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Way of the Samurai 2

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Way of the Samurai 2
Developer(s)Acquire, Spike
Publisher(s)Capcom
Director(s)Tomohiro Tsuchida
Designer(s)Kōjirō Endō
Composer(s)Noriyuki Asakura
Platform(s)PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable
ReleasePlayStation 2
PlayStation Portable
Genre(s)Action-adventure
Mode(s)Single-player (main game)

Way of the Samurai 2 (侍道2, Samurai Dou 2) is a PlayStation 2 (PS2) action-adventure game released in 2004. It was released on PlayStation Portable only in Japan in 2009.[1]

The game is a prequel to Way of the Samurai.

Gameplay

The player starts as a starving rōnin who collapsed at the gate of a famous trading island-city called Amahara. Soon thereafter, a little girl shares her riceball with the ronin, giving him (or her, depending on the player's choice) energy. A choice appears, introducing the player to the diverse life of a samurai.

Combat

The combat system from the original Way of the Samurai are carried over, albeit with some changes. Amongst them are the inclusion of "stance-breaker" attacks on nearly every weapon, a simplified guard/parry system, and instant kill techniques.

Swords

Many swords have been added from the previous game. Some special swords from the previous Way of The Samurai are available. Way of The Samurai 2 adds two more stances, "Fencing" stance in which the swordsman keep the sword sheathed until it is required to attack, and "Two Hands" stance, in which the player is able to hold two swords at once. Also, there are new weapons installed such as handclaws, and even odachi and bokken.

Enhancements

Dojima from the previous game also makes an appearance, though unrelated to the main plot. Here he still serves as a blacksmith to enhance the player's swords. The stats, however, are simplified:

  • Attack: Attack strength, determines the amount of damage caused when an opponent is struck with the sword
  • Defense: Defensive strength, determines the amount of damage suffered when the player is struck by an opponent
  • Durability: Sword strength, increases the amount of tension the sword can generate before breaking.
  • Quality: The number of upgrades left that can be performed.

Also, the "Appraise" feature is able to make the swords upgraded more powerful. Their effects include addition to attack, defense, durability, tension resistance, or a combination of the above. These, however, requires certain conditions to be met, such as number of kills. Some special swords are able to be appraised based on their name.

Factions

There are multiple sides in Amahara.

The first is the magistrates. Headed by Chief Kuroha, the alert and vigilant magistrates arrest anyone they think breaks the law. They do not hesitate to use forged evidence or invent ludicrous reasons. This oppressive rule made them feared by the townspeople.

The second is the Aoto gang. Under the leadership of the "Old Boss" in the past, the Aoto gang upheld chivalry, protecting the people from the exploits of the magistrates. All changed when the boss died. The elections for the new leader have not been done, but a powerful warrior named Hanzaemon stepped in and filled the void, much to the dismay of the previous boss's daughter Kasumi. Now they are a ravaging group of thugs, committing crimes.

The third group is the townspeople. Centered around the brothel of Amakaze, the townspeople's livelihood very much depended on the brothel and the resulting trade that occurs in the vicinity. While they lacked warriors, they do possess enough money to occasionally hire ronin to solve their problems.

Amahara is an island trading post who is allowed to govern its own affairs. However, the Shogunate have been taking an interest in the area. Rumor has it that their spies have safely made their way in, blending with the crowd, and are watching every single movement within Amahara.

Characters

At the start of the game, the character is a Ronin and his default name is Mifune but you can change his name in character screen

Magistrates

  • Chief Kuroha: The head magistrate, who strives to bring peace and order to Amahara. Even if his intentions are good, he somehow forgot his duty to the people, making him a tyrant. Voiced by: Naomi Kusumi
  • Muto Goshiro: A true follower of Kuroha. Will maintain law and order in Amahara at any cost. Despite being a good man, he is very strict and let nothing intervene in the chief's plan. Voiced by: Toshiaki Kuwahara and Robert Belgrade in English.
  • Nakamura Sosuke: Perhaps the most powerful magistrate in town. Nakamura has a very strange appearance, wears make up and talks in an effeminate voice. Voiced by: Masakazu Suzuki
  • Yasuno Kuremon: A corrupt magistrate actually working for the Aoto gang. He is quite mischievous and serves as a lapdog for Hanzaemon. Voiced by: Masayuki Kato

Aoto Gang

  • Hanzaemon Takanuma: The current leader of the Aoto gang, who killed the previous boss (Kasumi's father). He is determined to take over Amahara at any cost. He uses a large sword named Zannkimaru. Voiced by: Toshitaka Shimizu
  • Kyojiro Kagenuma: Crazy, yet the strongest member of the Aoto gang, she likes violence very much. Even though she serves Hanzaemon, she values bloody fights more than anything. She hates it when she is called Okyo. Voiced by: Akiko Koike
  • Aoto Three: Members of the Aoto gang who take pleasure in extortion. They all look the same, but have different weapons. Their leader seems to be Ichikichi, followed by Santa and Nihei, the dumb one. Voiced by: Taido Kusuyama

