Sengoku Basara Samurai Heroes

I have been waiting for a while now for Sengoku Basara Samurai Heroes to come out on Wii and PS3 in North America. After playing the Japanese version and not understanding much about what was happening, I had to try this title once the English release was available. The story is loosely based off of the hit anime Sengoku Basara released by Funimation in North America and is also the third release title in the Sengoku series (the first release coming out on PS2 as Devil Kings).


After much debate as to which version I should get, I settled on the Wii edition. One of the big reasons was that Wii really doesn't get a lot of titles that fall into this genre. I was also curious with regards to how the system would handle a game of this caliber. I have to say that the Wii passed with flying colors. We all know PS3 has a powerhouse processor and the graphics come out pristine. The Wii has exceptional graphics and I did not experience any lag whatsoever during gameplay.

The gameplay is very much like the Warriors series games with long levels boasting mindless hack-n-slash gameplay. Just remember that mindless doesn't always mean "bad". In this case, it is quite the opposite. Sengoku Basara Samurai Heroes is in fact a really good game. After only two nights of having the game, I managed to keep playing through both Ieyasu Tokugawa and Yukimura Sanada's story modes.

There is an element of strategy to this game as well, which helps to boost the enjoyment factor. Essentially you have an option to choose one of two battles to participate in. Depending on the combination of battles that you select, this can change the face of Japan's history. Since there are so many combinations that you can put together while going through the story for each character, the replay component is high. Just as the Warriors series, you may find yourself playing the same levels over repeatedly to unlock or achieve certain objectives.

Characters gain experience in the game based on number of kills and combos. They are also able to acquire weapons, materials, and currency through the levels. Currency and materials can be used to purchase different seals that strengthen certain attributes of weapons such as attack and defense. Players can also choose various allies to assist them through the levels as they are acquired through alliances in the story.

The soundtrack to the game is pretty good and although much of the music in these games is repetitive, it wasn't annoying.

On the whole, I would have to recommend this game to anyone who is a fan of Devil Kings or any of the Warriors games such as Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors. Fans of the anime will also enjoy this one since it is one of the few anime based games that is genuinely good.