Genji: Dawn of the Samurai does not disappoint visually. Simply saying the game is beautiful is an understatement, as the game looks incredible, especially in motion. Backgrounds take the pre-rendered route with a few animations thrown in to give them life. The level of detail depth found throughout each level is simply amazing and there are many times where you'll find yourself pushing the right analog stick in hopes of swinging the camera around the corner of a building to see what's there. The real show comes from your characters’ on-screen moves. Whether you’re darting around the screen as Yoshitsune or smashing through all comers as Benkei, the action is always fluid with barely a hiccup in frame rate or stutter in animation.

Sound is equally impressive. Music has the expected eastern flair while the sound effects have the appropriate impact. Heavy clubs smashing into things sound heavy and light swords slash with a nice "sing" as you slash through hordes of enemies. It should also be noted that the game retains all of the original Japanese voice tracks (with English subtitles) rather than English re-dubs. While it may annoy a few gamers, it should make the purists exceedingly happy and it helps to give the game a stronger presence -- even if you haven't a clue as to what is being said.

Genji: Dawn of the Samurai is an action gamer's game and calls to mind the likes of Onimusha or the staff favorite, God of War. The game's tempo is exceedingly fast, so there's always some kind of action going on, but at the same time the experience goes by a little too quickly, so it's over before you even know it.

You play the role of two characters, Yoshitsune, a nimble swordsman, and Benkei, a brutish warrior-monk. Years ago, Yoshitsune's clan was involved in a war with a rival clan, the Heishi. The Heishi eventually won the war through the use of magical stones called Amahagane which bestow their owners with magical powers. The aftermath found Yoshitsune as the last remaining member of his clan, so, like any good samurai, he and Benkei set out to collect their own Amahagane and avenge Yoshitsune's fallen clan.

Aside from the action, Genji also features some light RPG elements, as well as some slight gameplay variations depending on which of the two characters you're playing as. Both characters gain experience points for defeating enemies which are then spent on leveling up. There is also some basic inventory management, as well as the option of switching out armor and weapons. The gameplay differences between the two characters are subtle and are really just different ways of approaching a problem. As the more agile of the two, Yoshitsune is prone to climbing and jumping over tall gates while Benkei will simply knock them down.

As you would probably expect, nearly all of Genji: Dawn of the Samurai's challenge level hinges on how quickly you master the Kamui technique. Those blessed with amazing hand-eye coordination will probably have the system mastered within a few hours while slower players will take a little longer. Once you have the system down pat, there's really not much stopping you from slicing through the game in matter of hours (or a weekend if you're on the slower end of the skill level).

Genji: Dawn of the Samurai is as pure an action game as you can expect to find. The controls are very fluid and lend themselves to the on-screen action nicely. At any given time, you could be facing five or more enemies, so it's nice to be able to slice through them quickly with little fuss.

Amahagane powers form the core of Genji's gameplay, which are sort of a bullet-time effect. After filling up your Kamui, or mind's eye, meter, you can then enter Kamui mode, causing the action to slow down. Once in this mode, button presses will appear in a system that isn't that far removed from God of War's context sensitive kill moves. Pressing the buttons in time with what appears on screen will deliver devastating blows to enemies. These moves not only let you slay normal enemies with relative ease, but are key in taking down many of the game's bosses. As with all good things, there's a catch; hitting the button too soon or too late breaks the chain, reverting you back to normal attacks and causing your character to take extra damage.

As great as Kamui moves are, they have a negative effect on the flow of gameplay. Genji isn't exactly a long game to begin with and the frequent use of Kamui mode shortens it even more. Granted, it's one hell of an experience while you're playing -- but once you're done, there's very little to go back to. The addition of two playable characters adds a little replay value, though not much. Genji is a great experience while it lasts, but is an experience best left as a rental.