Kengo
Encyclopedia
Kengo is the name of a series of video games developed by Genki
. Kengo is considered a spiritual successor to the Bushido Blade
game series for the PlayStation
.
as Kengo in Japan by Genki
on December 14, 2000 and as Kengo: Master of Bushido in North America and Europe on January 2, 2001 and March 30, 2001 respectively by Crave Entertainment
. It was universally panned as a "disappointment", mostly blasted in sharp comparison to the Bushido Blade titles.
While Kengo's graphics are sub-par for PlayStation 2, Kengo possesses some unique gameplay features. Although they evolved from Light Weight's previous Bushido Blade titles, their depth are the strongest factor of this title. Unlike most arcade-style fighters, Kengo is not a button masher. There is only one button for attack and success is achieved through patience, timing, and skill.
The single player game is divided into three sections. The first two are training and challenging other schools. Training is divided into multiple mini-games that focus on one aspect of gaming, timing or button combos for example. The training serves to increase the maximum value of various character statistics, but not augment their actual value. The simple nature of the training quickly becomes repetitive. Challenging the other schools consists of fighting four identical-looking students, one unique student, and the school's master. The battles use wooden swords but are consecutive and of increasing difficulty, you do not regain health between matches.
After defeating each rival school, you earn your own place as the head of a school. Randomly, you will have access to the Imperial Tournament, which is the final goal of the game. The tournament is fought with steel swords and you start each match with full health. You can still challenge other schools and victory earns you their school's sword. Equipping different swords gives you a unique "special move". At this point in the game you will be randomly challenged by either the master or unique student of other schools and cannot decline. Losing such random encounters strips your character of that school's sword.
There is no gameplay to speak of outside of battle or training. The interface is strictly menu based. Subtle features such as being able to "break" swords in training and having to wait for them to be repaired add to the game's realism. Both the life bar and the Ki bar (which allows special moves) can be hidden from battle to create a more intuitive player. The status of a wounded character is still displayed during battle.
Offense is composed of four "stances" and one special move. A special move may not always be available depending on what sword is equipped. A special move is executed by pressing triangle when the Ki bar is full. The Ki bar can be filled by pressing triangle or by fighting well. Each "stance" is selected with the shoulder buttons and is composed of three moves. The moves are always executed in sequence and can be augmented by character's proximity to one-another, the analog stick, or pressing another button during the combo. Outside of battle, the four stances can be re-designed by replacing one or all of the three moves with other moves earned throughout the game.
on September 7, 2006, Kengo: Legend Of The 9 (Kengo: Zero in Japan and Europe) was developed by Genki and published by Majesco Entertainment
. Kengo Legend Of The 9 is the fourth and latest game in the series.
In the game there are a total of 10 playable characters:
The game was poorly received by critics, with an average score of 38/100 at Metacritic
. Other reviews include:
Genki (company)
Genki is a Japanese developer of computer and video games. It was founded in October 1990 by Hiroshi Hamagaki and Tomo Kimura, who left Sega to form the company. Genki is best known for its racing game titles.-History:...
. Kengo is considered a spiritual successor to the Bushido Blade
Bushido Blade (video game)
is a 3D fighting game developed by Light Weight and published by Square and Sony for the PlayStation. The game features one-on-one armed combat. Its name refers to the Japanese warrior code of honor, Bushidō....
game series for the PlayStation
PlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
.
Kengo: Master of Bushido
Released for the PlayStation 2PlayStation 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...
as Kengo in Japan by Genki
Genki (company)
Genki is a Japanese developer of computer and video games. It was founded in October 1990 by Hiroshi Hamagaki and Tomo Kimura, who left Sega to form the company. Genki is best known for its racing game titles.-History:...
on December 14, 2000 and as Kengo: Master of Bushido in North America and Europe on January 2, 2001 and March 30, 2001 respectively by Crave Entertainment
Crave Entertainment
Crave Entertainment is an American video game company. It was founded in 1997 by Nima Taghavi. Its headquarters is in Newport Beach, California...
. It was universally panned as a "disappointment", mostly blasted in sharp comparison to the Bushido Blade titles.
While Kengo's graphics are sub-par for PlayStation 2, Kengo possesses some unique gameplay features. Although they evolved from Light Weight's previous Bushido Blade titles, their depth are the strongest factor of this title. Unlike most arcade-style fighters, Kengo is not a button masher. There is only one button for attack and success is achieved through patience, timing, and skill.
The single player game is divided into three sections. The first two are training and challenging other schools. Training is divided into multiple mini-games that focus on one aspect of gaming, timing or button combos for example. The training serves to increase the maximum value of various character statistics, but not augment their actual value. The simple nature of the training quickly becomes repetitive. Challenging the other schools consists of fighting four identical-looking students, one unique student, and the school's master. The battles use wooden swords but are consecutive and of increasing difficulty, you do not regain health between matches.
