PlayStation 2

Romance of the Three Kingdoms IX

At the end of the day, however, Kingdoms IX does manage to offer a couple of terrific new gameplay elements that the brand has needed for quite some time -- the battle engine and real-time army movement in particular. But with the substantially smaller set of features and a lower visual quality in comparison to last year (not to mention the continued neglect of online play) there's no way to hide the fact that we're more than a little disappointed.

The actual gameplay in Romance of the Three Kingdoms is pretty consistent from game to game. Basically, it focuses on the delicate balance of relationships that exist between a group of states that are all vying for supremacy in a tense, warlike atmosphere. Unlike in previous games, which had you starting low and working your way up through the command hierarchy, Romance IX immediately puts you in the role of ruler, thus demanding from you all of your managerial skills at the outset of the game. You'll have to work the diplomatic angle as much as possible by gaining allies and smoothing over hostilities, while at the same time you must prepare your strongholds and armies for the inevitable conflicts that will arise as you march toward unification. The game is played out in a turn-based fashion, and with each turn you'll give your many officers tasks to complete that will further the goals of your kingdom.

Even though the game is amazingly deep and intricate, it doesn't change the fact that it's also rather dry. Imagine you're "playing" a Chinese History textbook; it's about that much fun, but it's also that detailed and involved.

If your first experience with the RTK series was via 7 and 8, and you dug the role-playing freedom, you'll probably dislike Romance of the Three Kingdoms IX; if you're a series veteran, or found yourself wishing the previous PS2 entries had less number-crunching and more action, you'll probably love RTK9. I'm squarely in the latter category, but not because I disliked 7 and 8's RPG elements; I just appreciate KOEI's willingness to keep tinkering with a 15-year-old franchise.