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    Crimson Sea 2

    I did a search for this game and didnt see any threads posted about it, though it has been out for a while (on import) so apologies if its been discussed before.

    Picked up my copy several days ago and have so far put in 5.5 hours. Its a generally enjoyable experience and now plays a little more like Dynasty Warriors than its predecessor.
    Like all Dynasty Warriors games on the PS2 the graphics are a little rough in places. The first thing I noticed was that floor textures seemed a bit wobbily in places (not that you notice during the battles) and the game has a darker overall palette than the Xbox game.
    However, it has a good draw-distance and no sign of enemies suddenly fading in 2-feet in front of you, even when you are battiling a huge (and I do mean HUGE) swarm of insects.
    The game runs purely in PAL 50, and just like Dynasty Warriors its fullscreen with no slowdown. Only slight problem is some jaggies and slight texture 'shimmering'.
    No Widescreen - Boo!

    Combat: Its recieved a major overhaul since CS1 and now sticks a lot closer to the Dynasty Warriors formula, only with several additions. I'll go through them and compare them with the closest DW counterpart (I figure the DW fans will be the ones most interested in CS2).

    NeoPsyonics (Similar to Mousou).
    Like Mousou in DW, you charge up Neopsyonics (NP) just by fighting, and once its full you can unleash the HP attack by hitting 'circle' for a powerfull attack.
    However, you can select from different types of NP powers, like a NP blast which does damage to anything neerby, or a NP shield which allows you to run through a swarm of enemies damaging anything that touches you, or NP healing which... uhh.. heals you.

    Time slow (like nothing else seen in DW).
    Dont worry, this isnt yet another 'Bullet-time' effect.
    Yor NP guage is split into 3 segments. You can only use the NP power once all 3 are charged, however, you can use up one segment to slow down time which, in turn, opens up different attacks. While in 'slow time' you can stand still and fire for a two-gun attack, or hit slash to teleport in front of the nearest enemy and hit it. You can also activate 'slow-time' by racking up a combo of 50+ hits.
    Slow-time gained by a 50+ combo lasts 3 seconds, Slow-time activated by the NP guage lasts 5 seconds.


    Overhead and Overdrive attacks (Like DW Charge attacks).
    Overdrive attacks basically involve hitting fire straight after using a slash attack. The attack is different depending on wether it was chained on after the 1st - 4th attack. These attacks range from a single gunshot, to your character doing a 360 spin while spraying bullets everywhere.
    Overhead attacks are the most like DW charge attacks, only they are activated by pressing the movement stick in the opposite direction while hitting the melle attack. This can be a bit annoying as it means you cant change your attack direction quickly. Try and attack someting thats behind you and you just end up doing an overhead attack - grr.
    All overhead attacks are singe powerfull blade attacks (though not all over them go over your head), and like in DW, they vary depending on which regular attack they were chained on after. Some are just a single strong hit that stuns the enemy, others send huge groups flying up into the air in slow-motion - perfect for juggling or just clearing large crowds.

    Right, I'm gonna stop there because I'm begining to get the nasty feeling that no-one gives a toss about this game, or that its been discussed months ago and I'm more than a little bit late to the party.............
    Last edited by marcus; 17-09-2004, 16:12.

    #2
    Ho hum, I figured at least a few people here may have played this game (possibly months ago on import), but it seems like I'm on my own here.

    I hope it dosent go totally unnoticed because its a really nice extension of the 'Massive battle action' genre that Koei's been refining over the years, and seeings as gamestation.co.uk were selling it for ?25 I fugure its a decent impulse buy.......

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      #3
      Yeah, I want one of these. Which one would you recommend the most highly out of CS1 and 2? (bearing in mind the first will be a lot cheaper, and I'm a skinflint )

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        #4
        I'm gonna pick this up some point soon, I quite enjoyed the first one

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          #5
          Originally posted by Treble
          Yeah, I want one of these. Which one would you recommend the most highly out of CS1 and 2? (bearing in mind the first will be a lot cheaper, and I'm a skinflint )
          CS1 has major issues with the controls, which are simply not suted to a game like this and can be a bit unresponsive at times.
          In CS1 your character controls like in Tomb Raider or Resi, so changing directions quickly is problematic. It dosent kill the game, but it makes things feel stiff.
          CS2 controls more like DW, the only exception being that the camer will automatically fix behind you when you are firing your gun - you can turn this off or set it to always be like this in the options.

          Also, the missions in CS1 dont really concentrate on fighting huge swarms of enemies that much, often requiring you to hunt out a certain enemy, or escort someone, or fight a smaller number of tougher opponents, wheres almost all missions in CS2 have a few huge swarms to mash through - which is much more satisfying.

          Then theres the raw figures for the 2 games.
          Playable characters: CS1 = 1, CS2 = 2 (though they are kinda similar)
          Number of missions: CS1 = 20, CS2 = 60
          Special attacks: CS1 = 1 (Just the NP attack), CS2 = 4 (NP, Overdrive, Time-Slow and Overhead)
          Number of different weapons: CS1: 6 (I think), CS2 = 2

          The only things CS1 has above CS2 are the better graphics and larger selection of weapons.
          Seriously though, even if you can get CS1 for a tenner, its still better to pick up CS2 for ?25. The game is 3 times bigger than CS1 for a start, and just plays a whole lot better.

