Bozon of IGN writes:
"Samurai Warriors: Katana has a ton of potential on Wii, and we think of this first entry as a decent proof of concept for what we hope becomes a deeper, more polished experience in the future. We'll admit that we were skeptical with this one, as Koei's Dynasty Warriors (and Samurai Warriors, by extension) franchise isn't known for its polish, and the final product could have been a total failure if proper care wasn't put into it. In the end, Katana brings forth a ton of great gameplay ideas, but in an attempt to deliver too many concepts it ends up being very buggy and unreliable throughout. Character A.I. is almost non-existent, the amount of enemy models is staggeringly small (tons of clones to be found), bosses are re-used, and the general gameplay ends up boiling down to mashing A and B, and occasionally swinging the Wii remote. At the same time, there's some fun to be had here, and there's no denying that with more attention to detail, pride in the visual presentation, and more focused design the Katana series could evolve into something truly unique on Wii. Knowing that this is most-certainly the first of many games in the series, and taking into account the full $50 price point ($30 is far more realistic, and $20 would be even better) we'll encourage you to pass on this one, and wait for the inevitable sequel. It's a decent rental, and an interesting product to hunt for in bargain bins later down the line; nothing more."
411mania talks about this week's game releases. Highlights include DeathSmiles, Little King's Story, Fallout Trilogy, and Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 2.
When will voice actors learn not to announce what they worked on until the game comes out?
G.K. Bowes happen to do just that when she announced her involvement in Samurai Warriors 3. We might remember Bowes from SW: Romance of the Three Kindons XI and she has now revealed her involvement in Samurai Warriors 3 voice acting the same character through her online resume.
PlayTM writes: "It seems that in recent months developers have realised something quite obvious about the Wii: it can be used to bring those classic light-gun games from the arcade into your home where you can beat them without sinking your life-savings into the slot. The final nail in the coffin of the arcade? It's certainly the only type of game that I still play, there. Anyway, after the recent ports of Ghost Squad and House of the Dead comes a new variation on the theme.
Katana is a spin-off of the popular Samurai Warriors series that takes the setting and turns it into a first-person sword fighting game. The reason I compared it to light-gun games is that it uses the exact same mechanic; pointing and 'clicking' at the baddies to whack them with your katana. So if you were hoping for a truly motion-sensitive game involving swinging your sword, you will be a bit disappointed. Waving the wiimote in certain directions allows you to perform certain attacks but it is certainly not a direct translation of your movements to the screen."
