Genji 2: Days of the Blade - Playstation 3 (PS3) Previews


	Platform Playstation 3 Genre Action Publisher SCEA Developer SCEE ETA TBA 2007
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Genji 2 *Hands-On*

Genji 2: Days of the Blade is a third-person, heavy-on-combat action-adventure game that continues the story of a mythical feudal Japan from the original Genji. The result is a gorgeous game that promises lots of action if little true innovation.

The E3 demo revealed quite a bit to the game’s play style. It is basically Dynasty Warriors with a little adventure thrown in for good measure. The playable levels at E3 were far more Dynasty Warriors than they were Onimushu, but it is possible that more adventure oriented levels are to come in the final game.

As it was, we were able to play through two levels that threw dozens of enemies at us at a time and culminated in cool-looking boss battles. Combat was intuitive

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and worked fairly well whether I chose to just button mash or tried to work combos using multiple buttons. The game allowed us to play with two characters that could be switched between on the fly. One character was fast and relatively weak while the other was huge and lumbering but swung a powerful hammer.

Of the playable titles for the PS3 available at this year’s E3, Genji 2 was

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one of the most polished. Despite a title card that reported it as only thirty-percent complete, Genji 2 looked wonderful and played smoothly. I especially liked the character models and the lighting and particle effects used throughout the levels. Unfortunately, despite these facts, the game failed to draw much attention. I think the reason for this was two-fold. First, it looked like simply a prettier version of the original Genji with little in the way of innovation. Second, and most importantly, it shared the genre with another game at the show, Heavenly Sword, that was far better looking and more innovative. Still, I enjoyed my time with the game and I look forward to seeing the final project.

- Danny Webb

(August 31, 2006)