Dynasty Warriors 5: Empires

The Good

• Satisfying tactical gameplay.


• Battles are very alive and never feel like you're just repeating the same tactics over and over again.




• Difficulty can be tuned nicely.




• Quirky atmosphere keeps it interesting.




• Tangential learning is nicely implemented.

The Bad

• Combat is very underdeveloped.


• Lacking presentation.




• Voice-acting made me want to poor acid down my ears.

The Bottom Line
Story

Beats me.

Dynasty Warriors 5: Empires is based entirely around romanticized (and fantasized) Chinese history, a subject I am very much unfamiliar with. The game features a large number of historical figures and cities, as well as numerous campaigns based on events that occurred in the many chapters of China’s rich past. All of which is stuff that passes me by completely.

The game clearly tries its hand at tangential learning, meaning that the player witnesses events in the game and becomes fascinated by them, which prompts them to further research the material themselves. This works to some degree, I did find myself scouring Google for information on some of my favorite characters each time I finished a campaign, but it also backfires somewhat since there is simply too much to take in to begin with. Even when I did want to self-educate, I had a hard time recalling which of the several similar-looking and often similarly named characters I took a liking to again.

If you are not interested in learning any history, then remember this shorthand: “everybody wants to rule China”. Doesn't matter who it is, which faction he belongs to or what motivation he briefly mentions at the start of the campaign, each ruler is out for domination. Each campaign has some mild variations, but that is the gist of the entire game. From that, you'll probably conclude that the story isn't that fascinating and you'd be correct. It isn't really interesting itself, but the quirky atmosphere and the obvious butchering of historical figures is enough to put some meat around the RTS-skeleton of the game.

Gameplay

Talking about the RTS-skeleton of this game, it is actually remarkably solid. I have been told that this series is primarily a hack&slash, action-game affair and that this is a spin-off game. You wouldn't know that just by playing it, though, since the RTS part doesn’t feel like an afterthought and functions just as well as the actual fighting. The strategy is based around political policies that you must order, such as recruiting new troops, encouraging economic development or suggesting an alliance. The more land you possess, the more policies you can execute each turn. Alternatively, you can follow the suggested policies from one of your officers or not even ask him anything and just delegate the matter to your appointed officer entirely.

As for the tactical warfare, you got a map of China with all of its regions. Each region counts as a land and if you own it, then you can station officers on it (3 generals and 3 officers max). Each officer/general has an army that they command, which has a finite number of troops that the player can increase or replenish through policies. To take over more land, you must end the policy/station phase and enter the battle-phase. You then select invade and choose a region you wish to take over, a screen will then pop up detailing which officers are in connected regions and can participate in the battle. If you are been assaulted yourself, then you can come to the defense by selecting “defend” instead of “invade”. You can also choose to side with any of your allies to send them one officer and help them defend or capture an area they want.

My only real problem with the setup so far is that officers all level separately and only if you actually play as them. This means that you either need to constantly switch between characters in order to keep them all averagely leveled or you must make absolutely sure that you never ever have to defend a front with weak characters on it. None of these options are very fun and I don’t see why officers don’t get experience from partaking in battles with you. I ended up employing a tactic where I would just hire enemy generals after a number of battles and throw out all five officers I had previously used to support the one character I played with and with whom I captured everything.

The actual fighting is also very entertaining, if a little simplistic. Battles involve taking over a number of camps that are placed around the map, you then win if you take over the enemy’s main camp from which they stage their attack. The problem is that you can’t just waltz over their main camp and take it over, you first need to control a direct line of camps from your base to theirs. To take over any base, you first need to kill all the “guard captains” that are present in it, which are slightly more sturdy versions of the basic AI-controlled soldiers. If an enemy officer is present, then you also need to capture him or at least make sure he legs it. The base will then be captured and become yours.

What I enjoyed the most about the combat was that it too had a tactical layer, as you had to adapt to enemy movements and retreat when necessary. You can also issue orders to your troops, but the effects are somewhat minimal and you never really know where they are or what they are doing. The fighting itself is also really simplistic, just keep hitting the square button and everything will die. You can end a string of attacks with triangle for a “combo” and once the meter at the bottom is filled you can press circle for a special attack, but these become just as routine as spamming the main attack.

Presentation

Because the game has to render so many models at the same time, the graphical aspect is not entirely up to par. Dozens of characters are forced to share the same models and even then they are fairly pixelated and bland. The combat also wasn’t as flashy as I was made to belief, which was very disappointing, as that was the main reason for why I got this title to begin with.

The voice-acting is also very underwhelming for pretty much every character, which becomes twice as annoying when you keep in mind that characters never shut up. They spout dialogue so often that sometimes matches suffer from delay as they try to catch up with everything the AI wants to say.

Replay-value

The campaigns in this game are entertaining enough to replay from time to time, especially since different factions have different policies and units. Each one also introduces some new characters and usually these are some of the more entertaining ones, such as Xu Chu. It’s not much, but the gameplay is something you really get into, just like with Civilization. Before you know it, three hours have passed and you missed that important meeting, so you just keep playing instead.

Why should you get it?

Very addicting tactical gameplay, a quirky atmosphere and nicely paced campaigns all make sure that Dynasty Warriors is a blast to play. It’s not as deep and involving as March of the Eagles or even Civilization, but it’s a lot more casual, which in turn makes it easier to pick up and play. Also, Civilization doesn’t allow you to mount an elephant and plow through Chinese infantry.

Why should you skip on it?

The lack of proper localization is rather shameful when you take into account how long this series has been around. If you can’t get quality voice-acting for all your characters, then that is fine, but at least don’t subject us to a constant stream of dialogue. The combat is also very underwhelming and some of the battles don’t support multiplayer, so one player just has to

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 modeled 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 options:
    • Defence
    • Military
    • Recruitment
    • Production
    • Tactics
    • Investment
    • Special
  • Attack/Defend.
    • Either attack a province with an army or shore one up.

Getting It Done To acquire additional options under these headings they must be suggested by one of your counselors, 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.

The Final Word

• 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.