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| | Title:
Dynasty Warriors 5
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System:
Xbox
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Genre:
Adventure/Arcade
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Publisher:
KOEI Corporation
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Developer:
Omega Force
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Release:
September 23, 2005
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Online:
No
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ESRB:
Teen
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Half a decade ago would put you exactly where this series has ended up. With four other successful titles behind it, one can only assume that this series has proven popular enough to last this long in an ever-growing cut-throat gaming business. Now despite being game number five in the Dynasty Warriors series, this is actually, (like its predecessors) a spin-off of the Romancing Kingdom series. And for those unfamiliar with the latter, I'll sum up its history by simply stating that one of the original Romancing Kingdom sagas was published back in the early years of the SNES. That gives you a bit of information on how old this series is, video game-wise.
For those unfamiliar with the relation between the Romancing sagas' and the Dynasty Warriors' series, a quick explanation would simply be that both games venture players into an excursion through the ancient history of Chinese legends and war-tales. Dynasty Warriors basically delves into the chaos of the war-torn lands of China, where mighty warriors vie for control of the rich empire. And when things need to get straightened out, it gets taken straight to the fields; with swords and such to settle things over. Speaking of which, this game features over 38 newly designed battlefield maps, in which players will be given more tactical command and control over how some battles play-out; this game certainly looks to promise players with a lot more depth and immersion into the Dynasty Warriors legacy than any of the previous titles in this saga.
And for those who take interest in the game beyond the (more or less) historical lessons of Chinese war and civilization; will be thrilled to know that they are in for one major arcade style, hack'n'slash, battlefield ridden, lightning fast, war extravaganza. With special abilities to clear out enemies in droves or simply weaken up a battalion’s defenses with some fancy slash-and-flash style weapon fighting; this game is sure to captivate a wide-range of gamers who take even the slightest interest in arcade fighting games. As Koei also announced an enhanced Musuo Rage system, for additional combination attacks and specialty moves in which the new and revamped weapons and fighting system allows for the possibility of attaining up to 9,999 K.O.s consecutively. Which is sure to be a fan-favorite feature for all those out there who just couldn't be satisfied with the 200-hit combos from Killer Instinct. And with six new character additions to this pinnacle of Koei's D.W. series, this brings the total sum to a massive 48 in total, playable characters. And with new weapon enhancements and improved gameplay; a whole new graphics engine: Less frame-rate skips, more enemies on-screen, and further draw-distances which take advantage of the Xbox's massive power. Many fans of Dynasty Warriors will probably have their hands more than full.
One of the other neat additions to this game, something which PS2 owners will be missing out on, would be the Japanese subtitle addition and Japanese Voice-over work specifically added to the rendition found only on the Xbox. This feature is probably going to be more popular with the cult fans of this series. Something for everyone who loves high-quality sound though, will definitely find beneficence from the Dolby 5.1 surround sound addition found only on the Xbox as well.
Another new addition to this game--and they seem to keep on coming--would be the team-members that join you in battle. Aside from going at it with a second player that has your back; you can now command several troops to help you in dispatching enemy forces. They can even gain extra abilities for use during combat, or you can even have them to work as body-guards that just make sure you don't have, in your back, protruding through your chest, a sword or spear. But your buddies aren't just there to take the heat off of you; you have to make sure you can back them up when they need you as well. As your troops can be dispatched just like any other opponent. So it's important to have an idea of how you want to use them in battle. This definitely adds a bit of semi-realism to the concern attached to you and your troops when you're out there on the battlefield.
Hands-down, this is the biggest Dynasty Warriors to land on the Xbox. And anyone who likes anything to do with adventure fighting games will be sure not to miss this epic title, as Koei seems to have pulled up all the stops for Omega Force to turn this franchise into one behemoth of a game. Be sure to look for this title come mid September, 2005.
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L3e
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