          And dont worry about missing out on the story by jumping straight into CS2, as it has every cut-scene from CS1 in there so you can view the entire story from the Xbox game.

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            #6
            CS1 had some horrible, horrible missions and felt really restrictive in where you could and couldn't go.

            Does this fix those problems, and is it quite darkly atmospheric?

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              #7
              I very much enjoyed the Xbox game actually. This is on my "pick up cheap on ntsc-uk list".
              In my head.

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                #8
                I've not played the first one, but I'm told there was no invert Y-axis option on the controls, which put me off. Does the sequel fix that (assuming the controls are similar)?

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                  #9
                  Originally posted by JamesS
                  I've not played the first one, but I'm told there was no invert Y-axis option on the controls, which put me off. Does the sequel fix that (assuming the controls are similar)?
                  You wont really need to aim up and down much at all as the game does that for you.
                  The gunplay in the game is very much of the 'spray and prey' variety - especially during the frequent battles with large swarms
                  The game auto-targets airborne enemies pretty effectively, and there is the lock-on fuction as well.

                  But as far as I know, there is no invert axis option.

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                    #10
                    Originally posted by horribleman
                    CS1 had some horrible, horrible missions and felt really restrictive in where you could and couldn't go.

                    Does this fix those problems, and is it quite darkly atmospheric?
                    Yea, I didnt really like a lot of the missions in CS1 either. A few of them were just single-room jobs, while others felt like a linear path through a swarm of uninteresting enemies.

                    CS2 feels a bit more like DW in that it has larger maps - though the general theme is of narrow(ish) corridors and large rooms.
                    Some maps are a linear route with minor branching, while other maps are a bit more 'go anywhere'.

                    Interestingly, each map has several missions assigned to it, and different missions open/close different parts of the map by changing doors from being open, unlockable (either by key, switch, event or a non-player character), or permanently sealed.
                    You can also visit each map in a non-mission scenario to wander arround it freely (every door unlocked) and hack away at respawning enemies to your hearts content.

                    Darkly atmospheric? Well the games colour pallette is definately darker than CS1, and so far I've come across enviroments that have a generally rusty and industrial look to them, however, the series' anime stylings still remain, so expect a certain amount of typical Japanese sillyness to it. Great if you're an anime fan like me, but it could have others rolling their eyeballs at some of the corny dialogue.
                    The soundtrack is similar to CS1, and even keeps the excellent 'chill-out' tune that plays while you are wandering around the game's central hub.
                    Damn I love that tune..........

                    Comment


                      #11
                      I've had the game for a while on JP import, and I'm supposed to be reviewing it for the site.

                      However, it's just so mind-numbingly terrible I really cant' bring myself to play it enough.

                      Firstly, the good:

                      It excels in ambience. The settings, music and graphics really do make a nice atmosphere. It's a mixture of mystery and horror, and it pulls it off really well.

                      The combat is really quite fun. It doesn't excel particularly, but fighting hundreds of the small Menace is quite an art.

                      THE LEGION!!! OMFG the best gun in this kind of game. Power it up and PHWACK!

                      Now the bad:

                      The missions are awfully designed. They are restrictive, boring, and can become quite a pain. The levels themselves lack any interactivity, to the point that you can't even jump over a table. And yes, you can jump roughly 2 storeys high, but a table can get in the way :S

                      It's incredibly samey. You have to revisit certain areas multiple times, as you do different missions in the same areas. And it blows - big style. Each mission is mostly a case of hacking and slashing a certain number of Menace, finding a few things, switching a switch, or beating a boss. It doesn't get more exciting than that folks.

                      I can see how people like it, but there's far too much dross in here for me. Expect a slamming review when I play it some more ;p

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                        #12
                        Tom, quick question.
                        Are you a fan of the Dynasty Warriors games or not?

                        If so, what makes Dynasty Warriors good and Crimson Sea 2 bad in your opinion?

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                          #13
                          Crimson Sea 1 was the worst game ever with the best promo trailer ever, but Koei are known to have spantastic CGI of games that look nothing like them.

                          DO NOT even think about getting the first. Not played the second so I cant comment, but if its anything like the first then...roffle.

                          I like the DW games but CS was nothing like them.

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Tom, quick question.
                            Are you a fan of the Dynasty Warriors games or not?

                            If so, what makes Dynasty Warriors good and Crimson Sea 2 bad in your opinion?
                            Dynasty Warriors is alright, I'm not a massive fan of the game but I can see it's appeal. You're almost constantly in epic battles, on epic landscapes.

                            But Crimson Sea 2 puts you in dingy, tight environments where you haven't got enough room to swing a cat, nevermind fight hundreds of stupid little bugs. Oh aye, fighting people in DW is far better than the ****ty bugs and hulking Menace of CS2.

                            It's just a mess :S

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                              #15
                              CS1 gave me motion sickness - a bit like time splitters 2
                              I really like DW though - so I'll give this a go...

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