Summary
Empires gives DW a Brain-Transplant, is it worth your $? Yes.
The Good
LET'S TALK GAME-PLAY:
I like the strategy aspect, I felt that the options and the different ways of executing them were well-done. Rather than feeling like a grinding experience, I found myself faced with tough compromises and some of the frustration that would have come to a leader in that position.
I REALLY liked the 'execute' option for captured enemy officers that refuse to join you. The sick-wet sound of decapitation is never so sweet as when you're axing Lu Bu for the first time, that's the end to his 'daddy' issues.
I enjoyed being able to give orders to the other units on the battlefield, although the AI does a good job of assigning itself duties, there is room for improvement and having instincts pay off (defending where the enemy will attack, attacking what may become a weakness) is rewarding.
LET'S TALK GRAPHICS:
The FMV's are beautiful. The graphics for this game are strong. Not breath-taking or awe-inspiring, but strong. The level of detail is acceptable by today's standards, and considering that you may be surrounded by over 100 enemies at any time, things look good. I was never displeased graphically, and the motion capture for the characters is impressive.
LET'S TALK STORY/ATMOSPHERE
When a game is thought out for replay value, smart developers include alternate sound tracks. That is what happened here, and it is by far the most extensive sound track selection I've seen for a game. You can even limit which albums, turn shuffle on/off, or pick a track to start on. This has done wonders to keep me playing this game. You can even change the turn-phase music, which is a damn blessing after three years of off and on playing.
The Story is done well, it tries to re-vamp the thing from a tactical point of view rather than a legendary-warrior story point of view. If you've played other DW games you're unlikely to be put off by the story. I liked the "ending video montage", they were cute.
The voice acting is good (have I said that before?), and the character interactions are refreshing. They jibe, taunt, lament, and tease on another based on their relationship. For example, if Meng Huo and his smoking wife Zhu Rong are in the same battle, and Meng Huo racks up 300 KO's, Zhu Rong will shout "I knew you were the man for me!", if the situation is reversed you'll hear "Remind you of our Honeymoon?" from a winking Meng Huo.
The Bad
LET'S TALK GAME-PLAY:
I didn't like how easy it was to forge alliances with other sides. I would have liked them to say 'no' at least once.
The bow interface needs re-vamping, big time. The reticule is silly, the 1st person where you can't see your arm/bow is silly, considering that they modelled the character to fire the bow in 3rd person. When you finish a shot and release the bow-shooting button you see your character put away his/her bow. The bow physics are also silly, an arrow follows a straight trajectory and disappears at the render-line. A person feels cheap and dirty using the bow in this game, and that's not very nice.
LET'S TALK STORY/ATMOSPHERE:
Unless you are well-steeped in Romance of the Three Kingdoms lore, the 'story' element of the strategy game may never go anywhere. It is entirely possible never to find any of the FMV's that are so wonderfully done. Sure, master Lao may show up to nudge you towards the story path, but it's not easy to stay on it.'
The Bottom Line
This game is Dynasty Warriors with strategy elements mixed. The different provinces of China are displayed a-la-Risk, during the Empire stage you make decisions that will either strengthen your attack, your defence, or make your populace happy. Whether you give a sh*t about the happiness of your people is up to you, but you'll be kicking yourself if they revolt during a battle.
Instead of playing through the story per se, there are different 'stages' which have different starting points for leaders. Naturally things kick off with "The Yellow Turban Rebellion" and progress naturally down the Three Kingdoms path. If you enjoy DW game-play, but would also like to incorporate a turn-based strategy element, this game is right up your alley.
Because I've largely covered the elements of DW game-play on my review of DW:5:Xtreme Legends, let's focus on the turn-based phases.
Very Japanese (Brigandine) in order, prepare, followed by attack/defend. There are many actions possible in the prepare phase, initially you will start off with only a handful of options for the following categories: Defence/Military/Recruitment/Production/Civil/Tactics/Investment/Special.
The acquire additional options they must be suggested by one of your counsellors, who are the other officers in your kingdom.
The way to get things done is up to you. Depending on your Imperial Rank, and the number of provinces you control, you will have a different # of "options" points. Let's say it's the beginning and we still have "2".
The default option is the be advised by three different officials (usually your top three, but they rotate so that most everyone gets a say). Each of these people suggest two different courses of action. For example, Guan Yu recommends restoring Zhang Fei's troops by 1000 (cost 200 gold), and promoting trade (gain 300 gold). Choosing Guan Yu's course of action will cost you one (1) option point. Using this method you can perform four (4) actions in one turn.
The second option is the manually choose your course of action, each option will cost you one (1) options point. Using this path you can perform only two (2) actions in one turn, but will get exactly what you want.
The third option is to delegate all decisions to any member of your force, without knowing what he/she will do. This is useful for finding out new options and abilities, but is dangerous because some officers will forge 3 year alliances with forces you are on the verge of eliminating - Or worse yet, annul alliances with a foe on an undefended border.
Any of these management styles can be mixed, you can consult for one option point, direct another, and delegate the last (if you have three).
One of the less used but still important aspects of the planning phase is item/tactic development. To produce an item it must first be researched and developed. Most provinces have 4 items they can create (some unique, some common), usually you start off with two you may produce. You must research them in order from #1-#4, so if you want the Red Hare Harness (best all-around horse), you must develop the two items in between. You may also upgrade the power of items prior to production. This method is costly and slow, and the usefulness of items is ultimately questionable.
Tactics are another story, whether you are setting up a peasant rebellion or arming your archers (puissant bastards) with flaming arrows, you're usually making a difference that's measurable.
There are a few differences in battle game-play, one of the biggest is that you can command your forces to attack, retreat, defend, or support yourself or other units. You will get a bonus for using this well, and on the harder difficulties it is necessary.
Another difference, and not a good one in my mind, is that the gate-captains are no longer there for bases, they're all wide-open. Although your lieutenants have tactics (Fire/Raid/Supply/Rally/Rush), you don't unless you buy them.
This game plays long, the battles take time 10-20 mins, and there are a lot of provinces. The bits of story, told through nice FMV, are few and far between, but there are reminders. This is something better played a campaign over a week rather than long-haul gaming. The "Free" mode and the Edit characters will keep replay value high. The voice acting is good, the graphics are sound. The 2 player mode (I missed this entirely in DW:5:Extreme Legends! Same things apply) isn't thrilling, but it is useful for tough battles or if you want to spend time with your girlfriend but don't feel like watching a medical drama.
