Customer Reviews

Kengo: Legend Of The 9

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Pros

- Fans of the original Kengo, a very niche game, will like this game.

- This is not a traditional hack and slash game like Onimusha, Ninja Gaiden, or Way of the Samurai. It is a really more like a fencing simulator. So if you rush in hacking and slashing in combat mode the CPU will kill you over and over. The game will be rather frustrating to play until you have learned how to control your sword clashes, evade, and then counter.

- As you play your character through the main mission the system keeps track of your fighting mannerisms- even the negative ones- like tendencies to hack wildly and missing your opponent most of the time. Then you can take your AI and pit it against others on the Xbox Live National Leaderboard to see the outcome. I think this is rather innovative. Also by being able to watch your AI fight, it gives you a chance to reflect on your fighting style vs others.

- The graphics are definitely better than previous generations of the Kengo games. Shadows are soft, there is light blooming, and costumes are bump mapped.


Cons

- Buggy. It has frozen several times after completing a mission making it impossible to save your progress. So you are left with having to repeat the level.

- Like the previous generation of Kengo games, it is repetitive- but then so is real kendo or iaido practice. As I said this is really more of a simulator than a "game".

- The dojo skill building mode from the previous Kengo games is lost. Skills are now built by progressing through the main storyline.

- The camera is much worse than previous Kengo games.

One will always try to compare this game with Bushido Blade. If you played the original BB before playing any of the Kengo games, chances are you will never be sated. It all depends on what you are looking for. Kengo's sword fighting mechanics and sheer number of waza are much more extensive than BB. As someone who practices Kendo, I find BB just too dumbed down to be interesting. Kengo gave me a far more realistic and interesting fighting experience than any of the BB series games ever did.

I'll admit, when I first put this game in, I was sorely disappointed and frustrated beyond belief. I'll also admit that I didn't even glance at the book before I played, so I didn't know that your health gauge regenerates if you stand still with a full stamina bar. I didn't know you could lock onto a nearby samurai, instead of running around in circles hacking wildly, trying to stay alive. So... I'll admit when I first put this game in after months of anticipation, I hated it. Then I read the book, thinking "No one in there right mind would release a game this broken", and while I tried the game the way it was meant to be played, I noticed a fairly deep and strategic fighter. This game is by no means meant for everyone.It's a very niche title. You really need to be a fan of Samurai and be sick of "Button Mashing" fighters to enjoy this. Those that enjoyed the first American "kengo" release, will miss the training sessions from "Master of bushido", but if you do not try to play this like Onimusha you may enjoy it. I would definitely rent it first, even with the low price tag.

A fairly simple samurai swordfighting game, Kengo doesn't really have a lot going for it in terms of design or features. Largely devoid of content, Kengo pales in comparison to more fleshed-out members of the genre like Way of the Samurai.

Set in Japan's Edo period, Kengo allows the player to take control of one of nine historical figures (including Miyamoto Musashi and his rival, Sasaki Kojiro). Most of these swordfighters are obscure even in an already-obscure historical period, and there's not really a lot of "star power" in terms of name recognition. Each fighter has three styles that they can switch between during combat, and each style is customizable with selectable moves and upgrades. That's basically as far as customization goes, though: a simple RPG system and some custom movesets.

The swordfighting itself isn't too great. Characters can do horizontal or vertical attacks and string them together for combos. However, this is basically the extent of the system. Other than "attacking" and "blocking", the only other real feature is a sword-clash mode that generally takes up more time and stamina than it's worth. There's a basic "story mode" for each character (really just different fights), objective-specific missions, and a multiplayer combat mode. The game isn't really deep enough to make these worth bothering with, though.

Graphically, the game isn't great. It's not ugly, but it's a weird level of low-quality where it just seems like the minimum amount of work was put into it. In fact, that's what the whole game seems like - a "half-game", where there was just nothing to do with the game so they released it as-is. This game is just not worth bothering with.

Rating: 3/10

Kengo Legend of the 9 was purchased by us from a gaming store with our own money.

Just not really that fun. You start off just fighting and that's about it...fight a boss and then fight some more. The othe rKengo games was about training and one on one combat...so I thought this was going to be more of the same but was not.

Ever since genki has made fighting games they have been doing something new, making them feel real. The Bushido Blade games reinvented the genre with their realistic sparing and simple controls. These games sparked a small revalution with fighters opting for a more realistic approach, however this was only attempted by small or unknown companies and was ruled as ''shallow'' or ''uninspired'' because it didn't mimic Street Fighter[no disrespect]. Games like Kakuto Chojin and Tao Feng are looked down on for being different but are very good games and they both have alot in common with Bushido Blade.

When the first kengo came out it was all I wanted to play, having already enjoyed Bushido Blade I sank my teeth into it and loved it completely. I was eagerly awaiting a second Kengo and finaly it was anounced however it didn't make it to the states WTF! Then Finaly several years later Kengo 3 was anounced and it later came out as Kengo Legend of the 9 on the 360.

