Rayven_king
Member
How does jesu... I mean toki play
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Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage 2 |OT| Kenny Got Fingered
- Thread starter FrostuTheNinja
- Start date
NoirVisage
Banned
like a human gundam, seriously, dude is OP in a delicious way.
Projectjustice
Banned
Whats are the difference from first one and the sequel?
Wow, it absolutey refuses to let me and J-Dook play Co-op. Tries to 'synchronize' before kicking us out of the room. Haven't had a problem with anyone else, though (all 4 other people I've found). Weirdd
To anyone on the fence: Yeah, 60$? I don't particularly regret my purchase, but I was hungry for something new. If you've got a backlog, definitely wait for a price drop.
EDIT: Now I can't connect to anyone? Yay
To anyone on the fence: Yeah, 60$? I don't particularly regret my purchase, but I was hungry for something new. If you've got a backlog, definitely wait for a price drop.
EDIT: Now I can't connect to anyone? Yay
Mr.LightMan
Member
Didn't take that long to download so that's good. Just played the first chapter, really enjoyed it.
Count Dookkake
Member
.
FrostuTheNinja
Member
I'll finally be able to play a little online tonight. I'll add the few PSN cats if that's fine. 
Count Dookkake
Member
.
TheSpoiler
Member
Oh, scrolls aren't only earned by Co-Op. You can get high level stuff through the single-player, but being online makes it easier.
NoirVisage
Banned
I'm finding fighting bosses a lot harder than i thought, i only died twice on normal mode ( a stupid death on Falco and a kinda cheap one on Kaioh
So the special scrolls stack? i'd like to put enemies in vital shock (the red and blue electricity block disabling status effect) every time i blow on them.
Curse you Golden Falco >__<
So the special scrolls stack? i'd like to put enemies in vital shock (the red and blue electricity block disabling status effect) every time i blow on them.
Curse you Golden Falco >__<
3.5/10 from Destructoid.
Sadly, I have to agree. Big step backwards in almost every regard compared to the original. The more I play, the more disapponted I am. What a shame.
Sadly, I have to agree. Big step backwards in almost every regard compared to the original. The more I play, the more disapponted I am. What a shame.
FrostuTheNinja
Member
Just got to play my first game online and I had a really good time. If any other PSN fellows are up for some games, I'm just messing around with Jagi.
fatgamecat
Member
Bought it for 360, installed it, load times are awful. Is the PS3 version any better?
Re: the destructoid review I am no pixel peeper but it doesn't look any worse graphics wise from the first one.
Re: the destructoid review I am no pixel peeper but it doesn't look any worse graphics wise from the first one.
Pimpbaa
Member
Load times are very quick on PS3. I've read elsewhere about the slow loading on 360.
Reviews of this game only further cement my opinion that reviewers these days are fucking idiots. No way should this be getting below 7/10.
Seraphis Cain
bad gameplay lol
Ouch. If Jim is giving a Musou game a score like this, something is definitely wrong. He's usually one of the biggest (and only) defenders of the franchise in the mainstream gaming press.
Xander51
Member
For what it's worth, load times are pretty okay on Wii U also. I wonder if it's a data compression thing? Both the PS3 and Wii U versions have larger filesizes than the 360 version which is on one disc right? I'll bet they've got some serious compression going on and that's lengthening loads.
Pimpbaa
Member
I'm enjoying it more than warriors orochi 3 which I also got a few days ago
Just spent a few hours with it... I disagree. May be it's a step up from the original that I haven't played or something, but this is just slow. Having only Ken as a starter and only character in the story mode makes it even more crushingly repetitive. I hopes it gets better, because I'm seriously regretting the money.
PepsimanVsJoe
Member
"Hokuto Shitken"?
Jeeze. I'd never be able to get away with writing crap like that.
Still I have to admit, this is a really poor sequel. It's improved, but that's mainly because I thought the first HnK was total junk.
Jeeze. I'd never be able to get away with writing crap like that.
