Having seen dynasties clash over and over again on the virtual battlefield and legendary samurai warriors cross katanas in the fields of Japan once again, these battles still manage to catch the attention of fans of both the Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors fans. So when Warriors Orochi brought these two powerful forces together for the first time to pit Chinese warriors against known Japanese samurais, you know you were in for an interesting clash of swords. Warriors Orochi 2 for the PSP brings more of the same with some additions that should draw in more fans. 

The art of a new war

Like the first Warriors Orochi game, this second chapter brings back all the familiar Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors cast together again, as well as bringing new characters to the frontlines like San Zang and Benkei. The Story mode takes place after the death of Orochi but the land, it seems, has not seen many peaceful days. With Orochi’s army still not willing to give up the cause and the forces of Lu Bu, Dong Zhuo as well as Masamone Date still angry with each another, it is the Cao Cao of Wei’s act of raising an army again that sparks a new confrontation.

Story mode allows you to pick the dynasty whether you like to play as a warrior for the Shu, Wei or even the Orochi side just to name a few of the available dynasties. Each dynasty has its own unique story and, of course, set of characters. Playing as Liu Bei of Shu Kingdom, for example, and you’ll follow Liu Bei and his trio on their quest to stop Orochi’s subordinates from reaching a crucial area that would give the enemy the advantage. You can even play as a key player we all thought was dead.

In Story mode, you’re able to pick up to three characters you would like on the battlefield at once and you can always unlock more as you play each dynasty’s story. You can always switch between each character by using the D-pad and change their weapons in the options menu before tackling each mission.

Aside from the game’s Story mode, there’s Free mode that offers you the freedom to play as any dynasty using the available warriors that you unlocked during Story mode. You can also use already upgraded characters from the first Warriors Orochi game via your memory stick. With 96 playable characters the certainly is no shortage of warriors you can use in your trio. Free mode also allows you to tackle favorite battle scenarios with any of your favorite characters.

The new dream team

Then there’s Dream mode, a game mode that offers a dozen or so interesting battle scenarios that have you doing everything from aiding a friend locked in battle with two rivals or causing a distraction in a certain place on the map to aid your comrades in breaching an enemy stronghold. The catch here is that you will be completing the scenarios using characters you would normally not find on the same side together. The strange alliance makes for an interesting combination but it would have been cool if you had control over the character selection to make your own dream team.

VS and Survival mode are back and it’s still a blast inviting a friend to team up with you in VS against the CPU or against each another. There are four multiplayer game match types such as Elimination, Tower, Steeplechase and Tag Team. You can even play co-op with a friend in Story mode, which is a big plus seeing as the game is still rather difficult. Survival is like a typical fighting game mode where you try to survive a sea of enemies that just keep coming at you.

The more things change ... 

The problem with Warriors Orochi 2 is that nothing has really changed in terms of the core gameplay. While this is good news for PSP fans looking for a great port seeing as the controls work wonderfully on the PSP, it is very disappointing if you are looking for something different. The series hasn’t really evolved much at all and it’s a shame seeing as KOEI does bring new things to the series. Still, the hack-and-slash action is smooth and still fun.

On the visual front, the game looks great on the PSP widescreen and is able to display a lot of foes on screen at once. There’s still some annoying pop-up and limbs mysteriously disappear from your characters but the environments and the character models still look great. The Musou Attacks and the Team Attacks look great on screen.

Another aspect of the game that needs to change is the soundtrack. Occasionally the game offers a beautiful Asian feel to the music but in the end, reverts back to the super cheesy guitar rock. KOEI, we would love less rocking guitars and a soundtrack with a more Japanese and Chinese feel to it instead. There’s voice acting and it’s not great but then again it no longer sounds like they pulled the actors off the street like in past games in the series.

Warriors Orochi 2 is a port worthy of the series and if you’re itching for more hack-and-slash action on your PSP then you will want to pick this one up. On the other hand, those looking for a different and better experience will not find what they’re looking for in this sequel. That said, then, longtime fans of the series should buy this one if you missed it the first time around.

Gameplay: 7.0
Story Mode offers different stories for each dynasty and there are definitely more than enough characters to use on the battlefield each with his or her own different unique weapon and fighting style. Dream mode offers more interesting scenarios but, in the end, the action remains relatively the same from the first game or any other Dynasty Warriors or Samurai Warriors game.

Graphics: 7.5
Visually, the game looks great on the PSP despite a few graphical glitches that pop up throughout the game. It’s still impressive to see so many opponents on the PSP widescreen and the visual effects that light up the screen.

Sound: 6.5
The cheesy guitar riffs are back and the voice acting - while somewhat improved - is just as cheesy as the music. You can always turn the volume all the way down, though. Trust me, you won’t miss very much.

Difficulty: Medium/Hard
Like past games in the series, you will go up against hordes that can easily surround you and knock you around until you die. Then there are the many Lieutenants, Captains and recognizable bosses that are a lot harder to bring down than the normal foot soldiers.

Concept: 7.0
The PSP version brings more to the table including a story for Orochi himself in the game’s Story mode. You’re free to upload saves from the first Warriors Orochi PSP game as well and upgrade your characters further. There’s co-op for Story and Versus can both pit you against a friend or have them join you against the CPU.

Multiplayer: 7.5
A friend can lend a hand on the battlefield via Ad Hoc and the good news is that the game runs smoothly with a second player. You can even go up against a friend in battle thanks to VS mode that offers four different head-to-head game match types. This is certainly a game you will want to share with a fellow Warriors Orochi fan.

Overall: 7.0
While Warriors Orochi 2 faithfully captures the feel of the console version, the new additions make this a far more refreshing version fit for the PSP. On top of the new content, the controls feel right at home on Sony’s handheld but if you’re still expecting something new then KOEI’s hack-and-slash action will certainly disappoint.