Samurai Warriors 4

Critics are generally divided into two schools of thought on the Warriors games.

The most prevalent line of argument, at least in the West, is that they're shallow and uninteresting. A bewilderingly Eastern franchise which shuns tactical nous in favour of hammy acting and frantic button-bashing.

But the series is hardly short of vocal supporters, either. They reckon that the games do have hidden depths for those who are willing to plumb them. Being a good Warrior is about effective mob management, apparently, rather than just blindly hacking at the onrushing enemies.

Well, maybe I just don't have what it takes, but after my experience of Samurai Warriors 4 I'd have to align myself more closely with the former camp. I found little depth, a distinct lack of variety, and an overall package which struck me as less than top-tier.

But I sure as heck had some fun, too.

Samurai Warriors 4 was my return to a series I'd enjoyed in the PS2 era, and it initially came as something of a disappointment to see everything looking so familiar - even though it was pleasant from a nostalgic point of view.

But then, to an extent, the gameplay of Samurai Warriors is pretty timeless. Re-enacting regional pockets of Japanese history in Story Mode, through the medium of improbably efficient one-man violence, is just as fun as it's ever been.

Samurai Warriors 4 has a great feeling of the historical legend about it, which is an aspect of the series I've always loved. It's loosely based on real historical figures and battles, but you play the hero in the mythologised version of events - you're not the real, fallible, human warrior, but the brave champion who is celebrated in folk stories. You're the legend, not the man.

And that's why it doesn't matter that a horse accelerates faster and handles better than any car in the land. It doesn't matter that 1000 hit combos are disconcertingly commonplace, or that the battles more closely resemble anime scenes than historical records.

The most notable addition to Samurai Warriors 4 is also one of its best bits. The new Chronicle Mode has you travelling around Japan as your own created warrior, completing quests, meeting mad characters, and collecting items along the way.

The character creation has featured in previous Warriors games, but here it's more robust than it's ever been - I cooked up a passable version of God of War's Kratos, for example.

Chronicle Mode is a great way to take your creations on a journey, and see them develop in an RPG-esque system.

It's all good fun. But then, for all my talk of mythologised heroism, there's definitely some stuff which can't be excused. The main issue is a technical one; it's difficult to feel any semblance of tactical approach on the battlefield when enemy troops take so long to pop in.

To a certain extent it is to be expected - after all, this is a game which is also being released on PlayStation 4 - but it is hard to feel like a battlefield tactician when enemies literally appear before your eyes. You'll end up battering the square button until everything dies, just like you've always done.

Samurai Warriors is a series of steady iteration, not revolution. If you've not enjoyed previous games, then this one will do nothing to convert you - especially as it suffers from technical issues.

However, if you like mowing down wave after wave of hapless enemy goons, then this may be the Vita game for you. Particularly if you like creating your own heroes and heroines.