Devil Kings,known in Japan asSengoku Basara(Chiến quốc BASARA),is a2005video gamefor thePlayStation 2,developed and published byCapcom.It is the first installment in theSengoku Basarafranchise. The game's theme song for the Japanese version is "Crosswise" byT.M.Revolution.The western version featured a prologue, along with an original piece, due to license restrictions. The game was followed by several sequels andan anime series,all of them using the original title and setting ofSengoku Basaraonly.
Devil Kings | |
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![]() North American cover art | |
Developer(s) | Capcom |
Publisher(s) | Capcom |
Director(s) | Akitoshi Yokoyama Makoto Yamamoto |
Producer(s) | Hiroyuki Kobayashi |
Designer(s) | Mitsuru Endo |
Programmer(s) | Yasuyuki Saito |
Artist(s) | Makoto Tsuchibayashi(character) Hirokazu Yonezuka(background) Hideaki Tanaka(visual effects) |
Composer(s) | Masayoshi Ishi Marika Suzuki |
Series | Sengoku Basara |
Engine | CRIWARE |
Platform(s) | PlayStation 2,PlayStation Network |
Release | PlayStation 2 PlayStation Network
|
Genre(s) | Hack and slash |
Mode(s) | Single-player |
Story
editSengoku Basaratakes place during theSengoku period,or Warring States period, offeudal Japanduring whichJapanwas split into many minor states battling over power and land. The game features two historicalwarlordsas the main protagonists:Date MasamuneandSanada Yukimura.
Devil Kings'main character is Devil King (Oda NobunagainSengoku Basara).
Gameplay
editThis sectionneeds expansion.You can help byadding to it.(February 2019) |
It is ahack and slash,action gamesimilar in concept toDevil May Cry,Dynasty WarriorsandSamurai Warriors.
Some significant gameplay changes were made to the Western versions of the game. Four of the characters were made non-playable and various skills were removed or added. The difficulty levels were shifted to make the game more difficult (with the Japanese Normal becoming Easy and Japanese Hard becoming Normal, and Easy rewards 30% less EXP and no 3rd+ weapons while Normal keeps the Japanese Normal reward). The fighting system was also modified, adding an element called "Priming" (one of the characters special attack was made the priming attack, and used that attack to "Prime" enemies making them more susceptible to damage and allowing for highercombochains).
Characters
edit- Date Masamune(Azure Dragon):Kazuya Nakai[3]/Kirby Morrow[4]
- Sanada Yukimura(Scorpio):Sōichirō Hoshi[3]/Andrew Francis[4]
- Takeda Shingen(Red Minotaur):Tesshō Genda[3]/Mark Gibbon[4]
- Sarutobi Sasuke(Talon):Takehito Koyasu[5]/David Orth[4]
- Kasuga (Venus):Natsuko Kuwatani[5]/Venus Terzo[4]
- Oda Nobunaga(Devil King):Norio Wakamoto[3]/Garry Chalk[4]
- Nōhime(Lady Butterfly): Yurika Hino[3]/Kathleen Barr[4]
- Mori Ranmaru(Hornet):Hiroki Shimowada[5]/Cathy Weseluck[4]
- Akechi Mitsuhide(Reaper):Shō Hayami[5]/Peter Kelamis[4]
- Uesugi Kenshin(Frost):Romi Park[5]/Alessandro Juliani[4]
- Itsuki (Puff):Tomoko Kawakami[6]/Janyse Jaud[4]
- Xavi (Q-Ball):Kōzō Shioya[6]/Lee Tockar[4]
- Maeda Toshiie(Lark):Tomohiro Tsuboi[5]/Andrew Jackson[4]
- Matsu(Bramble):Yūko Kaida[6]/Tabitha St. Germain[4]
- Shimazu Yoshihiro(Zaan):Kenichi Ogata[6]/Paul Dobson[4]
- Tokugawa Ieyasu(Irdene):Tōru Ōkawa[7]/Jason Michas[4]
- Mōri Motonari(Kahz):Shigeru Nakahara[6]/Sam Vincent[4]
- Chōsokabe Motochika(Arslan):Ryūzō Ishino[7]/Ian James Corlett[4]
- Hōjō Ujimasa(Orwik):Tadashi Miyazawa[7]/Louis Chirillo[4]
- Imagawa Yoshimoto(Muri):Kōzō Shioya[7]/Brian Drummond[4]
- Honda Tadakatsu(Iron OX)
Localization
editWhile releasingSengoku Basara,Capcom attempted to appeal to the western audience, by removing all Sengoku and Japanese references in favor of a genericfantasystory vaguely connected with Capcom's hit franchiseDevil May Cry(aDMC-type font was even used for the cover title ofDevil Kings).
