Samurai Warriors 4 II Reviews
[I]t's a bright flash of enjoyment that simply won't last for long once the main campaign is completed, due to a lack of alternate features. Having a friend can certainly prolong the enjoyment, but its downfall is almost certain in the end.
Samurai Warriors 4-II should appeal to fans of the original title and will certainly appeal to Warriors fans that missed the predecessor. While I was disappointed to see the excellent Chronicle Mode of Samurai Warriors 4 sacrificed for a more throwaway Survival one, this new mode is still quite entertaining. However, the real strength in this one is the way the various fascinating stories of fascinating heroes is retold, and as a result of that Samurai Warriors 4-II is one of the best games in the series for some time.
Samurai Warriors 4-II is neither sequel nor expansion but sit's somewhere neatly in the middle. Reusing environments, characters and combat mechanics from the original the narrative has a nice rewrite to make a more engaging character focused story and upgrade mechanics have been revamped to make them easier and more enjoyable to navigate. Fans of the series and even the 4th instalment will still enjoy this, there's enough of a change to make it stand out and it's also a great place to start for those new to the franchise.
Samurai Warriors 4-II really is an Xtreme Legends game in everything but name, but it's even more limited. Even though the original roster of characters is large, adding only one new character seems paltry. Changing the Story mode makes up for it, and Survival is good, if not familiar and expected. It's a shame that Chronicle mode couldn't make the cut since its omission renders the created characters somewhat useless, but overall, the game remains the same polished product as before. For newcomers, this is a great entry to use as a jumping point into the series. For series veterans, the changes, omissions, and small additions make it a lesser product than its predecessor, but if you're interested in the lore, 4-II is still worth checking out.
Despite the flaws, this game is still really fun if you are a Warriors fan. If you are wondering if you should step back into the Warring States period with Nobunaga or not; the answer is yes.