Amahara people

  • Kasumi: The daughter of the former boss of the Aoto gang, she tries to save the town from their terror. Voiced by: Masako Inui
  • Dr. Genan: The town's doctor, he grows the drug, Soma, that has the magistrates so worked up. Voiced by: Atsushi Imaruoka
  • Chiyo: Chiyo is Dr. Genan's friendly assistant. Her real name is Oboro and she is a kunoichi working for the Shogunate. Voiced by: Yuki Hamano
  • No Name: Maikaze's errand-girl. She is the first person that the player meets when starting the game. She offers the player food at the start. It later emerges that her name is Sayo and that she is being used to grow soma. Voiced by: Asuka Tanii
  • Maikaze: The most popular geisha of Amakaze who owns Sayo. Despite being strict, she is a very kind and helpful person. Voiced by: Takako Kodama
  • Danpachi: A citizen of Amakaze, a man who looks after Sayo. Danpachi is a kind man who does only the best for Amahara. He is a skilled fighter and something of a playboy. He is married and has two children. Voiced by: Hiromichi Kogami
  • Beniya Kakube: An undercover merchant working for the Shogunate. He owns the Amakaze Inn. Voiced by: Takahiro Yoshino
  • Kusaburo: A painfully shy medicine peddler, who roams around in town. He is actually a Shogunate spy helping out Beniya with his plans. Voiced by: Satoru Tsugawa
  • Kotsubo: A boy fixing matches for people at the shrine. Voiced by: Soichiro Shibata
  • Otomi: Kasumi's friend who is targeted by the Aoto gang because she owes them money. She suffers from Soma's side effects and shows signs of withdrawal. Voiced by: Hikari Yono
  • Nishino: A ronin that is targeted by the Aoto gang because he owes them money. Voiced by: Naoki Bando
  • Dojima: The town's blacksmith, located in Numata-cho. Voiced by: Atsushi Imaruoka

Soundtrack

The original soundtrack of the game was composed by the Japanese composer Noriyuki Asakura, it was released on May 21, 2003. It consists of 26 short songs that are played within the game.

All music is composed by Noriyuki Asakura

No.TitleLength
1."This World - Land of the Chance Meeting" 
2."Vicissitudes" 
3."Walking About" 
4."The Valley Between Heaven and Earth - The Shadows of Dreams" 
5."The Valley Between Heaven and Earth - In the Lonely Night" 
6."Reality and Illusions" 
7."Scattering Seeds of Chivalry" 
8."The Boundaries of Pleasure" 
9."Vestige of the Age of Gods" 
10."Spirit in Conflict" 
11."A Gentle Bearing" 
12."From the Depths of My Heart" 
13."The Scheme" 
14."The Sound of Utter Delusion" 
15."A Number of Omens" 
16."Quiet Agony" 
17."Startling Memory" 
18."Fragmented Thoughts" 
19."Fresh Bonds" 
20."After All the Worry" 
21."The Whirlpool of Transient Life" 
22."A Pure Soul" 
23."Hope and No Hope, Escape and No Escape" 
24."Pressing Forward" 
25."Discovery" 
26."Souls Bonded and Split" 

Reception

Way of the Samurai 2 was met with mixed reception upon release, as GameRankings gave it a score of 63.09%,[2] while Metacritic gave it 59 out of 100.[3]

See also

References

  1. ^ Gantayat, Anoop (2009-08-09). "Way of the Samurai 3 Plus Official". Andriasang.com. Retrieved 2010-01-17.
  2. ^ a b "Way of the Samurai 2 for PlayStation 2". GameRankings. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  3. ^ a b "Way of the Samurai 2 for PlayStation 2 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  4. ^ Edge staff (July 2004). "Way of the Samurai 2". Edge (138): 105.
  5. ^ EGM staff (August 2004). "Way of the Samurai 2". Electronic Gaming Monthly (182): 104.
  6. ^ Bramwell, Tom (July 29, 2004). "Way of the Samurai 2". Eurogamer. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  7. ^ "侍道2". Famitsu. 774. October 16, 2003.
  8. ^ Mason, Lisa (July 2004). "Way of the Samurai 2". Game Informer (135): 116. Archived from the original on November 21, 2007. Retrieved May 26, 2014. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  9. ^ Bro Buzz (August 2004). "Way of the Samurai 2 Review for PS2 on GamePro.com". GamePro: 66. Archived from the original on February 9, 2005. Retrieved May 26, 2014. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  10. ^ Silverman, Ben (July 9, 2004). "Way of the Samurai 2 Review". Game Revolution. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  11. ^ Kasavin, Greg (July 6, 2004). "Way of the Samurai 2 Review". GameSpot. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  12. ^ Steinberg, Steve (July 7, 2004). "GameSpy: Way of the Samurai 2". GameSpy. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  13. ^ Knutson, Michael (July 12, 2004). "Way of the Samurai 2 - PS2 - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on January 2, 2009. Retrieved May 26, 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  14. ^ Sulic, Ivan (July 1, 2004). "Way of the Samurai 2". IGN. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  15. ^ "Way of the Samurai 2". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine: 88. July 2004.
  16. ^ Porter, Alex (July 6, 2004). "The Way of the Samurai 2 [sic]". Maxim. Archived from the original on July 10, 2004. Retrieved November 2, 2014. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help); Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  17. ^ "Way of the Samurai 2". The Times. May 29, 2004. Retrieved May 26, 2014.(subscription required)
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