An extract fromIGNinterview with the game's producerHiroyuki Kobayashi:[8]
- Kobayashi: In Japan, Devil Kings is called Sengoku Basara, and it focuses on Japanese history but with a Capcom style, a Capcom flair to it. When we were making the game, we told ourselves, "What can we do to differentiate this to make this different from other hack and slash games?" And we decided the secret maybe lay in some other games Capcom has done. We said, "Let's give the characters a kind of Devil May Cry flair -- some really cool moves, like the kind of things you might see in Devil May Cry. Let's make the characters all vastly and distinctly different from one another, like inStreet Fighter II."That's the Japanese version. Then, we said," Okay, let's release it in North America and Europe -- what can we do to make it different again? What can we do to make it appeal to North American and European audiences? "After a few discussions, we decided not to have a game with samurais and ninjas in feudal Japan, but instead a game that was dark, slightly devilish, and had a fantasy setting to it, a game with a huge Devil May Cry feel to it. So then we said," Okay, we'll make it dark. "Call it Devil Kings. The main character will be a villain. We'll darken up the background, give more moves, more ability to power your character up, and things like that for the North American and European markets.
- IGN: Plus it's not historically accurate?
- Kobayashi: The Japanese version of the game is based on Japanese history. There are some fantasy elements that didn't actually happen, of course, but enough of it is there. With the North American and European versions, we've taken that element out entirely. Some of the backgrounds may retain that Japanese flair. Many of them don't and are brand new; many of the enemies are brand new; and it's no longer based around the idea of feudal Japan at all. That part of the game has now been changed to be darker.
These alterations were regarded as unpopular, as theDevil Kingsversion was a critical and commercial failure, and no moreSengoku Basaragames were brought to North America and Europe until the release ofSengoku Basara: Samurai Heroesin the fall of 2010.
Reception
editAggregator | Score |
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Metacritic | 64/100[9] |
Publication | Score |
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Edge | 6/10[10] |
Electronic Gaming Monthly | 6.33/10[11] |
Eurogamer | 7/10[12] |
Famitsu | 31/40[13] |
Game Informer | 6.5/10[14] |
GameSpot | 7.5/10[15] |
GameSpy | [16] |
GameZone | 6.7/10[17] |
IGN | 5.9/10[18] |
Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine | [19] |
The Sydney Morning Herald | [20] |
The westernized version (Devil Kings) received "mixed or average" reviews according to thereview aggregationwebsiteMetacritic.[9]
The Japanese version was met with "generally favorable" reviews from fans, critics, and consumers. Fans of the franchise seem to have given the Japanese version positive reviews and the westernized version negative reviews with one stating, "WhileSengoku Basarawas considered a cult classic among fans and gamers,Devil Kingswas considered a terrible localization of a good game that should've been left unchanged for its western releases. "The game received an 8/8/7/8 for a total of 31/40 from weekly Japanese video game magazine,Famitsu.[13]The game was later re-released under thePlayStation 2the Bestlabel (which means it is a best-seller in Japan). The game sold a total of 88,711 units during its first week on sale in Japan and was the top-selling game of the week.[21]The game has sold a total of 232,589 units in Japan.[22]
Sequels
editThe first two sequels,Sengoku Basara 2andSengoku Basara 2 Heroes,were released in Japan for the PS2 in 2006–2007, followed by two spin-off games. The next main game in the series,Sengoku Basara 3,was announced for thePlayStation 3andWiiand released on July 29, 2010, in Japan.[citation needed]It was released in North America and Europe asSengoku Basara Samurai Heroesin October 2010.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^"Press Releases".2005-12-24. Archived fromthe originalon 2005-12-24.Retrieved2023-04-22.
