Dynasty Warriors 5: Because Gamers Need Five or More

[digitalpress]

In today's shocking game release news:
http://www.gametab.com/news/184636/

PS2 has the following now:
Dynasty Warriors 2
Dynasty Warriors 3
Dynasty Warriors 3 Xtreme Legends
Dynasty Warriors 4
Dynasty Warriors 4 Xtreme Legends
Dynasty Warriors 4 Empires

Technically:
Samurai Warriors
Samurai Warriors Xtreme Legends

Soon:
Dynasty Warriors 5

And probably:
Dynasty Warriors 4 Xtreme Legends
Dynasty Warriors 4 Empires

Now... while I happen to own most of these, I tend to think that not everyone has quite the same "collector" mentality I have. I liked DW2 and kinda stuck with the series though I rarely play any of them for more than an hour. The question is: do we REALLY need another one of these? Anyone who's played a few of them knows that this is no different than Madden putting out a new football game every year.

Are there die-hard fans here who can justify this? Do you really look FORWARD to the next Dynasty Warriors game?!

[klausien]

Ooh, don't forget the upcoming PSP game!

This series has definitely run its course. At least the games are all pretty good. If you are going to make a cash cow, this is how to do it, unlike something like Dot Hack. That was a great idea that didn't need 4 monotonous rehashes to make its point.

Koei has been making games about ancient Chinese history forever now. Actually, both the Kessen and ROTTK series are techincally part of this same lineage. The only game series to exploit its base more than this could be Mega Man. They need some fresh ideas.

[ClubNinja]

Ugh. I *really* dug that series, but stopped buying after Dynasty Warriors 3 Xtreme Legends. While I can stomach Mega Man after Mega Man, I lost interest in this series quite a few rehashes ago.

[Cauterize]

wierd, i was playin Dynasty Warriors 4 today!

[ArnoldRimmer83]

I loved Dynasty Warriors 3, though I haven't really gotten around to trying any other games in the series yet. I do agree that it seems like Koei is running this series into the ground quickly. Maybe the sequels wouldn't seem so overboard, if Koei didn't also release "expansion packs" over and over as well.

[maxlords]

I buy em. Each one is just different enough that I always have something fresh in the exact same style I like that. I do think they're coming out a LITTLE fast though. The only one I'm currently missing is Dynasty Warriors 4 (PS2, non-GH).

And Empires did add a nice new dimension of tactical strategy...I was really happy about that.

Also consider that Koei doesn't care as much how they sell in the US, as they're one of the biggest sellers in Japan...period. INSANELY popular there....quite popular here. Solid formula, I can't complain. I like em for the same reason people buy those sports games year after year, solid recipe, bit o variation. It DOES work.

[Habeeb Hamusta]

Well, I have heard they are really cool games. But cmon, that is enough of them.

[DynastyLawyer]

Bravo! Bravo!

[maxlords]

Honestly, I do disagree. I'll keep buying em too. But I'm in the minority. I'm about to buy the Samurai Warriors ones too

[DDCecil]

Now if Koei would make this many sequels to Gitaroo Man, I'd be really happy!

[MegaDrive20XX]

Don't forget the countless spin-offs of the series...

[swlovinist]

Well, the only thing that can be OK with the decision of making another friggin Dynasty game is that they will use the money to make another obscure US game......I second the vote for Guitarro Man 2, or how about another Warship Gunner?

[DynastyLawyer]

Are there die-hard fans here who can justify this? Do you really look FORWARD to the next Dynasty Warriors game?!

Perhaps I should have qualified this a bit more. Dynasty Warriors games are good games. I picked up 3 as my first game after playing a demo, and it did not disappoint. Like Symphony of the Night before it, it effectively made a game that was part action, part RPG, a lot of fun. Pretty much, if you played classic beat-em-ups back in the day, this is the series you have to champion today. Not much else out there. Like Smash Brothers, it's a simple game in terms of control, but it can be mastered by learning the folkways and selecting favorite characters. Likewise, it can be played two-player split screen, which actually adds a ton of strategy and fun to the game: "Do we stick together and pretty much certainly destroy anything we come across? Or do we split up and take individual enemy units?" You probably know all of this stuff already, having owned the games, but oh well.

