Dynasty Warriors 5 Empires
The Dynasty will not be denied! Hands-on impressions with yet another expansion.
Published: February 19, 2006
Recently heard in the office before everyone headed home for the weekend:
"Ah, Dynasty Warriors.... which one is that?"
"Oh, it's the new one, KOEI just sent it over."
"What are they up to now? I swear they all look the same."
"Yeah, this is DW5: Empires."
"So what's different about it."
"Uhhh... Well... I think there are more items you can unlock or something, and this title menu that I keep resetting to because I keep effing dying all the time is pretty cool. Check out all the slidey blocks and stuff. It's right out of one of those cough syrup trips I had a few years back."
"Yeah... well, have fun with that."
It's not often that we're short on words. In fact, just about everyone in the office is so verbose most of the time it sounds like an auctioneers' meeting. But, well, none of us can really figure out how the hell these Dynasty Warriors games -- and their expansions (there are two now, Xtreme Legends and Empires pumped out after every proper sequel) keep selling. In fact, they sell like crazy, and it's just baffling.
Empires feels a whole hell of a lot like Dynasty Warriors 4: Empires in just about every possible way, from interface to presentation. The biggest differences this time around are the addition of more tactics to employ -- 75 in all (the last game only had 50), and the ability to use 10 of them when you want. In this way you can rally troops and introduce troops at opportune times in the battle rather than just throwing them all out there.
This includes options for restocking troops, strengthening weapons and seeking out more generals or lieutenants as well when you're in between fights, too, so it's not like the game is entirely without additions. Six scenarios in the main Empire mode -- four of which must be unlocked -- thicken up the historical side of things.
At the start, you're given just the familiar Yellow Turban rebellion, which has been pretty much done to death on all the previous DW games, though there's also a fictional Heroes scenario that more or less levels the playing field, stripping out the pre-set regions that were historically held under the different mini-dynasties of the time. You then pick a ruler and systematically take over more land in Risk-style fashion.
As you build your empire, the emperor of China will gift you with more privileges, allowing more commanders for each of your regions and more pay each round, which is then used to rebuff troops, forge temporary alliances, manufacture items (you now have to delegate that task rather than just randomly gaining special items like in previous games), and strengthen a piece of land's defenses.
Eventually, though, you will have to head into battle, taking with you two other generals, three lieutenants and one reserve general and lieutenant. Most of the DW hack and slash stuff is here, complete with a time limit and simple objective (usually it's to kill the enemy leader or take their base on attack and simply survive during defensive battles), but KOEI did add in the ability (finally!) to control officers with the d-pad. You can have them attack, defend and gather to your side if you're making a big push. This is crucial if you plan to take on armies by yourself because the game regularly stacks the odds against you -- especially later on.
Empires includes all 48 main characters from Dynasty Warriors 5, any of the edited characters you made in DW5 or the Xtreme Legends add-on (minus some weapons or special items to keep the game balanced, though you'll retain all their attributes), or anything you make in the game itself for some 20,000 combinations. For guys like us that still have trouble telling Lu Bu from Liu Bei at a glance (Boobies McTopHeavy just sticks out a little more), the Edit Mode will likely be the first stop.
Perhaps it's not really fair to say this is the exact same expansion we've seen with games past -- the addition of troop control, new policies and that same amazingly addictive button mashing do make for more than you get with most $50 games. We'll have to spend more time with things before the review, of course, but for fans of the series, we're all too happy to report that this is pretty much a must-have fix for the hack and slash itch. Final verdict when we have the final game.
"Ah, Dynasty Warriors.... which one is that?"
"Oh, it's the new one, KOEI just sent it over."
"What are they up to now? I swear they all look the same."
"Yeah, this is DW5: Empires."
"So what's different about it."
"Uhhh... Well... I think there are more items you can unlock or something, and this title menu that I keep resetting to because I keep effing dying all the time is pretty cool. Check out all the slidey blocks and stuff. It's right out of one of those cough syrup trips I had a few years back."
"Yeah... well, have fun with that."
It's not often that we're short on words. In fact, just about everyone in the office is so verbose most of the time it sounds like an auctioneers' meeting. But, well, none of us can really figure out how the hell these Dynasty Warriors games -- and their expansions (there are two now, Xtreme Legends and Empires pumped out after every proper sequel) keep selling. In fact, they sell like crazy, and it's just baffling.
Empires feels a whole hell of a lot like Dynasty Warriors 4: Empires in just about every possible way, from interface to presentation. The biggest differences this time around are the addition of more tactics to employ -- 75 in all (the last game only had 50), and the ability to use 10 of them when you want. In this way you can rally troops and introduce troops at opportune times in the battle rather than just throwing them all out there.
This includes options for restocking troops, strengthening weapons and seeking out more generals or lieutenants as well when you're in between fights, too, so it's not like the game is entirely without additions. Six scenarios in the main Empire mode -- four of which must be unlocked -- thicken up the historical side of things.
At the start, you're given just the familiar Yellow Turban rebellion, which has been pretty much done to death on all the previous DW games, though there's also a fictional Heroes scenario that more or less levels the playing field, stripping out the pre-set regions that were historically held under the different mini-dynasties of the time. You then pick a ruler and systematically take over more land in Risk-style fashion.
As you build your empire, the emperor of China will gift you with more privileges, allowing more commanders for each of your regions and more pay each round, which is then used to rebuff troops, forge temporary alliances, manufacture items (you now have to delegate that task rather than just randomly gaining special items like in previous games), and strengthen a piece of land's defenses.
Eventually, though, you will have to head into battle, taking with you two other generals, three lieutenants and one reserve general and lieutenant. Most of the DW hack and slash stuff is here, complete with a time limit and simple objective (usually it's to kill the enemy leader or take their base on attack and simply survive during defensive battles), but KOEI did add in the ability (finally!) to control officers with the d-pad. You can have them attack, defend and gather to your side if you're making a big push. This is crucial if you plan to take on armies by yourself because the game regularly stacks the odds against you -- especially later on.
Empires includes all 48 main characters from Dynasty Warriors 5, any of the edited characters you made in DW5 or the Xtreme Legends add-on (minus some weapons or special items to keep the game balanced, though you'll retain all their attributes), or anything you make in the game itself for some 20,000 combinations. For guys like us that still have trouble telling Lu Bu from Liu Bei at a glance (Boobies McTopHeavy just sticks out a little more), the Edit Mode will likely be the first stop.
Perhaps it's not really fair to say this is the exact same expansion we've seen with games past -- the addition of troop control, new policies and that same amazingly addictive button mashing do make for more than you get with most $50 games. We'll have to spend more time with things before the review, of course, but for fans of the series, we're all too happy to report that this is pretty much a must-have fix for the hack and slash itch. Final verdict when we have the final game.