- ^Jastrzab, Jeremy (February 5, 2006)."Updated Australian Release Lists 6/2/06".PALGN.Archived fromthe originalon September 16, 2006.RetrievedSeptember 1,2019.
- ^abcdeCapcom.Chiến quốc BASARA.Capcom. Scene: Ending credits, 1:15:56 in, VOICE ACTORS.
- ^abcdefghijklmnopqrst"Devil Kings (2005 Video Game)".Behind The Voice Actors.Archivedfrom the original on 16 April 2021.Retrieved14 April2021.A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
{{cite web}}
:CS1 maint: postscript (link) - ^abcdefCapcom.Chiến quốc BASARA.Capcom. Scene: Ending credits, 1:16:01 in, VOICE ACTORS.
- ^abcdeCapcom.Chiến quốc BASARA.Capcom. Scene: Ending credits, 1:16:06 in, VOICE ACTORS.
- ^abcdCapcom.Chiến quốc BASARA.Capcom. Scene: Ending credits, 1:16:11 in, VOICE ACTORS.
- ^Cheng, Justin (May 18, 2005)."E3 2005: Hiroyuki Kobayashi Interview".IGN.Ziff Davis.Archivedfrom the original on September 1, 2019.RetrievedSeptember 1,2019.
- ^ab"Devil Kings for PlayStation 2 Reviews".Metacritic.CBS Interactive.Archivedfrom the original on December 15, 2019.RetrievedSeptember 1,2019.
- ^Edge staff (October 2005). "Devil Kings".Edge.No. 154.Future plc.
- ^EGM staff (November 2005). "Devil Kings".Electronic Gaming Monthly.No. 197. Ziff Davis. p. 146.
- ^Carroll, Martyn (February 2, 2006)."Devil Kings".Eurogamer.Gamer Network.Archivedfrom the original on September 1, 2019.RetrievedSeptember 1,2019.
- ^ab"Chiến quốc BASARA [PS2]".Famitsu(in Japanese).Enterbrain.RetrievedSeptember 1,2019.
- ^Reiner, Andrew (November 2005). "Devil Kings".Game Informer.No. 151.GameStop.p. 161.
- ^Mueller, Greg (October 11, 2005)."Devil Kings Review".GameSpot.CBS Interactive.Archivedfrom the original on September 1, 2019.RetrievedSeptember 1,2019.
- ^Leeper, Justin (October 12, 2005)."GameSpy: Devil Kings".GameSpy.IGN Entertainment.Archivedfrom the original on September 1, 2019.RetrievedSeptember 1,2019.
- ^Aceinet (October 24, 2005)."Devil Kings - PS2 - Review".GameZone.Archivedfrom the original on October 5, 2008.RetrievedSeptember 2,2019.
- ^Roper, Chris (October 14, 2005)."Devil Kings".IGN.Ziff Davis.Archivedfrom the original on September 1, 2019.RetrievedSeptember 1,2019.
- ^"Devil Kings".Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine.Ziff Davis. November 2005. p. 117.
- ^Hill, Jason (February 16, 2006)."Devil Kings".The Sydney Morning Herald.Fairfax Media.Archivedfrom the original on September 1, 2019.RetrievedSeptember 1,2019.
- ^"Sengoku Basara".Salesdatabase.Archived fromthe originalon 2019-04-30.
- ^"Sengoku Basara".Salesdatabase.Archived fromthe originalon 2019-04-30.
External links
edit- (in Japanese)OfficialSengoku BasarawebsiteArchived2021-01-26 at theWayback Machine
- Sengoku BasaraatMobyGames
- Devil KingsatMobyGames