PS2 - Way Of The Samurai 2 - Playstation 2

Like its predecessor, Way of the Samurai 2 depicts a fascinating period of history in a unique fashion. In the game, you play as a masterless samurai looking to make ends meet in 19th-century Japan, at a time when the samurai caste was coming to an end, thanks to a social upheaval brought on by Japanese encounters with Western civilization and other factors. This third-person action adventure game lets you forge your own destiny in that chaotic time period as you take sides with a number of different factions, each looking after its own interests, in a small Japanese town. The game has an open-ended structure and more than 10 different endings, depending on the decisions that you make along the way. However, as interesting as Way of the Samurai 2 may sound, the concept of the game isn't well executed, resulting in an awkwardly paced experience that will only be appreciated by patient players willing to look past a variety of flaws.

No previous experience with the first Way of the Samurai game is expected from those who play the sequel, which essentially revisits the same material as the first game, but in a new setting and with a slightly different gameplay structure. The game takes place entirely in the small town of Amahara, which in gameplay terms consists of 10 very small areas that you're free to explore in any order. Though the story can branch off into various different directions, it always begins the same way, with your half-starved samurai character encountering a mute girl at the gates of Amahara. The girl gives you some food, but no sooner are you back on your feet than you run into a trio of strangely dressed ruffians. At points during the dialogue with these characters, you'll be prompted to respond with one of several different options--and your choices will set the story in motion. You then basically get to explore Amahara for about 10 days of game time. You may affiliate yourself with a powerful local gang; join the magistrates, which is the police force of Amahara; try to help out the little girl you met, and Amahara's other townspeople; and various other options. You may be surprised at how free-form the gameplay of Way of the Samurai 2 actually is.