be dowright disgusting, joining a group and then bringing death and destruction to them, before joining another commune. The different times -day and night, also present a change in gameplay. Some quests can only be made in the appropriate time. This gives you further choice in the game. Slashing up people can earn you new and sometimes quite powerful swords, yet this can deplete you honor. When you meet with characters, you can discuss with them, whether you'ld like to slit them up or join them. The game provides you with characters that show some sense. Unlike some other games, if you unsheate your sword in front of someone, they'll run away or fight. In this last cause, you won't be able to complain that you meant no harm. That is why players must think twice before plunging into battle. If the player finds himself too weak to overpower someone, he can sometimes converse with his foe and beg for his life. Yet this will cost your honor.
Way of the Samurai is a very serious game, with none of that hidden powers and magic. It also has numerous real tactcis to sue in battle such as using pushes and kicks to knock a blocking foe off-balance, and parrying, or using an enemy's strength against him. All of this gives you the chance to use cool and realistic counters. You can also try and get used to the enemy's attack, thus getting used to his/her moves and never need to block that particular attack you got used to! In order to get some good attacks, you need to fight and as the enemy is at his last (usually), one can try creating a new attack by using an attack he desires to imporve further. This usally creates a new and better move, such as - single thrust builds a double thrust - and so on.
With all this info, you can get the basic idea of how to survive in such a game.

Way of the Samurai has impressive graphics, with numerous facial expressions, realistic backgrounds complete with different time conditions - morning, early sunset and night. The characters are all well designed, with many details about them.

The sound is also good - a few harmonising tunes while you run around and more heated-up music when you battle. the sound effects are varied and quite good. Yet there is one problem that can pull games back in today's mdoern world of brill videogames. When talking, characters only pull of a "hmm, grr, ah" here and there. There never is full speech. The text is shown in a classic speech bubble.

The controls are standard, and yet not easy to get used to since as the camera changes so do the controls. This doesn't seem tough but in battles movement is limited as your enemy slashes at every chance.

The game has one major problem - it can be finished in a matter of 2 - 3 hours, and sometimes in one go! It also has an extremely dreary save system. After you complete a particular situation you are given the choice to save. Yet if you save you must quit, and if you reload the data will be erased! This means that if you do some mistake you won't be able to fix it by just loading. If you die and lose your swords, you can feel bad all you want since you'll need to start FROM THE BEGINNING! This means saving isn't worth if you plan to carry on. Yet the game provides a surprising amount of replay value. There is a total of around 40 different blades, including boss weaponry of which two are not even swords, and you can only carry three at a time. This sort of gievs the player a lust of finishing the game with new swords to use. This is because once you play again you can choose from the sowrds you collect. And since there are so many choices, the player has quite a lot to do.
This also has to do with the game's ending, rating and point systems. According to the path you follow built from your choices you get a particular ending. After finishing the game, you are rated. if you rate low, you are given more tutorial choices and a few points.If you rate highly you are given more points, and as you collect points you are given new clothes and heads to choose from at the beginning. But that's not all! The game's two-player mode allows you to use a multitude of different characters and you need to choose from your collected swords to fight. This gives you a furhter want for new weaponry. As you collect points, you also get new characters to battle and use! All this is what presents addcition to this game.

Even though it's really good, this game is not what every gamer would like. Think carefully before you decide to add it to your collection.

Either hate it a lot or you like it a lot

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: July 10, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Pros:
- Some nice musical pieces - some of it is kitaro-esque, some of it is light rock. (like I said, you either hate it or like it).

- Excellent texture mapping for the faces.

- Beautificul backdrops- makes you feel like you are in a small village in Japan.

- No cheesy dubbing of any kind. Just comic strip voice ballons- which I kind of like.

- Wide range of fighting styles that can be obtained through obtaining new swords.

- Fun to see how the stories weave into each other. Not an easy task to accomplish. Have to play multiple times to try different paths.

- Fight controls are simple to learn and difficult to master.

- Provides dual vs CPU and dual vs another user, after a certain level has been passed.

- Sufficient cheats available.

- Online tutorial provides step by step training. Later tutorials consist of video sequences which are not particularly good.

Cons:

- Save system is awkward. Everytime you save you also delete the saved game. So if you die in the middle of the game that's it! You have to start all over. I guess that makes it more like real life. So get yourself an extra memory card and backup the saved game before you start.

- Camera tries to blend in a first person shooter viewpoint with a Resident Evil viewpoint. Works sometimes to create a dramatic effect but often times, especially during a fight sequence, it can be fatal.

