''Kengo'' (剣豪) is a series of video games developed by

Genki Genki may refer to: *Genki (company), a Japanese video game company *Genki (era), a Japanese era name *Genki (given name) Genki (written: 元気, 元喜, 元基, 元規, 源気 or 源基) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with th ...

. ''Kengo'' is considered a

spiritual successor A spiritual successor (sometimes called a spiritual sequel) is a product or fictional work that is similar to, or directly inspired by, another previous work, but (unlike a traditional prequel or sequel) does not explicitly continue the product lin ...

to the '' Bushido Blade'' game series for the

PlayStation is a video gaming brand that consists of five home video game consoles, two handhelds, a media center, and a smartphone, as well as an online service and multiple magazines. The brand is produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment, a divisi ...

Games

''Kengo: Master of Bushido''

''Kengo 2: Legacy of the Blade''

The second game in the ''Kengo'' series was released for the PlayStation 2 in Japan on June 27, 2002. It was released in Europe on February 14, 2003 under the title ''Sword of the Samurai''. It features a character creation feature and over 100 detailed swords to choose from. Published by Ubisoft. It was not released in North America. In Japan, ''Famitsu'' gave the sequel 30 out of 40. The game received a 64% overall review score from Futuregamez.

''Kengo 3''

The third game in the ''Kengo'' series was released for the PlayStation 2 on September 22, 2004. Featuring much improved graphics and a simplified fighting system from ''Kengo 2''. It was released only in Japan.

''Kengo: Legend of the 9''

Released for the Xbox 360 on September 7, 2006, ''Kengo: Legend of the 9'' (''Kengo: Zero'' in Japan and Europe) was developed by Genki and published by Majesco Entertainment. It is the fourth and last game in the series. In the game there are a total of 10 playable characters: * Historical: Miyamoto Musashi,

Yagyū Jūbei Mitsuyoshi was one of the most famous and romanticized of the samurai in Japan's feudal era. Life Very little is known about the actual life of Yagyū Mitsuyoshi as the official records of his life are very sparse. Yagyū Jūbē Mitsuyoshi (born "Shichirō" ...

, Chiba Sanako (famed female master swordsman born into a famous family of swordmaster in the Edo era), Itō Ittōsai,

Okada Izō was a Japanese samurai of the late Edo period, feared as one of the four most notable assassins of the Bakumatsu period. He was a member of (Tosa Imperialism party, a loyalist clique of Tosa) in his hometown, Tosa Domain. Izō and Tanaka Shinb ...

, Okita Sōji,

Sasaki Kojirō was a Japanese swordsman who may have lived during the Azuchi–Momoyama and early Edo periods and is known primarily for the story of his battle with Miyamoto Musashi in 1612, where Sasaki was killed. Although suffering from defeat as well ...

, Sakamoto Ryōma, Horibe Yasubei. Jion (unlockable) Although thought to be a fictional character, Jion may in fact refer to Sōma Shiro Yoshimoto, also known as Jion, the founder of Nen-ryu.

Reception

''Kengo: Legend of the 9'' was panned by critics. The game received "unfavorable" reviews according to video game review aggregator Metacritic.

References

{{reflist, 30em 2006 video games 3D fighting games Fighting games Genki (company) games Multiplayer video games PlayStation 2 games Video game franchises Video game franchises introduced in 2000 Video games about samurai Video games developed in Japan Video games set in feudal Japan Xbox 360 games