Still I have to admit, this is a really poor sequel. It's improved, but that's mainly because I thought the first HnK was total junk.
Revolutionary
Member
This is my first Musou game since DW3 and I'm enjoying it. It's not the best game out there but it's good for some mindless fun (ie after a few beers or smoking). There is no question that it is overpriced, though. I think this should've been $40 tops.
Some final thoughts after having completed Legend mode and a bunch of Dream mode quests.
The original was my first Musou game, and I bought it because I'm a big fan of the manga and anime from my teenage years (many years ago).
What I enjoyed about the first game was the representation of the characters and their fighting styles. They fought with a controlled deliberateness that suited the mood of the manga. Moves and styles were beautifully captured and elegantly portrayed.
Characters did start off quit slow and limited, and I realise for a lot of people that was a turn-off, but after some progression through the Meridian Chart upgrade system, they opened up significantly, allowing for complex chains and cancels that kept the action flowing and the intensity high.
Levels were sparse but large and vast, allowing for a large amount of freedom and movement. The post-apocalyptic world was reasonably well-realised, with varied levels and landscapes, and occasional elements of interactivity and traversal over uneven terrain, and obstacles.
So, having spent considerable time with the original, I came to this game hoping for more of the same with more characters and some improvements to the existing systems.
Sadly, what I found here is a severe and inexplicable cuts and changes to systems that worked so well in the original.
Meridian Chart vs Scrolls
For one, the Meridian Chart was replaced by scrolls that must be collected in chests found during gameplay. The scrolls you collect are totally random (?), but as you progress further in the game you have a chance for higher level scrolls with 2 or more skills + a bonus ability such as knocking over enemies while running, or extra damage to airborne enemies etc..
Bonus abilities aside, I still don't completely understand what these scrolls actually do, and how they affect performance on the field. Why are there different levels of scrolls, and what's the benefits of higher level scrolls? I frequently change them up, create different nexus chain, but can't notice any tangible differences when fighting.
From a design perspective, the limitations seem completely arbitrary, like the blank slots most scrolls have. The proffering system is another, which, for whatever reason only allows you to proffer a scroll once. Why even bother? Once the inventory and Caryatid become full, it becomes such a painful mess to sort and navigate that it seems pointless to bother.
I find the whole system very poorly thought out, confusing, user unfriendly, pointlessly limiting, and plain off-putting.
The Meridien Chart had a unique growth system for ever character. You could plan and chart your upgrades before making them, and the results of these upgrades were tangible during gameplay as you progressed. All upgrades were based on karma accumulated from doing what you should beplaying the game exploding lots of bodies. None of this collecting scrolls with random properties from chests rubbish.
Lack of jump
This is a personal one, and it bothers me a lot. Nanto characters can now only do their air combo's during heightened awareness, and for me, this takes a huge amount of the fun out of using these guys.
Jagi had an awesome rocket blast jump attack that made him a lot of fun to play, especially using cancels. Raoh's jump attacks were good fun, too. I simply can't understand why the developer thought limiting gameplay and movesets in this way was a good idea.
Unique action
In the first game, every character had a unique ability of some sort, which has been replaced by a generic dash. Ken had a roll, Rei had a dash teleport. Again, I can't understand why this was done. Ken's roll was great for cancelling into in order to keep the pace of combat fast and constant. I miss that. Why remove them?
Dodge
A new feature in this game is the dodge. Mash the button to duck and weave enemy attacks. After successfully dodging an attack, you can counter by attacking straight away. Unfortunately, the mechanic is busted, and often your counter either misses, leaving you next to or behind the enemy. In other cases, the enemy might be finishing their wind-down animation, and your counter does nothing. On bosses, a successful counter might nudge them backwards a bit. It's a really, really roughly implemented mechanic.
