Sword of the Samurai

The Good
Very few people have seen this game, but it had a blend of both real-time combat (via troops moving in formation) and personal honor (go rescue your daugher singlehandedly from your opponent's castle. Do this and other game mechanics successfully, and you will slowly control all of Japan!

The Bad
The formation combat was a bit slow and not all that exciting.

The Bottom Line
Another of the great Sid Meier's triumphs, although not very well known.

The Good
Deciding what kind of samurai will you be is great. Will a person of great personal honor, or will you assasinate and dishonor your rivals? I love the idea of getting married having children, and when your character becomes to old to continue, you take the role of your son.

The Bad
A complete lack of honor in the last section of the game. It seemed to be that the quickest to attack would become the winner.

The Bottom Line
Possibaly the greatest game of it's type, lightyears ahead of it's time. Enthralling and exciting, feels as if your creating history. Pure enjoyment on an EGA monitor.

The Good
The endless variety of paths one can take, as well as the management of your character's skills and possessions, is an approach that feels unique to this day. The various mini-games don't ever seem to get old. There is a definite feeling that you control the destiny of a samurai family in their rise to power. The brilliantly balanced combination of ease and depth of play make it a game you can play for a few minutes or for hours on end.

The Bad
The controls start to get a little sloppy when you're in the top-down combat mode. Sword duels are always a little easy if you just keep hacking at your opponent. I've never figured out how you can't recruit more samurai when you control most of Japan, but then one of your daimyos rebels and suddenly has more samurai than you. There are tricks to the battles that make them almost a sure victory, even when tremendously outnumbered.

The Bottom Line
The best simulation of the life of a samurai made, Sword of the Samurai combines action, adventure, and strategy elements to create a compelling look at life in feudal Japan. Starting as a lowly vassal, the player has to develop their skills, honor, and army to advance up the ranks of their clan to become daimyo, and then must attempt to conquer enough of Japan to declare themselves Shogun. Easy to play yet with depth and complexity to make it tremendously replayable. A true classic, and one that every gamer should have the pleasure of experiencing.