Kessen II

Kessen II
Developer(s) Koei
Publisher(s) Koei
Director(s) Takashi Atsumi
Designer(s) Tomokazu Takeda
Platform(s) PlayStation 2
Release
  • JP: March 29, 2001
  • NA: September 26, 2001
  • PAL: March 15, 2002
Genre(s) Real-time tactics
Mode(s) Single player

Kessen II (決戦 II, Kessen Tsu) is a strategy game loosely based on the Three Kingdoms period of China. It is the sequel to Kessen in name only; both Kessen and the later sequel Kessen III are based on events in Japan. The gameplay involves playing out major battles as the storyline progresses, with cutscenes between each battle for the development of the events and major characters. Before battle, players are given a choice of strategies to take, although they can manually control all units in the battlefield. All units are controlled by the AI unless the player directly intervenes, and battles between forces are carried out in real time. While in control of a unit, players are able to use special skills or magic spells to turn the tables, although enemy characters are also able to do so.

Unlike Koei's other games based on Romance of the Three Kingdoms (Dynasty Warriors and the Romance of the Three Kingdoms game), the plot of Kessen II is a heavily fantasized version of the novel. The last of the Han dynasty family, Liu Bei, begins a rebellion against the kingdom of Wei led by Cao Cao, with much of the game's events being based on the novel with alterations due to the different storylines. A significant change to the story involves a romance between Liu Bei and the character Diao Chan, being a significant factor behind Liu Bei's decision to go to war, and Himiko, a fictional sorceress created for the game. In addition to the fantasized theme, Kessen II departs from its realistic predecessor. Koei introduces elements of magic, especially with the portrayal of notable strategists such as Zhuge Liang and Sima Yi as sorcerers. In battle, these characters are able to cause earthquakes, summon lightning storms and hurl fireballs.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate scores
AggregatorScore
GameRankings75.42%[1]
Metacritic71/100[2]
Review scores
PublicationScore
EGM7/10[3]
Eurogamer8/10[4]
Famitsu35/40[5]
Game Informer8/10[6]
GamePro[7]
GameSpot7.7/10[8]
GameSpy78%[9]
IGN8.4/10[10]
OPM (US)[11]
X-Play[12]

The game received "average" reviews, according to video game review score aggregator Metacritic.[2] In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of 35 out of 40.[5]

References

  1. ↑ "Kessen II for PlayStation 2". GameRankings. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
  2. 1 2 "Kessen II for PlayStation 2 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
  3. ↑ EGM staff (December 2001). "Kessen II". Electronic Gaming Monthly (150): 250.
  4. ↑ Bye, John "Gestalt" (June 2, 2002). "Kessen II". Eurogamer. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
  5. 1 2 "プレイステーション2 - 決戦II". Famitsu. 915: 61. June 30, 2006.
  6. ↑ Kato, Matthew (October 2001). "Kessen 2". Game Informer (102). Archived from the original on November 12, 2007. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
  7. ↑ Bro Buzz (September 28, 2001). "Kessen II Review for PS2 on GamePro.com". GamePro. Archived from the original on March 24, 2005. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
  8. ↑ Ahmed, Shahed (October 4, 2001). "Kessen II Review". GameSpot. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
  9. ↑ Osborne, Scott (November 2, 2001). "Kessen 2". PlanetPS2. Archived from the original on December 6, 2001. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
  10. ↑ Smith, David (October 2, 2001). "Kessen II". IGN. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
  11. ↑ "Kessen II". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine: 168. December 2001.
  12. ↑ Bub, Andrew (October 19, 2001). "'Kessen II' (PS2) Review". X-Play. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
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