This product is like new. At NexWave Games, like new means:
Additionally, all discs at NexWave Games are carefully inspected and assessed for quality. When discs arrive, we do not accept any that are so badly damaged that they are unlikely to work. We only accept discs with light scratches at most. Discs with scratches are then treated in our professional disc repair machine. By warming the disc and polishing it with soft brushes, these machines can remove a very thin layer from the disc. This removes the layer containing surface scratches and improves the disc’s readability. This ensures the disc works properly, even on consoles with ageing lasers that have difficulty reading games! Great news for the player.
Kessen II for PlayStation 2
Kessen II for PlayStation 2 is a real-time strategy game in which you lead large army units through a fictionalised China. Before battle you inspect commanders, troops and terrain; during combat you issue movement and attack orders and adjust when a flank collapses. Generals differ in units and special powers. Morale, position and attack timing determine whether a smaller army can break a much larger force.
The campaign follows Liu Bei in a romantic story about his abducted beloved Diao Chan and the struggle against Cao Cao. Elaborate scenes tell the conflict between battles; events deliberately diverge from the historical Three Kingdoms tradition. On the battlefield you can zoom in on units and deploy powerful tactics including tornadoes, lightning, earthquakes and meteors. Naval battles restrict movement and demand different choices from open land.
Kessen II is a single-player game controlled with the regular DualShock 2. Campaign and unlocked progress are stored locally on a PlayStation 2 memory card; there are no online functions. This product page describes the original European PS2 disc. It is not an expansion for the first Kessen and contains no Kessen III systems. Cinematic scenes and magical attacks belong to this standalone, highly fictionalised version of the story.
Region and language
Our PlayStation 2 games are PAL editions and come with a Dutch or English box, unless stated otherwise. By default, you receive the version for the European market. We note it in the product details if the region is different or the box is in another language. In almost all cases, the game is playable at least in English, and often in the other five common European languages too.
Manual
Kessen II for PlayStation 2 includes the manual unless the product title states otherwise. If the booklet is missing, the title says “No Manual”. This lets you see before ordering whether the game comes with a manual.
The manuals included with our games usually contain at least English and often around six European languages. The exact languages vary by edition, so Dutch is not always included. The booklet explains the controls and the main rules. You can use it to check how to control the game, which actions are available and how its different features work.
The history of Kessen II
Koei developed Kessen II and released it for PlayStation 2 in 2001; THQ handled European distribution. Although the title suggests a sequel, the game does not continue Kessen directly. The first release revolved around Japanese battles, while Kessen II uses figures from Romance of the Three Kingdoms for a new, imaginative story.
The design combined cinematic scenes with controllable mass battles. The player issued orders to officers and units but could also move the camera closer to the action. Supernatural tactics such as lightning and meteors made the conflict markedly less historical than Koei's traditional strategy series. The love plot around Liu Bei and Diao Chan gave the consecutive battles a melodramatic thread.
Kessen II kept a prebuilt solo campaign rather than free world conquest or direct hack-and-slash combat. Kessen III later returned to Japan and let the player control an officer more directly. The second entry therefore stands apart: Chinese armies, a heavily rewritten story, magic and naval battles within a real-time command structure focused on morale and timing. The fixed order keeps cinematic scenes and battles closely connected and gives every victory a clear place in Liu Bei's journey.
Similar games for PlayStation 2
Kessen uses the same combination of cinematic scenes and real-time army commands but centres Japanese battles around Sekigahara. Kessen II moves to the Three Kingdoms and adds a romantic, supernatural storyline with magical attacks. The first game is more historical; the second freer and more spectacular.
Kessen III returns to Japan and lets the player control an officer more directly during combat alongside the command layer. Kessen II keeps more distance and directs army units through Chinese battlefields and naval battles. III mixes more action into strategy; II emphasises morale, formations and powerful tactics.
Dynasty Warriors 2 also uses the Three Kingdoms but directly sends one officer through large groups of soldiers. Kessen II controls complete units and uses commands and magical attacks. Dynasty Warriors is a fast action game with battlefield objectives; Kessen II a cinematic strategy campaign where positioning matters more than combos.
Dynasty Warriors 3 supports one or two controlled officers in local hack-and-slash battles. Kessen II remains single-player and controls several army units. Both rewrite familiar Three Kingdoms figures, but DW3 develops characters and weapons while Kessen II centres morale, orders and story choices around large battles.
Romance of the Three Kingdoms VIII simulates years of government, diplomacy, relationships and war on a strategic map. Kessen II chooses a fixed cinematic campaign and focuses on a series of real-time battles. Romance offers much more administrative freedom; Kessen II is more direct, shorter and markedly supernatural in its battle tactics.
