Dynasty Warriors 6

At some point in a continuously sequeled franchise’s life, the game has to be reinvented. Developer Omega Force has done that to an extent with its latest game, Dynasty Warriors 6, but there is still work to be done. If you’re a fan of the series, you could appreciate the subtle improvements; but if you’re like me, you probably want more from a $60 “next-gen” game.

The characters in Dynasty Warriors franchise are based on the historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms. While you might be thinking, “Hey, wait! I thought this was just a --,” hold that thought. The “story” is so inaccessible for newbies to the franchise (and probably hardcore fans) that it’s best not to think about it. The game even provides an encyclopedia so you can look up “fascinating” tidbits that you might be curious about. The central tale is spun through multiple characters that you can pick from. While this might satisfy some, I would have preferred one story told from one single, unique character.

 
“I am last-gen, hear me ROAR”

If you’ve played these games before, you know what to expect. It’s still a tactical action game that puts you in control of a warrior that can battle entire armies and capture fortresses. Consider it the Chinese version of Lord of the Rings. The focus of this iteration is on chain combos. You have a Renbu system that will level up your character with more power as you kill more and more brainless baddies. It’s an interesting mechanic, but ultimately it does nothing more than make your thumb go numb, in the name of a new bullet point. 

While being able to traverse across water or climb ladders is a welcome addition to the franchise, it doesn’t fix what ultimately plagues this game: bland design. Not only are the levels labyrinthine and confusing, but the map doesn’t help when you’re busting through a level on the fly. There is nothing epic about the level layout or the fortresses you come across; they simply provide their function for the gameplay and that’s that. 

The graphics as well are not what we’ve come to expect from the era of high-def. The resolution only goes to 720p for this game; but trust me, it needn’t go higher. The game looks no better than an original Xbox game. All of the enemies are just cookie cut-outs that fill in the otherwise muddy textures. And to even say that the “I” in A.I. stands for intelligence would be insulting to games like Bioshock or CoD4. These enemies are just targets for you to run up to and mow down. Your allies will just charge mindlessly towards other mindless polygons; if they’re not charging, they’re running in circles.

 
“More of the same…”

That’s not necessarily a bad thing, though. I mean, it actually can be fun to kill hundreds of the enemies with your charged Musou attacks. The faux-RPG elements that can upgrade your character and the offline co-op do add depth. Also, the Challenge and free play Modes grant some extra replay value. But for me, it’s not enough. The gameplay is insanely repetitive and never feels integrated with the story at all. This game just lacks the polish and production values that are required of a new and better generation of games.

Gameplay: 6.0
Button mashing to the highest degree. Some new upgrades make it interesting, but it’s still uber repetitive.

Graphics: 3.5
The graphics are far from “next-gen” and the level and art design is of the lowest caliber.

Sound: 4.0
The 80’s hair band music really doesn’t complement the supposed “seriousness” of the story. Strings would have been more fitting.

Difficulty: Medium

Concept: 5.0
This series is getting old and mostly what’s here will appeal to the hardcore.

Multiplayer: 5.0
Two-player co-op is a fun addition, but not online? Come on…

Overall: 5.0
Hardcore fans will probably enjoy it. Everyone else? Hold off a while, this game should be in the bargain bin very soon.