This week Rise of the Kasai was released exclusively for the PS2. It's the sequel to the The Mark of Kri. This game stands out from other games by offering a very different fighting system. The story bridges the time period between the two games.The four new playable characters includes a female character which makes this game close to perfect.

- Sound quality : Great
- Graphics quality : Excellent
- Storyline : Good
- Fun factor : Great
- Learning curve : Pretty Quick
- Game longevity : Online and Multiplayer

- Story/background/summary : Rise of the Kasai is the sequel to the The Mark of Kri. This epic journey begins with events that took place 10 years prior to beginning of The Mark of Kri, and then the following decade. The Kri mark is a tattoo that figures importantly into the story.
- Game Type : Third person action adventure.
- Developed/published by : Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. and BottleRocket Entertainment Inc.
- Your history with the game or similar types of games : I played the heck out of the first installment of this franchise and I expect to do the same with Rise of the Kasai.

One of the best things about this game is the beautiful asian inspired watercolor painted in-game movies. The artwork has breathtaking environments similar to the first installment. Kuzo, the raven who is Rau's spirit guide, has returned. As well as throughly newly designed gorgeous watercolor style paintings and animated in-game movies.

Rau, the warrior from the Mark of Kri returns with his tattoo marked sister, Tati, who is a 20-year-old rebel. The other playable characters are Baumusu who was Rau's trainer, and Griz, the eldest of their clan.

Rise of the Kasai has a single-player AI-assisted cooperative setting. This unique gameplay pairs the gamer with another warrior and teamwork is essential to sneak, plan and fight. In each of the fighting stages, gamers will select one of the two characters available for the level (Rau or Tati, Baumusu or Griz) and the other becomes the players' computer-controlled buddy.

Using the right analog stick, you lock onto opponents and attack. Or stealthily dispatch them. The levels can be replayed as another character which gives a lot of flexibility and different points of view. Level maps are helpful.

This game is lots of fun. It gets the adrenaline pumping when you are trying to sneak up on enemies. It is pretty bloody and violent in a way that is similar to Bloodrayne. It has several things going for it. The excellent artwork is foremost. It has unique features so it isn't just another stale title. Having the power animal aspect is interesting and it adds to the game. I like playing as Tati. On the downside the special moves trigger mini cutscenes that you cannot back out of. Also again as in the first installment you can get your weapons stuck in the walls. There are places in the environment that are not fully interactive and there are some invisible walls. Both games were rather linear. On a scale of one to ten I'd give it a nine.
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