Shin Hokuto Musou (Collector's Edition)

Based off the reboot of a classic franchise, Fist of The North Star: Ken's Rage 2 tells the classic tale of Kenshiro and the enemies he faces along with the friends he makes with Warriors style gameplay (since it is by Koei Tecmo after all). Luckily with this version, there isn't much of a language barrier since it is a pick up and play type of game. There are moments where you are graded on your performance in gameplay depending on circumstances like being able to clear out enemies at a short amount of time or protect fellow allies without losing anybody or without reaching low health. It's a much appreciated change of pace and challenge from the norm with Warriors games. One thing that keeps it from being a 5 star item for me is framerate. Though it is playable, there are moments where framerates become annoying as it might drop below 30 at certain points like with too many enemies on screen or some specific cutscene. Something I think should be updated through some sort of patch as the Wii U hardware is more capable than an Xbox 360 or PS3. Luckily, it does not make it to a point of freezing as these low framerate moments are scarce through the experience. Speaking of cutscenes, it swaps between a standard cutscene, to comic book style panels. You also have moments to play as various characters throughout the story as well as leveling up key areas like strength and health as you progress throughout the stages. Not to mention you can find chests with skills to add to your core character to add more of a boost when in combat. Overall, I do recommend it to anyone looking to add a new title to their Wii U collection if you don't mind not having English. However, if English is a must have for you, I'd suggest the PS3 or Xbox 360 ports which were released in the states and Europe. Also, if you can't deal with the framerate not being at a smooth 60 fps constantly, I'd go for a PC port.

"Shin Hokuto Musou" successfully adapts the Musou mechanics to one of greatest classic fighting manga/animes ever made. Even if you are not a fan, following Kenshiro's main plot campaign might turn you into one. Tons of characters and content means you will be keep coming back for it time and time again. Add online multiplayer to further extend the longevity and it stands proudly as one of the finest Musou entries on the Wii U. Recommended, even with the sometimes odd frame rate drop here and there.

For the fans of the anime / Manga series this is a must have.
It is possible to play the entire story of the manga, plus very fun online mode.

nothing to say, the game is fun and plays the adventures of ken. If you like hokuto no ken, I suggest you to buy immediately

First, let me tell you about the box. The contents are nothing short of manly-tear-inducing. I daresay I practically ordered the box for the sole purpose of having a Kenshiro-shaped USB drive.

Now, onto the game itself. For those of you who played the original Hokuto Musou, the game has improved in practically every way. The graphics are more beautiful and clear. The soundtrack reutilizes many of the tracks from the first game (sadly, no Ai wo Torimodose or any of the show's original songs. This came as a great disappointment to me and is the reason I gave it four stars rather than five.), but that soundtrack was great to begin with.

The gameplay has changed in simple ways. The basics are still there - normal attacks, charge attacks, musou - but hyper mode has been removed, and so has the enemy defense bar that used to accompany the stronger mooks. Instead, you now have "Aura" mode, in which the more stocks you've got, the stronger your base attacks become, causing you to need to strategize the use of your musou attacks. Jumping has also been removed in favor of a dodge system, wherein if you press the button at the correct time you'll dodge any attack. However, consecutive dodging will cause you to deplete musou stock, unless it is completely full. This is an important element in boss fights, as pretty much all members of the cast have multi-hit attacks.

Finally, story mode. It follows the original story quite closely, to the point where you do not miss any information if you never watched the series previously, down to the original lines for each character.

I highly recommend this game.