Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage for Xbox 360 Reviews by Gamers

Don't get me wrong, I love the Dynasty Warriors series and all of its spin offs. Part of me is still holding out hope for a Liberty or Death themed version. The only part of those games that I never found all that satisfying was the fact that you are supposedly a regular (albeit famous) soldier in a battlefield, but yet you can lay waste to a cloud of soldiers with a couple of button presses. Take that same level of combat complexity, twist the fan service knob to 11 then break it off, and you'll get something like Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage. This game takes the Dynasty Warriors concept and drops it smack into the center of one of the most famous and influential manga/anime series that exists.

The story is right from the manga: Kenshiro, heir to the secret assassination art Hokuto Shinken, seeks the return of the one he loves and to defend those who are being preyed upon by the strong and evil. To achieve this he travels the land, popping peoples heads off with the slightest touch.

The gameplay is pretty basic. You have a fast attack, strong attack, special attack, block, and jump. Using different combinations gets you different results, but in the end there aren't really that many combos you can chain together. The real magic of this game comes in the rendering of the special moves used by the various characters.

The graphics and voice acting are wonderful. The combat animations, especially the over-the-top death animations, are phenomenal. The level design is pretty stark, but since this is a post apocalyptic world, that's understandable. With the voices, you may hear the same jibe again and again, but the main characters are voiced well.

The game is definitely something you should play, but only a purchase if you're a fan of the source material, like Koei games, or just enjoy the visceral thrill of watching people explode.