Romance of the Three Kingdoms VII

"This game is a must buy for strategy fans!"

Romance of the Three Kingdoms VII is a turn-based strategy game and is based in China and it takes place after the fall of the Han Dynasty. During that period, a huge number of states fought each other to gain control of their land. You can control any of the game's 600+ characters who lived during that period and your goal is to unite China under the ruler or 'Liege' your serving unless you’re the ruler yourself.
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Graphics: 7
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The graphics in this game aren't complex and the closest you'll come to see 3-D graphics in this game is during the intro so don't expect any flashy battle scenes. This isn't like Dynasty Warriors where you fight in 3-D battlefields with thousands of soldiers in it. This is a game in which the driving forces are numerical stats and menu selections. Remember this is a strategy game and graphics are only secondary when compared to gameplay. Koei should have put more effort into this department and should have used the full power of the Play Station 2's graphic processor. The portraits of the characters look decent enough.
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Audio: 8
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The audio consists of old style Chinese music that certainly isn't bad but I find it a little too repetitive. I'd have liked more tracks than these. Nothing too ground breaking really though the music really fits the atmosphere of the game and it's really relaxing.
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Gameplay: 10(I would have given it an 11 if I could)
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This is the part of the game which shines the most. You can play as any of the five classes of characters. They are Ronin, officer, Prefect, Warlord and the 'Liege' or ruler himself. Each class gives a completely different type of gameplay. All your commands and orders are given through a menu. Each class has it's own unique commands and abilities. If your the Liege, you have a special ruler command through which you can raise wages of an officer, give them a higher rank or appoint a Ronin etc. If you’re a Prefect, then you are bound to your city and cannot give commands to other cities. A Ronin is an officer who has no ruler above him. An officer is your regular worker. A Prefect is the governor of a city. A Warlord is the adviser to the King and Liege is the ruler (You should know that by now). There are 10 scenarios to choose from and they all range from the year 120 to 275+ AD and there are over 50 cities to govern and control. You can also create your own officers though that's not necessary because there will be over 600+ characters waiting for you to select them.
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Controls: 10
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As this is a strategy game and not some action game in which you have to press the right combination of buttons at the right time, the controls really don't matter that much even if it takes time getting used to at first seemingly because you can take your time and find out which button does what. After an hour or so though, the controls will eventually become second nature.
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Replay Value: 10
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This game offers nearly an unlimited amount of strategic gameplay. Every time you repeat a stage, your ending won't be the same as the AI always does something new even if you load up a saved game. Sometimes one ruler may conquer a city while another time he gets defeated while trying to conquer that city. Thus the same levels can be played again and again till the DVD burns raw.
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Buy or rent?
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Romance of the Three Kingdoms VII is a definite buy for those strategy buffs and anyone who thinks he or she has patience. If your looking for an RTS, then steer away. Anyone who has played the previous installments of the series should definitely check this game out.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/07/04