• ID = PS0942
• STYLE = Third-Person 3D Action
• DEV. = Acquire Corp.
• PUB. = BAM Entertainment
• R-DATE = Jun-06-2002
• ESRB = M / For Mature
• PLAYERS = 1 player
• LIST PRICE = $19.99
  

The year is 1878. The collapse of the Tokugawa Shogunate and the rise of the Meiji Restoration Era has brought an end to the age of samurai. Born to a time that no longer needs or welcomes them, these samurai are a far cry from the heroes and legends that preceded them. Way of the Samurai is a story of the samurai in their final days. These are turbulent times: on the Hill of the Six Bones, three groups wrestle for power. Into this conflict you are drawn, and your choices will determine its outcome. Alliances, deception, and betrayal are all tools at your disposal, as is dynamic 3-D combat featuring 40 different swords and 200 fighting techniques. Choose from dozens of unique characters and face off against a friend.

Description 2:
Now that the Tokugawa Shogunate has fallen and the Meiji Restoration era has begun, the time when the mighty samurai ruled the land has come to an end. Still, a few brave samurai remain on the earth though they are not the fearless warriors that their ancestors were. Meanwhile, three main groups struggle for power on the Hill of the Six Bones. You, one of the last remaining samurai, have been enlisted in this battle, and your choices will greatly affect the outcome of this fight.

Utilizing betrayal, alliances, and deception, you will try to align yourself with the most powerful party and fight for victory. Boasting unique, 3D combat, WAY OF THE SAMURAI gives you access to more than 40 different types of swords, many of which you will have to earn by completing assigned missions. There are dozens of characters to choose from and more than 200 fighting techniques to employ. Play against the computer or see if you can destroy a friend.

3D sword combat using 40 different swords and 200 different fighting techniques, face-off against dozens of unique characters.

Amazon.com Review
In Akira Kurosawa's classic film Yojimbo, a drifter samurai involves himself with two warring clans, comically playing the two against each other in a bid for self-preservation and honor. In Way of the Samurai, you play a similar (though much less witty) wanderer, who must navigate a conflict between the Kurofu family and the Akadama Clan over the future of a dying town and its iron foundry.

The game takes place as the age of the samurai is coming to a close in the late 19th century. Wearing your choice of faces and clothing, you meander through several settings, choosing how to interact with certain characters as the plot develops around you. And, of course, you engage in frequent swordplay. As befitting a game about samurai, the game world offers an interesting combination of Zen atmospherics and machismo posturing. The graphics are often pretty but rarely terrific, although some backgrounds are quite peaceful and attractive. The main strength of the game is the fighting system: each of the swords offers unique moves and attacks.

Though it's advertised as a multipath adventure, this is not a free-roaming journey--once you're locked into one of several paths, you basically follow it to its conclusion (though you can do so in a few different ways--think the old Choose Your Own Adventure books). The hitch is that the conclusion is usually only 2-1/2 hours into the game, meaning to derive value from Way of the Samurai, you'll have to play it a dozen times or more. However, the gameplay and unlockable features just aren't interesting enough to warrant playing it that often, which will be clear after you exchange the same bit of dialogue with the same characters for the umpteenth time.

Aside from the limited length and repetitive gameplay, the big bummer of Way of the Samurai is the poorly conceived save system. Not only do you have to find an elusive save point before saving, but once you choose to continue playing the game, it automatically erases your last save, meaning you can't start again from the same juncture if you die or have to quit suddenly, and must start from the beginning the next time you play. So, what, exactly, is the point of saving again? --Rivers Janssen

Pros:
A game about samurai!
Pretty cool swordplay.
You're a vagabond who can ally yourself with whomever you please.

Cons:
Terrible save system.
Too short.
Repetitive story and dialogue.