Level design
The original game had levels that were quite large and open, which this game eschews in favour of much more simplified layouts with tight corridors and rooms. There's practically none ot the traversal found in the first game. Most levels are sectioned off into small, boxy, compartmented areas with no sense of scale or location, unlike the first game which usually opened the levels up for exploration, and featured varied terrain, inclines, hazards, obstacles and so on. This time around, you're generally funnelled into an enclosed area where you are simply tasked with killing x amount of enemies as fast as possible. There's little in the way of set pieces or unique tasks, and what unique tasks do crop up are very poor, especially that later ones (boulder throwing comes to mind).
On the plus side, the whole story is presented this time around. It's very long, and full of enough manly tears to last a few life times. The new playable characters are mostly welcome additions, but since there is next to no skill development and the scroll system is so of-putting, I have little motivation to play them. Lack of main theme realy sums up this game for me. It's missing the essence of what made the original a pretty fun, mindless brawler with sm rough edges that only needed some refinement and additions.
That's my general conclusion as a fan of the manga / anime, and the original Ken's Rage, for whatever it's worth.
The original was my first Musou game, and I bought it because I'm a big fan of the manga and anime from my teenage years (many years ago).
What I enjoyed about the first game was the representation of the characters and their fighting styles. They fought with a controlled deliberateness that suited the mood of the manga. Moves and styles were beautifully captured and elegantly portrayed.
Characters did start off quit slow and limited, and I realise for a lot of people that was a turn-off, but after some progression through the Meridian Chart upgrade system, they opened up significantly, allowing for complex chains and cancels that kept the action flowing and the intensity high.
Levels were sparse but large and vast, allowing for a large amount of freedom and movement. The post-apocalyptic world was reasonably well-realised, with varied levels and landscapes, and occasional elements of interactivity and traversal over uneven terrain, and obstacles.
So, having spent considerable time with the original, I came to this game hoping for more of the same with more characters and some improvements to the existing systems.
Sadly, what I found here is a severe and inexplicable cuts and changes to systems that worked so well in the original.
Meridian Chart vs Scrolls
For one, the Meridian Chart was replaced by scrolls that must be collected in chests found during gameplay. The scrolls you collect are totally random (?), but as you progress further in the game you have a chance for higher level scrolls with 2 or more skills + a bonus ability such as knocking over enemies while running, or extra damage to airborne enemies etc..
Bonus abilities aside, I still don't completely understand what these scrolls actually do, and how they affect performance on the field. Why are there different levels of scrolls, and what's the benefits of higher level scrolls? I frequently change them up, create different nexus chain, but can't notice any tangible differences when fighting.
From a design perspective, the limitations seem completely arbitrary, like the blank slots most scrolls have. The proffering system is another, which, for whatever reason only allows you to proffer a scroll once. Why even bother? Once the inventory and Caryatid become full, it becomes such a painful mess to sort and navigate that it seems pointless to bother.
I find the whole system very poorly thought out, confusing, user unfriendly, pointlessly limiting, and plain off-putting.
The Meridien Chart had a unique growth system for ever character. You could plan and chart your upgrades before making them, and the results of these upgrades were tangible during gameplay as you progressed. All upgrades were based on karma accumulated from doing what you should beplaying the game exploding lots of bodies. None of this collecting scrolls with random properties from chests rubbish.
Lack of jump
This is a personal one, and it bothers me a lot. Nanto characters can now only do their air combo's during heightened awareness, and for me, this takes a huge amount of the fun out of using these guys.
Jagi had an awesome rocket blast jump attack that made him a lot of fun to play, especially using cancels. Raoh's jump attacks were good fun, too. I simply can't understand why the developer thought limiting gameplay and movesets in this way was a good idea.
Unique action
In the first game, every character had a unique ability of some sort, which has been replaced by a generic dash. Ken had a roll, Rei had a dash teleport. Again, I can't understand why this was done. Ken's roll was great for cancelling into in order to keep the pace of combat fast and constant. I miss that. Why remove them?
