The bigger brother of PlayStation 2 launch title Kessen, Kessen II is a very tactical title which requires great patience and bags of time to play, but rewards the player who sticks with it with gameplay by the sackload. It's a Japanese-developed game set in China and in typical Japanese style the story revolves around the feudal period of the country's history, telling a story of honour and betrayal on a grand scale. Think of it as a console war game involving ordering huge units of troops around a battlefield and you won't be far wrong. As a gaming experience Kessen II can be rewarding and at the same time oddly frustrating, given the relatively poor quality of graphics during planning phases and the ponderous and overly intrusive cutscenes. The fighting sequences are all very impressive, though, with up to 500 troops on screen at any one time and the inclusion of magic users who can throw hellfire, damnation and some very impressive large boulders around with relative abandon.
For a game of such complexity the learning curve is nicely balanced and never feels as if it's going to get too difficult too quickly, but what may really hold the game back is its core subject--a tactics game set in feudal Japan will appeal to a very limited market. That said, if you fancy a break from Metal Gear's military tip-toeing and Grand Theft Auto's blatant "shoot first and never mind the questions" attitude there's a lot to be said for Kessen II.--Chris Russell
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