Dynasty Warriors 4: Empires

"The first game of the series that actually makes you feel like part of an army"

Dynasty Warriors is one of those games that you will either love or find boring from the very beginning. Sure enough, the idea of smacking group after group of enemies with pointy sticks won't appeal to everybody, but that's been the case since Dynasty Warriors 2 first arrived on the PS2 as a debut title; and if you enjoyed previous games, then Empire's is one of the best versions to get.

It follows the standard DW formula, big army meets another big army, generals from both armies hit each other with sticks until one of their leaders die. Simple, and yet it makes for a very addictive playing experience. The feeling of being an unrivalled warrior worth a thousand men is very gripping.

For those who don't already know, the DW series is based on the classics Chinese tale 'San Guo Yan Yi' or 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms', and this re-creates (quite faithfully in fact) many of the greatest battles in this epic. They show you the struggle of unifying ancient china, and the larger than life characters who took part in doing this.

DW: Empires breaks from the mould slightly by focusing more on the possibilities of what could have happened, rather than what is known to have. It gives you control over how China is unified, by way of a risk-style map; and how you take control is up to you. While this might make some think that DW has become a fighting/strategy game, this isn't really the case. The options you have between battles are fairly limited, and provide you with multiple choices, rather than letting you make your own. Yet in my opinion this doesn't detract from the gameplay, its a nice addition to be able to decide what direction to move your empire in; and while not the deepest of features, its a nice enhancement. You may also capture enemy officers and intergrate them into your army, allowing you to create your ideal roster of warriors for your empire.

New features also include an expanded VS mode and an archive of character bios and artwork. Its your typical extra's kind of deal, but it does provide some background information on the characters that will appeal to those interested in the actual story.

But for all its little tweaks here and there, many thinking about buying this game would probably be thinking 'but it sounds like pretty much the same game as before'. And you'd be right, but also very wrong.

In the previous games, I always felt like the only one in the battle actually trying to fight, and it made for a very lonely type of game. Only so much fun can be had fighting in historical battles, where everyone else just stands around and does more or less nothing. In Empires, you now feel like a part of something greater when in battle, largely due to the new stronghold feature. These 'strongholds' provide reinforcements and health items when captured, and at the same time limit the enemies ability to expand (think battlefield 1942), this adds a more tempered pace to the battles, it being nearly impossible now to just charge for the enemy commander and beat him to death within the first 2 minutes. While this adds a fun new twist by itself, its made even better by the AI who now actively participate in the capturing and defending of these strongholds.

It's a joy to finally be able to capture a stronghold and have one of your comrades charge past on a horse shouting 'defend this area, Im going ahead!' and actually have them do it. In no other DW warriors game would you have one of your generic liutenants make a bold charge into the enemy and take out a general in combat, nor will you find a sobordinate following you to keep watch over a newly conquered position. Now, you finally feel that when you leave an area guarded by an AI officer, its in good hands. While this may seem a trivial point, it has given the series new life in my opinion. It is definately more enjoyable. The only dissapointment is that there is no 2 player co-operative option in the main Empires mode, which would have made this game even better. But while the lack of 2nd player is a shame, it does feel like the AI is with you for the ride, not just there to watch.

So to sum up

Graphics - 8: It's your standard DW graphics, nothing has really changed since the original DW4, you still have a constant 'fog' and not much draw distance but its certainly not offensive to look at.

Sound - 8: While providing a little historical touch with authentic chinese instruments, for the most part you'll be hearing squealing guitars and fast-paced riffs, designed to get you in the mood to open up a can on the enemy, rather than make you feel like you're in ancient china. In this regard it works, but don't be expecting to get the full, authentic ancient chinese feel.

The voice acting isn't a major part of the game, it never has been. Nevertheless there is more dialogue in this game than previously; mostly in the form of 'cover my flank' or 'let's charge ahead and crush them' etc. The quality of the voice acting isn't amazing, but it does the job well enough.

Gameplay - 9: Here is where it counts, and while little has changed with regards to the actual DW formula, the new feel of the AI working with you is reason enough to at least try this game out. The strategic elements are not going to rack your brains by any means, and are very watered down; but it still provides a new approach to the game which is good.

Controls - 8: Same as ever, quick attacks, charge attacks, musou attacks, its all here and hasn't changed since DW4.

Overall - 8: Those not interested in DW style gameplay will most likely not be converted by Empires; and players hoping for something entirely fresh will also be dissapointed. But those who have played through the many, many DW games and wished that the armies they commanded felt more like a proper army, and that the AI now had a good level of participation, are likely to be very pleased.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 09/23/04