Rengoku II: The Stairway to H.E.A.V.E.N.

The game is fairly repetitive, not bothering to bring puzzles or anything non-combat into play at all, but this is the nature of the genre, really.

Rengoku is a tight, focused experience not aimed at the average gamer, but it carves out its own niche and fills it nicely. It's an acquired taste perhaps, but one that I definitely crave.

A dramatic improvement over its predecessor, although the gameplay is more repetitive than we would like to see.

Konami still has a ways to go before its Rengoku series can be called respectable, but Stairway to H.E.A.V.E.N. is miles ahead of its predecessor. The visuals look better, environments look great, and the customization in the game is addictive. Should the combat improve in the inevitable third iteration, this will be a franchise worth checking out.

The game ultimately runs out of steam before it's over, but along the way, Rengoku II creates a more streamlined and interesting experience than its predecessor.

Generally not a terrible game, but it grows tedious all too quickly.

Unfortunately, the game manages to duplicate just about every single problem that the first game had, from a weak storyline to an unbalanced combat system to unimpressive level designs.

While Rengoku II has its few interesting moments, there isn’t much here that will keep you playing this one for very long.

Rengoku II is incredibly repetitive. If the fighting was fun, this wouldn’t be an issue. If the game had an understandable story, it might be worth trying to progress through to the end. Instead, you’ll grow tired of Rengoku II rather quickly.

It’s another short game in a terrible series that should have been axed at the first try but for some reason it’s back and will be terrorizing the USA later this year. My advice is to look the other way and never touch Rengoku 2 the Stairway to Hell. [JPN Import]

The gameplay isn't necessarily flashy but it can be a lot of fun if you are attracted to mindless and seemingly endless combat.

Delivers the absolute bare minimum of atmosphere and uninspiring, tedious gameplay. It’s not strictly bad; it’s just that nothing about it is good, either.