Customer Reviews

Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce

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

 

 

It's overpriced.

Wait, before you lambaste me, let me explain. I played the PSP version extensively, hours and hours on end, got farther than I even remember getting. I didn't like it at first, thought it didn't have that Dynasty Warriors feel, and that KOEI or Tecmo was trying too hard to make the game difficult, thinking the increased challenge would improve the game's value. Sadly, that's the polar opposite thing to do if the game itself isn't fun. It's really not fun, until after you've had a chance to build up your character to some decent levels to where you can fight off enemies without dying at every turn, then the game turns it up a notch and you really can unleash some doom.

Those who have not played the game, skip to the very bottom. I've got something for you.

The PS3/360 versions of this game, despite what others might tell you, are 100% identical in gameplay to the PSP version. Meaning if you've played the PSP version, you already know what to expect on this version; from Bi Xie to Yellow Thunder to the Phoenix to the Yellow Turban battles...all are perfectly identical to the PSP version. That's both a good and a bad thing - it's good in that if you liked the PSP version you'll like the next gen versions if you can excuse the fact that the graphics are clearly PS2-ish. It's bad in that really, these versions of the games should be 30 bucks AT MOST. I can actually tell you the reason they cost more.

The PSP version supported multiplayer via adhoc, meaning if you and a couple of buddies all had PSPs in the same room, you could set up an adhoc network and go at it that way...think of it as a wireless System Link setup. The PS3 and 360 versions take this a step further by using the PlayStation Network / Xbox Live to allow friends to battle online together, up to four at any given time (Which I find to be a bit overkill, more on that later). This is definitely a cool feature; even the demo lets you do this to get a taste of what it would be like, and if you've got friends who are on the fence because "it doesn't feel like Dynasty Warriors", you should introduce them to this mode and I guarantee they'll be hooked. The PS3 obviously gets a slight nod here for being free to play online, but it's clear that they added a $20 premium to the game because of the online gameplay. That's their prerogative, but it's really infuriating.

Before you ask, no, you can't cross platform. Meaning you can't use your PS3 version to connect with a friend that has the 360 version. When you want to set up online, you'll create your own "online city", and then invite a friend to that city. The invite is sent within your friends list or within the ID system of the PlayStation Network, up to three friends can join. You can't send invites via email, for example, and there doesn't seem to be any other way to send these invites, so no cross platforming, which is okay. Latency is definitely an issue; I have a NASA-quality connection of 20Mbps down/2Mbps up, and my connection was fine, but my friend had 7Mbps down and probably 512Kbps up, and I noticed him stuttering at times. It didn't detract from the experience with just the two of us, but keep in mind that most of these types of peer-to-peer networks will generally use the lowest connection speed to determine the experience, so if you've got four people going to battle, make sure they've got good internet.

Speaking of the number of people, I mentioned earlier that I've played the PSP version extensively. I've played that version by myself, never did multiplayer (my friends are not local), and I got pretty far by myself. I also mentioned that there will come a point where you can handle any scenario thrown at you, for the most part. Because of this, you could look at the difficulty level like this:

1 person: Extreme at first, Tough after gaining some levels, but not impossible nor a breeze
2 people: Tough at first, still tough after gaining levels, but eventually you'll breeze through things
3 people: Tough at first, a breeze thereafter

This is because of the nature of the game. With the exception of a select few stages where you have to pass objectives to open the path forward, for the most part you could do little more than speed to the bonus objective, pass that, then kill the final general and get mass amounts of points. Lather-rinse-repeat on the same stage, and eventually you'll be at a level where you can dominate your enemy. Two people make this even easier; the experience and items you gain in multiplayer carry over to the single player and vice versa from what I can tell. I might be incorrect in this assessment, but it appears as though the character increases are cumulative. My friend and I are waiting for a significant price drop and then we'll be buying copies to test that theory, but that's what it looks like.



HAVEN'T EVER PLAYED THE GAME?

