Devil Kings
Encyclopedia
Devil Kings, known in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

 as Sengoku Basara (戦国BASARA), is a 2005
2005 in video gaming
-Events:*March 6 — The television show 60 Minutes tackles issues within video game controversy. This segment of 60 Minutes has been criticized by video game players for encouraging video game censorship....

 video game for PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...

, developed and released by Capcom
Capcom
is a Japanese developer and publisher of video games, known for creating multi-million-selling franchises such as Devil May Cry, Chaos Legion, Street Fighter, Mega Man and Resident Evil. Capcom developed and published Bionic Commando, Lost Planet and Dark Void too, but they are less known. Its...

. The original game's theme song is "Crosswise" by T.M.Revolution.

The game was followed by several sequel
Sequel
A sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...

s and an anime series, all of them using the original title and setting of Sengoku Basara only.

Story

Sengoku Basara takes place during the Sengoku period
Sengoku period
The or Warring States period in Japanese history was a time of social upheaval, political intrigue, and nearly constant military conflict that lasted roughly from the middle of the 15th century to the beginning of the 17th century. The name "Sengoku" was adopted by Japanese historians in reference...

, or Warring States Era, during which Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

 was split into many minor states battling over power and land. The game features two historical warlord
Warlord
A warlord is a person with power who has both military and civil control over a subnational area due to armed forces loyal to the warlord and not to a central authority. The term can also mean one who espouses the ideal that war is necessary, and has the means and authority to engage in war...

s as the main characters: Sanada Yukimura
Sanada Yukimura
was a Japanese samurai, second son of the Sengoku period daimyo Sanada Masayuki . His proper name was Sanada Nobushige , named after Takeda Shingen's younger brother Takeda Nobushige, who was a brave and respected warrior. He and his father were known as being excellent military tacticians...

 and Date Masamune
Date Masamune
was a regional strongman of Japan's Azuchi-Momoyama period through early Edo period. Heir to a long line of powerful daimyo in the Tōhoku region, he went on to found the modern-day city of Sendai...

.

Devil Kings main character is the Devil King (Oda Nobunaga
Oda Nobunaga
was the initiator of the unification of Japan under the shogunate in the late 16th century, which ruled Japan until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was also a major daimyo during the Sengoku period of Japanese history. His opus was continued, completed and finalized by his successors Toyotomi...

 in Sengoku Basara).

Gameplay

It is a crowd fighting game
Fighting game
Fighting game is a video game genre where the player controls an on-screen character and engages in close combat with an opponent. These characters tend to be of equal power and fight matches consisting of several rounds, which take place in an arena. Players must master techniques such as...

, similar in concept to the Dynasty Warriors
Dynasty Warriors
is a series of tactical action video games created by Omega Force and Koei. The award-winning series is a spin-off of Koei's turn-based strategy Romance of the Three Kingdoms series, based loosely around the Chinese classical novel of the same name. The first game titled Dynasty Warriors,...

/Samurai Warriors
Samurai Warriors
is the first title in the series of video games created by Koei's Omega Force team based loosely around the Sengoku period of Japanese history and it is a spinoff of the Dynasty Warriors series...

 series by Koei.

Some significant gameplay changes were made to the Western versions of the game. Several of the characters were made non-playable and various weapons were removed or added. The difficulty levels were shifted to make the game more difficult (with Easy becoming the Japanese Normal and Normal becoming Japanese Hard). The fighting system was also modified, adding an element called "Priming" (one of the characters special attack was made the priming attack, and used that attack to "Prime" enemies making them more susceptible to damage and allowing for higher combo chains).

Cast

  • Date Masamune
    Date Masamune
    was a regional strongman of Japan's Azuchi-Momoyama period through early Edo period. Heir to a long line of powerful daimyo in the Tōhoku region, he went on to found the modern-day city of Sendai...

     (Azure Dragon): Kazuya Nakai
    Kazuya Nakai
    is a Japanese voice actor who was born in Hyōgo-ku, Kobe. He is currently attached to Aoni Production.-Overview:Kazuya Nakai debuted in After War Gundam X as Witz Sou....

    /Kirby Morrow
    Kirby Morrow
    Kirby Morrow is a Canadian actor. He currently resides in Vancouver, British Columbia.- Filmography :2011 Mortal Kombat: Legacy King Jerrod– Kitana & Mileena: Part 1 … King Jerrod...

  • Sanada Yukimura
    Sanada Yukimura
    was a Japanese samurai, second son of the Sengoku period daimyo Sanada Masayuki . His proper name was Sanada Nobushige , named after Takeda Shingen's younger brother Takeda Nobushige, who was a brave and respected warrior. He and his father were known as being excellent military tacticians...