I'm not saying the games are surperior in every way. They have pretty serious flaws: AI is pretty stupid on both sides, as your allies rarely do anything noteworthy, and the enemy bad guys are more often than not cannon fodder. A lot of the "improvements" and general direction of the series pretty much slaughters the books of origin. Duels are affairs in which you must ruthlessly juggle your opponent to survive, and your opponent can kill you in one or two hits. Sun Ce, a surfer dude? Give me a break. But there's regardless a lot of gameplay to be had, from unlocking weapons to playing both sides on a given stage, to leveling up characters and so forth.

I hope after all that typing you are at least convinced that Dynasty Warriors is, as a ground game, a good idea. It's A. Pretty much the only game of it's type left. B. A take on a classic chinese story with it's own pathos, despite the game's deviation, and C. It has always had enough bells and whistles to impress.

Now do they release games every year? Yes. But every year, the graphics improve, they add more characters and features, and so forth. And they haven't come close to reaching the charm of the novel Three Kingdoms. They probably will not, until armies are as detailed as Shenmue (Each Champion has his own individual look, story, and mannerisms), they perfect what the battles in Three Kingdoms felt like (Chi Bi in-game is good, but it doesn't really match the pathos of the story, the feelings of being surrounded by an unmatchable force, and then the tides being reversed by Zhuge's "summoning" of the wind) and improve upon the customization and strategy of characters and armies.

Dynasty Warriors has a long way to go. But because the ground game is fun, and there are infinate improvements to be made, you'll be seeing me in line to pay for DW5.

Don't forget the countless spin-offs of the series...

It's all Three Kingdoms, dude. When you write a good novel 2000 pages long, I'll probably have the material to make games in about 20 different genres too.

Koei has been making games about ancient Chinese history forever now. Actually, both the Kessen and ROTTK series are techincally part of this same lineage. The only game series to exploit its base more than this could be Mega Man. They need some fresh ideas.

I dare you to tell me what your 5 favorite games in the last year were. Unless you start with Katamari Damacy and name 4 more equally abstract games, you're going to run into a Halo, a Metal Gear, a Mario, or a Zelda.

I like the ancient Chinese history. I find it a lot more redeeming than 1980's history.

Ugh. I *really* dug that series, but stopped buying after Dynasty Warriors 3 Xtreme Legends. While I can stomach Mega Man after Mega Man, I lost interest in this series quite a few rehashes ago.

If you can buy every Mega Man game, I doubt you have the income to buy any other games.

Now if Koei would make this many sequels to Gitaroo Man, I'd be really happy!

TELL THAT GIA READER TO BE COOL!

[Mr. Smashy]

I'm just curious as to who they're marketing to by tacking on "Xtreme Legends" to the title. It seems ridiculous to me.

[kai123]

Honestly, I do disagree. I'll keep buying em too. But I'm in the minority. I'm about to buy the Samurai Warriors ones too

Samurai Warriors is a great game. I love that Koei added co-op to the games. Nothing better than kicking some ass with a buddy.

[Gapporin]

I'm just curious as to who they're marketing to by tacking on "Xtreme Legends" to the title. It seems ridiculous to me.

I agree. "XTreme" and "real-time strategy" are two words that shouldn't be seen in the same sentence.

Except for the above example.

[kainemaxwell]

So Samurai Warriors is the Japanese version of the DW series I take it then? Also what's the deal with that other new DW spinoff (Name escapes me right now)?

[EnemyZero]

mystic heroes?

[ClubNinja]

Ugh. I *really* dug that series, but stopped buying after Dynasty Warriors 3 Xtreme Legends. While I can stomach Mega Man after Mega Man, I lost interest in this series quite a few rehashes ago.

If you can buy every Mega Man game, I doubt you have the income to buy any other games.

Actually, besides all the other games I pick up along the way, I collect Neo Geo and arcade cabinets, so I think my income is entirely sufficient, thanks.

[maxlords]

So Samurai Warriors is the Japanese version of the DW series I take it then? Also what's the deal with that other new DW spinoff (Name escapes me right now)?

Nope, Samurai Warriors is a separate US series with the same engine and style. The Jp name of the Dynasty Warriors games is called something very Japanese that I can't remember.