Samurai Warriors 2 review

The production values of the game are uneven. The cutscenes that link together each stage are well done. Although the sheer amount of characters onscreen is impressive, the in-game graphics are dated, which isn't surprising since the graphics engine is more than four years old. The chief offender is the voice acting and dialogue. Throughout the game, each character spouts a comment, some of which are meant to be dramatic and others comedic. All of the lines are delivered poorly and none of them sound like things real people would say, let alone historic Japanese figures. There's also a chance you might go insane after hearing Oichi express her love for the 8,000th time after only two hours of play.

Xbox 360 owners get a slightly deeper version of the game for ten bucks more. This version of Samurai Warriors 2 features downloadable content (hooray... more brainless combat), leaderboards, and a versus mode via Xbox Live. The overall visuals are sharper, particularly details of the ground, trees and grass. Compared to other Xbox 360 games, it's no big deal, but it's an improvement over the PlayStation 2 version. The real value here might be in achievement points. Mashing away at this game takes no thought and little effort and is an easy way to up your Xbox Live score.