Sengoku Basara: Samurai Heroes

Overall, it's a far more enjoyable experience than you'll find in most of the Dynasty Warriors series, and it's nice to see some competition for the a game type that doesn't get a lot of love in the Western side of the world.

Unashamedly dated, but still surprisingly addictive and good fun if Warriors games are your bag. [Issue#198, p.95]

Mindless, but glorious button-mashing fun, full of crazy characters and over-the-top moves.

We already knew that Sengoku Basara: Heroes Samurai was limited to a specific audience, and while not offering anything new, and to offer less than others have already offered, is a game full of dynamism and charisma.

Sengoku Basara is a clone of Koei's Samurai Warriors saga, but with some differences of gameplay that will entertain the fan for many hours, trying to unify the feudal Japan along a memorable conflict.

For people who have already distanced themselves from Koei's game series, this title will do nothing to change their minds about the genre. For fans of the formula, though, the decision of purchasing this game comes down to whether or not they can live with its trade-offs. For those who can live with the changes, the game provides a fun experience that will last for quite a while.

But as it stands, Samurai Heroes probably won't change the minds of those adverse to the Dynasty Warriors template.

SBSH is a tough game to score fairly. If you love this genre then there's no doubt this game is for you, and you can be happy with the fact that Capcom has provided a game that will keep you busy for weeks on end. For everyone else though things aren't that clear.

In the end Sengoku Basara: Samurai Heroes definitely should have been released a few years ago and if you're a fan of game such as Dynasty Warriors, than this game might give you a few hours of enjoyment.

It's easy to see that this is a Playstation 3 version of a Wii game. But that doesn't stop it from being good fun for all manga fans out there.

Despite some very obvious issues, Sengoku Basara is a gleefully self-aware package of big, stupid fun.

Quotation forthcoming.

If this is your kind of genre, then you'll get plenty out of this game.

This is one of the funniest hack and slash games from the past years. The graphics are nice and the gameplay is pretty cool. If you like hack and slash games, then Sengoku Basara is your game. The only sad part is that the gameplay will be repetitive.

Sengoku Basara: Samurai Heroes is a blatant copycat of the Warriors franchise, and it doesn't care. Of course, when it does the formula better, it doesn't have to care.

Capcom improved a lot on their previous release, however Sengoku Basara: Samurai Heroes still needs a lot of work as its far from perfect.

Sengoku Basara: Samurai Heroes gets the Dynasty Warriors formula and changes the face. It is extremely funny and it will attract the lovers of this genre, but this game is really poor in AI, lack in innovation, and really repetitive and linear.

Sengoku Basara: Samurai Heroes is the new bet of Capcom in the beat 'em up gender. Its greatest virtues are a great spectacle in the combat mechanics and a correct technical section. However, a rather unfortunate IA, some camera problems and lack of online modes just weighing on the experience.

You'll be jabbing the square button until fatigue eventually sets in. [Issue#102, p.106]

Looking like a game from the old generation and being too similar to Dynasty Warriors, Samurai Heroes doesn't renovate a genre that needs reinvention.

At the beginning it's entertaining, but after a few hours it becomes very repetitive. It's not a bad game, but one that's worse than it main competitor, the Dynasty Warriors saga.

Sengoku Basara: Samurai Heroes brings nothing new to the hack-and-slash table, nor does it improve on any of the genre's typical features.

There is little doubt that Sengoku Basara: Samurai Heroes will be lapped up by tactical action fans; it is mechanically robust, pleasing on the eye and has a vitality that has been sorely missing in recent Dynasty Warrior releases. Those not already enamoured with the genre will find less to enjoy here however.

However Sengoku Basara still feels like a blast from the past.

One may have a lot of preconceptions when witnessing such an apparent carbon copy of Samurai Warriors, but with a little time to overcome them, Capcom's game finally reveals its differences and qualities. With its over-the-top and satyrical side, it succeeds in establishing itself as a different take on the genre. it's even a well executed take on it, both technically and in terms of gameplay.

Our suggestion? Turn off the volume, and get your fingers ready to mash some buttons.

Sengoku Basara: Samurai Heroes doesn't stray far from the traditions of the genre, and is little more than the same old hack-and-slashing with new characters. Even so, I can't deny the short-lived joy of clearing out entire armies with a single character, juggling twenty men as my swords cut explosive streaks through the air, and watching the combo-counter rise with maniacal speed.

There's not much to Sengoku Basara: Samurai Heroes and it pales in comparison to other similar games out there. The large-scale premise is squandered by poor enemy AI and boring combat, and it simply doesn't do anything sufficiently interesting to warrant your attention.

If we were feeling incredibly generous, we might have given Sengoku Basara: Samurai Heroes a reserved recommendation based entirely on its uncompromising madness. As it is, however, there's not enough to pull this brawler out of its overshadowing tediousness.

"Quotation Forthcoming"

Muddy textures, horrendous voice acting and repetitive gameplay plague an otherwise functional hack 'n' slasher. [Issue#51, p.103]

Ultimately, despite the flair and lushness of the presentation, the game is pretty monotonous, with the same hack and slash, or in some cases run-and-gun gameplay over and over again.

Shallow, mindless hack-and-slash action makes this a crushingly tedious slog through an anachronistic version of 16th-century Japan.

Sure, it's better looking and slightly more entertaining to play than any of the similar games that have come out in recent years, but it's still painfully formulaic and completely uninspired.

Unquestionably the best Dynasty Warriors style game so far, but at its core it's still just as shallow and repetitive as any of Koei's games.