Rise of the Kasai Critic Reviews

I’m elated to see how well done the sequel to Mark of Kri is.

It takes "Mark of Kri’s" great ideas and actually executes them in the fashion they deserve.

A hack-and-slash with plenty of action-adventure gameplay, Rise of the Kasai is a good game for the gamer who loves the blood-spilling with huge and heavy weapons.

The combat is well realized with the only drawbacks coming with camera perspectives, though you can learn to deal with that early in the game.

It is, however, one of the best unplugged titles of 2005 yet. Given the problems between the lack of originality compared to the first one and the problematic AI, doesn't level out Rise of the Kasai's success with that of its former entry.

A sequel that's innovated and improved in every conceivable way, groomed like its predecessor for a discerning palette.

A very solid action game boasting wonderful, stylish visuals and a compelling story.

Offers bigger, more intricate levels than what was found in the original title, a cooperative element that makes you feel like you're part of a team, more intriguing characters that help expand the combat options, and an artistic merit that few games have achieved on PS2.

Working with a partner can be fun, but all too often it's painfully obvious that this is a computer-controlled character and often an awkward one at that. There are also some boss battles, but even these repeat themselves for no good reason.

Rise of the Kasai is good… but not spectacular overall, with most of its appeal leaning more toward fans of its artistic and esoteric merits than to those straight up action-mad game blasters out there looking for everything to be as good as the best game they played.

It has all the makings of a top tier title, but due to a boring story, iffy AI and so-so combat mechanics, it just doesn't manage to pull out of the “average” ranking.

Make no mistake, this is one of the most visually interesting games on the PS2, but it lacks a graphical punch and the gameplay is just too familiar to give the engaging storyline a chance to shine.

The game-play features in Rise of the Kasai should have been better, but the story and the graphics are strong enough to keep gamers in front of the console.

The underlying game itself is pretty average as far as beat-'em-ups go, but at least it's more fleshed out than "The Mark of Kri" was. And frankly, you really can't go wrong with a game that includes violent amputations and decapitations.

It's a shame that the initial cooperative multiplayer scheme for Rise of the Kasai was dropped as it could have elevated a solid sequel into an exceptional one.

A mild-mannered blood-spattered adventure that's worth a one-time run through, and doesn't have a warrior's tenacity for a long-term fight to the legendary halls of action gods.

If you want excellent action then you should skip this one and go buy "God of War" or "Devil May Cry 3." If you're willing to forgive gameplay flaws for a really unique interactive story then you'll be happy with this game.

Rise of the Kasai proves that a game can still be compelling without being impossible to play. The real fun is in seeing the story unfold—and once in a while, that's OK.

A bit lean in the gameplay department.

It's designed to have you play through it multiple times, but I don't know if you'll come back for more after the first pass.