Customer Reviews

Kessen III

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

 

 

Honestly I don't know what to expect from this game. The writups say that it's quite different form the original Kessen games and there's more button pressing than your usual strategy games. To me, playing this game feels like playing Dynasty / Samurai Warriors at large scale.

Controls:

Instead of controlling a single soldier (like in DW and SW), you control a whole unit and your unit attacks each time you press the square button. Pressing and holding the triangle button charges up your unit for a unit-specific super attack. Releasing the button will lauch the attack. (If you are attacked while holding the triangle button, the damage to your unit is doubled) The circle is used for activating officer skills (these skills are similar to the previous Kessen games). The X button is used for retreating. The L1 button is use for guarding from enemy attacks and reforming your ranks. The R1 is used to launch cooridnated attacks with other friendly units near by.

While you control your unit in an arcade-like fashion, your other units can be commanded by setting targets and behaviors (like the original Kessen games). You can switch from one unit to another, whenever you feel manual intervention is needed.

Officer Skills:

One neat officer skill is "Rampage Mode", this lets the officer attack the enemy ranks alone (similar to the previous Kessen's "Raid" skill). This time it zooms into the map and the gameplay changes to something similar to Dynasty / Samurai Warriors where the controls are similar. Square = normal attack, Triange = strong attack, Circle = Kessen Attack (similar to Musou). The object of rampage is to kill as many enemy soldiers within the time limit. The number of soldiers you kill will affect the number of enemy soldiers in Battle Mode. You also have a chance to defeat the enemy officer.

Items:

There are several items that you can equip. Weapons, helmets, armors, horses, books, accessories, troop types. But the best thing about this is that you will see your officers actually wearing the armors and helmets in the battlefield (something that the other Koei games do not show). You acquire these stuff from battles and you can also trade them with a merchant in the Political Phase.

Cheesy stuff:

Of course the game is not perfect. Koei games are known for awful english dubbing and this game is no exception. Your units do not act natuarlly in the battlefield as they move exactly in unison and always attack at the same time at the press of a button.

But the game is fun overall and has a good balance between strategy and action.

As a Dynasty Warriors Fan I thought this game was just hack and slash. Nope, this game is both strategy and hack and slash.

The story begins in late Japan during the late 1500's. The main character is Nobunaga Oda. He is the leader of the Oda clan. This basically about his rise to power.

This game is for gameplayers who love strategics. You can shop for diffrent kinds of troops, armor, horses and accesories.
The point of the game is to place your units correctly to defeat your opponent.

Dynasty Warrior fans will adore this game!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is a wonderful game. Control many units and fight your way through the enemy line's. A mix between DW4 and other Kessen games. You can be taken away with graphics and break the t.v with the controller as your forces fall apart in front of a charge. Very welled made game with an easy control.

Story

You fight as or for Nobunaga Oda. A young and powerful ruler trying to control Japan. You start in the small nation Owari until your control all of the Japan. Fighting with a few allies you start to gain land and officers come to you. You get betrayed, routed, and come back from nothing to fight.

Fight !


Fight soldier fight ! Your unit fights to your orders. Normal attack, strong attack (Arrow volley etc.) You fight controlling different units as you please. The soldier do look like lot's of clones but you get over it. The battle system is well. Your units starts fighting in line put after pressure lines break and men become men and fight for THEIR life not the unit. You can control your unit such as retreat, officer skills, rally, rout, etc. Very neat.


Army

You are the Oda forces. You fight with swords and spears and later muskets and ninjas. Always buying new units you fight for the land. Simple battle control square and triangle repeat repeat. To defeat the enemy. Your unit grows from 2,000 to 11,000 men as you crave it out to your likings.


Extra

Nice story always waiting for movies before and after battles. Back stabbing, ambush, battle. Just great. Light language Good for 10 years old or for more mature younger kids. One thing I don't like but getting better at is knowing who is who. Nobunaga I know thats me. "Midsubishe Akechi is revolting!" who's that. Along with other confusing names. Comes with a wonderful manuel and a tutorial that explains the game in a very interesting way that works well.

Final

Buy this game. Very nice and fun. Worth $25.00 at least and great prices here. Go and buy!

This game is a must buy! Great action with great graphics. Major step up from the other Kessen games. Like a Dynasty warriors but better. If you like controling many people and not just one. This is the game for you!

i'm a big fan of the kessen games. this game, however, is diffrent. They've combined the strategy of the kessen games with the action of dynasty warriors. the controls seem simple, but don't worry about it, because you'll learn to love this game just like the others. and, as an added bonus, they put in TONS more levels, which was the only thing that dissapointed me in the first two games. Though the game may have simple A.I. and simple gameplay, I still like it almost as much as the first two. i hope you like it!

Kessen 3 is the latest in a long line of games that places you in feudal Japan of the 1500s, experiencing the chaos and battle that marked that era. If any gamer alive has not fully memorized every name and battle from the 1500s Japan era, they have only themselves to blame by now!

In Kessen 3, you are working at the "general" level, telling groups of troops have to organize to attack. It's the same concept as Risk - but instead of moving markers, you actually get visuals of groups of fighters doing your bidding. You can complain that they seem to be clones working in unison - but it's still a vast improvement over previous games. I really love how groups of horses look running along together, but they all manage to stop on a dime.

The graphics and cinematics in Kessen 3 are rather impressive. It's like playing a movie more than simply planning your moves. The characters have personality and motives. The voice acting isn't always great - it's a shame, really. Hopefully in future games they will invest a bit more money in the voices, since a well done voice set can really elevate a game to a work of art.

Gameplay begins nicely with a tutorial and moves you along into the more advanced aspects of the game. You get both the overall "arrange troops to plan out a coordinated attack" aspect as well as the one-on-one soldier assaults with your main characters.

This game is certainly more complex than, say, PacMan. But it is well designed as far as a strategy game goes. Yes, it uses a few of your little grey cells to get the hang of planning. I find it amazingly satisfying to be able to plan out and implement an attack, and watch it succeed. After all, if you don't use those brain cells, they'll atrophy. It's best to keep them shined up and in use!

Highly recommended for strategy gaming fans, and a perfect way to learn first hand about some key events in Japanese history.