[some text missing] in. They tell stories of wars that span generations and have sweeping effects on a culture, or use the passage of time to express how important the events of the game have become. They lean on this backdrop to convey a sense of importance to the game, but most of them just tell the player that what's going on is monumental. Very few actually show the player these events, get them involved or otherwise let the presentation set the stage and speak for itself. Genji does this masterfully.

From the opening cinematic you'll realize - all on your own - that what's going on in this version of 13th century Japan is something interesting and will have a wide range of effects. The story and presentation use the location as more than just a place for the game to happen. Part of the immersion is the use of dialogue in Japanese with English subtitles. If you prefer to watch foreign movies in their native language, you'll know why this can be so important.

The countryside, villages and every corner of the world you see is something to behold. It appears enormous when the gravity of the situation is important, and it's down to earth when necessary. The musical selections, particularly the war drums, team up with great visuals to create a mood that drives home the point: this is a country of majesty, with a rich history and uncertain future.

The Heishi clan has taken over, and done so mostly through the use of mystical stones called Amahagane. They possess most of these stones, and warriors can use them to become nearly invincible. Yoshitsune is a young man with ties to the Amahagane, and he'll be your ticket into the struggle against the Heishi.

The game drops you in the middle of a fight with no training - which will come later - but you'll figure out enough to get by the first few scenes. You'll start off with two attacks, a block and a jump button. The response to the controls and corresponding animations are very tight and comfortable immediately. The action is fast, violent and beautiful. Characters interact and react nearly without flaw, with none of the collision issues found in many other games. The movement of your character feels right at home and intuitive, but that doesn't make the battles easy. You can't just wade into a group of enemies, mash buttons and wait for the bodies to drop. You'll have to be careful, set up and contain groups, and act quickly before they overwhelm you with numbers.

As you spill more and more blood (the game is relatively graphic), you'll fill up a meter of power from the Amahagane which can be used to unleash your Kamui power. This slows down time just a bit and causes enemies to attack. If you can hit the dodge/counter button at just the right time, you'll avoid their attack and let loose your own. This is enough to take out most people, and difficult to time just right, so it's much more interesting than just filling up a bar to give yourself a boost.

You'll also come across a fair amount of boss battles, and most of them are very satisfying and fit well within the context of the game. Some, for instance, are just stronger, faster and smarter versions of the Heishi you'll be fighting often in the game. Others are far more powerful. But none of them are too cheap. They aren't just characters with tons of hit points.

You'll be teamed up with a hulking monk named Benkei to help Yoshitsune on his quest and at times you'll be able to choose which character to control. Mostly, it's a simple matter of preference. But there are instances when you'll need one or the other. The change in character control is what it is - not too gimmicky, not too integral to the game. It's just there.

You'll progress the characters with experience gained through the volume of bad guys you put down and through doing so in running strings. There are also items to buy and have made for you that will help a great deal. And you can collect more Amahagane power, increasing your attributes.

The game is played from a fixed camera angle, with movement available between areas in predetermined chunks. A given area might be several pieces deep before loading is necessary, making for a relatively smooth flow of movement. Most of the areas are wonderfully detailed and offer a rich environment for your explorations, though not interactive. They aren't that big, either, and your path throughout the game is relatively limited.

The biggest knock on Genji is that the game is over pretty quickly. It's not over quickly just because it's fun, it's short and doesn't have the satisfaction at the end that it does at the beginning. The story starts off promising, but really doesn't finish with a bang, and the same can be said for character development which remains relatively shallow throughout. For all the foundation set early, there wasn't much built on top of it.

Genji isn't the first game to feature a dangerous young man on a path destined to put him face to face with an evil of mythic proportions, and it won't be the last. The concept is epic in scope: The cinematic scenes, the music and the action combine for a package that is engrossing and extremely impressive. It could have been a little bit longer, and it could have been executed a lot more thoroughly. Even so, Genji is a great ride.