I was impressed to see real-time video, with a touch of 3D rendered as well as 3D polygons at the same time!! That creates a touch of reality over the virtual 3D world and it looks great. I have to agree that I've seen animations that had a little bit more details over the character's face but the overall reality of those graphics plus the number of them are amazing.

I've also looked a reviews that talks about the repeating special features video and you can bypass them by pressing the triangle button. But something else that is interesting is that you can simply sit back and control the armies or you can zoom on a squad while they are fighting; bringing a different reality.

If you are still afraid of this game, it is at least a must-rent to see this kind of approach and the useful DVD features.

12 of 12 found the following review helpful:


Save your cash  Oct 31, 2000
Koei was and is the master of turn-based strategy games, so why have they stopped producing them in the US? This game is visually arresting, but the battle sequences leave something to be desired to gamers more used to a hands-on control of troops (from games like Starcraft, etc.) Point, click, kill isn't as fun when you are just a spectator. I grew tired of the same video sequences often replayed during battle. The game is too easily beatable, and I'd recommend rental for all the same fun, and one-tenth the price. Old school Nintendo games like Nobunaga's Ambition still have much better replay value, and once you've beaten this game, you've seen it all, and there's no increased entertainment from added play. I'd much rather a turn-based game that allows you to raise your own army as opposed to inheriting everything from the grace of the programmers. Despite all my gripes, it is still a fun game, but don't bother buying it. Rent.

10 of 10 found the following review helpful:


A fantastic game, but easy to beat and tedious toward end.  Dec 01, 2000 By HeWhoReadsALot
I was absolutely enthralled with this game, staying up all night to play it. These people took the Japanese civil war storyline from the 1600's and turned it into a great strategy game. The graphics are phenomenal. I only have two things to comment on, however.

1. For each attack command or special move, it plays a movie relevant to the theme. However these movies get old after a while and I got tired of pushing the continue button after making a command.

2. It was way too easy to beat. I would have been willing to play it for two weeks if I could, but I beat it in one night. It was like a demo game.

Rent it! You'll have an evening or two of great fun.

8 of 8 found the following review helpful:


Makes a better movie...  Nov 11, 2000
Game is visually stunning. The graphics blow you away, the music is sweet, and the voiceovers are awesome. But you don't really play. You tell your guys what to do, then spend an hour (or more) watching them do it, hoping that your computer powered guys fight better than your computer powered opponent. Don't get me wrong; everyone should try it, and it is immensely fun for awhile. Just rent it or borrow it, don't buy it. If you like this sort of game, I definitely recommend going with Dynasty Warriors 2 over this one.

13 of 15 found the following review helpful:


This would be an incredible game. . .  Dec 17, 2000 By R. Sparks "middle_path"
. . If it weren't for the fact that you just don't get that much in return for the amount of time you spend setting the game up. The creator of the game spends a majority of the first 3 hours of "game play" giving you an in-depth look at Japanese history, and whereas this is interesting and all, it's not what I bought the game for.

I was looking for the old time fun of "Nobunaga's Ambition" (sp?) for the original Nintendo. I used to spend hours tinkering with that game; playing and replaying different scenarios. This game doesn't give you the option of deciding which battles to fight. It just takes you to the next one and assumes that's where you want to go.

The animations are. . . good. Not great; certainly not above the standard I've been seeing in other PS2 games. The real drawback to the animations is that you get the same ones every time. . If you fire a cannonade 5 times, you sit throught the same animation 5 times- and you can't stop it once it starts. If your cavalry charges 30 times, you sit through the same animation 30 times. . .

On the plus side: The whole game is attractive, with more detail per character (story-wise) than many I've seen. And you DO get a MASSIVE amount of history in the game (like it or not), not to mention a terrific glossary of terms and additional historical materials on the disk.

I'd have given this game 3 or even 4 stars if it had given more to me. Unfortunately, more money and effort was spent on the animations than the storyline and playability. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE games that require a high degree of concentration, but this just got boring after a short amount of time. Anyone have a copy of Nobunaga's Ambition?

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