     (Scorpio): Sōichirō Hoshi
    Soichiro Hoshi
    is a Japanese seiyū. He is affiliated with Arts Vision.He uses the name when appearing in adult games.With the exception of Jungle Emperor Leo , he has been cast as a major or supporting character in every Goro Taniguchi directed anime.-Anime:...

    /Andrew Francis
    Andrew Francis
    Andrew Francis is an actor and voice artist from Vancouver, British Columbia. He has appeared in many television shows including Poltergeist, Dark Angel, Twilight Zone, The L Word, Smallville and Kyle XY...

  • Takeda Shingen
    Takeda Shingen
    , of Kai Province, was a preeminent daimyo in feudal Japan with exceptional military prestige in the late stage of the Sengoku period.-Name:Shingen was called "Tarō" or "Katsuchiyo" during his childhood...

     (Red Minotaur): Tesshō Genda
    Tessho Genda
    is a Japanese voice actor. He is employed by the talent management firm 81 Produce. When he debuted, he used his real name, . as artist name. Because he had experience with ballet, he was known by the nickname "Pirouette Genda."...

    /Mark Gibbon
    Mark Gibbon
    - Filmography :* Joy Ride 2: Dead Ahead as Rusty Nail * Totally Awesome as Tv Coach * Stargate SG-1 as M'zel * The Chronicles of Riddick as Irgun * Smallville as Deputy...

  • Sarutobi Sasuke
    Sarutobi Sasuke
    was a famous ninja in Japanese folklore. He is generally believed to be a Meiji period fictional creation based on the historical ninja ', although some argue for his actual existence.- In folklore :...

     (Talon): Takehito Koyasu
    Takehito Koyasu
    is a Japanese voice actor.-Career:Koyasu is part of the voice actor quartet Weiß consisting of Weiß Kreuz voice castmates Shinichiro Miki, Tomokazu Seki, and Yuuki Hiro...

    /David Orth
    David Orth
    David Orth is a Canadian actor.Orth was born and raised in Kitchener, Ontario. His most notable role was as Edward 'Ned' Malone in the TV series The Lost World, which was shot in Australia. He played this part from 1999 until 2002. During the shooting of The Lost World, he purchased a home in...

  • Oda Nobunaga
    Oda Nobunaga
    was the initiator of the unification of Japan under the shogunate in the late 16th century, which ruled Japan until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was also a major daimyo during the Sengoku period of Japanese history. His opus was continued, completed and finalized by his successors Toyotomi...

     (Devil King): Norio Wakamoto
    Norio Wakamoto
    is a veteran male seiyū and budō expert affiliated with Sigma Seven. He was born in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, and was raised in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture. He graduated from Waseda University...

    /Gary Chalk
    Gary Chalk (actor)
    Gary Chalk is an English-born Canadian actor, tri-national US-Canadian-UK citizen and voice artist. He has lend hit voice in over 30 animated television series and has been in films such as The Fly II and Freddy vs. Jason....

  • Nōhime
    Nohime
    also Kichō or Lady Noh, was the wife of Oda Nobunaga, a major daimyo during the Sengoku period of Japanese history. Her proper name was Kichō, but since she came from Mino Province, she is most commonly referred to as Nōhime . She was renowned for her beauty and cleverness.Nōhime's father was the...

     (Lady Butterfly): Yurika Hino
    Yurika Hino
    , real name Yukari Shimizu, is a Japanese voice actoress.-Anime:* Koram in A Tree of Palme* Sato in Ayakashi* Emi in Baki the Grappler* Sara in New Fist of the North Star* Kurogane in Bleach* Catherine in Submarine 707R* Mei Terumi in Naruto Shippuuden...

    /Kathleen Barr
    Kathleen Barr
    Kathleen Barr is a Canadian voice actress. She is also the sister of Professor Mark Lyle Barr at Saint Mary's University in Halifax, Nova Scotia.-Filmography:...

  • Mori Ranmaru
    Mori Ranmaru
    , born Mori Nagasada , was the son of Mori Yoshinari, and had 5 brothers in total, from the province of Mino. He was a member of the Mori Clan, descendants of the Seiwa Genji....

     (Hornet): Hiroki Shimowada
    Hiroki Shimowada
    is a Japanese voice actor and stage actor from Mie Prefecture attached to 81 Produce.-Anime:2000* Boogiepop Phantom as Middle Schooler 2001* Cosmic Baton Girl Comet-san as Shun Imagawa/Imashun2002* SaiKano as Nori...

