Dynasty Warriors Vol. 2

"Nothing short of a true sequel."

I was extremely impressed with what Koei did after just one installment in the portable series. This game improves over Volume 1 so much that it would be a sin for fans of the series not to buy it. To sum it up, it is like a mini version of Dynasty Warriors 5, only better! Anyway, on to the review.

Gameplay:
Hack-and-slash has never been so much fun. This game takes the genre and makes it so you have some strategy in, along with addictive action packed gameplay. Sadly, the same old fighting formula gets a little stale after playing a lot. But not enough to hurt the replayability. As for the battles themselves, basically, they take place over the course of a map. You move from one space to another capturing areas that are vital to your victory while at the same time keeping the opposing army from invading your main camp. The A.I is decent enough in most aspects of the game. Your army already knows what to do at the start of the battle so no need to worry about them too much. Along with your army, you are accompanied by 4 officers. Some of which are actually heroes from the Samurai warriors games. The officers are not that relevant to the game. But, that doesn't mean leveling them up doesn't have it's rewards. They have abilities that can greatly increase the strength of the character. I would say the biggest and best change from the previous game is that you now have a full screen instead of having to share it with a big map that you can't even get rid of.
Score:9/10 (The battle system does get a little stale after a while)

Graphics:
For a port, the graphics are pretty good. All the characters look great and the visual effects of some of the scenes are really awesome. My only real complaints are the facial expressions during combat (which is not a big deal at all) and the fog of war effect makes opponents sometimes disappear off-screen while you are about to attack them, which is slightly annoying.
Score:8/10(Great except for the fog)

Sound/Music:
Fantastic! I love the way the guitar fits so well with the over all mood of the game. It just gets me in the mood to fight for the dynasty! The sound effects are good too. Weapon clashes and the sounds of countless random soldiers falling to my feet has never sounded so good.
Score:10/10(No complaints here. Although, character audio would have been appreciated)

Story:
Read.The novel.Immediately. If you haven't already, then you are missing out on a truly epic tale that is easily the best book I have ever read. It helps to understand the game much more without having to wonder,"What really happened?" From what I can tell, the story in the game is pretty accurate.
Score:10/10(Slightly inaccurate portrayal of some events)

Replayability:
I found myself not able to put the game down until I achieved 100% in all aspects of the game! With so many things to unlock and secrets, you can't help but play for months on end. Not to mention multi-player may add on a slight amount of replay value.
Score:10/10 (I never really care about the multi-player)

Overall, this is the best DW game yet. I really look forward to the sequel. This is a great addition to your PSP library and should not be overlooked by any and all.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 06/18/07