Dynasty Warriors 4: Empires

"All your base are belong to us!"

You are reading a review on one of K.O.E.I.'s hard hitting franchise's known as Dynasty Warriors. Dynasty Warriors is a hack and slash action game that involves controlling a character to slaughter mass amounts of enemies. There really isn't a better feeling then the sense of power that Dynasty Warriors brings to the table. Now Dynasty Warriors 4: Empires is something that has never been done in the DW series before. The Empire mode! Control a character and conquer China by way of strategy instead of mindless killing.

Gameplay

The gameplay in any DW game (excluding DW1 which doesn't count) can be best described as simplistic and easy to learn. Basically you use 2 buttons to attack with, which can be used to do different combos with. In most DW games it's all about power of character with this is mind you can conquer anything. But now Empires has brought something to the table that no other DW before has: strategy. Yes this game takes strategy to beat, and I say it's about damn time. You now have to defeat your enemies by taking over their bases. To do so you have to defeat all the enemies in the surrounding area. After you have claimed all the enemy bases or just the main base of operations you win their territory and can add it to your own. However, if your main base is claimed by the enemy it gets added to their controlled territory. The fact that if your character is defeated also causes you to lose adds an extra level of difficulty to the game.

Character's are still leveled up by scoring points on each stage and you unlock items, upgrade weapons, and have the opportunity to add more generals and lieutenants to your army. The create-a-character mode has been vastly improved since the last DW installment. Now with far more customization and choice range, you can make any type of warrior. Also added to the create-a-character is the ability to choose the weapons of the original characters. Do you like a certain warrior and want to wield what he/she does? Now this is done with the press of a button. However create-a-character mode is still limited compared to other games in this field, you can still find yourself satisfied with its options.

Versus mode returns in DW4: Empires with four options to choose from: Vanquish, Pilfer, Melee, and Endurance.

Vanquish mode is played by defeating as many enemies as you can. You can get items to power yourself up, which is shown by a display gauge that fills up.

In Pilfer mode you have to collect as much treasure as you can before the time runs out. But you have to be wary of the load you carry, because if you carry too much it will slow down your character. Each character has an item capacity so as long as you stay within the limit things will turn out well. After you've collected enough treasure you just have to return it to the merchant and repeat your previous task.

Melee mode is basically the same as Pilfer with some minor differences so sticking to the game plan accomplishes the win.

Lastly the Endurance mode requires you to survive the obstacles set out to destroy you. Victory is determined by the KO count or the last one left alive.

Overall the gameplay is repetitive yet, very fun. This game can be played for hours on end and still leave you with that enjoyment feel.

Overall 8/10

Story

If you are uninformed about the Dynasty Warriors series, then you probably don't know that DW is actually based off actual Chinese history. Historical option in Emperor Mode allows the character of choice to play out the events of the fall of the Han dynasty leading up to the creation of the Jin dynasty. The story it provides is based on the book: Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which was also made into a franchise by K.O.E.I. The story is quite good, and compels your attention. Soon enough you'll have the history of this game memorized in your head.

However for those of you who don't wish to partake in historical portion of the game, you have an option called: Fictional, to create your own fantasy conquering of China. In Fictional mode you can also use your created character as a general in the end being able to establish yourself as supreme ruler of China. Overall, the story whether fictional or historical, is quite enjoyable, but nothing spectacular. So expecting a jaw dropping story would be foolish. However this game does have that action-RPG kind of feel to it.

Overall 7/10

Graphics and Sound

The graphics of DW4: Empires are average at best, but definitely acceptable considering the mass amount of enemies that can be on screen at once. Sometimes choppy and blocky effects are caused, and sometimes enemies will seemingly disappear off the screen. This doesn't hurt the gameplay in any way though, so it is not a problem.

The sound in DW4: Empires or in any DW game for that matter is always great. It has that nice ancient China feel to it. On the battlefield or just on the main menu screen, the music suits the mood perfectly.

Overall 7/10

Playtime and Replayability

Empire mode can be completed by one character in roughly 5 - 20 hours depending on how good a player you are. Since there are roughly over 40 characters your time spent on this game should be enormous.

Replay value in this game is very high. The variety of the characters, weapons, and items will leave the player with plenty of satisfaction. Plus there's the Versus mode which is great to do when you don't feel like conquering an area in Empire mode.

Overall 8/10

Final Recommendation

Should you buy or rent this game? Well this game will target some audiences and drive others away. I suggest renting this game before you buy it and if you enjoy it then it is safe to go out and spend the $30 dollar price for it.

Final Score - 7/10

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 10/21/04