After defeating each rival school, you earn your own place as the head of a school. Randomly, you will have access to the Imperial Tournament, which is the final goal of the game. The tournament is fought with steel swords and you start each match with full health. You can still challenge other schools and victory earns you their school's sword. Equipping different swords gives you a unique "special move". At this point in the game you will be randomly challenged by either the master or unique student of other schools and cannot decline. Losing such random encounters strips your character of that school's sword.
There is no gameplay to speak of outside of battle or training. The interface is strictly menu based. Subtle features such as being able to "break" swords in training and having to wait for them to be repaired add to the game's realism. Both the life bar and the Ki bar (which allows special moves) can be hidden from battle to create a more intuitive player. The status of a wounded character is still displayed during battle.
Offense is composed of four "stances" and one special move. A special move may not always be available depending on what sword is equipped. A special move is executed by pressing triangle when the Ki bar is full. The Ki bar can be filled by pressing triangle or by fighting well. Each "stance" is selected with the shoulder buttons and is composed of three moves. The moves are always executed in sequence and can be augmented by character's proximity to one-another, the analog stick, or pressing another button during the combo. Outside of battle, the four stances can be re-designed by replacing one or all of the three moves with other moves earned throughout the game.
Kengo 2: Legacy of the Blade
The second game in the Kengo series was released for the PlayStation 2 in Japan on June 27, 2002. It was released in Europe on February 14, 2003 under the title Sword of the Samurai. It features a character creation feature and over 100 detailed swords to choose from. It was not released in North America.Kengo 3
The third game in the Kengo series was released for the PlayStation 2 on September 22, 2004. Featuring much improved graphics and a simplified fighting system from Kengo 2. It was released only in Japan.Kengo: Legend of the 9
Released for the Xbox 360Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
on September 7, 2006, Kengo: Legend Of The 9 (Kengo: Zero in Japan and Europe) was developed by Genki and published by Majesco Entertainment
Majesco Entertainment
Majesco Entertainment is a video game publisher founded in 1986.-History:Majesco first made a name as a reissuer of old titles that had been abandoned by their original publisher. By cutting the prices dramatically and, eventually, arranging the rights to self-manufacture games for both Nintendo...
. Kengo Legend Of The 9 is the fourth and latest game in the series.
In the game there are a total of 10 playable characters:
- Historical: Miyamoto MusashiMiyamoto Musashi, also known as Shinmen Takezō, Miyamoto Bennosuke or, by his Buddhist name, Niten Dōraku, was a Japanese swordsman and rōnin. Musashi, as he was often simply known, became renowned through stories of his excellent swordsmanship in numerous duels, even from a very young age...
, Yagyū Jūbei MitsuyoshiYagyū Jūbei MitsuyoshiYagyū Jūbei Mitsuyoshi is one of the most famous and romanticized of the samurai in Japan's feudal era.Very little is known about the actual life of Yagyū Mitsuyoshi as the official records of his life are very sparse. Yagyū Jūbei Mitsuyoshi grew up in his family's ancestral lands, Yagyū no Sato,...
, Sanako Chiba, Itō Ittōsai, Okada IzōOkada Izowas a Japanese samurai of the late Edo period, feared as one of the four most notable assassins of the Bakumatsu period. He was born in Tosa to the gōshi Okada Gihei, who had been a peasant but had bought the gōshi rank...
, Okita SōjiOkita Soji, was the captain of the first unit of the Shinsengumi, a special police force in Kyoto during the late shogunate period. He was one of the best swordsmen of the Shinsengumi, along with Saito Hajime and Nagakura Shinpachi....
, Sasaki KojirōSasaki Kojirowas a prominent Japanese swordsman widely considered as a Kensei, born in Fukui Prefecture. He lived during the Sengoku and early Edo periods and is most remembered for his death while battling Miyamoto Musashi in 1612.-History:...
, Sakamoto RyōmaSakamoto Ryomawas a leader of the movement to overthrow the Tokugawa shogunate during the Bakumatsu period in Japan. Ryōma used the alias .- Early life :Ryōma was born in Kōchi, of Tosa han . By the Japanese calendar, this was the sixth year of Tenpō...
, Horibe YasubeiHoribe Yasubeiwas a warrior in Japan. Yasubei was born to Nakayama Yajiemon, a samurai of the Shibata Domain . When Yasubei was 13, his father lost his position and became a ronin. Soon afterwards, Yajiemon died, and with Yasubei's mother having died shortly after giving birth to Yasubei, Yasubei was orphaned... - Fictional: Jion (unlockable)
The game was poorly received by critics, with an average score of 38/100 at 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,...
. Other reviews include:
- Gamespot: 3.0/10
- IGN: 3.5/10
- Official Xbox Magazine: 3.5/10
- Game informer: 2/10
- Gametrailers: 4/10