![]() ![]() ![]() Some enemies are easily dispatched through standard sword and gun strikes, while more creative, projectile tactics offer advantage over others. The standout moments in the game are driven by this variety. Successfully bridging a wide array of unique attack styles with some serious nods to old-school FPS tropes such as accrued money, health and magic upgrades, Shadow Warrior 2 seamlessly morphs different gameplay elements into something different from standard console shooters. Still, Wang’s movement and deft sword- and gunplay offer depth where it counts. It’s doubtful gamers will care once the action begins, but a character as silver-tongued as Lo Wang should have had a little more motivation and purpose to justify the sheer madness of the action that follows. The developers added plenty of riotous dialogue and off-color remarks throughout the adventure, but the overall narrative is fairly thin. Within minutes of the opening cutscene, gamers will be fully aware of Lo Wang’s depth of character – a lesson in storytelling, this is not. Here, Wang is tasked with finding and saving the daughter of an esteemed Yakuza boss who’s been separated from her body through some mystical mumbo-jumbo that got a little lost amidst the breakneck pace of visceral carnage and one-liners. With a strong emphasis on swordplay, Shadow Warrior 2 puts gamers in the shoes of wisecracking hero Lo Wang. It’s also surprising as a lengthy, often hilarious and ridiculously enjoyable title for most of its running time, serving as both an homage to classic first-person action and a fourth-wall breaking, self-deprecating explosion of purposefully-bad jokes and on-screen brutality.Īnd brutal it is. Not because it’s enjoyable, but rather because this is – wait for it – a console port of a sequel to a 2013 remake of a 1997 title. Shadow Warrior 2 for the Xbox One might be the most unexpected surprise in my two years of reviewing titles for GameCritics. WTF Lo Wang begins to get a little grating by the ten-hour mark. LOW Player models pale in comparison to the effects and environments. ![]() HIGH Hilarious, breakneck gameplay that continually offers new variety. ![]()
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