The Mark of Kri [PS2]

Pros: Innovativ battle system that allows you to fight more than 1 at the time. Amazing graphics.

Cons: Never will be a sequel. A bit short.

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plan a more strategic and stealthy approach.

The sad thing is that the initial sales for this game was not high enough for Sony to justify a sequel, so you are stuck with this one game, however, and you will, much you want a sequel. It is also a bit on the short side, so when finished you will feel like you just started, but you will still get many hours of fun out this game.

In short, this game combines stealth attacks with 'storm the place' fighting. It even have weapons designed for specific places and strategies, and mastering these techniques will make you love the game more and more. Yes, it is a truly masterpiece from Sony Entertainment definitely worth a buy!

The Mark of Kri [PS2]

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allowing you to thin out the herds of enemies before they catch on to your presence. The ability to send out your bird helper is a nice touch, allowing you to plot your strategy and find a way to take out as many baddies without getting overwhelmed.

It definitely pays to learn the different melee combos and know which weapon's are most suited for a certain situations. Once you get skilled in combat, it feels good to mop the floor with a group of enemies that used to give you trouble. This game is definitely not a typical button-masher. In fact that's a good way to a quick death. So if you like combat games that require a little more thought in combat then this is a good choice.

The story is a simple one and does not involve a great deal of dialogue. In fact I don't think the main character gets any at all, which is odd considering the story mostly revolves around him. But the characters you do meet are interesting enough.
Rau's trainer could have used a different voice over though. I've heard the voice before somewhere (you'll know what I'm talking about when you hear it). It reminds me of one of those 7-foot tall smoker's voices that shout out deals in a sinister tone on national car commercials. "Get great deals on 2006 SUVs with no money down." Kinda took me out of the element when I heard him during training sessions.

Overall, I highly recommend the game. If you want a better than average combat/action game, you'll find that this is one of the better games in the genre.

The Mark of Kri [PS2]

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appears over the enemies head. it indicates what button to press to attack the enemy. additionally you can unleash combo attacks which again seemed like a great idea until you try to use them on your opponent. the enemies from the get go are tough, they block almost all of your attacks and they counter attack often. so pulling off a combo attack is nearly impossible. but the reward is somewhat worth it, for you get to see rau impale, mutilate and smash his enemies. on to the next portion of the game that is probably the best feature of all. the cinamatics are great. as they open one by one the scenes are drawn on parchment with a ink pen giving you something different and in my opinion helps to keep you awake. the game is very short and the final boss fight is just a quick button mash and a ending cinamatic which by the way is very anticlimatic. the graphics are ok and the environments are well done. but that just isnt enough to give this game good enough replay value. i am reluctant to buy the newest installment of the game but it looked like it had been imporved since the last. if you want my opinion i would avoide this game at all costs. i managed to snag it used for only 7.99, but after playing it i would only pay about 3.99 for its lack of entertainment. the mark of kri...deserves the mark of shame.