Way of the Samurai Series

[BlueMemphis]

So after finishing Yakuza Kiwami 2 I felt like taking a break from the series but still wanted to play a superior nippon game that was an action rpg of sorts.
Turns out I did have such a game in my backlog: Way of Samurai 4!
Been grinding it hard the past month and having a blast and I reckon it might be to a lot of people's tastes here if they haven't already played it.

Now for those who have no idea what series is about or why you should try one of the titles in it, I'll give a few highlights of what tends to be the common elements in the series although having just finished Wots4 and starting 3, will be mostly using those 2 as examples:

-It's Samurai Groundhog day. Live, die, repeat with content you've unlocked from a previous run.
Rather then a 90 hour mega campaign, each run is a relatively short playthrough of a few hours (certain endings you can get in less then 15 mins, hell on easy mode i could probably get them in 5) but it's designed to be replayed over and over so you can see how your decisions change the story.
Wots4 is the most streamlined in the series though, with only 9 endings (wots3 has 26) but it has a clear flow chart of events to guide you and this is also what makes it a good jumping point for new players in the series.
Replaying the story and seeing other sides to what is happening also lets you understand more of the setting and characters, leading to moments of revelation such as you find out secrets about certain characters or events which in turn gives you more meta knowledge for your next run and ideas on how to get other endings.
Getting the "best" ending as in you get a happy outcome for most of the pcs usually requires a lot of meta knowledge and preparation as the game will throw it's hardest challenges at you.

-Choices and consequences mofo. If you want to keep being a smartass when the shogun's number 2 guy arrives in town at the head of a procession, don't be afraid if you die a painful death. In general half the fun of the series is your actions affecting the story and you can completely ignore the story or fight major plot pcs at your will.
Wots4 is sadly the most linear and least reactive in the series (you can only outright kill pcs at certain points although bullying them will still have consequences) but it's still more then most games out there. Other then 4, all 3 of the previous games let you kill anyone at any time and the game would roll with it, sometimes resulting in unique endings.

-You can Larp. There's an entire rating system based on how samurai should act, although whether you adhere to it is up to you. But little things like not drawing your sword until the enemy does, not kicking enemies when they are down and not looting the dead is noted in the game. In Wots4 it's mostly for show but the previous games did more with this, Wots3 for example letting you change the conversation by simply unsheating your blade as a silent warning to the other guy to back off or face your wrath.

-Side activities and mini games. Now I wasn't crazy about this but it helps flesh out the world and gives an occasional break from the usual flow of things like such additions tend to do in japanese games. The series is infamous for its torture minigames (with you as the victim usually, japanese justice system is rather harsh) but an entire system revolving around sleeping with various npcs by sneaking into their quarters at night with your character creeping on tip toes and avoiding the npc's guards then having to engage in a "struggle" session with that person to finally bed them (can you tell this isn't a western game yet?).
Hell from what I read there is one knight chick you can only bed only by constantly bullying and humiliating her at every turn until she breaks down in despair and you take advantage of her whilst she is getting drunk. Now i personally didn't do it in my run but do I love the fact that this kind of content is included at all so if you want to be a heartless bandit type who ignores the story and goes around bullying people for money during the day then plays the chad during the night bouncing from one sexual conquest to the other, sometimes forcefully, the option is there.

Could go on but that's enough paragraphs of text for an opener I think. Overall this is a good series full of japanese charm and that each run is short yet the games are made to be replayed means it's the sort of game you can play for a day and come back to next month without it killing your momentum. Wots3 and 4 are both on steam for cheap and go on sale fairly often if you feel like trying one of those for less then the price of a happy meal.

For discussion sake's, for those of you who have played it, would be curious to hear which one you think is the better game in the series.
I like Wots4 well enough even if i acknowledge it's not the best title of the bunch. Having styles unbound to your weapon is something i will miss replaying the earlier games and it was enjoyable making your own custom style.

[General Reign]

I played one of these on the PS2....I guess the first one and maybe the third one on a rental. Some black dude with a fro on a bridge sticks out in the original. I plan on getting the newer ones on Steam at one point because they really are decent games.

[maidenhaver]

That's Liu Ting, greatest samurai.