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Officers can also learn more powerful tricks and skills as the game progresses.Ī battle ends when the main objective has been completed. The specific skills available to learn are based on class, such as ninja, spearmen, or cavalry. Over the course of the game, each unit can have their special skills upgraded. During the battle, the player is in control of an individual unit and can switch between friendly units at any time while other units in the game are controlled by AI. The player then selects which units to bring into the battle. Prior to each battle, the player is briefed on the mission and its objective. Each mission is chosen from the available maps, just like in the previous games. Kessen III brings along the mechanics of the previous games and introducing some new battle mechanics. In the game, Nobunaga survives Mitsuhide's betrayal, allowing the plot to turn toward a what-if scenario, rewriting the flow of history. Kessen III retells the events of Nobunaga's military life in a romantic light that departs from historical reality.
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He was well on his way to unifying the nation under his rule before he his death in 1582, when he was betrayed by Mitsuhide Akechi and assassinated. His greatest achievement was defeating a third of the rival daimyo in all of Japan.
Kessen iii special forces series#
Nobunaga rose in power and notoriety from fairly modest origins with a series of military victories that gave him a great deal of power and influence. Kessen III takes place between the years of 1560 to 1590 and is based on the life of the legendary Nobunaga Oda. Like the previous games, it mixes elements of real-time strategy and action with a narrative steeped in romantic melodrama. It won't please hardcore fans of either genre, but it is an interesting mix that's enjoyable and challenging.Kessen III, the third in Koei's series of strategy-action titles for the PS2, was released in North America in 2005. The environments are fairly nondescript and the character models are somewhat plain - but they look good while moving and the result is a frame rate never really slows down despite the appearance of dozens of warriors on the screen at the same time.ĭeveloper Koei deliberately sits Kessen III on the fence between serious strategy and hardcore action, and for the most part succeeds in making an accessible game that's easy to pick up and play. Graphics in Kessen III are generally well done but not outstanding. This makes Kessen III lean more towards the action side, although a healthy strategy (such as flanking opponents or setting pincers to trap opponents between your troops) is required to win the harder battles. With such limited deployment options available to you in the War Council section, you'll find most of your strategic decisions being made on the fly while in Battle mode. Generals acquire experience points and can gain levels to make them stronger, and can also be equipped with better weapons, armour and spells. Each general can also enter Rampage mode, which sees them going solo and taking on enemy troops single handedly. These abilities range from support styles that can lower an enemy's defense or raise your own, to magical attacks that can freeze or set fire to enemies. The generals leading each troop are where Kessen III's battles leave the mundane, as each one has access to a list of special abilities that can turn a battle. There are a few limited combos you can perform on enemy troops, but for the most part tapping the attack button should see you through most encounters. Players use the left joystick to maneuver, with the Square button used for attack, Triangle for special skills and X for retreat. Kessen III in Battle mode plays more like Dynasty Warriors, although instead of one character, you'll be controlling a whole squad of soldiers at the same time. You'll even come across enemy barricades and encampments which you'll either have to destroy or find a way around to proceed. Troops will move faster going downhill, for example, and any unit that has the high ground will have a distinct combat advantage. Instead of large open, flat terrains which were the hallmark of previous Kessens, Kessen III features smaller maps with varied terrain that can have a significant impact on skirmishes. Battle is where you'll spend most of your time in Kessen III, and is also the area where this game departs more from its prequels.
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