Game Title: Genji: Dawn of the Samurai
Genre: Action
Console: PS2 exclusive
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc.
Rating: 
The upcoming release of Next Gen consoles seems to have inspired PS2 developers to flex their programming muscles to create new games that will have gamers talking in the next few months. One game falling neatly into that category is Sony's Genji: Dawn of the Samurai, an epic 3-D action-adventure that comes to life in one of the best looking games of 2005. After getting past the truly eye-popping cinematic cut scenes and gameplay environments, gamers get an excellent game that is a good blend of action with some RPG elements that never becomes tedious or intrusive. The fighting moves are artfully choreographed for each type of weapon and gamers need only a little more finesse than standard button-mashing to execute lethal moves and cool combos.
Gamers play as two warriors, the first Yoshitsune is agile with master sword skills touched with magical abilities, and the second is Benkei, a huge warrior who uses a giant bat to squash the enemy masses to bits. It's no joke that players need to be on their toes throughout the missions, because fighting the enemy in Genji is more than the handful of assassins here and there, it's a mini-battle. Patience, a few sweet moves and a little magic get the job done every time. Genji: Dawn of the Samurai is an all-around amazing looking, well-playing game that could turn out to be one of the best this year.