Best Kengo: Legend Of The 9 - Xbox 360 Deals

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List Price: $19.99
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Pros

Fans of the original Kengo, a very niche game, will like this game.

This is not a traditional hack and slash game like Onimusha, Ninja Gaiden, or Way of the Samurai. It is a really more like a fencing simulator. So if you rush in hacking and slashing in combat mode the CPU will kill you over and over. The game will be rather frustrating to play until you have learned how to control your sword clashes, evade, and then counter.

As you play your character through the main mission the system keeps track of your fighting mannerismseven the negative oneslike tendencies to hack wildly and missing your opponent most of the time. Then you can take your AI and pit it against others on the Xbox Live National Leaderboard to see the outcome. I think this is rather innovative. Also by being able to watch your AI fight, it gives you a chance to reflect on your fighting style vs others.

The graphics are definitely better than previous generations of the Kengo games. Shadows are soft, there is light blooming, and costumes are bump mapped.

Cons

Buggy. It has frozen several times after completing a mission making it impossible to save your progress. So you are left with having to repeat the level.

Like the previous generation of Kengo games, it is repetitivebut then so is real kendo or iaido practice. As I said this is really more of a simulator than a "game".

The dojo skill building mode from the previous Kengo games is lost. Skills are now built by progressing through the main storyline.

The camera is much worse than previous Kengo games.

One will always try to compare this game with Bushido Blade. If you played the original BB before playing any of the Kengo games, chances are you will never be sated. It all depends on what you are looking for. Kengo's sword fighting mechanics and sheer number of waza are much more extensive than BB. As someone who practices Kendo, I find BB just too dumbed down to be interesting. Kengo gave me a far more realistic and interesting fighting experience than any of the BB series games ever did.

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I'll admit, when I first put this game in, I was sorely disappointed and frustrated beyond belief. I'll also admit that I didn't even glance at the book before I played, so I didn't know that your health gauge regenerates if you stand still with a full stamina bar. I didn't know you could lock onto a nearby samurai, instead of running around in circles hacking wildly, trying to stay alive. So... I'll admit when I first put this game in after months of anticipation, I hated it. Then I read the book, thinking "No one in there right mind would release a game this broken", and while I tried the game the way it was meant to be played, I noticed a fairly deep and strategic fighter. This game is by no means meant for everyone.It's a very niche title. You really need to be a fan of Samurai and be sick of "Button Mashing" fighters to enjoy this. Those that enjoyed the first American "kengo" release, will miss the training sessions from "Master of bushido", but if you do not try to play this like Onimusha you may enjoy it. I would definitely rent it first, even with the low price tag.

Best Deals for Kengo: Legend Of The 9 - Xbox 360

Is it "technically impressive"? No. It's not Skyrim, Mortal Kombat, Uncharted 3, Modern Warfare 3. It's Kengo: Legend of the 9. Got it at Gamestop for $4. Best game ever.

Graphics and presentation: Not the best. It doesn't attempt to wow you. It's just "good enough."

Gameplay: Great. You have your standard vertical attack, horizontal attack, block button, but the really cool button is X. X allows you to clash swords with someone (Or "grapple"/grab them), but depending on how you flick the left stick or which buttons you press, you can roll them around, drive them around, kick them on the floor, or they can counter-grab you or counterattack. It's really exciting ...

Most samurai games are hack-and-slack. Attack. Dodge. Attack. Dodge. Block. Kill 100s of other people like that. This is not the case here. You have two bars: HEALTH and STAMINA. THERE ARE NO HEALTH POTIONS (for you to heal, your STAMINA has to recharge to full and YOU CAN'T MOVE -how cool is that?). You have a stamina bar that runs out if you don't use your energy wisely (you can do what I do and turn all the gauges off for real immersion; of course, this means you got to gauge your health and stamina with psychic powers or intuition, if you're into that kind of thing, but it's pretty awesome to play a samurai game with no interface, just you, the graphics, and the controller). Sure, you can go around slashing everything, but once they block and attack you (maybe 4-5 times), you're dead and have to restart the level. This means you have to smart. You can't just barge into a battle. If it's you versus 10 guys, run until you can get one guy on your own or can safely attack him without someone sneaking up behind you to attack you (doesn't happen often but the point is you can only block the person IN FRONT OF YOU, which is easily done with the targeting feature, but can be painful just like in real life when you're got people surrounding you: strategy: run away until you can corner one). In most everyone versus you battles, you'll be fine, but when it's one-on-one (boss battles), you better be careful because he'll be more likely to block or attack you. This isn't because the AI cheats; it's basic psychology. You have to take it seriously. One mistake (like getting hit 4-5 times in a row ... even though to kill non-boss characters, you have to hit them 1-3 times -which is how it's done in real life in case you didn't know) and you'll have to restart the level. Each level is basically the same: attack lots of people (fend off people trying to kill you) and finally an end boss (the hard part, because the boss will be smarter; your best bet is to grab them ... grab = X button = 2 swords clash and you have to push or pull ... you know, like in Bleach or Rurouni Kenshin when 2 swords stick to each other and the characters are talking, except here, you'll be thinking about how to not get killed versus making heroic speeches).

