Kessen III rides in to retail

Koei today announced that Kessen III has shipped to North American stores. The samurai strategy game is the first in the franchise since 2001's Kessen II. Kessen III is available now for the PlayStation 2.

In Kessen III, gamers play as Oda Nobunaga, a young man who rises to power in Japan. By controlling groups of ninja and samurai, gamers will battle through 13 chapters and 50 stages. The game features two hours of cinematics and a score from famed Japanese film composer Reijiro Koroku.

New features to the series include nonlinear stage selection, the ability to develop soldiers, more than 450 different items, and the ability to switch between warriors.

Kessen III is rated "T" for Teen and sells for $49.99. For more information, march on over to GameSpot's previous coverage.