PlayStation 2

Dynasty Warriors 4: Xtreme Legends

Xtreme Legends isn’t going to be a title for everyone; hell, it might not even be for fans of the series. What we’re looking at is for those diehard soldiers of the Dynasty Warriors. I mean those vets of the Wei, Wu and Shu conflicts that must have every bit of warfare in the Three Kingdom time period they can stand. Considering that you have to have Dynasty Warriors 4 to enjoy this one, it might not be for newbies to the series, but for those who’ve stuck with it, it’s a worthy addition to the stale series.

Dynasty Warriors 4 is old enough to be found at $20-$30 used, so it is possible to get both DW4 and Xtreme Legends for $50. That's a great deal. These games have hours of gameplay in them. They're repetitive, but not in the way that makes me want to never play them again. I know that a year from now I'll go back and play this game, if only for an hour or two. And that's after finishing it, which takes quite a while when you take into account the battle length and how many times I died. With the exception of the Dynasty Warrior masters out there, death will not be avoided by anyone. But that makes it more fun. There are a few slightly similar games out there, but they're all easy and have no replay value because of it.

For extreme fans of the series, Xtreme Legends is a pretty big value with a solid block of new gameplay.

However, for the person who's already plunked down $50 on DW4, I would recommend renting and not owning this. Based on the limited connectivity with the two versions, I don't really see all that much need to own both DW4 and DW4:XL. Dynasty Warriors 4: Xtreme Legends is worth a few plays through for the excellent Xtreme Mode, but I wouldn't recommend hustling out and buying it.

Fans of Dynasty Warriors 4 will enjoy it. Try to avoid purchasing the game on its own, as you will get much more enjoyment out of playing the add on with the original Dynasty Warriors 4.

Voilà bien un titre qui posera un gros dilemme aux possesseurs de DW4. Etant trop proche dudit opus, malgré les trois nouveaux modes de jeu, Koei nous a concocté un soft exquis malgré une volonté de ne toujours pas faire évoluer le gameplay ou la technique de son titre. Reste alors une oeuvre plus que dispensable aux personnes ayant acquis Dynasty Warriors 4 mais qui se devra d’être dans la ludothèque de tout amateur de beat’em all.

If you're new to the game, go out and get the original instead as it has a fun campaign to follow. For those who just can't get enough Dynasty Warriors, you'll probably have a blast from the mix of modes this expansion has to offer.

Dynasty Warriors 4 Xtreme Legends is a very challenging, very enjoyable collection of missions that takes a workhorse of a 3D engine for one last lap around the track. I just hope KOEI has the sense to put this technology out to stud, and deliver a brand-spankin' new engine (prog-scan! widescreen! reduced pop-up!) with the already-in-progress Dynasty Warriors 5.

En résumé, un add-on indispensable aux grands fans de la série, et facultatif pour les autres.