Dynasty Warriors 5 Empires

"Storyline?? None. Which makes non-stop destruction all the more fun!!!"

Dynasty Warriors 5: Empires

Concept

Dynasty warriors, a hack and slash game about just that, hacking and slashing. Run around, destroy your enemies and defend yourself. Predictable. The entry of Edited characters is great and the challenges and special battles are also great. Unfortunately, it seems like due to these improvements Koei had to remove all versions of a storyline. Once great characters are now unknown and who knows who is evil and who is good. Good intentions, but still…..
5/10

Graphics

Compared to other xbox 360 games of the same time, it isn't impressive. The comic like clashes when a player gets hit looks average, verging on tacky. But koei has done well, keeping the level of graphics reasonably good, while keeping hundreds of characters on the screen without any lag at all is impressive. And when played on a non-high-definition T.V. (I know, Xbox 360 No High Definition??? Scream!!!) it is almost as good as the competitors.
7/10

Sound

This changes from player to player, but being a guitarist, the ripping solo's and cool riffs enhance the non-stop destruction of the game to it's fullest. Of course, it has it's soft chinese pipe/flute sound in the romantic (cough cough) parts which sound like they could be good with a bit more work. Sound quality overall is great though.
7/10

Storyline

Disappointing compared to previous instalments of the series, relatively no storyline at all. OK we get the fact that there are chinese people trying to dominate each other, and there is a slight gap every now and then so your character can say something impressive like ‘no-one can stop us now' but come on, the main characters from Dynasty Warriors 5 have almost no impact on the Empires version at all. Liu Bei, Zhang Fei and Guan Yu, the three ‘Brothers'. you ask who? Exactly. If someone that hadn't played Dynasty Warriors 5 played Empires then they wouldn't have a clue who they were. A truly sorrowful part of this game.
3/10

Controls

Easy as the previous games. Bash x as much as you can to hit, run around, tap y for a charge move, and hold b for a musou when your in trouble. Guarding is still primitive, and the jumping is to high, too short and hardly effective, but, overall, easy to control. Of course the introduction of the empire screen and the running of it takes a while to get used to but once you get the hang of it it's great.
7/10

Replay Value

Despite the disappointing storyline, there is something about the game which makes it addicting. Edited characters and training them up to the level everyone wants ‘MAX' becomes an obsession, and toying with your enemy and waiting until your provinces are maxed out in all different ways is still fun. Then there is the non-stop violence. Long day, your tired and you just want to beat up someone smaller than you. Pick a Ruler, two generals and three lieutenants and then beat up some chinese people that are trying to do the same thing to you. Amazingly addicting with no way out, don't be surprised if you get no sleep.
9/10

Overall

Graphics- Average
Sound- Average
Storyline- Nil
Concept- Well intended, but…..
Beating up hundreds and hundreds of chinese peasants and wannabe warriors- STILL AS FUN AS IT ALWAYS WAS!!!

Dynasty warriors is a great game, thought for unexplained reasons.

7/10

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 04/13/07