Kessen PlayStation 2

Ieyasu Tokugawa (eastern army) is readying his troops for battle at Sekigahara.

Mitsunari Ishida (left) with his first officer, Sakon Shima (right) are prepping to launch a battle.

When some officer retreats, then it's definitive his unit is off the battlefield for good.

In certain cases, your own men will question your commands.

Main options ingame on the battlefield, during the actual gameplay.

Prior to battle start, you can assign your troops a certain attack route, ambush set, or to defend the commander.

Before every battle, you get to know your allies and foes, and choose your strategy.

Welcome to Big Hat Anonymous. Although perhaps a little exaggerated, the styles of many of the samurai helmets in the game are based on the historical helmets they wore.

Spear vs. Sword. Occassionally your braver and more skilled samurai will attempt to duel their opponents. Victory brings increase morale for your army, while losing both the duel and the face associated with it decreases your troops willingess to fight.

Ashigaru Cam. You can further zoom in to watch your troops run around hacking at each other. While not necessarily realistic, gore is fortunately kept to a minimal.

Battle of the Ants. You can zoom in on the engagements and watch troops maneuver around. Control here, however, is non-existent.

One man army. Honda performs a raid on the enemy troops, single-handedly lowering both their numbers and their morale.

He will join us or die, my master. Much like in reality, not all the troops on either side are completely loyal, and some can be tempted to turn traitor during the battle. Historically, Kobayakawa was one to side with Tokugawa during Sekigahara.

No firearms control here. You can assign troops that match the skills of your generals, increasing the effectiveness of your army.

The real deal. Although both the pre-rendered and in-game cutscenes are pretty, a good portion of the game will be watching armies march from this point of view.

Buy this game! Shima performs some stunts and challenges Tokugawa during a pre-battle cutscene.

Here's my chance! Many of the events, including the arrival of reinforcements, are presented with in-game cutscenes.

Guns...lots of them. Ishida responds to an offence with a barrage of gun fire.

Not exactly a Civic... Honda Masanobu boasts of his troop's strength before joining the battle.

Ouch! Tokugawa's cannon hit home, sending both men and horses scattering.

Fire! With the rumble of the dualshock, Ieyasu's cannon open up.

History Lesson. Included with the game is a brief encyclopedia, detailing the background of the major players in the game, such as Date Masamune.

Heroes and 'Red Devils'. Ii Naomasa, one of the more famous Tokugawa generals. Some names have been shortened or phonetically written to make it easier for Western Audiences.

Collision. Pre-battle briefings give the events leading up to the engagement, plus present troop movements.

A story of Samurai and Martyrs. Although laced with some fiction, the characters are based on historical people, like Lady Hosokawa Gracia, a converted Christian who died at the hands of Ishida troops shortly before the events of the game.

Not something to be in the middle of. Cavalry prepare to collide with an advancing line of spearmen.

Dodge this. Female, gun-wielding ninja yojimbo aren't exactly historical, but Kessen strays from fact mainly for drama.

Main Menu (it upgrades with options as you finish the games)

Profile of a leader. Tokugawa Ieyasu, eventual victor of the Sengoku Jidai and founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate.

Main Title