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The latest addition to a long-running series, "Dynasty Warriors 5: Empires" offers little innovation and improvement over previous installments. The combat, which is an integral part of the gameplay, quickly loses it's charm due to repetition, brain-dead enemy AI, and a lack of variation between all 45+ officers. While the graphics are hardly 'next gen', with its bland environments and textures, many sprites are able to fill the screen at once without any noticeable drop in framerate (however, sprite pop-ins happen often). The sound is your usual DW fare (chinese rock/pop), with a few remixed tracks from previous installments. Some of these are actually catchy, while others feel out of place given the "warring-states" setting of the game. The game's real saving grace is Empire mode, where you can plan your attacks on a more strategic level. From the 'war-council' screen your officers will offer proposals which can significantly affect upcoming battles. Such proposals include: manufacturing and upgrading new items, forming alliances, recruiting fresh troops, and formualting an ambush or ruse. I was genuinely surprised to see how much these pre-battle tactics can affect the difficulty of the actual battle. Overall a fresh and welcome addition for a done-to-death series but, at it's core, it's still the same old Dynasty Warriors: once you've played one, you've really played them all.Read full review
This is an excellent game which places multiple & varied playing styles in the hands of the player. It contains a good balance of historicity, action & plot, making this strategy game stand out against other "beat 'em up" games. An interesting feature of this game is the ability to alter the course of the plot depending upon what choices you make during game play. Conquer ancient China & unite the divided land under your banner, either as a strong & benevolent ruler, or a despotic emperor. Choosing different characters will also affect the outcome of the game when you win. The multiplayer function is great & allows you to command your troops while working with another player to gain victory over hordes of enemy troops, or face off against your friends to see who will have the mastery on the field of battle. With a ton of playable characters, playing styles & upgradeable weapons, Dynasty Warriors 5: Empires is packed with replay value, which is where this game really shines. The game allows you to customize your playing experience by choosing different characters & starting points on the map, which greatly multiplies your use of strategy skills during your quest to conquer & unite the land. You also can choose how many generals you will command & whether or not those generals will live or die on the battle field, which can add an extra layer of intensity to your battles when you know that your generals can die (if you choose this setting at the beginning of the game); or, if captured, they may be released back to you or could choose to join the enemy who captured them. Facing generals who once followed you & who have defected to the enemy also opens the possibility of coming face to face with the turncoats in subsequent battles, giving you the chance to recapture them into your service when you defeat them. This game also allows you to create custom characters of many sorts, with access to all weapon types, which are upgradeable for custom characters just like with the standard characters. The more you use your custom character in battles, the stronger & more skilled they become, with limitless potential. The music is also great & incorporates fan favorite theme songs of famous Dynasty Warriors characters from previous versions of the title & also adds new themes, some of which are majestic enough to be national anthems of genuine countries. During the setup, prior to each battle, the player can choose from over 100 different songs to set the tone as they fight, or can allow the game to set its own music by default settings. The music reflects the attitude of the player, letting them rock out as they rage against the enemy or play out the subtle tones of a zen master. Items & command abilities also grow & branch out as the game progresses, giving additional powers & choices to the player as they rule their ever expanding empire. The graphics are a little dated at this point (2014), but the game play & smoothness of the ever intensifying battles make this hardly matter & does not limit the richness of the battle experiences at all. Overall, this a game that I'd highly recommend to anyone. It caters itself well to the player, whether they want to engage in rich strategy or just blaze across battlefield after battlefield.Read full review
I thought this would be like the previous DW games but there are some differences to know before going in. Whether you consider it good or bad, there is a strategy aspect to the game which in my opinion slows the game progression down considerably. The biggest problem for me initially was accepting alliance requests from everyone then left to wonder why I couldn't invade a nearby area on the map. Most gamers just pop the game in an play but there are some things you just have to figure out. Stationing generals on the map, developing items, enemy officers retreat rather than being captured for use in your own army are just to name a few. I am 80% finished with the game (as far as achievements go) and I still have a section of the main menu (special) not available to me. The special items are juggernauts, trojan horses, etc that can be used in battle. I have run across them from the enemy but I haven't been able to employ them for my own. Gameplay is the same a previous versions so there is no worries. The only in game complaint is the camera is not player adjustable. the only way you look the way you are facing on the 360 is to click the left bumper. Of the 1000 achievement points, they are attainable in empire mode (no online achievements). In the end, you will have a lot of questions about how to play or do things in this game (too many to list here) without asking questions. The problem is that the game is so old you may have trouble getting help in a forum now that DW 6 is available.Read full review
If you've played Dynasty Warriors 3 or 4, you know what to expect of the combat. However many slashes in a combo before pressing Y to make a special move. Block. Parry. Mosou. repeat. However, in the larger scheme of things, between battles, it plays a lot like the board game Risk. Remeber Risk? You must stratecigally position your generals in different territories, to take over the ones they're bordering. Only, the outcome of the battle is not determined by a roll of the dice, but the hack n' slash action battles. Your success in battle is determine by your skill in fighting, but moreso, how you strategically set yourself up before the battle. Your number of recruited soldiers and stat-building items that you had your peasants produce determine the difficulty of whether the defense of your territory or the attack on a neighboring kingdom will succeed. If you're a DW fan who isn't too braindead to enjoy strategy, or a strategy fan who isn't too uppity to enjoy repetitive hack n' slash action, DW 5: Empires is addictive and enjoyable.Read full review
Koei has either listened to customer ideas or has magical precognition as to what people want. DWE5 is nearly the same game as its predecessor but has nearly every improvement you could desire. First and foremost, DWE5 is two-player. This improves its value at least 100%. That was my biggest gripe with the strategyaction game that preceeded it. Second, you can order your generals around, giving you a more strategic grip on the game. Furthurmore, you don't have to worry as much about other generals stealing your kills. Third, item generation is a manual process. I found that in the last game you'd have way too many items, causing the game to be rediculously easy. In DWE5 you must first capture a territory that can produce the item, then you must research the item, and finally you can produce them one at a time for a small cost. In order to get really powerful items you must invest in trade in some regions. Fourth, you can choose to make character statistics carry over from one game to the next. Fifth, if you don't like an officer's proposal you can choose your own if you've unlocked it. This adds MUCH more control to they player's commands. The game has also improved in other minor areas such as having CG movies appear after key events as well as allowing you to choose what period of time you wish to play in and actually has a free mode for practice. The game has expanded masterfully into new modes and options that can make the game easy for little kids, or very difficult without being impossible for hardened gamers. I highly recommend DWE5 to anyone who both enjoys the DW series and enjoys strategy games.Read full review
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