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Dynasty Warriors is a series that’s been symbiotic
with the current generation of consoles. The PlayStation2
breathed life into an idea that was capitalised upon by Koei, and
refined time-and-time-again thanks to a hugely successful series of
sales peaks in Japan. In a strange twist, the title was also released in western
territories well it’s been continually well received, and garnered
many a hardcore fan throughout its numerous updates and spin-offs.
The latest of these associated titles is the first to arrive on a
Next-Generation console, Dynasty Warriors 5: Empires, and
benefits from a simultaneous release with the PlayStation2 version.
Dynasty Warriors: Empires is a spin-off series that
brings with it the addition of a largely strategic pre-Battle
element. A Map is divided into several Territories each under
control of a different General. Through planning, alliances and
invasions, the objective the player is faced with is simply to
conquer all of these Territories. As the strategy element is the
main addition to the title, it does appear quite forthright with its
intentions: Dynasty Warriors is more than a basic
Hack-N’-Slash.
When in control of Territories, each will have their of
source of revenue and command structure for your personal use. After
each Battle (or skipped Battle) the funding collected from all Territories under your command will
be collated for your use, this coupled with your available amount or
Orders – again, increasing as more Territories come under your
control – dictate just what may be possible. A wide variety or
Orders is available, allowing searches for more Generals for your
army, Item Production, Upgrade or Development, General Training,
Reinforcements,  Territory Defence improvements, Strategies for use
mid-Battle and even some free tasks which may increase your funds.
Selecting the right commands at the right time is imperative to your
campaign as, should you not be inclined to form alliances with rival
Generals, any Territories which denote access from a rival’s will
be open to attack.
Many of the Orders available will offer themselves as a
simple basic requirement – replenishing a General’s Troops after
a hard-fought Battle is essential, as will be producing certain
items in order to convince new Generals to join forces with you –
but others will automatically become a simple decision of game play
preference; Strategies such as Poison Enemy (which, when used in
Battle, cuts the enemies forces by almost half) and Neutral Start
(selected prior to Battle, and creates a Battlefield with only one
base for each attacking and defending Generals, with the rest
remaining Neutral) are common choices when Invading an enemy
Territory, whereas Defending may often call for Strategy choices
such as Shorten Time (cut five minutes from the A.I. time to capture
your Main Camp) and Force March (allows player’s Troops to move at
a quicker pace) may be used in order to halt the enemy before they
cause too much trouble.
The ability to enter a Battle on horseback or atop an elephant has not been forgotten, and the
Items List is now quite extensive. They must now be produced in the
pre-Battle phase, using one of your Orders, then assigned to your
General on the Battle Set-Up Screen, at the same time as selecting
the correct Strategies you wish to use. The combat is as affluent as
ever and, while no tangible difference is on offer with the step
into the Next-Generation – as with the likes of Tony
Hawk’s American Wasteland and FarCry Instincts:
Predator – the combat does still feel weighted and stylised.
Each of the two hundred and fifty Generals of which you can take
command feels unique and, while many may be sharing animation
cycles, no two will be one hundred percent identical. Basic strikes
are performed with the X Button, while Charge-Attacks are executed
with the Y Button. When your Musou Meter fills, you may perform a
Mosou Attack; extending the length of the attack in-conjunction with
the amount of time the B Button is depressed, will result in more of
your Musou Meter shall be used.
Graphically, there is very little to set the title apart from
it’s PlayStation2 sister-release. A small amount of improvement
with the Draw-Distance and a few more Troops on-screen isn’t the
most heart-warming of updates. However, what little gloss has been
added does place the title a touch above X-Men III: The Official
Game and it’s peers, but falls far short of the likes of Full
Auto and Dead Or Alive 4. The sound quality is
respectable, but again, little has changed from the PlayStation2
release.
Dynasty Warriors 5: Empires is a concept that, despite
not having evolved perhaps as much as would be hoped by aficionados
of the series, has great worth. The combat is more than reliable and
the strategy element is a light relief from the frantic assaults on
the X, Y and B Buttons – often to the point where the player
becomes more involved in building their organisation than conquering
the land. Dynasty Warriors 5: Empires offers a tangible sense
of back-to-basics fun, and on the open-market of the Xbox360 release
schedule, it’s a breath of fresh-air.
 
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