That's okay. What I said above still applies; it's overpriced. If you've at least played Dynasty Warriors you already know what to expect in terms of selecting a fighter and going out to fight hordes of mindless minions. What Strikeforce does is challenge the way you accomplish the task by presenting it like a cross between a role playing game and Dragon Ball Z. If that sounds confusing, don't feel bad...it's an odd mixture. You'll pick your character, and you select quests at a message board in the town. These quests vary from bandit defeat to saving peasants. Each time you complete a quest you'll be rewarded with experience and money, which both can be used to build up your character. You can also acquire materials in the battle which are used, in conjunction with the money, to build and buy accessories or enhance your weapons. Each warrior has two weapons, a primary and a secondary, to use in battle, and generally the primary is the stronger of the two. The secondary weapon is almost always faster and lighter, and more effective against wizards and the like, though that doesn't stop you from using it other places.

You can obtain accessories that will enhance your abilities even further. Those who remember Dynasty Warriors 3 and 4 might remember the various elements that were presented in the game. With these accessories, you'll be able to add these elements to your attacks. It might seem pointless, but these elements can mean the difference between total defeat and easy victory. Also, the Musou has been changed, to a two level style...the first is an "enraged" mode (thus the DBZ reference), the second is the actual Musou attack. In rage mode your attacks are significantly stronger, and if you have an element like fire on your weapon, your character might add projectiles to his/her standard attacks. While in rage mode your Musou bar will go down, so this should be saved for the most difficult of fights.

In town you can buy various items like meatbuns; they are sometimes found out in the field, but you'll observe in this game that the level of difficulty makes it almost a requirement for you to buy items beforehand. If you try to rely on what's in the field, you'll find yourself face down frequently. While you do get 3 lives (instead of the instant death of the previous games), you will find some quests that will fail you after one death, so better safe than sorry: spend the cash and get some meat buns. There are other items that enhance your weapons as well.

The difficulty in the game is sincerely ramped versus other Dynasty Warriors. This is in part because the enemy generals can also go into rage mode, causing your attacks to not stun or knock them down, and their energy is often so high that repeated attacks don't appear to be doing much damage at all. There are also oversized "character helpers" throughout the game, like Lu Bu's Bi Xie, a giant lion, or the Yellow Turbans' Yellow Thunder, a giant mechanical lightning generator. These add to the difficulty by giving another way for you to die without even realizing it. You can't focus on the generals if these helpers are alive, so the game encourages you to take them out first, but doing so might cost you the bonus for that quest, so be careful.


Is it a bad game? Not at all. It's a lot of fun multiplayer. It's fun single player. But it's overpriced at retail. Definitely wait for a price drop before buying this, because unless you're just addicted to mindless fun, the game is just not fun enough to warrant its current price point, and despite what anyone tells you, besides the multiplayer it's the same exact game as the PSP version (currently available for 20 bucks).

Lots of people have talked about the online and multiplayer aspect of this game. I'm not going to be one of them.

I bought this game pretty much when it was released, but got frustrated early on because of some insane difficulty. I didn't really want to play online, but wow, was it tough. Now, months later, I have rediscovered the game. And you know what? This is probably the most original DW title to date, with tons of good ideas, some of which aren't properly implemented.

First off:

The Good:

1) The giant bosses are great. Seriously, when siege weapons were introduced in DW4, this should have been the focus. It is a blast fighting through Yellow Thunder, or Bi Xie, or Tian Lu, etc. etc. In single player, you really have to work, but it's very satisfying to take down multiple generals and a giant statue breathing fire and thunder at you.

2) I love the fighting in the air. With the new "fury" state, you can really fly to new heights. Of course, the bosses can do the same, and it opens one of the biggest problems in the game, but the idea is sound.

3) The hack-and-slash action is as good as ever. The peons can fight now, so you'll have to mind yourself around them. The new enemies (such as tigers, arbalest cannons, and wall-mounted lasers) add to the enjoyment.

The Bad:

1) The weapons are way too unbalanced for a solo player. Sure, I love using Xiahou Dun's cudgel, but when it's crunch time, there's really only one choice: the bow. Nothing else really compares, as it offers a ranged, guided attack, allowing you to snipe from afar without getting into too much danger. The one negative is that the bow requires the lock-on function, which is just a nightmare, as I'll explain below.

