Nobunaga's Ambition: Rise to Power (PS2)

So here we have a port of an older game from Koei. A stratedgy and tactical game from a couple years back. This is really a retro review since the game is couple years old so keep that in mind.

Gameplay: You'll be taking control of one of the many feudal lords of ancient Japan during the warring states period. You'll have to build up your land and millitary, form alliances and petition the court for ranks and support. You can create your own officers but you can't place them as rulers. Battle are fun but they are all basically the same thing. Even for its time the game feel limited. 3/5

Story: Not much here...it follows the history rather well and you'll see some nice scenes depending on which ruler you choose. Though if you play game for a compelling plot based story well then your in the wrong genre. 2/5

Graphics: Sub-par even for its time. The scenes are nice but nothing spectacular, battles are rather dry and the main saving grace is looking over your fief and being able to see all the buildings you've built as well as the activities going on around them such as people farming or troops training. 3/5

Audio: The music is good, lively and fun but its also very limited...you'll hear all the tracks in the first 45 minutes and after awhile it just starts to bleed together. Good for its age though. 3/5

Replay: Playing through a complete game and conquering all of japan is fun enough but the game quickly becomes repeative and loses its glory fast. 2/5

Overall: Even for its time the game wasn't amazing and if you are a fan of the genre or the series' counter parts the Romance games its probably worth picking up when it goes down in price otherwise the game isn't really that great and has no real outstanding features. 2/5