Kagero: Deception II

And not only is this one of the most original video games I've ever played, but it's easily one of my favorites on the Playstation. Forget flashy graphics -- gameplay is what Deception II is all about.

GAMEPLAY - 9/10
Run about the castle setting various pitfalls for the bad guys (which include knights, assassins, wizards, peasants, ninjas, and many others) and watch them die in the most horrible ways as they cluelessly set off your fiendish traps. The gameplay is simple, yet their are many choices to very be made. Do you want to smash someone with an iron ball or fry them with an electric rod trap? You can also buy new traps between missions as you rack up points so that your collection is always growing.

GRAPHICS: 6/10
Rough, but still pretty good for a PSX game. Besides, the roughness adds to Deception II's charm, which is dark, very dark, and downright weird.

SOUND 8/10: Some very good music, most of it suitably dark and atmospheric. Likewise are the sound effects well done, from explosions to the snap of bear traps to the groans of dying victims. Thankfully, the dialogue in this game is text-only, as video game voice acting is usually quite horrible and instead of enhancing a game usually detracts from it.

BOTTOM LINE - 8.5/10
As far as Kagero games go (three are available on the PS1 and one on the PS2 called "Trapt") Kagero: Deception II is in a class all its own. Yes, despite its inferior graphics, Deception II is actually a BETTER game than Trapt. If you're looking for one Kagero game to get, make sure it's this one. In short, Deception II is a strange and unique game and one of the few PS1 titles I continue to play.

This IS a very fun game, but it is not the best of all time. It IS fun, but not for killing children (you sicko). This game is about choice. You choose to slaughter everyone you meet, which is hard (dying people flee for their lives too fast). Or, you can spare any who wish to run. You build your own traps and choose how you want to use them.

Pros:
Changing levels
Good trap system
Plenty of fodder
Graphics were good for the time

Cons:
The traps go away after every level
Control is occasionally faulty

Worth the money, warn your kids of the violence.

This game is the best i've ever played. The only thing i wonder is was there a # one?

Kagero, evenly matched with Final Fantasy Tactics, ranks as the best strategy game I've ever played. I bought Kagero when it first came out (because how could you NOT buy a game where you kill amiable townfolk?). In the two years since, I've played through it at least four times. Actually, the minute I finished the game for the first time, I just started a new one again. I can't even articulate how fun this game can be once you get the hang of it. The PLUNK sound of a lava vase dropping onto and scalding a child's head is just so satisfying. Tossing a person across a room into a bear trap is the ultimate tension release. Get your hands on this game any way that you can.

This game is one of the worst games I have ever played on any game system. The graphics are pitiful. There is virtually no point to this game. You set traps to kill your enemies...oh, gee that sounds like fun FOR ABOUT 15 MINUTES. Rent this game before you even consider buying it at any price. It is a total yawn.