"One of the worst games I've ever played..."

I am a hardcore Romance of the Three Kingdoms fan so I buy almost every game I can. So I decided to buy this one. I thought it would be good but I was wrong.

This game is basically a bootleg version of Kessen 2. Instead of fighting all the time you see 10 second Kessen 2 clips of fighting. Whever you attack an opponent a short video comes out and shows people fighting. That video looks exactly the same as the graphics of Kessen 2.

There aren't much graphics other than those 10 second clips. The overview map is easy to get by and lists some places of historical battles taht do not happen in the game. All the items look the same other than the change of color. And the other graphics part are the character portraits which were well done.

This game contains a low amount of characters who actually say something different other than ''Let he who desires death, face me!'' Most characters have the same lines. About 5 characters on each side (Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Sun Ce) actually have different lines and voice actors. Those characters are in the Full Motion Video's (FMV's) and sometimes have lines when you complete an objective.

KOEI basically holds your hand throughout the game. You are given a specific amount of time to do something. You dont hae ANY freedom. You try to go to any direction that does not correspond with the main objective and you see the fine print at the bottom of the T.V. saying ''This does not concern your objective'' and you cant go past that line.

The sound and music are actually pretty good. The music fits the tune of the battle. For example when doing a tactic the music gets louder and louder until the tactic is over. The voice acting also isn't bad. Other than the generic officers with the generic lines the voice acting is pretty good. They show emotion and they show feeling unlike Dynasty Warriors.

Almost ALL of the tactical combo's look the same. Charge, Pierce, All Charge, Flank and others all look the same. It's as if they used the same video taken from Kessen 2 over and over again.

The game is rather short. It takes about 10-12 hours to beat it. The game does have a good replay value because each side has numerous endings.

The game is non-historical. Hardly anything historical, other than Chi Bi, is in this game. No major historical battles are in this game which is a big downfall since major historical battles are fun and long.

With all of these negative comments I give it a 5 rating.
I suggest that you rent this game.
Maybe you'll like it and maybe you wont.
If you like it then buy it...

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 10/26/02, Updated 10/26/02