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Packshot

Game Details

Released 22 February 2008

Format Wii

Developer Koei

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Samurai Warriors: Katana

Review
While using the Wii Remote and Nunchuck as a sword is hardly new, only a handful of games have come close to nailing the feeling of wielding a real-life blade. Sadly, this spin-off from the Samurai Warriors franchise is another motion-based title that cuts wide of the mark.

Like its cousins on every conceivable console, the action in Katana sees players fending off thousands of warriors in feudal Japan, this time viewing the action through the eyes of your warrior, rather than adopting a lofty third-person perspective.

Slicing moves are unleashed by pointing the Wii Remote at your target and slashing in the air, specific gestures allowing you to use different attacks and massacre enemies as they cluster around you.

Coloured circles around your foes indicate whether you should use a long-range spear or short-range katana, making it a cinch to choose the best attack, and there are also a couple of minigames thrown in for good measure where you pump your arms up and down like a runner to make your hero sprint, or use the Nunchuck as a whip so your horse runs faster.

But while the best Wii games such as The Legend Of Zelda: Twilight Princess use the controls in a subtle way, performing moves in Katana requires exaggerated gestures or your command won’t register, meaning most players will have aching arms and be gasping for breath by the end of the shortest session.

Moreover, the game also suffers from the same issue that has blighted every other Samurai Warriors game – repetition, repetition, repetition - with only the most dedicated player having the resolve to hack their way through hundreds of Identikit enemies.

Reviewer: David McComb

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