According to ESRB, this game contains: Strong Language, Violence, Blood, Drug References
For Parents, Way of the Samurai 2 is a mixed bag. On one hand, the game will have your child make numerous decisions and have them deal with the consequences of those actions, good or bad. There are moral and social lessons that can be taught here. On the other hand, almost all the games problems are resolved through violence. Much blood will be shed in the name of the samurai code. Ultimately, if you don't want your child seeing red, no matter the justification, this isn't your game.
Fans of Kurosawa and other samurai films will adore this, since Way of the Samurai 2 is more or less an interactive version of the genre.
Fans of fighting games won't be disappointed because the core fighting engine is wonderfully intuitive, yet challenging, and there are tons of swords and techniques to unlock. Just keep in the mind that the game is not non-stop action and requires a bit of adventure style role-playing before one can draw a sword. If you only desire straight-up action, look elsewhere.
Fans of old-school PC "Quest" gamesmay like this game for its experimental choose-your-own-adventure gameplay and branching storylines.
Deaf and Hard of Hearing gamers will be spared the sub-par voice-acting in the game and not have to worry as the in-game dialogue is handled with text word balloons and the cut-scenes have subtitles. There aren't any significant audio cues that don't have on-screen indicators.
Somewhere between all the gaming, Chi some how managed to finish high school and get into the New York Institute of Technology. At the same time, Chi also interned at Virtual Frontiers, an Internet software consultancy where he learned the ways of HTML. Soon after acquiring his BFA, Chi went on to become the lead Web designer of the Anti-Defamation League. During his tenure there, Chi was instrumental in redesigning and relaunching the non-profit organization's Web site.
Today, Chi is the webmaster of the American Red Cross in Greater New York and somehow managed to work through the tragic events of September 11th without losing his sanity. Chi considers GameCritics.com his life's work and continues to be amazed that the web site is still standing after the recent dotcom fallout. It is his dream that GameCritics.com will accomplish two things: 1) Redefine the grammar of videogames much the same way French film critic Andre Bazin did for the art of cinema and 2) bring game criticism to the forefront of mainstream culture much the same way Siskel & Ebert did for film criticism.
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