    /Cathy Weseluck
    Cathy Weseluck
    Cathy Weseluck is a Canadian voice actress who frequently works with Ocean Productions in Vancouver, British Columbia. She is known with providing the voice for characters in various anime series such as Mirai Yashima , Dorothy Catalonia and Catherine Bloom , Near , Shampoo , Kagome's mother , Misa...

  • Akechi Mitsuhide
    Akechi Mitsuhide
    , nicknamed Jūbei or called from his clan name and title, was a samurai who lived during the Sengoku period of Feudal Japan.Mitsuhide was a general under daimyo Oda Nobunaga, although he became infamous for his betrayal in 1582, which led to Nobunaga's death at Honno-ji...

     (Reaper): Shō Hayami/Peter Kelamis
    Peter Kelamis
    Peter Kelamis is an Australian-born Canadian actor and comedian.-Life and career:Kelamis was born in Sydney, Australia of Greek origin. In 1985, Kelamis enrolled in the University of British Columbia...

  • Uesugi Kenshin
    Uesugi Kenshin
    was a daimyo who ruled Echigo province in the Sengoku period of Japan.He was one of the most powerful lords of the Sengoku period. While chiefly remembered for his prowess on the battlefield, Kenshin is also regarded as an extremely skillful administrator who fostered the growth of local industries...

     (Frost): Romi Park/Alessandro Juliani
    Alessandro Juliani
    Alessandro Juliani is a Canadian actor, singer, and voice actor. He is notable for playing Tactical Officer Lieutenant Felix Gaeta on the Sci Fi Channel television program Battlestar Galactica, and Emil Hamilton in Smallville...

  • Kasuga (Venus): Natsuko Kuwatani
    Natsuko Kuwatani
    is a Japanese voice actress who currently works for I'm Enterprise as of March 1, 2008.- 2001 :* Rabbit in Kokoro Library* Karen in Sister Princess* Kirala Mitsuboshi in Najica Blitz Tactics- 2002 :* Tweedledee in Kiddy Grade...

    /Venus Terzo
    Venus Terzo
    Venus Terzo is a Canadian actress best noted for her role as Detective Angela Kosmo in Da Vinci's Inquest and its spinoff, Da Vinci's City Hall. She was nominated in 2002 for the Gemini Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role in that same role...

  • Itsuki (Puff): Tomoko Kawakami
    Tomoko Kawakami
    was a Japanese voice actress from Tokyo. Having graduated from the Toho Gakuen School of Music, Kawakami was affiliated with Production Baobab at the time of her death.-Career:...

    /Janyse Jaud
    Janyse Jaud
    Janyse Aldis Jaud is a Canadian actress, dancer and singer/songwriter. She is of Icelandic-French descent....

  • Xavi (Q-Ball): Kōzō Shioya
    Kozo Shioya
    Kōzō Shioya is a veteran seiyū born in Kagoshima Prefecture. He is currently represented by Aoni Production...

    /Lee Tockar
    Lee Tockar
    Lee William Tockar is a Canadian voice actor and visual artist who works for several studios in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He is also a writer of children's literature, a musician, sculptor, illustrator and collected painter...

  • Maeda Toshiie
    Maeda Toshiie
    was one of the leading generals of Oda Nobunaga following the Sengoku period of the 16th century extending to the Azuchi-Momoyama period. His father was Maeda Toshimasa. He was the fourth of seven brothers. His childhood name was "Inuchiyo" . His preferred weapon was a yari and he was known as...

     (Lark): Tomohiro Tsuboi
    Tomohiro Tsuboi
    is a male Japanese voice actor. He is part of 81 Produce, previously Mausu Promotion.-TV animation:*Buso Renkin *D.Grayman *Fortune Arterial *Gakuen Heaven...

    /Andrew Jackson
    Andrew Jackson (actor)
    Andrew Jackson is a Canadian actor.Jackson has played major roles in various television shows and movies, including All My Children, Shadowbuilder, Millennium Man, Catch A Falling Star, Wind At My Back - 5th season, Deadly Betrayal, The Collector, Kyle XY, and Sea Wolf just to name a few.He is...

  • Matsu
    Maeda Matsu
    [known in Japan as o-Matsu no Kata ] was a Japanese woman of the 16th century. She was the wife of Maeda Toshiie, who founded the Kaga Domain. Matsu had a reputation for intelligence; she was skilled at both literary and martial arts...

