You know, I’m not entirely sure that Way of the Samurai 4 [official site] is the most authentic> historical game. Not sure what makes me think that. Possibly the British ambassador to Japan being a tiny girl in a Lolita dress. Maybe the stock dialogue option “I’m allowed to kill you if I want to.” At a pinch, maybe the fact that the British Royal Marine Commander’s name is “Melinda Megamelons”. No, no, it’s probably nothing. I’m sure you could use it for homework and walk off with an A.

But as well as being educational, it’s the ideal candidate for an RPG cultural exchange – a pot of great ideas and potential cool things just sitting there for Western games to both play with and pilfer, and a refreshing change from the sprawling norm. If you don’t mind your eyes sometimes rolling so hard that you get a quick peek inside your own skull. Ouch, that gets painful after a bit.

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I hear that Way of the Samurai 4 [official site] is an odd game, the sort that is wobbly in places but still wins some people over simply because it’s not quite like anything else out there. Set in a fictional Japanese port town, it focuses on the conflict between pro- and anti-government forces, and the pesky foreigners (us lot) who are stationed in the settlement. As a customised samurai, you’ll be able to involve yourself in all of that rigmarole, or muck about in the minigames on offer. And then you can do it all again, dealing with the consequences of your previous life.

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