Crimson Sea 2 – PS2 – Review

Early last year, KOEI released an entirely new hack-and-slash game entitled:
Crimson Sea, for the Microsoft Xbox. While it was a good game in its own right,
it did have a few things that it could have fixed. KOEI decided to bring back
Sho and the IAG for another adventure, but this time it will be on the
PlayStation2, and I believe that the game is even better than the original! Read
on to find out why.

One of the best things about Crimson Sea 2 is the immersive storyline that
grasps hold of your imagination and never lets go until you see the final ending
screen. A hostile alien race dubbed the “Menace” has attacked the Theophilus
Solar System without warning. They are taking over all of the planets at a very
rapid rate, due to the way they reproduce. They insert a “plug” into other
beings (from insects to humans), and it morphs them into their own species. The
planets call upon the IAG (Intelligence Agency of the Galaxy) once again to help
fight off these fearsome creatures. After a short time, even the IAG could not
stand up to the power of these new aliens.

Even though everything seems to be falling to the wayside, mankind still has one
hero they can turn to: Sho: Hero of the Ekdahl Wars. Two years ago he helped
save Theophilus from a threat that was just as dangerous as this one. Now that
Sho is helping prevent mankind’s extinction, will that be enough to stop the
“Menace?” Only time will tell!

The game flows like this: players select a mission they want to embark upon.
Than you get transported to the mission area, and from there you will have to
complete your mission objectives. While on each mission your main objective is
to try to obtain an “S rank” in each category, and if you get this than you will
be given a bonus. Than you will go back to the ship and repeat. While this
sounds repetitive it really isn’t, because each of the missions offers some
variety. Also players can go to the transporter room and go into any of the
previously completed levels to try and level up your character and weapons.

To help prevent any repetition that hack-and-slash games are so well known for,
the developers threw twists on many of the missions that you must undertake. Not
only will you have to kill hordes of dangerous enemies, you will have certain
conditions that you will have to play with. Sometimes you are under a time
limit, other times you might have to escort an NPC to safety, and the best ones
occur when you go to places where it is not safe for you to use a gun, so you
have to fight the entire level using nothing but your blade weapons.

The upgrading system of the weapons is really deep, and has an RPG feel to it.
Players must collect items called “Origins.” Then players can go into the
Origins screen and selected the weapon to upgrade and apply some Origins to
them. The more you apply the stronger the weapons can become. This is really a
great way to level up the weapons since you have complete control over what you
want to upgrade!

Besides guns and blade weapons, players have the ability to use NeoPsionics,
which is a very powerful attack that only Vipa’s can perform; it is similar to a
magic attack. There are also Overdrives which is a super powerful attack, and
also a Gravity Blade, which is a powered up blade attack. Also players have the
ability to slow time down so they can kill a lot of enemies in a short period of
time. The object of the player is to combine all of the attacks at their
disposal to try to get the biggest combo time, and eliminate the most enemies.

There have been many changes between the first and the second game; and one of
the biggest is that players can choose between two different characters to play
as: Sho and Feanay. While they are basically have the same set of moves, they
are really different. Sho is more of a powerhouse and Feanay provides quick and
agile moves. Getting to choose between the two of them really helps give the
game even more variety.

Since Crimson Sea 2 is on a completely different gaming platform, KOEI did one
of the best things. If you go into a certain room on the IAG ship, you will find
a person who offers to tell you the entire story of the original Crimson Sea,
via cut screens and some of the original CGI clips. I think that this was an
ingenious idea, since many people might not have gotten a chance to play the
original, especially since it is on two different systems.

In a surprising turn of events, Crimson Sea 2 looks better than the Xbox
original. The biggest way to tell the difference is if you compare the character
models of the main characters in both games. For example Sho has more vibrant
textures and color variation on his clothing. Even the enemies the players face
in the game looks a whole lot better and benefit from better texturing.

Also the environments players must traverse look a whole lot better in this
game. It is the subtle effects that make it look so much better, such as the
water in certain levels, and the dark dingy towns you must go though. The
effects from all of the weapons in the game also are well done, the lighting
from the gunfire and enemy explosions look really nice. Another thing that this
game does right is the CGI work. The game’s CGI is almost up to par with the
likes of Square-Enix and other talented CGI crews.

Unlike many other games that are in this genre, the camera work is nothing short
of greatness. The developers must have worked long and hard to make sure that
they have employed the best camera control that you could have ever wanted in a
game of this caliber. While playing though this game I never encountered any
problems with the camera. The AI for the camera is really intelligent and if by
chance you ever get stuck into a corner it is as easy as moving the right analog
stick over slightly and you are back and ready for action!

Sound and voiceovers for Crimson Sea 2 are done very well. The music that you
will hear on each of the levels really brings you into how it might feel to be
fighting in all those strange places, because the music so perfectly fits the
place you are at any given time. The voiceovers for the game are also well done.
The actors are very professional and the voices they provide really fit well
with each of the characters. The only downside is the sound effects are kind of
left out in the cold. While they aren’t bad, it is just that the get old after a
while.

This game offers something that the original did not, and that is two different
multiplayer modes: Team Battle and Versus mode. In Team Battle, two players can
go though any of the single-player missions that the player has already
completed. Versus mode allows two different players to duke it out in a
deathmatch. Even though these don’t feel as solid as the single-player missions,
it is great that the developers put this in there to help provide the game even
more replayability.

Graphics: 8.8
The graphics for this game are really well done, and the game looks better than
the original which was on the Xbox! The FMV scenes alone in this game are really
well done! The developers at KOEI put a lot of time and energy into this game,
and players will be able to immediately tell once they load the game for the
first time.

Sound: 8.8
The music and the voiceovers are really great. The sound effects are not up to
par to the rest of this category, but it is a good job overall!

Difficulty: Medium
When you are staring down what feels like a couple hundred enemies, some more
than twice or three times as big as you, you know you will have your work cut
out. This game can be really hard, especially if you are running low on health
and have no more health packets available. Some of the tensest moments occur
when you are trying to get back to the transporter and an enemy could breathe on
you and kill you. The game never becomes cheap though. The AI is really well
balanced and this provides you with a great game.

Concept: 8.8
There have been many changes since the first game that has made the sequel even
better. Adding in multiplayer, two different characters in the main storyline,
and many other things help set this game on top of the fold!

Multiplayer: 8.1
It is very nice that the developers at KOEI decided to put in some cooperative
and competitive play in there latest game. Nothing can be better than playing
with a friend as you go though all of the games levels. If you get tired of that
you can take them on, either way it is a win-win situation.

Overall: 8.9
Crimson Sea 2 is a great game that every PlayStation2 owner should own. KOEI has
done a great job with both games, and it looks like they have the beginnings of
a great new franchise on their hands. So if you desire a great game that has an
enthralling storyline, great graphics, and a wonderful gameplay than look no
further than Crimson Sea 2!