kessenreview

Where has this Koei been all these years? Kessen is easily the simplest yet deepest action/strategy game since Sega's Dragon Force. With a few simple commands and menu
systems, players can direct gigantic armies and play complex political gambits while avoiding the unending menu systems of previous Koei strategy games. Despite a multitude of polygonal eye-candy and the largest amount of
high-quality FMV ever seen in a game, its otherwise spare graphics and lazy AI won't appeal to everyone. Still, it's a must-have for any PS2-owning strategy nut.

Koei's reputation for strategy wargaming is well-deserved. The fact that the Romance of the Three Kingdoms and Nobunaga's Ambition series continue to sell even though they contain the exact same subject matter is a testament to
the company's design expertise. However, its games are filled with minutiae that could only interest those with an obsession for rice-picking stats and peasant management. In today's flash-bang gee-whiz world, Koei's dry-as-dust approach to strategy no longer works, and it's spent a lot
of money and time to change. The result is Kessen, a flashy and dead-solid launch title for the PS2.

The game takes place in the late 16/17th century, illustrating the classic struggle between Ieyasu Tokugawa (founder of the legendary Tokugawa shogunate) and Ishida Mitsunari, a minor but influential lord during the Hideyoshi administration. Since most American gamers have no need to recall medieval Japanese history, suffice it to say that Tokugawa is the "good" guy and Ishida is the "bad" guy, and we'll leave it at that. For most intents and purposes, the two are merely different sides with different troops
and different strengths, as in most strategy games. However, the story is quite detailed and compelling, being fleshed out by extensive FMV and voice acting.

Of course, history does not a good game make. The actual gameplay consists of mission-based campaigns. Each mission takes place in three phases. Deployment and post-mission management are very similar --where players will choose their generals, alter troop deployment, and choose battle plans. Like all of Koei's games, each general has his strengths and weaknesses, loyalties, and troop preferences. This is a subtle but very important part of the game. Some generals are very powerful, but could either desert to the other side, or flee in the middle of a crucial battle. Likewise, deploying a small number of musketeers with a great general makes a huge difference against a huge number of infantry with a cowardly one. General deployment can be automatic or customized, which will be crucial for the next phase: warfare.

As Robert Burns once said, "The best-laid plans of mice
and men gang aft a-gley." Once on the battlefield, computer opponents do their best to throw a monkey wrench into the tactical plan. It will ambush, it will call in reinforcements,
it will hit and run -- the missions are carefully scripted to imitate the give and take of real tactical engagement. In fact, with the seamless in-mission cut scenes, Kessen does
a great job of mixing drama and strategy on a level that hasn't been seen since Sega's Dragon Force.

Unfortunately but predictably, Kessen is far from perfect. The main battle screens feature generic landscapes while armies are blobby masses of dots. The sumptuous crowd scenes that PS2 fans drooled over only appear during special attacks or zooming into battles. They're totally non-interactive, which makes them tedious and redundant later into the campaigns. The camera control is rather weak, and the general's AI has the savvy of a mentally-challenged
checkers opponent. It's hard to lose, even if it takes about half an hour on average to finish the mission. Finally, the translation, while competent, isn't nearly as exciting as the Japanese original.

Still, the mechanics behind the game are sound, and the missions are charged with a drama hard to find in other console strategy games. Also, it's one of the easiest strategy games to learn and play on a console, which is a blessing compared to notable realtime (or pseudo-realtime) strategy games in the past. With two full campaigns and a skirmish mode, the only thing it really lacks is multiplayer, which both of Koei's PS2 games are dying for. Even if it wasn't the only strategy game in town, PS2 owners could do a lot worse than Kessen.

The Bottom Line: A great strategy game marked by the same flaws that have always plagued console strategy titles. However, incredible presentation and depth go a long way to make up for its shortcomings. Heck, it's even educational.