Customer Reviews

Dynasty Warriors

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

What is a good way for a gaming developer to make a lot of money with minimal effort? Release its flagship title for a newly released console, of course! This is exactly what Koei did with Dynasty Warriors for the PSP. Having established a great following with previous instalments on other consoles, the popular hack-and-slash game now finds itself among the launch titles for Sony's new generation handheld console. Not surprisingly, the game is very similar to the other Dynasty Warriors, but it's still an enjoyable game to engage if you're into action of this nature.

As in previous Dynasty Warriors games, gamers get to control various characters from the three kingdoms from, yes, you guessed it, the Romance of Three Kingdoms. You begin with fifteen characters, five from each kingdom, and each kingdom has its own story to progress. Of course, the characters have strengths and weaknesses, so choosing the one that represents you best is important, especially when you'll be spending a lot of time with him.

Apart from the main characters, you can bring along four officers with you into the battlefield. Again, each officer has his own unique abilities. Some provides healing. Some allows power boosts. Others make you move faster. You get the drill. Allocating the right ones is, once again, a personal choice depending on your playing style. For the record, I read somewhere that there are more than 200 officers in the game, so it could take quite a while before you can unlock them all. If you're a completist, don't be surprised to find yourself spending a lot of time on this game just to make officers appear on your menu. The Wi-Fi ability on the PSP also allows you to trade officers with your friends if you get tired of who is on your list.

Capturing a map in the story mode requires you to get from point A to point B, via a series of smaller areas. This is one of the main differences between the PSP version of the game and its previous versions. Obviously, Koei has taken the portability of the game into consideration, and has broken up the action into more scattered, but relatively shorter sections. Apart from an increased emphasis on strategies, the system actually serves as an incentive for players to play the game on the go. Maneuvering through a large battlefield may not be a viable choice when your train journey lasts only fifteen minutes. But to attack a small area that lasts for just a few minutes, and then save it and continue later? Why not? This makes it feasible for players to enjoy a little moment with the game without having to sweat over the prospect of ending the game abruptly when they reach their train station. If only all portable games are as thoughtful!

On more mundane issues, the gameplay is simple enough, even though simplicity usually means repetitive. You get the normal attack, charge and jump buttons, as well as a "musou" button, which allows you to do special attacks. Even though you also make use of the shoulder buttons, you'll spend most of your time with the four basic functions. Because of this, I've read many negative comments about the supposedly "idiot-proof" controls. I'm fine with it though, since it's easy enough to master instantly, and comfortable enough to use throughout the game.

The game is not without its flaws. In fact, there are quite a number of them. One of them is the occasional slowdown in frame rate. The slowdown doesn't interfere too badly with the gameplay, but if you're paying good money for the game, you'd expect better. Another issue with the game lies in its less than user-friendly camera angle. It's entirely possible to get yourself killed just because an enemy, who is just slightly out of the picture, is attacking you relentless while you're wondering where he is. Also, the problem with "ghost" characters is also evident here, as some characters appear on the screen later than other, even though they have been there all the time.

In summary, Dynasty Warriors should appeal to gamers who prefer a no-frills hack-and-slash. The controls are simple enough to allow anyone to pick it up and start right away, and the new battlefield system makes it possible to tackle specified areas without having to commit long hours just to clear a map. It's a pity that the fundamental issues of the game are not entirely addressed, making the playing experience a little less satisfying. Still, if you're a fan of the action genre, you may be able to look beyond the flaws and get a good time out of this game.

Just when you got tired of sitting at home in front of the tv playing Dynasty Warriors on your PS2, KOEI makes a portable version of it for the PSP!

Enjoy the non-stop action of Dynasty Warriors on your PSP. Select warriors from any one of the three dynasties (WU, WEI, and SHU) and select special unaligned characters including the legendary LU BU.

Fight your way across China in 7 different stages in Musou Mode or pick a fighter and train him in Free Mode. With 42 warriors to choose from and 200 different officers to have under your command, you can conquer China on the go!

Bottom Line: KOEI better make a second one soon!

OF course, like all prevous dynasty warriors games, this one is addicting and fun. The only problem, which turns out to be a big one is that you can only do one thing in Mosou mode. I would not recommend buying this game unless you are a huge dynasty warriors fan.

