Gamers have gotten used to hack and slash adventures where you wade through scores of enemies, pounding furiously on buttons to take out opponents. Most of these games, while fun, are relatively mindless and don't require a ton of strategy to move from level to level. Unfortunately, this can get boring very quickly. However, what if you meld the easy pick up and play of a "hack and slash" with the strategy of a skilled swordfighter, then set it in feudal Japan and add a bit of the supernatural? No, I'm not talking about the latest Onimusha title; instead, I'm referring to Sony's upcoming action title, Genji: Dawn of the Samurai. Based on an ancient 12th century tale that has long been rumored to have been the inspiration for the Samurai warrior, Genji takes place in Japan during a time of countrywide turmoil. Bandits and warriors are roaming the land in search of artifacts and other mystical items known as Amahagane, and demons and other malevolent spirits are haunting forests, rivers and other regions. Players initially start out as a lone warrior named Yoshitsune, who has one of these items in his possession and has no problem using his twin swords to keep it. Fortunately, he'll also have backup later on with a mountain of a main named Benkei, who wields a massive club and supports Yoshitsune in battle. Battles will be relatively large and action packed, with 8-12 enemies potentially attacking you at any point. Both Yoshitsune and Benkei can perform light or heavy attacks at any time, chaining together combos to impart large amounts of damage on an enemy. However, you can also perform instant kills on opponents based on your timing. If you time your blow exactly, you will immediately sidestep and perform a killing strike. This can be augmented by using "Kamui," a gauge that is powered up by eliminating foes. By triggering this power, you enter a bullet-time scheme where you can destroy all the enemies on the screen by reacting to their movements and hitting an attack button at the right moment. After eliminating opponents, you'll receive experience which you'll be able to use to power up your attack, defense or health stats, akin to an RPG. You'll also find a number of items to augment your characters, such as stronger weapons, more protective armor and magical potions and herbs. These can be purchased from merchants in towns or acquired from a number of destructible items, such as lanterns, jugs and rock formations. In fact, these objects respond differently depending on whether or not you're controlling Yoshitsune or Benkei. For instance, one level of our demo showed that Yoshitsune could climb on certain objects that Benkei's weight and size just couldn't support. However, Benkei could break down doors and ring massive bells at shrines to make up for his lack of agility. Genji is one of those titles that looks amazing. Much like a Kurosawa film, Genji is vibrant in its use of color and camera angles that make the scope of its environments feel massive and striking. The swordplay, particularly that of Yoshitsune, was motion captured and directed by Ken Watanabe's double in The Last Samurai. Additionally, to retain the natural flair of the Japanese story, the vocal work in the title will be all in Japanese with English subtitles. This is definitely a title that action fans will want to get their hands on when it comes out next month. Check back soon for a full review! Questions or comments about the upcoming release of Genji: Dawn of the Samurai for the PlayStation 2? Talk to us! [ E-Mail Jeff 'Linkphreak' Haynes ] [ Comment in our Forums ]

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