Dynasty Warriors 5

"Shallow's unbiased and fair review!"

It's the turn of the 2nd century. Three different kingdoms will fight each other to rule the land of China....for the fifth time. Yes, I know that the series seems to be getting somewhat redundant to some, but it still does a good job of keeping JUST enough new things to keep you playing.

Graphics: The graphics are just the same as they have been in both DW3 and 4. However, this is not a bad thing. The graphics have always been quite smooth. However, in it's predecessors, there was horrible plagues such as fog and slowdown. However, these things are hardly existent in this game. The fog has been pretty much eliminated, and now, you can see WAY ahead of yourself instead of just several yards away. This really helps you get a better idea on how many enemies and allies are really around you. They've also changed it so that enemies don't disappear AS MUCH when there are huge numbers of them around. This is also a good thing. But as I mentioned before, the best thing is the near-elimination of the slowdown. I've only had it happen to me very few times, and that was when there were a TON of enemies on the screen. Kudos to Koei for getting it nearly perfect! OVERALL: The graphics are pretty much the same as they were in the past, but now the fog is gone and slowdown is hardly noticed.

Storyline: It's the same exact thing that it has been from the the past Dynasty Warrior games. Basically, this game tells the tale of China's Three Kingdom era, and how these 3 kingdoms fought each other in order to take over and unify the land. What's different in this version is that each character in the game has their own little story to tell. Also, the game tends to keep true(er) to the storyline. Rarely will you see characters taking part in battles that they in fact never took part in in actual history. This really helps those new to the series (and even veterans) understand the story better. OVERALL: Basically the same as before, but the game actually sticks the story for the most part. It's getting kind of old, but Koei added in a bit more storyline than told before, so it should be just enough to keep interest.

Sound: DW5 has really taken a step back in this department....sort of. In DW3, there was a strong variety of Rock with a hint of Chinese music. This sorta reversed in DW4, where it seemed like the game composed of Chinese music with a hint of Rock music. DW5 takes the path that DW3 did by going with namely Rock. Upon hearing this, I was really excited seeing as how DW3 has some of the absolute BEST music in the whole series (especially the Nanman theme!). However, I was disappointed that the music wasn't as good as that in DW3. Don't get me wrong, the music in DW5 is good, but nowhere as memorable as in DW3. OVERALL: Good, and reminiscent of the Rock music in DW3, though not as memorable.

Gameplay: This is where the game REALLY shines! However, if you've played the other Dynasty Warriors', then there will be very little that will blow your mind. To those new, the game is set in various battlefields where two forces fight it out. Each side has a Grand Commander who leads their side, and they also have generals that fight alongside them and THEY have sub-generals that fight under them. Most of the battlefield is controlled by Morale. In this game, Morale basically covers off-screen fighting. If a general whose army only has 3 stars of morale goes against a general who has the maximum morale (8 stars), and the two fight off screen, the 8 morale general will wipe the floor with the 3 star general. However, ON SCREEN...morale is obsolete. It all sounds a bit complicated, but it's really not. You can collect power ups that are dropped from enemy generals that permanently increase your stats...adding somewhat of an RPG-ish style to this game. You can also pick up items that either give you special abilities or increase your stats even further. ALSO, you can pick up weapons that come with stat increases of their own! The absolute best part of this game is it's replay value. This game has got to have the absolute most replay value of any game out there. Why? Because it has 6 new characters for a grand total of 48 Dynasty Warriors! Imagine: 48 people to fight with, master, and max out their stats. It'll take you ages! OVERALL: With 6 new characters, mastering every character will take you ages to do. So even if you've played the other DW games and are used to it, playing with all the characters all over again will keep you busy for QUITE some time.

Summary: This game, although it has a lot of the same qualities of the last 2, still has some kick left in it. They've added just enough new things to keep you interested, such as bases, 9 hit evolution weapons, musou rage, etc. Also, the movesets have changed for the characters, so that should invigorate you to play as all the characters. If you are completely new to the series, there isn't a better time to start. If you're a huge DW fan, get this now! If you are only a casual player and have mastered either of the previous ones, you may want to test it out by renting/borrowing it first. But regardless of who you are, if you are looking for something to keep you busy for a LONG time, get this!

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 04/04/05