     (Bramble): Yūko Kaida
    Yuko Kaida
    is a Japanese voice actress and theater actress from Kanagawa. She works at Ken Production. Kaida's most known roles include Neela Rasgotra in the Japanese dub of ER, Shimei Ryomo in Ikkitousen, Kyō Takamimori in Potemayo, Amane Ootori in Strawberry Panic!, Minako Tsukiyama in Maria-sama ga Miteru...

    /Tabitha St. Germain
    Tabitha St. Germain
    Tabitha St. Germain is a Canadian stage actress. She has made the transition from stage work to voice work, and has since become one of the core female voice actresses working with Ocean Productions in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.- Anime :* .hack//Roots - Asta, Nazo Grunty* Black Lagoon -...

  • Shimazu Yoshihiro
    Shimazu Yoshihiro
    was the second son of Shimazu Takahisa and younger brother of Shimazu Yoshihisa. It had traditionally been believed that he became the seventeenth head of the Shimazu clan after Yoshihisa, but it is currently believed that he let Yoshihisa keep his position....

     (Zaan): Kenichi Ogata/Paul Dobson
  • Tokugawa Ieyasu
    Tokugawa Ieyasu
     was the founder and first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan , which ruled from the Battle of Sekigahara  in 1600 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. Ieyasu seized power in 1600, received appointment as shogun in 1603, abdicated from office in 1605, but...

     (Irdine): Tōru Ōkawa/Jason Michas
    Jason Michas
    Jason Michas is a Canadian-born voice actor, who played in animated television shows such as Sabrina, the Animated Series as Harvey Kinkle, and in Bucky O'Hare and the Toad Wars as the protagonist in the first four episodes...

  • Mōri Motonari
    Mori Motonari
    was a prominent daimyō in the west Chūgoku region of Japan during the Sengoku period of the 16th century.-Early years:Mōri Motonari was born under the name Shojumaru in a small domain of Aki province in 1497. He is said to have been born at Suzuo Castle, his mother's homeland...

     (Kahz): Shigeru Nakahara
    Shigeru Nakahara
    is a veteran seiyū . He works at Vi-Vo .-Notable voice roles:*Another Century's Episode 2 , *Arion *Aura Battler Dunbine *Biker Mice from Mars...

    /Sam Vincent
    Samuel Vincent
    Samuel Vincent is a Canadian voice actor who works with the Ocean Productions based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He was born in North Vancouver, British Columbia.-Biography:...

  • Chōsokabe Motochika
    Chosokabe Motochika
    was a Sengoku period daimyo in Japan. He was the 21st chief of the Chōsokabe clan of Tosa Province . He was the son and heir of Chōsokabe Kunichika and his mother was a daughter of the Saitō clan of Mino Province....

     (Arslan): Ryūzō Ishino/Ian James Corlett
    Ian James Corlett
    Ian James Corlett is a Canadian animation voice artist, writer, and musician. He is the creator of Studio B Productions' animated series Being Ian and Yvon of the Yukon....

  • Hōjō Ujimasa
    Hojo Ujimasa
    was the fourth head of the late Hōjō clan, and daimyo of Odawara.Ujimasa commanded in many battles, consolidating his clan's position, and retired in 1590. His son Hōjō Ujinao became head of the clan and lord of Odawara, but later that year they failed to hold Odawara against the forces of Toyotomi...

     (Orwik): Tadashi Miyazawa
    Tadashi Miyazawa
    is a male Japanese voice actor. He is from Nagano, Japan. He is part of the talent agency KeKKe.-Anime:*Bakkyuu HIT! Crash Bedaman *Beast Wars II: Chō Seimeitai Transformers *Eyeshield 21...

    /Louis Chirillo
    Louis Chirillo
    Louis Chirillo is an American-Canadian actor and voice actor.He was born in Seattle, Washington. He is famous for voicing Keefe in Zoids: Fuzors. He has also voiced Shaman in Pucca...

  • Imagawa Yoshimoto
    Imagawa Yoshimoto
    was one of the leading daimyo in the Sengoku period Japan. Based in Suruga Province, he was one of the three daimyo that dominated the Tōkaidō region. He was one of the dominant daimyo in Japan for a time, until his death in 1560....

     (Muri): Kōzō Shioya
    Kozo Shioya
    Kōzō Shioya is a veteran seiyū born in Kagoshima Prefecture. He is currently represented by Aoni Production...

    /Brian Drummond
    Brian Drummond
    Brian Drummond is a Canadian actor. He also serves on the board of directors for the New Westminster-based Urban Academy along with his wife, Laura Drummond, also a voice artist. He and his wife serve as vice-president and president, respectively.- Career :Drummond was born in Salmon Arm, British...

