''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

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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 Ubisoft Entertainment SA (; ; formerly Ubi Soft Entertainment SA) is a French video game publisher headquartered in Saint-Mandé with development studios across the world. Its video game franchises include '' Assassin's Creed'', ''Far Cry'', '' ...

. 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

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on September 7, 2006, ''Kengo: Legend of the 9'' (''Kengo: Zero'' in Japan and Europe) was developed by Genki and published by

Majesco Entertainment Majesco Entertainment Company (formerly Majesco Sales Inc.) is an American video game publisher and distributor based in Hazlet, New Jersey. The company was founded as Majesco Sales in Edison, New Jersey in 1986, and was a privately held company ...

. It is the fourth and last game in the series. In the game there are a total of 10 playable characters: * Historical:

Miyamoto Musashi , also known as Shinmen Takezō, Miyamoto Bennosuke or, by his Buddhist name, Niten Dōraku, was a Japanese swordsman, philosopher, strategist, writer and rōnin, who became renowned through stories of his unique double-bladed swordsmanship a ...

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 was a Japanese swordsman originally named Itō Yagorō. He is attributed as the founder of the Ittō-ryū ("one sword" or "one stroke") school of sword fighting. According to legend, he floated across the Sagami Bay on a piece of driftwood fr ...

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 was the captain of the first unit of the Shinsengumi, a special police force in Kyoto during the late shogunate period. He was one of the best swordsmen of the Shinsengumi. Background He was born in 1842 or 1844 from a samurai family in the S ...

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 was a Japanese ''samurai'', a '' shishi'' and influential figure of the ''Bakumatsu'' and establishment of the Empire of Japan in the late Edo period. He was a low-ranking ''samurai'' from the Tosa Domain on Shikoku and became an active oppon ...

Horibe Yasubei was a warrior in Japan. Yasubee was born to , a samurai of the Shibata Domain (a Han (country subdivision), ''han'' in present-day Niigata Prefecture) . When Yasubee was 13, his father lost his position and became a rōnin. Soon afterwards, Yaji ...

. 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

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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