2) The camera is more atrocious than ever. You will feel nauseous more than once as it swings around. Controlling it is a necessary function of the game, but wow, is it a pain. I imagine this comes from the fact that on a small screen, you wouldn't care nearly as much, but as the game was scaled, the camera wasn't compensated very well. Or something. Whatever the problem, it's horrible.

3) The lock-on function. Seriously, I can't imagine who designed this thing. While it's generally easy enough to lock onto an officer, it's impossible to move between normal targets. You can be sitting in front of a cannon, trying to lock onto it, and the lock-on will constantly target a solider in the distance. Unfortunately, if you're going to use the bow (and you will, if you play solo), you will need the lock-on at all times. Prepare for hell.

There are a lot of minor annoyances in this game as well. For example, some bonus objectives simply don't work the way they're supposed to. In one humorous instance, I killed almost 400 enemies for an objective that asked to kill only 100. I still failed the objective.

But all in all, this game provides some necessary overhaul to a decaying franchise. If KOEI would just put all of its ideas together, it would have a formidable game. As it stands, this is still a nice game, but it needs work.

I might not qualify for an experienced gamer, but I wouldn't say I am a total novice either. I am a big fan of the DW series, and I played through pretty much the entire DW6 and just adored it. This one, however, has a very different combat and weapon system. It is not bad, and air combat is interesting, but it would be much better if they didn't make it so goddamn difficult! As of now, I am on easy and still stuck at the end of Shu chapter one. The yellow thunders just make me want to tear my hair out, god. Or at least, can't they set a "beginner" difficulty level like they did for DW5, and just let the more casual gamers move through without wanting to kill themselves?

I know a lot of people, myself included, play the DW series not really for hard-core actions, but more for the characters and the story. The source materials of the DW series are as popular and timeless in Asia as wizards and magic are in the West. So really, I just want to be able to move through this game, enjoy the story, see the pretty people and mythical beasts, build a couple awesome weapons, and that's about it. Dying at every turn really just goes contrary to what I want out of this game. So if you are one of those casual gamers who really won't spend forever on play games, this might not be your things. Now my hope is DW7 will have a more moderately set difficulty level and I can enjoy that story properly, tears.

Which is why I think I am going to go off and find some cheats now.

It is another installment for you Dynasty Warrior fans. I bought this for my son who has loved these games since they first started. He had a good time with it and it gave him many hours of enjoyment.

This is a good game as far as everything goes. Don't be fooled by the Dynasty Warriors title however. It has the same characters, like Zhou Yu, Lu Bu, Sun Shang Xiang, etc., but it isn't the exact same as previous Dynasty Warriors titles. It's not the simple 'slash and stab' title that the numbered titles are. You don't go around just collecting bases and defeating officers for your side, you actually have different goals to accomplish. Some of the goals may be collecting bases, defeating certain officers, or just finding different items throughout the board.

The graphics are perfectly awesome for the Dynasty Warriors title, and the transformation of the characters is a wonderful addition. The officers are a bit more harder to defeat in this title, not falling with just a single attack combo, but with plenty more. The game can be frustrating at times. I would recommend this game, but I would also advise being aware that the game you're buying is not the exact same as the numbered titles, but a good addition to have for the Dynasty Warriors collector.

Too much,too hard. They went in the wrong way with this game.I like D6 way better than this one. It could have been better,if they have just made it playable without all that extra things in it. I wanted my money back. so I just trade it off and took my lose. DW,you have let us down with this game,come back better,with the old way and lets have fun. recommen,do not by.

As a devoted fan of the Dynasty Warriors series, and beat-em-ups in general, even I feel a little disappointed in this game. Which is sad coming from ANYONE that likes Dynasty Warriors anyway.

First of, and MAINLY... this is an EXACT port of a PSP game... are you KIDDING ME?!?!? After Dynasty Warriors 6: Empires, you'd think that the only way left to go is up.... and, in a sense, you're right. They added the ability(with the aid of power ups) to fly. You also get a city hub to manage your character and others you unlock and take into battle with you. Things like customizing your weapons, abilities and such with items that you collect is a welcome addition, and gives you the impression that they've finally added some more depth to the game... and after 6: Empires, you're hoping for the best, right?