Dynasty warriors is fun. Dynasty warriors is addictive. Dynasty Warriors is pretty. But Dynasty Warriors is not a great game.
I found it to be extremely repetitive, frustrating and diificult at times. However, fans will still enjoy this installment, and newcomers will find an ok time-waster in DW.

dynasty warriros for PSP is basically like all the other games in the series, you run around, you kill, you win, but there are small details and points that differ
Pros: portable, save function, you can choose where to go, 42 charachters, officers give you power, charachters' weapons evolve when the player kills enough enemies, charachters' amounts of combo hits increase as they level up
Cons: occasional slowdown, no multiplayer, extremly awkward camera at some points, the moves of the charachters over lap (example: gan nings' 5 hit charge attack is the same as zhu ge liangs' 3 hit charge attack)

As a fan of the Dynasty and Samurai Warrior series, picking this game up when I got a psp was a no brainer. The graphics are pretty good and basically on par with the playstation 2. There are times of slowdown however that can be frustrating. What makes this game different from the ps2 version is the way the battlefield is broken up into a number of strategic squares. I think this does serve well for having a short series of mini battles that someone who wants to play a quick game on the go. For me, I didn't really care for this style. I found it took away more from the game than it added. The game itself can be a bit repetitive, unless you really love fighting wave after wave of basically the same enemies just to unlock a new bodyguard here and there. This is a decent entry in the series, but it is far from being one of the better tries by Koei.

Simply put, this Dynasty Warriors game for the PSP is not as fun as the other games for the PS2 and the Xbox. It is just a little too different than the original. It is a good substitute when one can not play it, such as on the road, but not very good if the original can be played. The originals are always better.

Dynasty Warriors never seems to get old. The ever popular hack and slash by KOEI is now on the PSP, ready for you to take on the go anywhere you please. The die-hard Dynasty Warriors fan will love this. On the other hand though, it's really not that different from the Dynasty Warriors games on the PS2, and that's either a good thing or a bad thing.

The storyline hasn't changed much at all. The land of China is split between three dynasties that want to take over the land. The land of Shu, Wu, and Wei. All three used to be an alliance called the Han Dynasty, but that eventually collapsed. Now all warriors have joined the ranks of other dynasties based on what they believe in. Put simple, your goal is to conquer and take over as much land as you can.

As I said, gameplay hasn't changed much in Dynasty Warriors, but it has been tweaked here just a little bit. It isn't really for the better either, but it makes the game at least seem less repetative. You start by selecting the general you'd like to be. Alongside this, you can select other generals who have unique abilities to assist you in battle. The abilities vary depending on which sub generals you choose. The fun is experimenting to see what you come up with. Some increase health, some garner special abilities.

Where the game is really tweaked is the hack and slash action. The game is set up almost like a tactical RPG. You'll start in one area, select it, go in and vanquish all your enemies. This is the hack and slash that seems to have been around since Dynasty Warrirors 2 and hasn't really been tweaked with too much since Dynasty Warriors 3. It's no different here. Once you've done away with the enemies in one area, the path branches onward and you're allowed to choose which path you'd like to take. It doesn't matter which path, you'll always get where you need to in the end. You'll still have to select another location on the field to go to, though. The location you choose to go to has its own objectives. Some you may just have to defend a supply depot or take over one... whatever. What it boils down to is this: There's no real "strategy" needed. Just go in there and hack and slash until everything is dead. After a while, this becomes tired and boring, especially since we've been doing it for the past six years or so and it really hasn't changed at all.

The game also suffers from load times. Each "section" of a mission will only take you a couple of minutes. The game has to load each time you leave and make your way to another one. As with a lot of PSP games, the load times in Dynasty Warriors are not good.

The tweaks in the gameplay don't really make the game any better either. It's great that you can save whenever you want, but it just gets boring really fast. The series is truly declining.

Graphic wise, this game isn't so bad. It looks identical to Dynasty Warriors 4 on the PS2. The music also seems to be taken straight from the Dynasty Warriors games on the PS2. Which means the audio isn't particularly good. Put simple, the game plays and sounds like Dynasty Warriors 4. It actually might be easier just to go out and get that one. It isn't nearly as detailed, but for the most part, the character details and vocals are ripped directly from that game.

In all essence, if you've got any of the PS2 counterparts from Dynasty Warriors 3 and up (and especially if you've got Dynasty Warriors 4), there's really no need to invest in this game. It plays much slower, and when it does play, it's no different than the last games. Characters have the same moves, same musous, same combos... nothing has changed. If you don't have any Dynasty Warriors game whatsoever, then pick this up. Otherwise, it's not really worth the time or the money.

This game rocks. I love DW. I always thought playin DW portable would be great so i guess dreams do come true. Its not just for DW gamesds on PSP. Many games are awesome on PSP, but DW has 2 be the best. It is soo0o0o0o0o0o0o0 fun playin as my favorite charecter Liu Bei. He rocks. If u love DW u should get this game and even if u r thinkin about gettin it. GET IT. u (in some of DW's)can ride elephants.ELEPHANTS. U can also ride horses. The probably best thing about this game is u r not alone. U have bodyguards and other warriors. There are different types of (how do i say this) kingdoms. There is Cao Cao's forse the WEi kingdom, Sun Jian's forse the Wu kingdom' and my man Liu Bei's force the Shu kingdom. Last but not least u can speaclize what u want ur bodyguards 2 do (ex attack or defence) and u can specilize what weapon they use (ex. Bow, crossbow, spear, pike,ect) .This game rules.

This game is action packed and lots of fun to play.
What makes it different from the other DW games, is that you can choose your location and have 1-4 body guards.