Unless you're a fan of the anime, steer clear.
No matter what mode you're playing through – Story mode or the "Dream" scenarios, made just for anime fans – you continue to feel like you're just running through the motions. And while the idea to add competitive and co-op support to Xbox Live and PlayStation Network is sort of novel, there's noticeable lag over the course of the game. You're better off staying on your own, unless you feel like trading thousand-impact punches at people just for the sake of showing off.
The presentation isn't spectacular either. While the comic-inspired cutscenes are better than the ones from the original, the in-game graphics are plain at best, with slowdown hitches, enemies that phase into one another all too easily, bland settings and questionable thug design. The way that bodies explode is rather cool, but they all blow up the same, for the most part. Yes, carnage actually gets boring here. How'd that happen? The voicework stinks too, trying to make fun of the material but never really getting off the ground the right way; and the music is nothing more than leftover tunes from the Dynasty Warriors games.
If you were for a fan of the original Ken's Rage, this sequel might be worth a look, provided you're willing to hand over $60 for "more of the same" territory. It is playable, and there's enough carnage to make you giggle a little bit. But the one-note gameplay is hard to look past, and the inability to do really anything diverse – like, say, jumping -- is hard to overlook. For the third Ken's Rage (if there is one), Tecmo Koei should be a little looser with the gameplay, opening the door for better creativity. That's how Kenshiro probably would want it.
Score: 4.5 / 10
