Way of the Samurai 2

Way of the Samurai 2 (侍道2, Samurai Dou 2) is a PlayStation 2 (PS2) action-adventure game released in 2003. It was re-released on PlayStation Portable in 2009 in Japan only.[1]

Way of the Samurai 2
Developer(s)Acquire
Publisher(s)
Director(s)Tomohiro Tsuchida
Designer(s)Kōjirō Endō
Programmer(s)Masatoshi Washimi
Composer(s)Noriyuki Asakura
Platform(s)PlayStation 2
PlayStation Portable
ReleasePlayStation 2
  • JP: October 9, 2003
  • PAL: July 7, 2004
  • NA: May 21, 2004
PlayStation Portable
  • JP: September 3, 2009
Genre(s)Action-adventure
Mode(s)Single-player

The game is a prequel to Way of the Samurai.

Gameplay

The player starts as a starving rōnin who collapsed at the gate of a famous trading island-city called Amahara. Soon thereafter, a little girl shares her riceball with the ronin, giving him (or her, depending on the player's choice) energy. A choice appears, introducing the player to the diverse life of a samurai.

Combat

The combat system from the original Way of the Samurai are carried over, albeit with some changes. Amongst them are the inclusion of "stance-breaker" attacks on nearly every weapon, a simplified guard/parry system, and instant kill techniques.

Enhancements

Dojima from the previous game also makes an appearance, though unrelated to the main plot. Here he still serves as a blacksmith to enhance the player's swords. The stats, however, are simplified:

  • Attack: Attack strength, determines the amount of damage caused when an opponent is struck with the sword
  • Defense: Defensive strength, determines the amount of damage suffered when the player is struck by an opponent
  • Durability: Sword strength, increases the amount of tension the sword can generate before breaking.
  • Quality: The number of upgrades left that can be performed.

Also, the "Appraise" feature is able to make the swords upgraded more powerful. Their effects include addition to attack, defense, durability, tension resistance, or a combination of the above. These, however, requires certain conditions to be met, such as number of kills. Some special swords are able to be appraised based on their name.

Soundtrack

The original soundtrack of the game was composed by the Japanese composer Noriyuki Asakura, it was released on May 21, 2003. It consists of 26 short songs that are played within the game.

All music is composed by Noriyuki Asakura.

No.TitleLength
1."This World - Land of the Chance Meeting" 
2."Vicissitudes" 
3."Walking About" 
4."The Valley Between Heaven and Earth - The Shadows of Dreams" 
5."The Valley Between Heaven and Earth - In the Lonely Night" 
6."Reality and Illusions" 
7."Scattering Seeds of Chivalry" 
8."The Boundaries of Pleasure" 
9."Vestige of the Age of Gods" 
10."Spirit in Conflict" 
11."A Gentle Bearing" 
12."From the Depths of My Heart" 
13."The Scheme" 
14."The Sound of Utter Delusion" 
15."A Number of Omens" 
16."Quiet Agony" 
17."Startling Memory" 
18."Fragmented Thoughts" 
19."Fresh Bonds" 
20."After All the Worry" 
21."The Whirlpool of Transient Life" 
22."A Pure Soul" 
23."Hope and No Hope, Escape and No Escape" 
24."Pressing Forward" 
25."Discovery" 
26."Souls Bonded and Split" 

Reception

Way of the Samurai 2 was met with mixed reception upon release, as GameRankings gave it a score of 63.09%,[2] while Metacritic gave it 59 out of 100.[3]

References
  1. Gantayat, Anoop (2009-08-09). "Way of the Samurai 3 Plus Official". Andriasang.com. Retrieved 2010-01-17.
  2. "Way of the Samurai 2 for PlayStation 2". GameRankings. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  3. "Way of the Samurai 2 for PlayStation 2 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  4. Edge staff (July 2004). "Way of the Samurai 2". Edge (138): 105.
  5. EGM staff (August 2004). "Way of the Samurai 2". Electronic Gaming Monthly (182): 104.
  6. Bramwell, Tom (July 29, 2004). "Way of the Samurai 2". Eurogamer. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  7. "侍道2". Famitsu. 774. October 16, 2003.
  8. Mason, Lisa (July 2004). "Way of the Samurai 2". Game Informer (135): 116. Archived from the original on November 21, 2007. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  9. Bro Buzz (August 2004). "Way of the Samurai 2 Review for PS2 on GamePro.com". GamePro: 66. Archived from the original on February 9, 2005. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  10. Silverman, Ben (July 9, 2004). "Way of the Samurai 2 Review". Game Revolution. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  11. Kasavin, Greg (July 6, 2004). "Way of the Samurai 2 Review". GameSpot. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  12. Steinberg, Steve (July 7, 2004). "GameSpy: Way of the Samurai 2". GameSpy. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  13. Knutson, Michael (July 12, 2004). "Way of the Samurai 2 - PS2 - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on January 2, 2009. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  14. Sulic, Ivan (July 1, 2004). "Way of the Samurai 2". IGN. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  15. "Way of the Samurai 2". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine: 88. July 2004.
  16. Porter, Alex (July 6, 2004). "The Way of the Samurai 2 [sic]". Maxim. Archived from the original on July 10, 2004. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
  17. "Way of the Samurai 2". The Times. May 29, 2004. Retrieved May 26, 2014.(subscription required)
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