... Then you start the game. Lord. SMALL areas connected by load screens, the usual swarming enemies, some flying, some grounded... weapons placements, and the occasional enemy general or two... that likes to go into Fury mode when he gets in trouble(don't worry, you can too, and that's good, seeing as how that's the only way you can use your musou attack. You also gain the ability to double or triple jump and dash around like crazy... or as I call it, Super-Sayin mode.)

One surprise was the occasional BIG boss. A rather large enemy or obstacle that you have to overcome... which gets rather annoying when you have a powered up enemy smacking you around while you do so. That can get a wee bit annoying.

Buy MY biggest annoyance by far was the omission of a custom character feature. I'm sure they couldn't do one on the PSP, so this isn't much of a stretch to believe. Doesn't mean I have to like it. But Ayane and Ryu from Ninja Gaiden(or Dead or Alive if you want to split hairs)make cameos... you might care about that. I don't.

Look, I'm not saying the game is bad... hell, I even had fun with it for a while. But let's be honest. City hub aside, this is REALLY shallow. And I didn't want to play PSP ports on the PS2... what made Koei think I wanted to play one on the PS3? And if you're gonna do something like that, ADD TO IT. or take my advice... you have the groundwork for an excellent game with the Empires series. Build on it.

... or bring that Hokkuto no Ken(Fist of the North Star) game over here... and all will be forgiven!!!!

After playing Dynasty Warriors 6 and enjoying it thoroughly, I saw an add for this game and thought that it looked really good. I knew that it had originally been a PSP game and I was happy to see that they had redone it for the PS3, or so I thought. I recieived the game and as soon as I started playing it I realized that nothing had been redone at all, it is simply a PSP game put on a Blu-ray for the PS3. The world is not a full map, it is made up of different small areas that must each load on their own. The graphics are those of a PSP game as well, it is simply not a PS3 game at all. As far as I am concerned this game is a flop, I paid the $50 price tag for the game expecting a PS3 game and got a PSP game. If you're looking for a PS3 quality game then don't buy this title, but if all you want is the PSP game, then by all means it certainly delivers.

EDIT: A few people have said that the graphics in this game are better than those of the PSP version and they are correct, the graphics are better. However, I feel that its like comparing upscaled DVD to Blu-ray. Yes, the upscaled DVD is better than non-upscaled DVD, but a Blu-ray is much better than either. I think that this game is an upscaled DVD trying to pass off as a Blu-ray because no where does it state that it is a game ported from the PSP. As far as content goes, this game is a departure from the normal dynasty warriors style of "kill thousands of men because you can". The focus of this game is clearly not killing as many guys as you can, since it lacks the mainstay of the DW games; The K.O. counter. This game is more of an RPG spinoff of DW. The player goes around completing missions and gathering materials to enhance your weapons and abilities at the various NPCs in town. The world is not a giant map like in the previous games, the map is divided into a bunch of little areas, each with load times to get into the next area. There are some silly abilities that are added to this game, like the ability to fly at will even when not in "fury mode", but I suppose that is knit-picking. In my opinion this game is not up to snuff as a PS3 game, because it is almost a direct port over from the PSP, and it is pretty obvious once you start playing. The game is basically a poorly done action-RPG using the DW world and characters. As far as I am concerned this game is not very good in comparison to any of the other games in the DW franchise, especially the other titles for PS3; DW6 and DW:Gundam1&2. The main point of this review is to tell people who may not know otherwise, that this is not a game born for the PS3, it is a game ported over from the PSP. If what you want is this game and you know what you're getting then you might think its great. I feel that this game is not what it could/should have been using the power of the PS3. If what you want is a good Dynasty Warriors game for the PS3 then I would recommend going with DW6 or DW:Gundam2 over this game.

Game shipped fast, came in perfect condition.

It is a weird game at first but it is nice to see Koie try something different and it is a fun game.