Xbox

Dynasty Warriors 5

This review is for all the Dynasty Warriors-haters (which appear to be mostly people from the Western hemisphere). Dynasty Warriors 5 isn't all that different from part 4 which wasn't all the different from part 3. The 1980's guitar-riffing soundtrack is still present. The graphics, while improved from previous versions, still generally look dated. There are minor changes and tweaks to the modes and gameplay, but those aren't important.

The release of Dynasty Warriors 5 for the Xbox shows little has changed in KOEI's long running series. In fact, this is the 10th Warriors game on consoles if you include the Samurai Warriors titles. You'll find while some new features and alternations have been implemented, the game's core remains largely the same. You'll still spend most of your time mashing the combo button non-stop during the lengthy battle sequences, so if you've played any of the games in the series this will definitely feel familiar.

If you have not heard of Dynasty Warriors then either you are new to gaming or have been living under a rock for many years. Since the original PlayStation, players have had the chance to take on and kill myriads of oncoming soldiers to accomplish their overall goal. Each successive game allows players to do new things, such as ride a horse, or sportin a deeper combat system, or better enemy AI. Does Dynasty Warriors 5 bring anything new to the table or is it the same game with a new suffix? Read on to find out!

This fifth instalment in Koei’s epic collection is disappointing; the voice acting is cheesy, each character’s story is too short, and it is a hell of a lot more of the same thing. There are, however, some beneficial changes. For example, the new ’solo’ bodyguard system is genius, and the new strongholds are an interesting addition to the mainstream game. If you own any of the previous ones this generation, then there is probably no point taking out your wallet to buy this one. If you are new to the series this would be a good place to start as it has more of a storyline than the others, which does sort of add something to the game.

Opérant une petite refonte, surtout au niveau de la profondeur de champ et du gameplay, Dynasty Warriors 5 permet une nouvelle fois de se plonger dans les turpitudes de la guerre des Trois Royaumes avec plaisir. Néanmoins, il apparaît que les modifications apportées ne font pas oublier les lacunes graphiques et la redondance générale de la série. Il est de ce fait dommage de retrouver ces errances, masquant quelque peu le désir d'évolution que montre cet épisode. Un bon jeu, encore fascinant et jouissif, mais qui mérite une descendance un peu plus inspirée.

DW5 is not a bad game, by any means, and it will definitely satiate your need for a brawler. Certain developers have tried to fill the gap that games like Streets of Rage have left behind, but Koei has consistently brought some of the best brawling in the form of the Dynasty Warriors series. The aspect that should pain gamers the most is the unfulfilled potential that the series has had since the first sequel.

After five home console installments, multiple platform releases and millions in sales, Dynasty Warriors has firmly established itself as the Tom Hanks of video gaming: it's mostly predictable, unrepentantly contrived--and yet still a venerable cash cow. But like those enduring Hanks fans, it's the risk-free theatrics that make Koei's series so successful. Number 5 on Xbox is no different.

Dynasty Warriors 5 is a game that feels like déjà vu all over again. While diehard fans of the series will probably once again enjoy being able to slice their way through all the same battles once again, even they may be disappointed at the removal of the empire mode, which is seemingly for no good reason, save perhaps to add it back in for another Empires spin-off. As for the non-diehard fans, the core gameplay here will be all too familiar, even with the scant few changes that have been made. And odds are you'll simply grow tired of grinding through the same battles yet again, with only a half-baked storyline to keep you interested. Plus, if you already got your hands on the PS2 version of the game, the Xbox port offers nothing of substance to make you want to run out and grab this one too. Ultimately, this version feels like too little, too late.

Dynasty Warriors games are a lot like the FIFA games. When they first came out they were great. The game was something different and very fun. But it seems like every year nothing really seems to change and if you’ve got one then you don’t really need the latest one just for David Beckham’s new haircut. If you’ve played a Dynasty Warriors game before, then this is nothing new or special. Only the purists or those who haven’t played a DW title before would do well to pick this up.

If I were to dust off one of my old Dynasty Warriors reviews, make a few minor tweaks, and run it again, I’d be guilty of self-plagiarism. Yet somehow, Koei pulls this trick over and over again, altering its Dynasty Warriors series with such glacial pacing that there will be another ice age before there is any significant change in the series.

If you really love the Dynasty Warriors series then this is probably a no brainer, and you'll probably have already picked it up, but if you're wondering if the latest game does anything drastically different to the previous games, it doesn't. It's more of the same, with some slight graphical improvements. If that's all you want in a sequel, you'll enjoy what's on offer here.

Dynasty Warriors has now stopped being a fun-but-flawed video game series. With every passing year a new title is released, and it never changes. It doesn’t get any worse, and it certainly doesn’t get better. Despite the inclusion of newer features or updated gameplay, Koei never fails to keep Dynasty Warriors as regular or as run of the mill as it needs to be. It’s the action equivalent of an EA Sports series, with new characters and missions replacing team rosters and player likenesses.

Dynasty Warrior 5 should be called Dynasty Warrior 2-and-a-half. I would expect more advancement from a franchise with four sequels. Pass on this if you've already played the PS2 version. Hell, pass on this if you've played the last version. If you just want to be safe, pass on it altogether. You won't be missing much.

As the 'Dynasty Warriors' series has marched inexorably on, the raw numbers quotable for its various metrics (missions, characters, objects, etc.) have grown steadily with each release too. With this latest release, you will be forgiven for losing count or exaggerating the expanses. With this game it's hard to avoid that. Dynasty Warriors 5 is the, oooh, let's say the 39th 'Warrior' game in total that KOEI has committed to consoles - if you include the Samurai/Misc. Warriors games that fill the gaps between dynasties. There are 48 playable characters in this game, six entirely new, most borrowed from earlier incarnations.

Okay, KOEI, this isn't funny anymore. I realize that I have played more Dynasty Warriors titles than your average gamer (Exhibit A, Exhibit B, and Exhibit C), but I'm willing to bet anyone with opposable thumbs is more than ready to bid farewell to Lu Bu and the rest of the historic figures with goofy names, goofier costumes, and the cavalcade of idiots whose only purpose is to slow us down in our quest. Too much of a good thing? Try an offensive, suffocating heap of a mediocre thing pounded into the ground until it grates on your very fiber like being locked in a 5' x 5' windowless cell with nothing but a jukebox with "Wind Beneath My Wings" stuck on perma-repeat.