I’m a big fan of Dynasty Warriors, but I feel as if the games have too much in common with each other. This means that subsequent games in the line tend to escape my notice, but that titles that look to improve on the formula are truly special. Sengoku Basara: Samurai Heroes, and particularly the Playstation 3 version, does just that.
For those that are not familiar, Sengoku Basara is a line of video games that have crossed over from the arcade to the Playstation line (2, 3, and PSP) and the Wii.
Sengoku Basara: Samurai Heroes has a number of returning characters from Devil Kings (Sengoku Basara 2 in Japan), but keeps things fresh with the addition of some illuminating characters. Key of these individuals would have to be Ishida Mitsunari, who contains such bile and hatred for Ieyasu that players should be taken back.
Those players that are familiar with Devil Kings or with the aforementioned Dynasty Warriors series know well the slow-down that tends to happen when action gets hot and heavy. However, Samurai Heroes is able to push the Playstation 3’s processors to their breaking points. This means that players can literally be fighting against an army and the game keeps up with a quite-impressive framerate. While some of the attacks seem a little cheap in regards to giving enemies no possibility of giving up, the difficulty curve is enough that players will spend a number of hours completing the title.
The variation in terms of enemies, attacks, and storyline from previous Sengoku Basara games is also nice; where previous titles in the Devil May Cry / Dynasty Warriors segment of gaming suffer from countless enemies dressing and looking the same, there does seem to be an effort by the game creators to ensure that it honestly does feel as if players are going up against a varied army. For some serious fun, make it a point to pick up Sengoku Basara: Samurai Heroes today.
Rating: 9.0/10
Sengoku Basara: Samurai Heroes (Playstation 3) / 2010 Capcom / http://www.capcom.com