maxlords
07-07-2005, 06:54 PM
Sleeper of the Week: Saiyuki – Journey West (PS1)
Now how often do you get to play a video game and get an education at the same time? I know, I know, you’re all thinking “Oh god, he’s gonna tell me all about the old school charm of The Oregon Trail for the Apple IIe!” But of course, no, I’m not as you may have guessed by the title. Much as The Oregon Trail was a good game and educational tool, it wasn’t a sleeper and it’s fairly well known. What I am going to tell you about however is Saiyuki – Journey West for the Playstation.
Saiyuki – Journey West is a classic strategy/RPG based on an ancient Chinese story from the Tang Dynasty (618-907). The Tang dynasty was one of the high points of Imperial China’s literature and art. During the Tang dynasty, a Buddhist monk named Xuan Zang journeyed to India in search of religious texts. Over time, his travels were embellished and became Buddhist lore. The story permeates Asian culture and many of its main characters are still household names today, just as Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny are in the US. In the 1590s, Xuan Zang’s travels were recorded into a story entitled Hsi Yu Chi or “Journey to the West”. One of the four best known classics of Chinese literature, Journey to the West is widely known and appreciated to this day for its depth and relevance. Interestingly enough, on a gaming note, Journey to the West is one of two classical Chinese stories translated to a video game, the other being that of San Kuo Chih Yen or “Romance of the Three Kingdoms”. This story has also been translated into the wildly popular Dynasty Warriors series. Koei chose to translate Journey to the West as well, but it sadly didn’t do nearly as well as it’s more successful counterparts.
Anyway, back to Saiyuki – Journey West. Koei took the classic tale of Journey to the West and converted it into an interesting strategy/RPG. The game is a fairly standard strategy game, well-rooted in Buddhist lore. You travel to India as the monk Sanzo, picking up all sorts of companions along the way. Battles are fairly standard, and your characters can also change into were-creatures as well as do normal battle and use spells. Summons are discovered along the way, and you can train at dojos and take jobs in addition to playing through the main game. The music is pretty darn catchy, but the battles themselves can become occasionally tedious, as with any strategy/RPG.
The story is what’s really important to this one, and it has a lot to it. You can’t get much better than classical Chinese literature for my money, lots of spirits, gods, and all sorts of craziness is always going on. It’s really the perfect venue for a video game. I know there’s not a lot of detail on the gameplay itself, but if you’ve played Vandal Hearts or Final Fantasy Tactics or Tactics Ogre or any other decent 3D turn based strategy/RPG, you’re not going to run into anything too shocking here. It’s very standard, just fun and widely ignored for some reason. If the subject matter interests you or you like strategy/RPGs, you owe it to yourself to check out Saiyuki – Journey West if you can find a copy! It’s worth a look!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v251/maxlords/c03192e6.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v251/maxlords/88e596e2.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v251/maxlords/3e3864d0.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v251/maxlords/5e63e3b4.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v251/maxlords/17e5699f.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v251/maxlords/2dbd4194.jpg
Now how often do you get to play a video game and get an education at the same time? I know, I know, you’re all thinking “Oh god, he’s gonna tell me all about the old school charm of The Oregon Trail for the Apple IIe!” But of course, no, I’m not as you may have guessed by the title. Much as The Oregon Trail was a good game and educational tool, it wasn’t a sleeper and it’s fairly well known. What I am going to tell you about however is Saiyuki – Journey West for the Playstation.
Saiyuki – Journey West is a classic strategy/RPG based on an ancient Chinese story from the Tang Dynasty (618-907). The Tang dynasty was one of the high points of Imperial China’s literature and art. During the Tang dynasty, a Buddhist monk named Xuan Zang journeyed to India in search of religious texts. Over time, his travels were embellished and became Buddhist lore. The story permeates Asian culture and many of its main characters are still household names today, just as Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny are in the US. In the 1590s, Xuan Zang’s travels were recorded into a story entitled Hsi Yu Chi or “Journey to the West”. One of the four best known classics of Chinese literature, Journey to the West is widely known and appreciated to this day for its depth and relevance. Interestingly enough, on a gaming note, Journey to the West is one of two classical Chinese stories translated to a video game, the other being that of San Kuo Chih Yen or “Romance of the Three Kingdoms”. This story has also been translated into the wildly popular Dynasty Warriors series. Koei chose to translate Journey to the West as well, but it sadly didn’t do nearly as well as it’s more successful counterparts.
Anyway, back to Saiyuki – Journey West. Koei took the classic tale of Journey to the West and converted it into an interesting strategy/RPG. The game is a fairly standard strategy game, well-rooted in Buddhist lore. You travel to India as the monk Sanzo, picking up all sorts of companions along the way. Battles are fairly standard, and your characters can also change into were-creatures as well as do normal battle and use spells. Summons are discovered along the way, and you can train at dojos and take jobs in addition to playing through the main game. The music is pretty darn catchy, but the battles themselves can become occasionally tedious, as with any strategy/RPG.
The story is what’s really important to this one, and it has a lot to it. You can’t get much better than classical Chinese literature for my money, lots of spirits, gods, and all sorts of craziness is always going on. It’s really the perfect venue for a video game. I know there’s not a lot of detail on the gameplay itself, but if you’ve played Vandal Hearts or Final Fantasy Tactics or Tactics Ogre or any other decent 3D turn based strategy/RPG, you’re not going to run into anything too shocking here. It’s very standard, just fun and widely ignored for some reason. If the subject matter interests you or you like strategy/RPGs, you owe it to yourself to check out Saiyuki – Journey West if you can find a copy! It’s worth a look!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v251/maxlords/c03192e6.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v251/maxlords/88e596e2.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v251/maxlords/3e3864d0.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v251/maxlords/5e63e3b4.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v251/maxlords/17e5699f.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v251/maxlords/2dbd4194.jpg