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| The Cover Art of Bushido Blade 2 |
Bushido Blade 2 is a game set in modern times revolving around an ancient feud between two prominent Japanese clans. The player takes control of several characters equipped with one of six weapons ranging from the katana and european long sword, to the nodachi and naginata. The game's real selling point is on the combat realism. There is no health bar, one hit is almost guaranteed to kill you. However, the character automatically parries any incoming attack, provided they are in a realistic situation to do so. The game sounds as though it is simple no? All you need to do is mash a little horizontal vertical horizontal combo and you'll have knocked their weapon into a place they can't guard from right? You are dead wrong. The beauty of Bushido Blade 2 is that with the inclusion of several styles for each character for each weapon comes many different fighting tactics and thus complexity to the system. For example a character with a katana may be able to use the forward, high, and iai stances with their katana. The forward stance would allow you a better guard from slower horizontal and vertical attacks, while opening up quick follow-ups to be used in the event of a successful parry. Meanwhile the iai stance turns your guard off completely, however it makes your attacks lightning fast, able to exploit any minor opening in your opponent's footwork. Regardless of how simple it may seem, this game has depth unseen in games even today... I'm looking at you Street Fighter 4 Super Ultra HD Turbo Remix XD Edition
However, no game is without it's flaws. The first thing you'll realize is: this game is hard. I mean, ball grindingly HARD. Sure you can power through the throw-away ninjas that attack before each duel, do a few warm up counters to nail down your timing. But once you get to another character the game has the tendency to grind to a halt. Without any difficulty setting the game at times feels as though it were designed for masters to play it, especially that cheating teleporting bastard in the shrine. There are times when your character's opening strike will be parried then followed up with an iai quick-draw to the chest, or spear tip to the face, or whatever manner of grisly demise you could conjure up, ending the fight in a matter of seconds. Of course, this makes the game fun. It's not a frustrating sort of difficult, it's enjoyable. You feel so badass playing this game that getting your ass handed to you is so stylish and interesting that you don't even mind. That's a very admirable quality in a game, something games like BlazBlue: Continuum Shift should aspire to achieve... No I will not let the Unlimited Hazama thing go, shut up.
Overall, I'd have to give Bushido Blade 2 a 7/10, above average, for pure style, the controls are a bit wonky and the execution could be better, but the style and feel of the game cannot be matched. I think now would be a good time to explain my grading method. I use the "Real Scale Method" where a 5/10 is average, as 5 is the middle of the road between 10, perfect, and 1, god awful.
Anyway, folks. This has been my first segment of RETROspective. I know it wasn't very good or polished or whatnot, but it's my first try, I'm still working the kinks out of my style.
Cheers,
HappyPariah
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