G-pinions

So, turns out Samurai Western is tons of fun. Not in a progressive, traditional sense I suppose, but the entertainment value in there in spades. First, let's not kid ourselves - the game is repetitive, in near every sense of the word - mission, backdrops, bad guys, the whole kit and cowboy kaboodle. Thing is, all of those things are simple and satisfying, which makes it the perfect game to tear it up in for a half hour or so at a time.

So, Gojiro Kiryuu has come to America to find his brother, who has apparently gone missing in a town of good ol' fashioned cowboys. Like grandma used to date. So, let's refresh - you're a samurai, fighting cowboys. Ok, just making sure everyone is following me. Following each fairly badass cutscene, you're tasked with ended the lives of eight dozen men or so, ranging from cowboys with six shooters to cowboys with shotguns, to cowboys with machine guns. And some weird squat dudes that throw dynamite at you. Again, the gameplay is simple but fun - circle to spin forwards, deflecting incoming bullets with your sword as you go, X to jump (twice to double-jump, if your weapon grants you the ability), square to attack, and that's basically it (well, L1 to release some ridiculous power attacks, which I'll get to in a second).

The actual moves available with each sword are minimal, but the timing and pace becomes very important - as does choosing your enemy when you're being shot from eighteen different angles. So, you run a bit, jump a bit, disembowel a lot. The arterial spray is most satisfying, and these guys are walking around with a good fifteen gallons of the red stuff a piece. You dance from enemy to enemy, stringing together at many hits as you can while building up your combo meter. When you're ready, tap L1 for one of several speed/power enhancing power-ups, depending on how full your meter is. My personal favorite is the one-hit kill power-up, where the mere tap of your blade sends mens' torsos into a fit of exploding.

As for the characters and dialogue, it all might be a bit campy and extreme for Western audiences, but I ate it up. The game intro especially is incredibly stylish and well-done, actually going so far as to overshadow the actual game a bit. It's a Drakengard situation, where you wish with all of your might that the game played or looked anything like the intro. I guess when it comes down to it, giving your game such a great title that's loaded with expectations can only lead to slight disappointment. Taking it for what it is though, a fast, gory, arcadey romp to be played as such, I'm actually quite pleased and surprised with it. Playing through the same bar area three times in an hour can get lame, but if you took my advice that shouldn't be a problem. So live it up and try it out - it's really the only way we'll kill time until the inevitable sequel, Cyborg Discotheque.