Samurai Warriors 2 & Romance of the 3 Kingdoms XI

PC Invasion Is Next On The Warriors Battleplan

KOEI unveils plans to expand further into the PC market in 2008

KOEI today announced the release of Romance of the Three Kingdoms XI and Samurai Warriors 2 on PC. Following on from the release of Warriors Orochi on PC earlier this year KOEI continues to bolster its PC line up with some in depth strategy from the award winning Romance of the Three Kingdoms series and spectacular battlefield action from the multi-million selling Warriors series. Romance of the Three Kingdoms XI will be available to buy on July 25, 2008, and Samurai Warriors 2 will be available to buy on June 27, 2008.

“We’re constantly striving to bring our games to as wide an audience as possible and our move into the PC arena is a very important step for KOEI in Europe.” Said Will Curley, Sales Manager. “The PC is an integral part of the games industry and we look forward to entertaining PC gamers with our unique brand of action and strategy. Games like Romance of the Three Kingdoms are perfectly suited to the PC with its mouse control and an environment where deep tactical gaming is so fondly appreciated. Samurai Warriors 2 on the other hand gives PC gamers the chance to experience an incredible series that has been entertaining console gamers worldwide with sales of over 15 million to date.”

About ROMANCE OF THE THREE KINGDOMS XI

From legendary video game producer Kou Shibusawa comes his next historical simulation masterpiece! Rediscover an ancient civilization with an explosive history in this most stunning edition of Romance of the Three Kingdoms to date. Set during the end of the Han Dynasty and the 2nd and 3rd centuries A.D., RTK XI presents the most visually captivating evolution ever seen in the history of the series. Featuring an artistic style evocative of classical Chinese ink-paintings, and with debates and duels now rendered in real-time 3D animation, RTK XI pushes the boundaries and blurs the line between video games and art in this stunning recreation of the mood and feel of ancient China.

Players will need to dig deep within to prove themselves adept at both the military and political arts in order to bring China under one rule. Domestic affairs, diplomacy and warfare are all conducted on a single vast 3D relief map, dramatically bringing to life the epic scale of the adventure that lies before them.

As the ruler of a kingdom, each player will have complete control over their territories. More than 40 base commands give players the power to govern cities, manage their personnel, practice diplomacy, and much more. Complete freedom to develop markets, shipyards, outposts, forts and military units expand on the already substantial benchmarks established by previous editions of the series. Finally, players will watch the era come to life through the unique individual personalities of more than 780 officers and supporting characters that they will meet and interact with while engaged in one of RTK XI's eight gripping scenarios.

For improved control over each military campaign, RTK XI's turn-based game play allows the player to plan their movements without undue time constraints, and then execute their battle tactics when ready. RTK XI also introduces an entirely new system for researching military techniques, as well as an Advanced Tactics System that allows players to drive or lure enemies into devastating ambushes. Skilled players will be able to link together tactics for maximum damage.

About SAMURAI WARRIORS 2

For anyone who thought attacks couldn’t get much more devastating or more spectacular than the fully charged Musou think again! Samurai Warriors 2 now gives you the chance to max out your Musou gauge not once, not twice but three times. This adds an exciting new element of strategy as players can choose between saving up their Musou potential until the awesome power of a three bar attack has been reached or using what you have at the time to get yourself out of a sticky situation. It’s now up to the player whether they can resist the urge to unleash their Musou for a quick explosion of power and wait for the ultimate in devastating battlefield power and pyrotechnics.

Extra spice has been added to the massed battles with the addition of a greater variety of enemy forces. Visually the troops will present a much more diverse spectacle so that different soldiers can be easily recognized and react with a multitude of additional animations. These more varied enemies will also offer greater diversity in attack with different squads preferring to attack in their own particular style making encounters far less predictable.

Levelling up has always been a big part of the Samurai Warriors experience but not until now have players been able to level up within a particular level. No longer will you have to wait until a mission has been completed to benefit from your characters newly acquired abilities. Now you can witness the benefits immediately and unleash your new abilities without any pause in the action.

However, it is not only through your combat abilities on the battlefield that you will be rewarded with an even stronger, more able warrior. You now have greater choice in just how you boost your character’s skills by also being able to level up by stealing from enemy officers under specific conditions and purchasing abilities with any gold you’ve managed to accumulate.

A brand new mode called Sugoroku is added to the usual array of play modes and challenges in the shape of a traditional board game. Except this board game isn’t just about rolling dice and moving pieces from square to square. Every single place on the board hides a specific challenge or battle that players will have to engage in in order to take control of that particular square. Up to four players can take part in this mode and it should provide a lengthy challenge as it combines elements of everything from within Samurai Warriors 2 all wrapped up within one totally unique board game experience.

Key Features

- 26 playable characters in all!

- 10 new warriors are ready for battle including the legendary Musashi Miyamoto, the unifier of Japan Ieyasu Tokugawa, and the enigmatic ninja Kotaro Fuma.
- Brand new fighting techniques for each warrior add much more depth to the battles.

- Set traps, summon ninja decoys, and more!
- For the first time players have the ability to power up their Musou gauge up to three times for some truly spectacular and awesomely powerful attacks!
- Now castle warfare blends seamlessly with field combat. Take control of castles on the battlefield to gain a significant morale advantage.
- Experience new tales in Story, Free, and Survival modes. Team up with friends for two-player Co-op play or compete with them at “Sugoroku,” a bonus party game for up to four players.
- Over 70 cinematic sequences supervised by Shinsuke Sato, director of the cult hit, “The Princess Blade” and new music from fusion artist Minoru Mukaiya.

Source: Koei press release