Romance of the Three Kingdoms VI: Awakening of the Dragon

"Awakening Of The Dragon......"

Romance of the three kingdoms VI is the sixth instalment of Koei`s highly popular Romance of the Three Kingdoms series. It is basically a historical simulation game where you take the place of a chinese noble in a time of great chaos in ancient china.Like its previous instalments,you can choose to create your character who will be the ruler and other characters who will serve the character you created as either ministers,warriors,advisers,generals,strategists,
retainers etc.This time you can actually choose the personality of the character you wish to make.Just remember that characters whose personalities are the same work better together than with characters with different personalities which is an important fact when you are developing your cities.And unlike ROTK4 where you simply can move to an unoccupied city with ease,you must now do so with force as the city peasants will fight any intruder who wishes to occupy their city.Likewise,you also do not need an army or officer to look after a city as once occupied which frees them up for other assignments but beware for your citizens may choose to move out of your cities to cities with officers and an army in the city.Thus giving you an increased reduction of tax income and grain supplies which have been made an important necessity in this game.It took me some time to get a hang of the controls but i did and thus began a modest exploration of what the game has to offer.The War system has been changed to reflect the game`s turn-based system so you`ll need to wait a turn before you can actually attack a city.Also know that in this game,The Shanyue and other barbarian clans have an eye on the throne of China and will not hesitate to attack a weak city to achieve their gains.The battle system as well as the Duel system has been given more options to make the fight more realistic and authentic to those held in China a long time ago.This game is definitely one of the most impressive simulation games in the market today.

A valuable chance to learn/practice resource management of people,goods and money for economic prosperity and military superiority in a non-threatening,yet challenging environment.New battle unit types change the way battles are fought and won.Make better use of these units and rewrite history.New duel based strategies give players more control over the action.Almost 6OO characters with which to interact;listen to them carefully,it may mean the the difference between life and death.Support the Emperor and command the lands-give officials royal titles.Etch your name in history.The new Chronological Records system tracks player progress and events and then compares them to what actually happened historically.Over 1OO types of historical event sequences;sequences are not merely reenactments,but dramatic events that change based on input from players.New System lets the player join the nobility,the first step in a long quest to become emperor.By becoming a member of the noble class,rulers gain influence and can promote their own officers to higher status than ever before.Seven new short scenarios offer simplified play,in addition to the seven full-length historically accurate scenarios fans have come to expect.26 engaging soundtracks breath life into the tale;composed and arranged by Kouji Tsuno.

Playability
Players of the previous instalments of Koei`s Romance of The Three Kingdoms series may find that the controls are a little hard to master as the concept of the game has been changed quite dramatically.This time,you have to ascend up the ranks of the nobility and from there gain the respect of the peasants as well as the authority to bestow rank upon your officers which increases their loyalty and military strength for with each high rank you offer your officers,the more troops they can command.And instead of the usual military units,they can now command more specialized units which are more effective than ordinary soldiers in certain situations.This is definitely a top notch game.

Replay
As with every Romance of The Three Kingdoms game,you can choose to create a different character or simply select one of the many rulers available in the game as well as their starting scenarios which will progress till your forces are annihilated or you unify all of China and proclaim yourself The Son Of Heaven.And do know that each ruler in the game has different key events which will be unlocked as you progress through the game.Some will be to your character`s advantage but often to his or her misfortune.Its worth it to play this game many times just to see what it has to offer.

Graphics
There is not much to be said about the graphics quality of Romance of The Three Kingdoms VI only that there are some vast improvements in contrast and colors which give the game an atmosphere and mood that was sadly lacking in the previous instalments.There is also the constant focus on detail and texture.However,after playing for a while,you may find yourself developing a bad headache due to the fact that the game`s effects and colors are just too ordinary.I recommend you take a break for once your vision starts spinning,be prepared for a night of migraine headache.

Sound
The sound is quite refreshing to the Romance of the Three Kingdoms Series only that some music soundtrack though quite well done can make you quite sick if heard for many time.Try having 5 messengers visit you consecutively.I simply went to options and switched the messenger screen option off.The battle and duel music are different as they instill emotions and the atmosphere.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 04/05/00, Updated 04/05/00