Dynasty Warriors 3: Xtreme Legends

"This game is good... If you have DW3."

Hey its my first review so don't judge me too harshly ok? :D

-New from Koei is Dynasty Warriors 3- Xtreme Legends. It keeps all of the elements of DW3, and adds a whole boatload of extras. New Musou Modes, tweaked level designs, 15 new items,all new 5th Level Weapons, more customizable bodyguards, Combo Evaluation System, alternate outfits, and Novice and VERY HARD difficulties! (With emphasis on the VERY HARD part.)

**Sound** 7/10

Well, sound is good, all of the music is from DW3, and some have a hint of ''remix'' in them. The BGM is usually clear during battle, and it is continuous until an event would change the music. Battle field sounds are acceptable, with the moans and screams of your opponents somewhat realistic. The sounds are repetitive, but you shouldn't mind them.

**Graphics** 8/10

The graphics are smooth, and superb during FMV cut scenes. The only thing hindering the score from a 10 is cut-ins. Koei has had some problems with this issue in past Dynasty Warrior games. A characters weapon will go through anything in the scenery, including other officers, and they will show no reaction to it. The only really bad instance in cut-ins are during in game cut scenes, where they are most noticeable.

**Game Play** 8/10

The game play is very solid, and controlling your character is a breeze. The simple one button attacks make for an easy learning curve. Even combo attacks are very easy to pull off. Unlike any other 3rd person game I have seen, there are actually troops to help you in battle, although they usually don't accomplish much, they do help in some ways. The levels are generally massive, with 90 minute time limits and 30 minute time limits. This came can easily be called a ''pick up and play'' title.

**Replay Value** 10/10

This is where this game really shines, the replay value. Dynasty Warriors 2 & 3 have had an insanely high replay values just because they are usually so deep. With the massive amounts of characters available (42 I believe, and see bottom), this game takes a long time to finish 100%. With now more then 35 different items and 168 weapons to unlock (not to mention bodyguard items and weapons) this game is huge.

**Overall** 8/10

This is a solid game, but if you don't have Dynasty Warriors 3 save data, or the disk itself, you might want to skip this and wait for Dynasty Warriors 4 (release is slated for March). If you do have the DW3 disk and save data on a memory card, I would strongly suggest you buy this game. It is only $35 at the most, so it shouldn't rob you high and dry. I have encountered a few fatal bugs in the game though, but that might just be my copy, and everything else just runs smooth. Without DW3 data, the game is very limited with only a few characters in Free Mode and Musou Mode

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 01/18/03, Updated 01/18/03