  • Honda Tadakatsu
    Honda Tadakatsu
    , also called Honda Heihachirō , was a Japanese general of the late Sengoku through early Edo period, who served Tokugawa Ieyasu. Honda Tadakatsu was one of the Tokugawa Four Heavenly Kings along with Ii Naomasa, Sakakibara Yasumasa and Sakai Tadatsugu. - Biography :A native of Mikawa Province in...

     (Iron Ox)

Localization

While releasing Sengoku Basara, Capcom attempted to appeal to the western audience, by removing all Sengoku references in favor of a generic fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...

 story vaguely connected with Capcom's hit franchise Devil May Cry
Devil May Cry
is an action game developed and published by Capcom, released in 2001 for the PlayStation 2. Although it is the first game in the series of the same name, the events in Devil May Cry are second in the series storyline's chronological order, taking place after Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening and...

 (a DMC-type font was even used for the cover title of Devil Kings).

An extract from IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...

 interview with the game's producer Hiroyuki Kobayashi:
Kobayashi: In Japan, Devil Kings is called Sengoku Basara, and it focuses on Japanese history in the same sense that Dynasty Warriors focuses on Chinese history. So it's similar in that sense, but with a Capcom style, a Capcom flair to it. We took the concept, and said, "What can we do to differentiate this to make this different from the Dynasty Warriors games?" And we decided the secret maybe lay in some other games Capcom has done. We said, "Let's give the characters a kind of Devil May Cry flair -- some really cool moves, like the kind of things you might see in Devil May Cry. Let's the characters and make them all vastly and distinctly different from one another, like Street Fighter II
Street Fighter II
is a competitive fighting game originally released for the arcades in . It is the arcade sequel to the original Street Fighter released in and was Capcom's fourteenth title that ran on the CP System arcade hardware...

." That's the Japanese version. Then, we said, "Okay, let's release it in North America -- what can we do to make it different again?" So we said, "Okay, we'll make it dark." Call it Devil Kings. The main character sold his soul to the devil. We'll darken up the background, give more moves, more ability to power your character up, and things like that for the American market.

IGN: Plus it's not historically accurate?

Kobayashi: The Japanese version of the game is based on Japanese history. There are some fantasy elements that didn't actually happen, of course, but enough of it is there. With the U.S. version, we've taken that element out entirely. Some of the backgrounds may retain that eastern flair. Many of them don't and are brand new; many of the enemies are brand new; and it's no longer based around the idea of feudal Japan at all. That part of the game has now been changed to be darker, devilish.


These alterations were regarded as unpopular, as the Devil Kings version was a critical and commercial failure, and no more Sengoku Basara games were brought to North America and Europe until the release of Sengoku Basara: Samurai Heroes
Sengoku Basara: Samurai Heroes
Sengoku Basara: Samurai Heroes, known in Japan as , is a 2010 action-adventure video game developed and published by Capcom for the PlayStation 3 and Wii. The game is the sequel to Sengoku Basara 2 and was released on July 29, 2010 in Japan...

 in the fall of 2010.

Reception

The westernized version (Devil Kings) was relatively poorly received by critics, earning the average Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...

 score of 64 (mixed or average reviews) and 65.09% at GameRankings.

Sequels

The first two sequels, Sengoku Basara 2
Sengoku Basara 2
Sengoku Basara 2 is a sequel to the video game Sengoku Basara , released in Japan on July 27, 2006 for the PlayStation 2. A revision with additional features named Sengoku Basara 2 Heroes was released on November 29, 2007...

 and Sengoku Basara Heroes
Sengoku Basara 2
Sengoku Basara 2 is a sequel to the video game Sengoku Basara , released in Japan on July 27, 2006 for the PlayStation 2. A revision with additional features named Sengoku Basara 2 Heroes was released on November 29, 2007...

, have been released in Japan for PS2 in 2006-2007, followed by two more spin-off games. The newest game in the series, Sengoku Basara 3
Sengoku Basara: Samurai Heroes
Sengoku Basara: Samurai Heroes, known in Japan as , is a 2010 action-adventure video game developed and published by Capcom for the PlayStation 3 and Wii. The game is the sequel to Sengoku Basara 2 and was released on July 29, 2010 in Japan...

, has been announced for the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...

 and PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...

and released on July 29, 2010 in Japan. It was released in North America and Europe as Sengoku Basara: Samurai Heroes in October 2010.

External links

Official Sengoku Basara website
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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