Omega Force. Just the name instills fear in gamers worldwide. Their Warriors franchise, long since hit stagnation, was the arena for the company to keep pumping out the same game with a few minor tweaks. A cult following ate this up, with every sequel they look at the miniscule updates and spinoffs that bring just a little bit more to the franchise. Now, with competitors like Ninety-Nine Nights and Devil Kings beating at their door, what did Omega Force do?

They changed.

After playing through the main series of Dynasty Warriors, I loathed having to take on Samurai Warriors 2. I'll admit it. I didn't want to have to go in, fight masses of enemies with a couple of moves, and try and figure out how it differs. Thankfully, I was wrong.

Samurai Warriors 2 may still have the same core gameplay, but the combat has been retooled to be more varied and efficient. One of the first changes you'll note is the removal of the bow and arrow. Long useless, the bow and arrow served only to have some sort of ranged attack within the franchise. Replacing it is the ability to pull off one of two various special moves. For example, Fuuma Kotaro sports a duo of special attacks: holding the shoulder button and hitting the regular attack button makes a sweeping grab and throw move that can clear a crowd, or by holding the same shoulder and tapping the charge attack, you can throw a flurry of fireballs at your enemies. Whether defensive or offensive, the ability to pull off something a little more effective than an overly weak arrow is much appreciated.

Moreover, the Musou "super attack" is a bit different. Instead of simply executing a mega-slash as per usual, time slows down akin to bullet time, allowing for a few things to happen. Whether you attack, run, or hit the Musou button again within this bullet time mode to activate the mega-slash type attack, there lies a bit more variety. This bit of variety is also seen in the experience points you earn towards higher levels--combo branches are more defined and varied this time around.

Mind you, the game is still about button mashing like a fiend. Large-scale battles will still be waged against the irrelevant forces of good and evil while war-god generals battle it out with silly hats and even more over the top fighting styles. Battles will come down to who can hit the singular weak point on their enemy, which would be the moment when they finally stop blocking. When they do, the fun begins.

This time around, the historical heroes and villains get to use a bit more over the top method. Lightning, fire, guns, mines, nothing is really out of the question in Samurai Warriors 2. The more over the top feel makes the game a bit more entertaining to play, although the same dull sense of history class seeps in. Character histories get a little too deep for comfort sometimes, and sometimes the dialogue gets so terrible you're tempted to rip the disc out of the console and throw it out the window. Potent potables such as "I respect your penchant for murder, it's too bad I will have to murder you!" are a normal occurance, and help rip any sort of legitimacy away from the historical nerdery that Koei wants to have about this game.

Even weirder than the dialogue, though, is the new Monopoly clone-Sugoroku. I'm not sure what to make of the game, because even though the slow and plodding pace bring me to tears, the small bits of inspiration are rather interesting. Intended as a 4 player party game, the bonus game features a few twists on the typical formula. You can buy land, of course, but if someone lands on your spot, they not only pay the usual fines, but can also pay the entire value of the property to challenge you to a duel in a randoly selected match-type. After that, you might land on a shrine: which serves as both Community Chest and Chance. After landing on a Shrine, the dice have to be rolled again to make for a special action: pieces can be scattered on the board, property can be transfered, money can be made or lost. It's all a part of the risky business of Sugoroku. If you can somehow make it through a round of the game, you can unlock a character, however I'm not sure that will be an accomplishment many will have the amount of time to undertake.

All in all, Samurai Warriors 2 may just be more of the same...but it's also a bit different. A somewhat major retooling of the combat system has allowed a one-trick pony another chance, as it seems to be a step in the right direction for bringing back those alienated by the milking of ancient Oriental history. For the rest of the world, it just makes for the best game in the series to date. Will wee see more improvement in the forthcoming Bladestorm? Only time will tell.