K9 was pretty cheap pretty soon so I quickly picked it up. I was impressed with how good it was because nobody seemed to like it at all and none of the Kengo fans out there[I know you're out there]were standing up for it. Kengo definitly is not for every one it's an acquired taste like Resident Evil if you haven't been there from the beginning you don't understand it it's true. Kengo is not a lightning fast, flashy, move blaster like most fighting games out there. Kengo is a slow, thoughtful sparring game where range and timing are the most important things to master to stay alive.

This game is hard even on ''easy'' and it's not forgiving at all, if you die restart at the beginning and so on. Some of the swordsmen mainly the other ''NINE'' are hard to grapple with and throw in some cheap shots here and there but you get over it. The controls are good and it is easy to link all styles together. The combat does alow for some freestyle thought but you do need to grab, throw and strike when they're stunned in order to get the higher scores and cash in for new moves. Some of the fodder enemies seem to just keep coming out with no end in sight and hurt you just enough to effect the upcoming battle with a real samurai but if you can hold your mud you'll do just fine. One of the best things about Kengo is the ability to take out a badass shooting his mouth off with one well timed attack.

The only really big gripe I have with this game is the lack of extra game modes, the main mode will keep you busy for a good long while but after that everything else kinda sucks. The vs mode is fun for a little while but not long and the challenge modes don't even play with the same rules layed out in the main mode, so you need to adjust which is lame. There is not much replay value but the main game is enough.

The best thing about this game and what is completely overlooked is the authentic samurai and battle locales herein. The battle between Myamoto Musashi and Kojiro is almost completely accurate to real life save for the fact that Musashi did not use his swords but a wooden oar handle.

Kengo is not for everybody but if you like samurai and history combined with realism you'll probably enjoy it if you give it a try, and god knows samurai and realism don't often meet up games.

Not Bad but Not that great either. Looks like a great game but would have been better if it had free roaming instead of automaticaly fighthing everytime just to get the story done,Altough online was fun fighthing one on one.

Kengo Legend of the 9....

For those of you who arent too keen on reading though a whole review to see the overall feel of the game here you go: Its a simple game, rent it, and IF you love it buy it...IF you love it...If you cant find it to rent...dont bother, really dont bother. Even if your very tempted.

Ive played the 1st Kengo years ago when the PS2 was just entering the gaming world. Ah the primitive days of "next gen" Bouncer, Kengo, Twisted Metal Black ect ect. The days of simple, pretty, and moneywasting games. At a quick play through the game one thing is clear- graphics aside this one was obviously meant to be on the ps2.
The Battle system is configurable yet the moves are still simple 123 combos that you interchange. And actually fighting is a dull few moments usually ending in alot of enemies yelping to death. The Majority of them just crowd around you gawking untill theyre quick demise. The controls are slower than wanted and very simple , vert slash, hor slash, scoot slowly, or attempt to grind your sword up to the enemy. The swordgrinding was a good idea but poorly played out. swordgrinding is just push, pull, break away, or try to shove and attack. The "boss" battles are just some slightly more agressive enemies with fancy clothes. One nice feature that it has is a instakill/major damage movement you can take out any enemy with(including a boss..or even yourself).

There are some features that make this game unique compared to the usuall samurai/fighting/hackn slash genre

#1 feature is that you gain experience!!! cool right!? no they ruined it with the fact that whatever experience you dont use is thrown away after each fight. and like it would matter the only thing you can use xp is for "secret" moves that are just simple strikes for your 123 combos. OH WOW I unlocked the Tiger's Fang Wave technique! oh wait its just a diagonal slash.... Ive found that after 2 or 3 battles worth of xp (usually 2 or 3 new "techniques") I have enough moves to do what I need.

#2 You play as real famous samurai from the past. This is one of the major things that got me interested in even playing this game. How many samurai games out there blow their horn about loving samurai, yet they dont even have a real one in them? thumbs up for that feature.

#3 Fighting mutiple enemies- a feature I think really makes or breaks a fighting game for me. so many times I play through soul calibur or ( insert fighting game here) Im siiting there stuck chopping up one loser when I could be doing it to 7 at once!

One "feature" about this game I really didnt like was that during the main "story" mode your stuck fighting a bunch of 1 hit kill nobodies who every now and then do get in a lucky shot, and then going straight up against a boss might or might not be able to instakill you. Sucky thing is when they do....bam you have to reload and start the WHOLE fight over. And man seriously, its like re chopping firewood-pointless and boring.

Other than that-

Graphics-are slightly better than ps2

Sound- well its japanese music and japanese voice so depends on the person.

Control- yikes someone was sloppy when they pulled this one together. workable yet very lacking

Replay- yup theres alot of that- different modes, lots of usless moves to get and more characters to use them.

Fun factor- hrmm its ok.. bit dull most of the time.