- Areas are all very limited in size. Likely to be because of all the memory eating up in the texture maps. But they are all well done- reminiscent of the old samurai films.

- No way to skip through dialog quickly so restarting the game means you have to suffer through all the text.

This game definitely deserves a rental. I have both Kengo and Bushido Blade and I like both. This game's major improvement over the aforementioned is a deeper story element that gives the users choices for the path he/she takes.

Buy it if you think you can tolerate the user interface problems.

this game kicks [hiney)

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: April 14, 2003
Author: Amazon User

this game i think is pretty good.yeah its kind of short ,but u have to go through 6 different endings.it also has a multi-player mode. i have beaten the game with all the different endings, got all the different swords ,and all the characters in multi mode.sure it gets boring after a wile ,but u also get to fool around with ur teams the kuro family and adakclan.although it gets boring after awile the fighting makes up for that with all the different moves like cuts ,slashes,throws, and prayries.if i were u i would buy it now because it is only 19.99 used to 49.99 it will probably go baxck up to cause this is a TIGHT [hiney] GAME.

AS IF I WERE TOSHIRO MIFUNE-SAN

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: June 04, 2002
Author: Amazon User

right away i'll admit..i was excited about this game months before it came out.(yes i am partial to all things samurai)
upon playing this for the first time; it lived up to all my expectations...it is a true samurai simulator.
here is a brief synopsis....you play the part of a wandering samurai(ronin) the look,name and sword of your ronin are of your choice,and you earn other options as you play the game.
on your travels you enter "rokkotsu pass" and this is where your scenario begins.
the scenario of this game never changes,however the events and the ending are entirely up to you. the game may seem short at first, but i have gone through it six times and each time it has been different.
the combat is very similar to "KENGO-MASTER OF BUSHIDO" in fact if you were a samurai fan i would recommend having both games as this seems a progression of "KENGO" where kengo concentrated on creating a samurai "WAY OF THE SAMURAI" picks up after you have become a master.
"samurai" also follows a grading system...similar to TENCHU...so it is hard to believe this game would ever become tiring as the replay value is extremely high.
with this said...if you are a samurai afficionado this is a must buy, if you think you are interested in samurai....this is a must buy. If you are not familiar with samurai RENT "KENGO" and "SAMURAI".....then watch SANJURO,YOJIMBO AND SEVEN SAMURAI. AND REMEMBER- "HONOR AND INTEGRITY COME BEFORE ALL ELSE"

Good action RPG, but better 2 player

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: June 21, 2002
Author: Amazon User

The single player RPG mode is good fun, especially if you like Samurai movies like Yojimbo or Seven Samurai. I call it RPG mode, because there is a lot of dialog and then you make choices that affect the outcome, but the game is action oriented and the only thing with 'stats' is your sword. The game is very faithful to that genre (er... except for that one guy with the giant afro). You'll cut down hordes of warriors and duel against some very skilled opponents. The outcome is based on the choices you make and your skills with the sword. You can play as a heroic character or a backstabbing villain, or just go with the flow and take on whatever comes your way. You might make a difference for this town, or you might 'die like a samurai' fighting to the death amidst a sea of enemies (I almost prefer the latter). The more times you play through the RPG the more plot twists and intrigue you'll find. The only issue that I really had with it is that the dialog is slow because you can't do anything to skip along faster than it automatically displays.

All of that is cool, but the best part of the game is the 2 player fighting mode. It's more fun than all the others I own (tekken tag, virtua 4, soul blade, capcom vs snk, mutant academy 2). Unfortunately it isn't enabled when you start, you have to unlock it by playing RPG mode. That doesn't take all that long though, about 3 or 4 hours only. Then you have a really great 2 player fighting game. You can combine any weapon with any character and change their fighting style based on that weapon. There are around 60 weapons and 30 characters that you can unlock, which gives you a huge number of combinations to play with. The detail in the fighting system and the number of moves available is fantastic. The moves are all realistic, there's no shooting fireballs, or lightning punches. You also aren't as constrained in your movement as most games. You can sidestep or circle easily, really run around the area, jump up onto a table or knock your opponent back so he trips over it.

way of the samuri the sweetest game ever!.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 4
Date: May 18, 2002
Author: Amazon User

way of the samuri is the definite best game for ps2. the end of the game is completely up to you, on what words you choose.and the combat is totally awesome and the graphics are the best around there are so many weapons to choose from (mainly swords) you can also pick up more on the way to your destination the Ai is also really good so if you want a game that has good graphics great gameplay and awesome story this is the game for you !!!!!

Review Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Next 

Actions