Dynasty Warriors 2

"Cory's Dynasty Warriors 2 Review"

Dynasty Warriors 2 is the first of the series to be put on the PlayStation 2. This is a hack and slash action adventure that follows the Romance of the Three Kindoms story. This game is made by KOEI and ties into the franchise of Kessen using the same characters in both games.

Gameplay 9/10
In Dynasty Warriors 2 you will mainly be hacking and slashing through your enemies with the square button. The X button will allow you to jump, the triangle will allow you to do a special attack that is more powerful than your normal attack and with the circle button you can use your musou special attack. You will be able to do more moves if you press a combination of the triangle and X button. The musou attack is very powerful and can take out many enemies at a time but you can only use it when the musou bar is full. The bar will fill as you hit and kill enemies or if you are low on life then it will fill by itself. All together there are probably about twenty different moves that each have their own time and place to use. All the controls are very responsive and the lay out is works very well. The L1 button will be your block button, R1 will be your aim button for when you want to use your bow, and the R2 and L2 buttons will toggle the life bars and map. You will have the opportunity to be able to use horses while in battle. You will do this by simply using that jump button beside a horse. While on a horse you can move faster and deal lots of damage to low class enemies while the high class enemies are probably easier in melee combat. Controlling the horse is not as flawless as on the ground and it is a little sluggish. Picking up items in the game will raise your life; raise your stats temporarily or permanently. There are twenty-six items in all to gather. The playable characters you can select are divided up into three different kingdoms and in each kingdom there are about nine characters to choose from if you have them all unlocked. Depending on what kingdom you choose from will depend on what storyline you will be playing on. When you complete a level you will be rewarded points on how fast you beat the level, how many generals you killed, and how many enemies you killed. With the items you picked up during battle and the points you receive you will be able to increase your life, attack and defense. A nice part about the game is that you can have body guards that follow you around to help you out. They will upgrade the same you do and become helpful in some situations. All in all there is a massive about of playable characters, the control is great, lots of extra features, and many items to pick up.

Story 6/10
In Dynasty Warriors 2 the story doesn’t follow one particular person but it does follow the certain kingdoms. The game takes place in the second century A.D., China where it is constantly in a three way battle for more land. The kings and generals will try strategic moves on each other. The story is mostly about politics and war so it is not very deep or good. There is a background story on most of the characters on what they did in the past, who they knew, if they used to serve under a different kingdom, which is all very interesting. The story may appeal to some people and not others but the game definitely thrives on the gameplay.

Graphics 8/10
In Dynasty Warriors 2 the graphics are very detailed and look smooth but the draw distance is short. Looking into the distance is foggy and when you are in a foggy area sometimes your line of sight is very short. You will only be able to see about thirty units on the screen at a time probably to keep the frame rate high but being able to see past what is in front of you would make it easier to judge if attacking a certain group of enemies is a good or bad decision. Overall the graphics are nice and the problems can be overlooked.

Sound 6/10
In Dynasty Warriors 2 the sounds aren’t anything to write home about. Attacking just makes a sound, not exactly a sound of hitting or killing something but just a sound. This takes me to a side note that they probably have no blood or realistic dying sounds to keep the game rated teen and be bought by younger age groups. The sounds suit the game but aren’t very realistic and I like the sound of the horse galloping, that is about it.

Music 9/10
In Dynasty Warriors 2 the music sounds like what rock and roll would sound like in the second century China. Surprisingly I like it and it suits the game very well. I can’t see it getting annoying and it feels like it gives the game a faster pace that makes it more exciting.

Play Time/Replayability 9/10
Dynasty Warriors 2 will only take a few hours to beat. Something that you could do in an afternoon but the game has an amazing about of replay value. You will be able to unlock about twenty characters, upgrade your characters to be the best, and a few difficulty settings to play with. The game might get a little repetitive after a while but it is something you will always be coming back to time and time again.

Final Recommendation
I would recommend this game to anyone who is a fan of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Kessen, or a hack and slash games that ar based around ancient China. Like all games, if you are unsure that you want it then a rental would be a safe bet so you don’t waste you money on it.

I Wish
Nothing much to wish for except for you character to be able to wield different weapons but many of the the characters are know for the weapon that they use like Dain Wei is know for his axe and Zhao Yun is known for his long spear so this wouldn’t be possible unless it was just a different looking axe or spear. I also wish that you could be able to see more enemies in battle behind the ones you are fighting because this makes the game look bad but if you think about realism and I were fighting I wouldn’t be able to see much past a few people because the ones in front would be blocking my view. This probably isn’t the real reason why it is like this but it makes since though doesn’t work well for a game.

Average Score 7.8/10
Cory's Score 8/10

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 02/20/03, Updated 02/20/03