Way of the Samurai

Pros • Excellent fights • Branching Story • Cool weapons	Cons • Weak graphics
Bottom Line Strong game. Top-notch story and great fighting engine overshadow limp graphics. All things Asian are cool in the Western World. There are Lotus Flower shirts, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon movies, and of course the whole Anime craze. Bam Entertainment is no stranger to this Asian Boom. Their Tenchu series is one of the preeminent Asian fighting games in the videogame world. And so it was with great anticipation that gamers awaited the release of The Way of the Samurai. A sword based fighting game set in Japan, the game is at once exciting and innovating, yet somewhat flawed.

Let's set the stage. It's the late nineteenth century, 1878 to be exact. The days of the Samurai are numbered; a way of life bowled over by the locomotive of the industrial revolution. You play a roving Samurai who's caught in the middle of that revolution, and the feud between two rival clans and their battle to control an iron foundery. That's great, that's cool, but that type of story has been done before. What hasn't been done before, or at least not done very well, is the ability of the gamer to write his (or her) own story. Let me explain.

In a manner similar to Interplay's Fallout, the decisions you make in The Way of the Samurai significantly affect how the game plays out. For example, your decision could lead to your alter ego signing up with the local thugs or joining one of the warring clans. You can choose to be a good guy, you can choose to be a bad guy, or you can choose to be a guy that just doesn't get involved. Whatever you choose, your choices profoundly affect how the game plays. And that control is something that truly pulls you into the game.

Also pulling is the games combat engine. This is sword based combat, so obviously weapons and special moves play a large role. Without doubt, those hoping for a complex combat routine won't be disappointed. Various combinations of buttons produce multiple variations of attack and defense. Make no mistake, defense is as important in this game as the attack. The ability to block your opponent's thrust will drastically lesson the damage your person receives.

Of course, The Way of the Samurai is not just about blocking, parrying, thrusting, and button combinations. The weapons that your Samurai uses are also critical. One sword might increase the power of your Samurai's attack, but at the same time putting that sword in your Samurai's hands may decrease his health. Conversely there are other weapons that give greater health but lesser attack power, and fighting tools of the trade that increase the speed with which the Samurai strikes. Looting the bodies of your fallen enemies and finding the perfect combination of weapons gives the game an in-depth, unique RPG-ish feel that's intriguing.

Unfortunately, what isn't intriguing is the ambiance. It isn't an ugly game, but neither is it beautiful. The facial animations are nice, as is the full motion animation, but the backgrounds are bland and unappealing. The buildings look somewhat washed out and the terrain repetitive. The dialog isn't spoken, but rather uses the same balloon type boxes used in Square's Vagrant Story or the latest Spider-man comic. On the other hand, the battle sounds--steel on steel, grunts, and yells--are entertaining.

Entertaining. That sums up the entire game. For sure The Way of the Samurai has its problems, but those problems are overshadowed by the branching story and exciting combat. If you like swordplay, if you like good story, if you like Asian ambiance, you'll like The Way of the Samurai.

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