For those that have played the original Warriors Orochi, the story of Warriors Orochi 2 runs alongside the story of the original title almost identically. With demonic forces threatening their lands, the game plucks heroes from different eras of the franchise (ranging from the original Dynasty Warriors to Samurai Warriors 2: Xtreme Legends) to band together to stop the forces of the Serpent King Orochi. The main difference between Warriors Orochi 2 and its preceding title is that Orochi isn't around for the majority of the plot while the writers come up with a convoluted way to bring him back after his defeat in Warriors Orochi.
The fight is just beginning.
Just like all of the other Warriors titles out there, Warriors Orochi 2 gives players the opportunity to take control of a potent set of characters, each with the ability to bust out a variety of vicious energy attacks. The main difference between this game and other titles in the series is the use of the 'tag team system' while allows you to bring three characters onto the battlefield and switch between each of them at any time. Sadly, the game's combat mechanic offers nothing new over Warriors Orochi. Players are given an expansive battlefield to tackle, with your team casually moving from one objective to the next - with each monotonous objective usually consisting of taking on officers of the enemy forces and capturing bases to prevent the use of reinforcements as you run around on your merry way.
Each character comes complete with a combination of normal attacks and charge attacks, along with a special finishing technique which will help you mop up any stragglers in battle. While these moves are mildly entertaining at first, the constant grind of repeating the same button presses over and over, again sucks out any enjoyment that you may have had with the title. Other than the ability to level up your characters and weapons, there is nothing engaging of note to keep you interested in the title until the very end.
Fear the wrath of my disco!
The one shining light with the title is the impressive collection of characters that players are given to choose from, giving those that find enjoyment from the game's formula an enormous amount to do - as each character can independently be levelled up with a variety of weapons and moves available to customise the strengths of each of your warriors.
Outside of the traditional 'Story Mode', Warriors Orochi 2 also includes a one-on-one 'Versus Mode' in an effort to transplant the Warriors Orochi combat system into that of a traditional fighting title. In all honesty, this laughable mode is best left alone unless you want to bring a world of frustration upon yourself. The game mechanics render this mode into a seemingly endless void of unbreakable combos.
Getting king hit by a set of maracas is just shameful.
Presentation wise, Warriors Orochi 2 is an utter disappointment that doesn't deserve to share shelf space with other titles from the current generation of consoles. What is most disturbing is that its quite difficult to note any difference in the visuals between the PlayStation 2 and Xbox 360 versions of the titles. What is even more astounding is the fact that the 360 version of the game comes with a premium price tag attached, especially when you consider that it offers nothing more than a stale gameplay mechanic, sprinkled in last generation visuals. The other disappointing fact of note is that many of the voice clips and music tracks from the title have literally been lifted from the original Warriors Orochi game - though in hindsight it is probably best to know that the terrible voice actors didn't get paid to perform a second gig - leaving players feeling like they have paid for the same game in different packaging.
Overall, you'd really have to be a great fan of the series to find anything of value within Warriors Orochi 2 whose unimaginative and uninspired gameplay should be left on the back shelf of your local game store where it can be quickly forgotten.
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