Game modes: combat (fighting game so the health bars are longer, but you can go on up to 9 rounds), online (haven't tried that yet), main story (you versus lots of foes; note these are historical figures so you can't create your own character but you can allocate experience points, etc.), options (very few), customize characters (from story mode).

Japanese audio; English subtitles.

Combat mode: This is the coolest mode ever. Don't like fighting off 20 guys and then losing to a boss battle (in story mode). Combat mode is where ALL the characters in the game are already unlocked (except maybe 1 or 0; not sure) and you can play 1-2-3-4-5 match rounds, just you and the AI, like a fighting game, but as with the story mode, you can turn off the interface and just fight. It's like a real samurai fight.

As I've said, best game ever. Let me know if you have questions. I just want to give this game the credit it deserves because it really is the best game I've ever played. The graphics aren't Uncharted 3, the menus aren't streamlined like in Skyrim, it's got Japanese audio, but the fighting gameplay mechanics are really fun and special. I've never played a game like this. Granted, if you're a completitionist or if you don't like losing, you might not like this game, but if you want to try something new, if you're into playing games because you want to have fun, then definitely give this game a try (I would say ... BUY). Remember: not all samurai fights end in victory; fight for your life. Once you develop your own style, you'll have a lot of fun with this game.

Weird note: Sometimes when an AI character swings his sword, he hurts the men around him. Kind of funny to watch (doesn't happen enough), but the point is there's a bit of strategy involved. If there are 10 guys around you, you could try and hack and slash away, but ... you could also try and run away, turn around and see who managed to catch up to you and kill him before the others catch up.

Settings: Japanese places like downtown Edo, temple, grassy knoll, a camp, autumn leaves (really pretty), etc. Definitely a must-buy if you're into Japanese landscapes and history.

On a more technical note, each character has three stances (three difference styles to hold the sword) and there is 1 female character. The others are historical figures like Musashi, Okita, Kojiro, etc.

Honest reviews on Kengo: Legend Of The 9 - Xbox 360

Ever since genki has made fighting games they have been doing something new, making them feel real. The Bushido Blade games reinvented the genre with their realistic sparing and simple controls. These games sparked a small revalution with fighters opting for a more realistic approach, however this was only attempted by small or unknown companies and was ruled as ''shallow'' or ''uninspired'' because it didn't mimic Street Fighter[no disrespect]. Games like Kakuto Chojin and Tao Feng are looked down on for being different but are very good games and they both have alot in common with Bushido Blade.

When the first kengo came out it was all I wanted to play, having already enjoyed Bushido Blade I sank my teeth into it and loved it completely. I was eagerly awaiting a second Kengo and finaly it was anounced however it didn't make it to the states WTF! Then Finaly several years later Kengo 3 was anounced and it later came out as Kengo Legend of the 9 on the 360.

K9 was pretty cheap pretty soon so I quickly picked it up. I was impressed with how good it was because nobody seemed to like it at all and none of the Kengo fans out there[I know you're out there]were standing up for it. Kengo definitly is not for every one it's an acquired taste like Resident Evil if you haven't been there from the beginning you don't understand it it's true. Kengo is not a lightning fast, flashy, move blaster like most fighting games out there. Kengo is a slow, thoughtful sparring game where range and timing are the most important things to master to stay alive.

This game is hard even on ''easy'' and it's not forgiving at all, if you die restart at the beginning and so on. Some of the swordsmen mainly the other ''NINE'' are hard to grapple with and throw in some cheap shots here and there but you get over it. The controls are good and it is easy to link all styles together. The combat does alow for some freestyle thought but you do need to grab, throw and strike when they're stunned in order to get the higher scores and cash in for new moves. Some of the fodder enemies seem to just keep coming out with no end in sight and hurt you just enough to effect the upcoming battle with a real samurai but if you can hold your mud you'll do just fine. One of the best things about Kengo is the ability to take out a badass shooting his mouth off with one well timed attack.

The only really big gripe I have with this game is the lack of extra game modes, the main mode will keep you busy for a good long while but after that everything else kinda sucks. The vs mode is fun for a little while but not long and the challenge modes don't even play with the same rules layed out in the main mode, so you need to adjust which is lame. There is not much replay value but the main game is enough.

The best thing about this game and what is completely overlooked is the authentic samurai and battle locales herein. The battle between Myamoto Musashi and Kojiro is almost completely accurate to real life save for the fact that Musashi did not use his swords but a wooden oar handle.

Kengo is not for everybody but if you like samurai and history combined with realism you'll probably enjoy it if you give it a try, and god knows samurai and realism don't often meet up games.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Kengo: Legend Of The 9 - Xbox 360

Arrived quickly and was what I ordered, in good condition.. I was hoping for a bit more Bushido Blade style gameplay, but this is still pretty good, for as much as I hate seeing health bars in sword fights. Either way, I wasn't able to find this anywhere else, so I'm glad I found it.