There was a time when all Koei was known for was their strategy simulation games like the popular Romance of the Three Kingdoms series. However, upon the introduction of the PlayStation 2, the company decided to take a more action-based turn into this sort of game, and thus Dynasty Warriors 2 rolled around. It was a fun game, and Dynasty Warriors 3 and 4, along with their sub-chapter Xtreme Legends releases, made sure that the action just kept flowing.

Now Koei has released yet another game in the series, a spin-off of sorts that takes place in feudal Japan. The game is called Samurai Warriors, and, like the previous games, you choose a particular soldier and then head into a number of battles to change your team's place in history.

However, where the previous Dynasty Warriors games were focused mainly on action set atop a slight story, Samurai Warriors bases itself closer to its characters and allows you to delve into each of their individual worlds. Each of the 15 characters featured in the game have particular chapters that unfold with each new mission (in the game's primary Mission Mode), and each victory opens up a new part of the story. It's a neat little addition that adds to the replayability, even though the game doesn't have nearly as many characters as Dynasty Warriors 4.

Another neat little feature allows you to earn points throughout each mission, completing certain tasks and then earning some kudos from your fellow officers (who aid you with combat) along the way. You can take these points and teach some new skills, which come in handy during combat. As for the combat itself, the same hack n' slash gameplay that the series is known for is still present, but the extra maneuvers add a bit of variety to the mix. The "musou" attacks also seem to be a bit more dramatic this time around, allowing you to devastate many soldiers at once with a simple few taps of the attack button.

Past those elements, this is pretty much a repeat of the action you saw in Dynasty Warriors. The same graphics engine and camera are used so, while the new Japanese environments can be nice, the game can suffer from slight slowdown and other problems, like clipping that can cause characters to disappear at random and draw distances that may not show you details ahead. There's also some camera problems that can be a real pain in the neck during battles, as you can't really see all of the enemies and sometimes you get hit with cheap shots. Overall, though, the game series still looks good, and some of the other effects are impressive.

The audio department is about the same as well. The game features some tremendously hokey voice acting to go along with the traditional character types, which is rather questionable. I know the girl with the yo-yo weapon is supposed to be weird, but making her sound like a Barbie reject doesn't help matters. Also, the techno music seems to be a bit out of place for a game like this, although I can understand if Koei wants to keep things upbeat. Thumbs up to them for at least giving us the ability to change the audio to traditional Japanese, so you can hear the voice acting that was used in the original release in Japan, complete with subtitles.

Some of the 15 characters within the game are fascinating, including a ninja, a traditional warrior, and a young rogue eager to get his feet wet in combat. Others, like the young girl with the yo-yo-like weapon, could've used more work in terms of range and compatibility. I guess sometimes you still get a lame duck in the bunch, even though she looks great and is animated well.

While the gameplay may get somewhat repetitive, the new skills certainly help out, and the game offers various modes to explore including a fun Survival mode that's good to dig into. Samurai Warriors also has different difficulty levels, each with new weapons and items that you can snag. But be forewarned, anything past Hard will probably eat you alive if you aren't careful. I am kind of sore that the game lacks any sort of online mode. The potential is there - the game offers the ability to log onto a website (via a separate computer) to register best Survival Mode scores. Sigh... perhaps it'll happen with Dynasty Warriors 5 or Samurai Warriors 2.

I'm a fan of the Dynasty Warriors series, and nothing eats away a good deal of stress like chopping an army down to size with just a few strokes of my weapon. Samurai Warriors is another welcome sub-chapter in the series and is most certainly worth a look if this sort of game is your thing. It's generally well done and has stuff that'll keep you digging well into the next few months, if you can stand the little things that keep the game from being as sharp as a sword. Still stings rather nicely, though.