Dodge
A new feature in this game is the dodge. Mash the button to duck and weave enemy attacks. After successfully dodging an attack, you can counter by attacking straight away. Unfortunately, the mechanic is busted, and often your counter either misses, leaving you next to or behind the enemy. In other cases, the enemy might be finishing their wind-down animation, and your counter does nothing. On bosses, a successful counter might nudge them backwards a bit. It's a really, really roughly implemented mechanic.
Level design
The original game had levels that were quite large and open, which this game eschews in favour of much more simplified layouts with tight corridors and rooms. There's practically none ot the traversal found in the first game. Most levels are sectioned off into small, boxy, compartmented areas with no sense of scale or location, unlike the first game which usually opened the levels up for exploration, and featured varied terrain, inclines, hazards, obstacles and so on. This time around, you're generally funnelled into an enclosed area where you are simply tasked with killing x amount of enemies as fast as possible. There's little in the way of set pieces or unique tasks, and what unique tasks do crop up are very poor, especially that later ones (boulder throwing comes to mind).
On the plus side, the whole story is presented this time around. It's very long, and full of enough manly tears to last a few life times. The new playable characters are mostly welcome additions, but since there is next to no skill development and the scroll system is so of-putting, I have little motivation to play them. Lack of main theme realy sums up this game for me. It's missing the essence of what made the original a pretty fun, mindless brawler with sm rough edges that only needed some refinement and additions.
That's my general conclusion as a fan of the manga / anime, and the original Ken's Rage, for whatever it's worth.
Danny Dudekisser
I paid good money for this Dynex!
Well, he did die for your sins.
NoirVisage
Banned
This is a game i would recommend to Die Hard fans of Fist of the North star/ Hokuto No Ken.
I've completed the Legend mode, and i'm doing the dream modes, Juza's was completed first (dude is first and Now on Ryuga and i'm loving it, i can admit its a downgrade in a lot of areas, but it expands on some important ones that bothered a lot of people about the first game, i hope there is a third and that they address the issues of this one and fill in some blank spots in the story..
but if you're a fan Hokuto No Ken, don't write it off completely.
Him dying standing up makes him even more awesome!
great av b the way!
flamesofchaos
Member
I'm getting the Wii U version if anyone wants to add me Flamesofchaos .
AdawgDaFAB
Member
Besides the fact that Hokuto 1 was not my first Musou game, I completely agree with this post. The gameplay in 2 is fun, but feels severely lacking when compared to the systems in place originally. With how they handled Legend mode in 2, I wouldn't even see myself being able to complete it if I wasn't a huge Hokuto no Ken fan. My motivation is just to see the how they adapted the story into motion comics and cutscenes and unlock all the characters for Dream Mode. It's just boringly designed. Too many crappy stage layouts where all the fights force you to race a clock while killing tons of grunts or boss fights being constantly interrupted for cutscenes.
I do hope Dream mode is fun, because I want to at least get some enjoyable game time out of all the characters they added.
NoirVisage
Banned
Dream mode is actually fun, its really a kill at your own pace sorta deal, you get a nice little extra story, and are able to procure a lot of scrolls through it, i so would have preferred the meridian chart though.
See, I'd disagree.
For all that the first game had silly platforming, a framerate that sometimes hurt my eyes and some other issues that irked me (the QTEs...), the overall gameplay still was something that I thought had a lot of potential. Every character felt unique, even if they were in the same "class". And the combat variety really shown through, for those who took the time to play around with it.
For me, it was the closest that something from the Koei side of the equation ever came to having the kind of gameplay that Capcom's BASARA series butters its bread on.
Then comes along this sequel, and it takes away most, if not ALL of that which made the combat so much fun. Ill Saint basically covers the majority of what was taken away, so I won't reiterate.
And for all the new characters that have been added, a lot of them don't seem fully realized. For example, Rin/Lynn has more in common with a mook-level mobile suit from Gundam Musou 2 or 3, than feeling as if she was a "legit" member of the main cast.
For me, at least, this has been the most disappointed I've been with a Musou game since DW6. What a let down...
