The Mark of Kri

[Inkthinker]

So in celebration of my new PS2 (finally! Hoo-rah!) I picked up this little gem from Sony Computer Entertainment of America.

I was already interested in this game since I met Sam Liu, aka Itchi and one of the co-mod/masters with the ever popular E.J. Su of Optical Resonance as well as a general all-around bad-ass professional illustrator. He's been working for SCEA for a while now and I knew I had to check it out.

Damn.... so THIS is where a few of those 2000 or so artists who were laid off from Disney and Dreamworks went!! The artwork is awesome, but the animation and voice acting even more so! It looks kinda like Mulan or a bit of Tarzan, if either of those had wickedly violent battles with as many as 9 opponents at a time, several of whom may attack at once.

The learning curve is also rather nice and impressive... It starts out pretty easy, but each level is just a bit longer, a bit more difficult... there's only 6 stages, but I'm not crying over it when stage 3 took me almost 3 hours to beat and I'm only now getting to the end of stage 4. Each of the stages is gorgeous, as well... lost temples, huge jungle-forests, and most recently a snowy mountain fortress. The combat system is really innovative... so much that apparently according to rumor Sony had it patented. It allows you to fight several guys at once, whether they be behind you or around you, and to top it off it has great stealth elements as well, a-la Metal Gear Solid or Tenchu.

The only bad review I've read of this game complained that the fighting gets repetetive... and it might, if you don't use your head and strategize. As the stages get more and more difficult, the game encourages you to use stealth and to plan your battles before you go charging in... not that there aren't plenty of opportunities to go swinging into a huge melee with your axe chopping the bad guys into little dismembered chunks (and this game definitley deserves its MA rating... it looks like Disney, but it ain't for the little ones). I wish there were more weapons, but I like the ones it gives you and I'm sure the sequel will improve upon it.

Anyhow, I can rave on this game for a good while, there's so much that I like. Smart sentries (once alerted, they don't just give up after a few minutes and go back to relaxing. If possible they alert others to your prescence, or at the very least keep looking for you until you snipe 'em in the head with your bow) bodies that stick around long after you lopped off some poor shmoe's arm and left him to bleed to death, the excellent storyline and great voices (I believe the narrator is the same guy who does the voice for Aku in Samurai Jack ) and the rather extensive variety of ways to stealthily dispatch your foes.

At least go rent it from Blockbuster or wherever, espescially if you like action or great animation. I found it for $39.99 from EBX and I definitely think this one's a keeper.

[BliX]

Eh, not a bad game. 3 outa 5 stars. Thats my review. ;dvl;

[Inkthinker]

Thhbt. It's not perfect, but I think it's a least a 4 on that scale. I do wish it had a bit more variety and more stages, characters, weapons, and even more of the story since I do like what it gives you.

But I think all of that is made up for by the fact that I'm just having a blast with it. There's something viscerally pleasing about sneaking up behind a guy, tripping him up and then pounding his throat in with the pommel of your sword... or wading into a fight with 9 guys and knowing that you have to fight all of them at once, not just one at a time. And just when I think I've found the end of a stage, or that I know what to expect from the enemies that it throws at me, it surprises me by giving me something new.

The closest game I can think of to compare it to is Tenchu, since it shares many of the same elements... but with way better art, animation, design and voice acting.

[Mike]

My roommate had it, but he sold it along with Capcom Vs SNK 2 to get another game. He liked it a lot, but he beat it and was done with it.

[Zackie Chan]

Oh my god I love the Mark of Kri. It's Disney's Tarzan, meets Conan, meets Beastmaster, Hoooooooo! I only have the demo disk of it right now, I'm gonna rent it from blockbuster before I make my mind up and buy it, but I think I probably will. It's some of the most fun I've had in a game in a long time.

Inkthinker- I thought their were probably some ex-Disney animators working on them opening level sequences, really smooth stuff. So were can I find out more about this game. Sidenote, I also just bought a PS2, but I bought Onimusha, and I'm already bored with it, I'm definately not buying Onimusha 2.

[Inkthinker]

Check the first link in my gush up there... that's the officila site. You can find reviews both good and bad (mostly all good, though) for the game at just about any decent gaming site. I'd recommend IGN as pretty damn good. It's a better site if you can afford the membership, but you can read the reviews and see some of the movies and such even if you're not a member.

[jacon]

i really hope there's going to a part 2! i liked the game, but the last stage really pissed me off! boy was that some tough shit!

[Inkthinker]

Don't tell me, I haven't gotten there yet... I'm at the end of Stage 4, the snowy fortress with the big damn tree. That's been tough enough, thankewverymuch. Who the hell told the archers they could wear armor, huh? And the axe-wielders...I swear, I had to stab one of them through the spine twice before he gave up.

There is a sequel planned, I do know that. What it's going to be like or who is working on it, I do not know.

[jacon]

hey... i didn't say nothing to spoil nothing none time did i say shit!