Bujingai: The Forsaken City

Those where the words that one magazine review used to the describe the action in Bujingai. The imagery that I saw in the pictures and that description where the reasons that I bought Bujingai. There was also something about the character model, but we'll get to that later.

The core play in nothing new, you are a lone sword man (Lau)hacking and slashing your way though pretty linear levels, however, it really is stylish violent action. The story is beautiful, but minimal.

Level design is gorgeous. When I entered the second level,I was in love. The game has a very Chinese feel, including the music.

Lau has two swords that leave light trails behind him as he moves. Every move looks like a special move. If you manage to block an attack the whole screen freezes for a split second and you see have a wonderful image. This doesn't interfere with the action at all and looks immensely cool. Lau is also able to glide and run up walls. Lots of fun.

This is a good game for people who are just getting into action games or to recommend to that same someone. There is a strong tutorial and the basic moves are easy to master, and for a challenge (like Devil May Cry) you are rated at the end of the levels for style. The more combinations and special moves that you perform the better your score is.

For more experienced players, unless you like the whole package, this is probably a rental. There are only seven levels and the only really challenging one is the sixth.

Now for the character model. For people who don't know, and I was one of them when I first played, you will never have heard him. The model for Lau is a J-pop/rock superstar named Gackt. If you know who he is you probably have heard of this game and I really don't have much to tell you.

He is immensely popular in Japan, on the level with Madonna or Britney Spears. This is because he is ,well, really good. The character modeling is uncanny, especially if you are familiar with Gackt, as I am now. He is know for his athletic performances and was chosen by the company to play Lau.

I would and have recommended this game to people. It is really fun to play and looks beautiful. This is one of those cases where the whole package really outweighs the sum of its parts.