Seraphis Cain
bad gameplay lol
Reading these posts, I'm more and more glad that I decided to skip this. And a bit sad too, since the first was my first Platinum trophy. I really wanted this to be good. Ah well.
NoirVisage
Banned
Did you finish the game and do any of the dream mode? Legend mode was great to me because it was basically the entire series in game form, but Dream mode has a zen like appeal, dig into it a little deeper, i hope you find its not a totally worthless followup. i definitely agree the combat has been stripped..i think it has to do with trying to equalize things for the newcommers..ah welll, whatareyagonnado
ShadowgeistX
Member
Regarding the Meridian Chart vs Scrolls...The Meridian Chart fits in with the FOTNS universe way better. Scrolls are just a really cheap cop-out, and make absolutely no sense being in the game.
Although, I suppose since progression is basically nonexistent past a few stats, then it's not really worth anything anyways.
The lack of jump completely ruins the Nanto characters. Rei especially had a near-infinite combo as long as he was in "heightened awareness" mode in the first game. Now he's basically neutered, since getting into heightened awareness depends on complete randomness or having to spend an aura point to hit someone with your super techniques.
AdawgDaFAB
Member
Has the lack of jump nerfed Toki as bad as I'm fearing? I remember using him a lot in the first game and making lots of use of jump canceling to avoid his coughing animations. Since there is barely any canceling in this game, I could see the new system being a big nerf to him.
GrayFoxPL
Member
Thanks for deep info.
I loved original too and the system it had, meridian chart, super system, cancels etc.
What you say sounds like a bummer, but from playing the demo the evades seemed to work well. Dunno.
I can't get the game yet as it's too expensive on digital, and can't find the EU retail yet.
I'll get it but hype's down
.Why U break best musou game Koei?
A few people have mentioned that Dream mode is more entertaining from a gameplay point of view, and I agree. It's pretty much as it was in the original.
They took out the coughing altogether. They also removed the funny cries of ecstasy enemies made when you send them to exploding heaven.
They took out the coughing altogether. They also removed the funny cries of ecstasy enemies made when you send them to exploding heaven.
Nooooooo! Haven't played Toki yet and I was so looking forward to that.
Samurai_Heart
Member
Question, does Ken actually learn more moves or we stuck with default moves? Talking about normal and special attacks not his musou which he at least has gotten new ones so far =/
No, you don't learn any new moves throughout the game with Ken, or any other character.
Samurai_Heart
Member
Dang would have thought this being the 2nd game to the series they would put way more combos then just the few they have; I mean even the One Piece game had more varying moves for their characters =/
AdawgDaFAB
Member
I got a feeling the One Piece Musou team did this game in-between OP1 and OP2. Hokuto 2 feels like it they took the general aspects of the OP engine and used it as the games basis. Yet, they somehow ended up with less combat depth than both OP1 and Hokuto 1 had. Whereas, OP2 looks like it is going to be a big improvement over 1.
NoirVisage
Banned
He still coughs, it happened when i let loose a lot of roundhouse kicks in a row, it seemed random though.
I pray that this is the case.
FrostuTheNinja
Member
Let an enemy take a swing at you and right before they hit, the button prompt will show up. Then all you have to make sure the counter connects.
Edit:
I don't remember this being in the first game but Toki will send an enemy's weiner to heaven. Great stuff.
ShadowgeistX
Member
Toki's stuff is pretty much unchanged from the first game. I think the wieners swelled up bigger in the first one.
And yeah, waiting for a swing to activate heightened awareness works pretty much 100% on a boss, it's just the fodder that is more or less random/all over the place. In the end, the gameplay becomes: Taunt -> wait for trigger or flying swallow, or just to not bother and send out earth splitting dragon hand. Compared to before, the Nanto Seiken doesn't flow very well.
The game is good in short bursts, at least. Glad I have Fire Emblem to switch to every now and then.
GrayFoxPL
Member
Tell me you're kidding.
So you get full move set from the start and nothing to learn?