Dynasty Warriors 2

"A look back in Chinese History..."

Dynasty Warriors 2, which was developed by Omega Force and published by Koei, (known as Shin Sangoku Musou in Japan/in the Asian region) is based on Chinese History of the 3 Kingdoms period, but is played like Final Fight, Captain Commando and Double Dragon, except that this game allows you to have bodyguards to accompany you on your journey. This is one of the best and the first games that was ever released on the Playstation 2 system when it made its debut in Europe, Asia and in North America. Soon enough, this game (not Dynasty Warriors, which was on the Playstation One console) soon led to a franchise of other famous DW games on the Sony Playstation 2 (and subsequently, on the Microsoft Xbox) such as Dynasty Warriors 3, 4, XL (Xtreme Legends) and Empires. In fact, the game's engine is now used to create and develop another game called Samurai Warriors (called Sengoku Musou in Japan/in the Asian region), courtesy of Omega Force, which is also published by Koei in Japan/Asia and in the U.S./Canada (Electronic Arts or EA would take care of things in PAL territories, mostly in Europe).

STORY:

The first known turmoil of ancient China began when a rebellion led by Zhang Jiao of the Yellow Rebels has been quelled by imperial and volunteer armies summoned by the Emperor. But, the country was plunged into war once more after Emperor Ling of China has died and a man named Dong Zhuo has successfully seized control of the throne by the use of force. He was ruthless by recruiting his adopted son Lu Bu has his own bodyguard and as the supreme commander of the imperial armies. Han loyalists soon removed him from his throne. No warlord can successfully maintain control of the country and China was divided and soon, the Shu, Wei and Wu Kingdom rose from years of constant combat with their inner rivals and each other to struggle for the eventual reunification of the entire mainland. You can make changes whether you want the Shu, Wei and Wu kingdoms to regain control over the entire Chinese mainland and bring peace for a thousand years.

CONTROLS:

Played like any other fighting game, except that it has some additions. You can snipe down your enemies using a bow and arrow. You can use your musou techniques with the help of a musou bar, when charged by fighting or charged up, can help you unless three types of musous when pressing the Circle button. The three types are Juggling, Normal and Repelling Musou. With those three musous in your use, they should help you get through those hard bosses and those large groups of soldiers who give you a headache. These are the new additions that are not seen in any type of fighting game. You would also have to consider the types of musous that you would use in fighting the baddies and the enemy generals, since each of them would have its advantages and its disadvantages.

AUDIO/VIDEO:

Both audio and video used in this game is very good. Very realistic. The sounds, videos and the sound effects used in here is very impressive. I really like it a lot. But I don't really listen to the audio and the video. I'm just lazy to pay attention. The only thing which is worth paying attention to is with the sound effects, such as bow and arrows clashing with soldiers and with spears clanging to each other. Another thing, the music used here is in memory of ancient Chinese music.

REPLAYABILITY:

Try playing the Shu, Wei and Wu generals all over again to understand more of their stories in the game. You can also try the miscellaneous generals in free mode, like Lu Bu of Dong Zhuo's forces and the Han loyalist Yuan Shao. You will be impressed when you can play the generals from the three kingdoms in free mode to see which is the best plan to use in musou mode. Try playing them in free mode to upgrade and boost up your personal character and reload them in musou mode to breeze through the game. Using a boosted character (general) here would make a big, big difference between life and death.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 12/29/01, Updated 05/27/04