GamerNode: Reviews - Kengo: Legend of the 9

..article continued from page 1

• Kengo: Legend of the 9
• Xbox 360
• Genki
• Majesco
• September 11th, 2007

One thing Kengo could benefit from, however, is a smarter camera, especially in the more confined levels. It can get hung up in the crappiest of positions, and since the player has to focus on blades arcing toward his or her face, it can be difficult to adjust. Also, it'd be nice if there was a way to evade other than just running away. Something like the tumble in Ninja Gaiden would be a perfect fit.

There appear to be a ton of modes available in Kengo, but it's worth noting that only 3 feature actual gameplay. The others -- including all Xbox Live competition -- are just a spectator mode for the AI versions of players' improved characters. What's more, when you are watching a battle in either Live or Solo mode, there is no way to cut it short. I can't say I'm a fan of either of those decisions.

As for the playable portions of the game, Mission mode challenges players to satisfy certain winning conditions (like killing X number of enemies) in a set amount of time. Combat mode is a one-on-one showdown for one or two players, and is presented like a semi-3D fighting game. Best of all: no camera issues in this mode!

Kengo features pretty decent graphics and animations, with crisp character models (and shitty water), but the game's audio is not very friendly to the ears. The background music is insubstantial and unimportant, although era-appropriate. You might not even notice if it was removed completely. Sound effects are empty and generic. Sword slashes sound like they came off of an internet soundboard and enemies' footsteps are so overdone that, when combined with the whirring of the 360's DVD drive, could almost convince you that someone is making microwaved popcorn in the room with you. Oh, and the entire game is voiced in Japanese, with English subtitles, just in case you missed that part.

Overall, I had a fairly decent experience with Kengo: Legend of the 9. It isn't the best of games, but does manage to put a handful of good ideas in one package - even if it wasn't done as well as it could've been. The developers' hearts were in the right place, and for that, I'd say give Kengo a rent and a little bit of time. (But I wouldn't recommend buying it)

• (0)
• 
• 
• 
•