Official Website

Platform: PlayStation 2, Xbox

Genre: Action

Number of Players: 1 - 2

It's a bit strange for me to see a company like Koei taking a different path with their game development. Back when the SNES was still a cutting edge system, it seemed as though I played just about every title that Koei released on the system, and my addiction began with what is probably Koei's most well known title: Romance of the Three Kingdoms. It was a great game, but Koei had other strategy games that I enjoyed quite a bit more, like AeroBiz for example, and the sleep depriving Uncharted Waters. These days, Koei may still produce the occasional strategy games that still use the classic design that they are quite renowned for, but thinking of Koei in conjunction with an action title is something else entirely.

When the PlayStation 2 was first released, among the initial patch of titles that came out within the first few months were two Koei titles that came as a bit unexpected. There was Kessen, a game that looked amazing but for me at least, failed to capture my attention the way other games from the company had in the past. There was also Dynasty Warriors, a game that really, I all but overlooked, mainly because I felt that perhaps it would have the same result that Kessen did. It was fate however that led me to the game I had ignored, and I quickly discovered that despite it's somewhat simplistic gameplay, the game was actually just as addictive as the other Koei games which I had fond memories of. The Dynasty Warriors series has been insanely popular in Japan, and it seems that it's enjoying the same status in the United States as well, meaning that of course, it has no become a franchise.

Dynasty Warriors 3 brings the intense combat back to your PS2 once again. For those still not familiar with the series, DW3 is set in ancient China, roughly around 1800 years ago, and war is a part of daily life. You will assume the role of one of the generals of three different kingdoms: Wu, Shu, and Wei. The game is actually is based upon the characters from the Romance series, but takes the characters into a new realm of gaming experience. Instead of amassing your armies, distributing rations and such, you are going to be placed into the heat of battle in an intense action experience, some actually based upon true historical events.

DW3 has all of the same addictive qualities as Koei's other titles, but in a different form. This is a pure, straight forward action title, more or less a "hack-n-slash" game if you will, but one that isn't easy to put down. There are various modes of play as well, adding a great deal to the replay value of the game, and in all modes actually. The one that most gamers will jump into is going to be Musou mode, the games story mode. You'll start by selecting one of the available generals, and from there it's time to charge into the heat of battle. The first thing that most will notice that is going to give a high replay value is that the campaigns you will partake in will change depending on which general you play, and that's much more going on that just that.

The controls are very simple and easy to get used to. You can attack with the square button, which is a normal attack, or use the triangle for a change attack. These can be used as a combo as well to inflict more damage. As you injure and slay more of your opponents, you Musou meter will build up and once it reaches its maximum level, you can unleash a devastating combo attack. Aside from that, you can jump, toggle on or off enemy health, change your stance, jump into first person mode to use your bow and arrows or take a look at the map. That's really all there is to it, making this game more or a button masher than anything else, but there is a degree of skill that is going to be required.

Each campaign will show you what your goals are, and it's to eliminate your opponents for the battlefield. That's easier said than done however. You will be met with fierce opposition including wave after wave of foot soldiers, archers, and even mounted riders. Luckily, you'll have loyal bodyguards that will follow you without question into battle and assist as best as they can. Prior to battle, you can choose what you would like them to do. They can leap into battle, act as defense, and even have different types of weapons. Should they take too much injury however, they will leave the field of battle. You also will have the assistance of other soldiers from time to time and even their generals from time to time. You will need to be wary however during battle. DW3 supports a vast number of onscreen characters, and you can easily fall prey to a swarm of enemies that will attack en masse, so simply going headlong into battle isn't necessarily going to be the best option. However, with the sheer amount of onscreen action, it does show to graphic power of the PS2.

In combat, you will also find many different items that will benefit you. There are power-ups that will temporarily increase your defensive or offensive capabilities, meat buns to recover health, and the means to increase your Musou. You also may run across new items and weapons that can be equipped prior to battle and also will help improve your stats. Some levels may even provide the opportunity to unlock new playable characters in the game. This opens quite a bit more opportunity wise, and DW3 has roughly 40 different warriors that you can play as, and even more if you have a save file from Dynasty Warriors 2.

As you clear stages, you will begin to develop your skills further. You will be rewarded depending on the victory conditions as well as how many worthy opponents you have eliminated. Taking out garden-variety men isn't going to do you much good. Your bodyguards will also begin to improve as well, and the amount that you can have with you will begin to increase. After battle, the spoils of war will be yours, assuming you have found any. You can see what new weapons you have, and rid yourself of those that you no longer desire to keep, and the same is true of items that you will find.

Aside from the classic Musou mode, players will also have to participate in a few other modes. There is now a two-player mode included that will put you up against a friend in battle, or a co-operative mode. There is also a time trail that will have various conditions associated with it as well as an online ranking system where you will be given a code once a stage is complete to see how you fair against others playing the game. There is also an endurance mode, and I think at this point, all of us know exactly what that consists of.

The one area where DW3 is most impressive isn't necessarily in the simplicity of the controls, but in the graphics. At times, you can have a screen that is literally filled with enemies, and though the course of gameplay, I only noticed slowdown on one or two occasions. While there may not be much variation when it comes down to the common solider, the generals themselves do have their own distinct look, and meeting one is usually preceded by a quick cut scene (trash talking most of the time) that will give your poor fingers a break. There does tend to be a bit of problem with the camera at times, and it isn't quite smart enough to readjust itself when you really need it. My other complaint is those mounted riders. Okay, adding enemies on elephants isn't necessarily a bad idea, but they just seem to show up at the most inopportune times and run me over when I least expect with. With tons of enemies around, it's difficult to get a real bearing on the enemy and take them out for good.

As far as button mashers go, Dynasty Warriors really isn't too bad a game at all, and with all of the extras that can be found by just playing through the game, there is a lot that can be opened, but it's going to take time to do so. The fact that Koei has made the decision to allow importation of previous files is a godsend and something that is really uncommon for the most part, although most sequels tend to be all new characters and have no real connection to the previous game. And, DW3 does lean towards being difficult at times, but that really comes down to more or less being the amount of enemies that you are pitted against. However, it's so addictive that none of it really matters, and divide and conquer really becomes the main focus. When it comes down to just hack-n-slash action, Koei has managed to hit the nail on the head with this one.

-mike-