Kessen isn't Koei's best game ever but it's not bad.
Concept
Well, Kessen a simple RTS based on japanese history. First you play as the Tokugawa forces and then you play as the Toyotmi forces. When you beat the game, your progress is shown in the battle history. I got this because I needed more games from the company. Cutscenes have some drama which is good. It gets a decent score in this category.
7
Graphics
The graphics may have been stunning before, well, they're still good now, but they're not perfect anymore. At least during gameplay. The cutscenes look impressive. Wonderful, in fact. This part's good.
8
Sound
This is a tough category to judge because the voice acting isn't great and the dialogue's pretty rough. But the soundtrack's good. They used trumpets and violens for good BGM. This part gets mixed results.
6.5
Playability
Hmm. Hmm. On one hand the gameplay's pretty simple and easy to learn. On the other hand though, battles tend to take too long. There's a zeal meter that lets you use special abilities when it rises above 80. Instead of commanding specific units you command officers. It's simple and easy to learn but the battles are drawn out. It's OK.
7
Entertainment
Honestly, this isn't the best game Koei ever made but it's not bad. It's simple and easy to learn, which makes for an enjoyable experience. The story has some moving moments. But the battles are drawn out. You'll probaly take a while trying to think of a good strategy to defeat the enemy. Regardless, I can reccomend it to newcomers who find the RTS genre too complicated. For veterans, this is a simple, easy to learn, and fun diversion from more complicated games.
7.5
Replay Value
After beating the game, there's not much point in giving it a second go unless you haven't done the other side yet.
7
So there you go. My mixed review of Kessen. While this isn't a masterpiece, it's still a good game. Even still, I hope for better from the sequels. Still, like I said in the entertainment category, that shouldn't stop casual gamers who find the genre too complicated from giving it a go.