You are looking at Play Station 2 game Kessen II.

The sequel to Koei's revered wartime strategy game is here. Set in the Chinese Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Kessen 2 puts you in the place of Liu Bei, the leader of the Shu kingdom you're in control of, and a wise and much loved governor who only wants to bring peace to his land of Xu. Unsurprisingly, this is a ludicrously optimistic wish, and Xu is now at war with several enemy states, forcing you to defend yourself and your people . However, once the battles begin, he realises that the safety of the whole of China is at stake.

The storyline in Kessen 2 is extremely engrossing and is told by means of beautiful cinematic sequences. The game environments are incredibly detailed and realistic. The battles are mostly controlled in a strategic manner; positioning troops, planning attacks and moving units. The game throws you into enormous, sprawling battles involving foot soldiers, cavalry, and some very impressive magicians. These warlock types are a new addition to the Kessen series, and make the action considerably more eye-popping, with massive fireballs, meteor storms and earthquakes tearing the battlefields to shreds. You are able to to assume direct control of any of your generals, and roam about freely on the battlefield and dispose of your enemies in close combat.

Kessen II is a great improvement on its predecessor and may be one of the best strategy simulation titles on the PlayStation 2.

Features:

• Koei's exclusive 'Agent Technology' allows the display of 500 soldiers on screen at once
• Experience the thrill of actually taking part in the battle by controlling your general and giving orders at squad level
• New weapons, tactics, and troops including elite-Horsemen and Elephant Cavalry!
• Devastating new Elemental Attacks including tornadoes, lightning strikes, and meteor showers!

8.4/10 - IGN game score

Publisher: KOEI

Genre: Strategy

Ex-rental game, but still comes complete and...