Consequently, there may be times where the title plays differently from the PlayStation®2 version, or where some features may not function properly.

Plot strategies, choose allies, and take direct control of troops to crush his enemies.This title has been converted from the original PlayStation®2 version to the PS3™ system. Archived from the original on February 13, 2002.Oda Nobunaga is a military genius on a mission to unite Japan. ^ a b Smith, David (October 23, 2000).^ a b Carlock, Jamie (November 10, 2000).^ a b 'Kessen for PlayStation 2 Reviews'.Leave my sight! I grow sickened by your face. ^ Tokugawa Ieyasu: You had Masa Sanada murdered!? You fool! I detest such treachery!/ Tokugawa Hidetada But it was- it was because of him that we were late to arrive at Sekigahara! I just felt- / Tokugawa Ieyasu: What, more excuses.

^ At Sekigahara, Shimazu Yoshihiro: So Ishida said, 'Night attacks are for cowards! Go fight boldly!' He would not listen to me and now look what we face.It was a runner-up for GameSpot 's annual 'Best Strategy Game' award among console games, losing to Ogre Battle 64. It was also nominated for the grand prize in the consumers' selection for graphics and scenarios. The title won a special prize PlayStation Award in 2000. Overall, it is seen as a game for history buffs of Japanese history with a good but flawed presentation. What gained Kessen the most praise was the game's sound department, many citing the orchestral score to be 'epic' with one critic noting the 'English voices to be good and fitting'. Graphics concerning the historical figures were also said to be 'over-the-top' and colorful enough to the point of ridiculousness, though impressive. Cutscenes were cited by one critic to be 'the visual appeal to Kessen'. Others have also described it as redundant and slow. Įlsewhere, Jeff Luther from GamesFirst! noted that the game is easy to pick up, although he felt that it failed to maintain its difficulty level after the initial stages. In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of one nine, one eight, one seven, and one eight, for a total of 32 out of 40. Kessen received 'generally favorable reviews' according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. The game was developed in one year with a budget of $5 million. Notable instances include Hosokawa Gracia ordering a soldier to kill her and Tokugawa Hidetada ordering the assassination of Sanada Masayuki for causing his tardiness at Sekigahara. Similar events also occur after the war council, during battle, and at the battle's end.Īmong the historically accurate retelling of events, preference for the often romanticized accounts were sometimes used. After the pre-planning of the battle is finished, a cinematic event occurs, often dramatizing character interactions or significant historical events that took place before the battle occurs. Thus, several of the game's cutscenes have a theatrical feel similar to chanbara and jidaigeki films.īefore each campaign begins, a narrator enlists a brief summary of the events proceeding the selected campaign to help familiarize players with the battle taking place. With Kessen, he believes that he was able to explore his ideas more freely. These two games introduced magical and meteorological elements to the games.Ī note from the game's producer, Kou Shibusawa, addressed to players before any campaign begins, explains his desire to take his own twist on this segment of history but felt too constricted by cinema to do so properly. Two sequels were later created, Kessen II and Kessen III. Tokugawa Ieyasu served as the primary representative for the Eastern forces where the Western army changed leaders based on the results of select key battles.Īlthough it was, for the most part, historically accurate, the game contained a number of 'what-if' scenarios, for example, if the Western forces are victorious at the Battle of Sekigahara (historically an Eastern victory). It is a real-time tactics game set in feudal Japan, focusing upon a conflict between the eastern Tokugawa clan and western Toyotomi clan (with Ishida Mitsunari as the Toyotomi's guardian and protector) shogunates at the end of Sengoku Jidai.

It was initially the only real-time wargame game available for the PlayStation 2. It was a launch game for the PlayStation 2 in Japan and North America. Kessen ( 決戦, 'Decisive Battle') is a real-time tactics video game produced by Koei and published by Electronic Arts.

Kessen 3 ps2