Platform: Playstation 2
Genre: Action/RPG
Publisher: Koei
Developer: Koei
ETA: March 30, 2004

Review: Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (Xbox)

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Crimson Sea 2

About a year ago Xbox owners got a tasty little treat from Koei in the form of Crimson Sea, a sci-fi action title with some RPG elements peppered within. It was a solid title, and a nice departure from Koei’s traditional slant towards historical-based games set in the ancient Far East. Now there is a sequel on the way, and oddly enough it’s set to be a Playstation 2 exclusive instead of landing in the Xbox library.

Taking place two years after the events of Crimson Sea, players will again take control of Sho. In this time, the IAG, the agency responsible for defending the galaxy, is in shambles after suffering a surprise attack. Now they must pull themselves together and regroup, with

Sho being charged with finding help to put stopping the Muton menace, the insectoid enemies of the Crimson Sea universe.

In true Koei fashion, there will be a number of similarities between this sequel and the original Crimson Sea. Players will battle droves of enemies at once, either with bladed weapons or firearms, as well as with psionic attacks which amount to magic for all intents and purposes. Joining Sho this time out is a scantily clad, blue haired female companion named Feanay, as players will be able to switch off between the two during play.

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Also, players will have some basic role-playing elements to sink their teeth into while playing Crimson Sea 2, allowing one to improve their attack abilities with the various weapons among other things. But two other features of the game should also get gamers’ attention, firstly the inclusion of over 60 missions, often with the option to accept more than one at a time, the other the game’s projected ability to maintain a very solid frame rate even with numerous characters on screen at once as well as during split-screen two-player mode.

Features:

- Over 60 missions and non-linear play
- New playable character, Feanay, and character-based missions
- 3 Two-Player modes
- New devastating Neo-Psionic attacks can destroy entire platoons of enemies with a single blow
- Uncover the secrets of the aliens and eradicate them using new fighting techniques
- Manipulate time with the "Time Extend" technique
- Customizable weapons systems- attack with guns and blades
- Heart pounding action and an eerie suspense-filled story
- Run and gun, shoot and slash with fast-paced frenetic action
- New aliens and amazing worlds to explore
- Now exclusive to the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system
- Dolby Pro Logic II sound puts you in the middle of the action

With Koei more often than not delving into historical subject matter with their titles, Crimson Sea 2 could be a welcome change to PS2 owning Koei fans as they get a chance to indulge in the fast-paced action traditionally found in the Dynasty Warrior series transposed into a sci-fi world.

Mr. Nash

(February 21, 2004)