Romance of the Three Kingdoms VIII

"By Far The Best Installment To The "Romance" Series"

Introduction- Starting out on the systems of the days of old, Koei's "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" series has grown into a mighty gaming empire, with releases under such titles as Dynasty Warriors and Romance of the Three Kingdoms (of course). Even on today's latest improvements and additions, one Romance of the Three Kingdoms stood out above all of the rest. That game is Romance of the Three Kingdoms VIII.

Graphics- Nothing too spectacular here. But, then again, the graphics have never been a big area on the series and don't make or break the game. This installment features two-dimensional graphics in all areas of the game. Still, the graphics aren't horrible. You still get a pretty nice view of the city and battles, and a lot of the items look good. Officer portraits are highly detailed and differ greatly between portraits. Plus, you still receive a fine choice of portraits for your own created characters. The only thing that had brought this area down is the fact that every single city looks exactly alike (the only difference being the backdrop of the cities[mountains, fields, forests, etc] and size of the city council)! I wasn't too bothered by this, however. It doesn't change the fact that this game is near-godlike.

Sound- I liked it. On this game, as with almost every other Romance of the Three Kingdoms release, music plays at any and all times. The songs played differ from territory to territory, ranging from singing in the North to tribal music in the far South. There isn't much to commend here, since sound isn't too big of an area of a game as others.

Gameplay- This section blows my freakin' mind. I was busily playing this game almost every single day of the week. Anyways, about it. In this installment, you can play as an officer of any rank, from a free officer, a comrade or commander of a travelling band, a mere vassal, a city prefect, a regional viceroy, and even on to an almighty Liege. This freedom is what shone out from it's predecesors. As an officer or Liege, your ultimate goal is to conquer all of China and become Emperor of a new dynasty. This is done through annexation, conquest, coalition and alliances. With about fifty cities to overrun and some stiff resistance, each time you play will take a pretty good amount of time to complete. On your quest for China, you can acquire items to improve your abilities and skills, swear an oath of brotherhood with other officers, and even get married. You can go down a path or righteousness, or down a path of villainy. Everything that you do in the game will be responded to by your fellow officers and city folk alike. Whether you choose to join or start your own army, or even to become a band of comrades destined for might, there is always something to do.

Multi-Player- Another grand section of this installment. Whether you realize it instantly or not, this game is multi-player. Using the combination to allow yourself to play as more than one officer allows for multi-player. Since the other officers can be controlled by either controller, you and a friend can connect and enjoy the game at the same time. This often expands your field of play, since you will be faced with a more challenging officer that usually will outshine the all-too-often weak AI of this game. Or, you may join together in the same army, and aim to take China all for yourselves. Either way, the multi-player capability of this game will double the amount of fun you have while playing it.

Scores

Graphics: 9

Sound: 10

Gameplay: 10

Multi-Player: 10

Overall: 10

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 05/30/06