Dynasty Warriors Playtest

[Kain]

(From IGN news)



With Metal Gear, Hot Shots Golf, Ridge Racers and now Dynasty Warriors out of the way, there's no way fans of PlayStation-brand gaming are going to be able to avoid Sony Computer Entertainment's invitation to the PSP. As with Metal Gear, it's a bit surprising to see a Dynasty Warriors game appearing so close to a system launch. Different from Konami's approach with Metal Gear Acid, which plays nothing like the action-oriented Metal Gear Solid games, Koei seems to have produced for the PSP a Dynasty Warriors that is, well, Dynasty Warriors, with a few twists.


You know the drill by now (and if you don't, there'll be another entry for the PS2 early next year). Playing as a general pulled from the pages of Three Kingdoms history, you face off against hundreds of enemies, your goal being to defeat an enemy general. There are weapons to collect and new generals to unlock, making this series a favorite amongst people who like to spend dozens and dozens of hours with their games. Operating under their Japanese name of Shin Sangoku Musou, the Dynasty Warriors games sell a million copies with each installment.
The PSP entry brings back all 42 generals from Shin Sangoku Musou 3, meaning a whole lot of content for a portable game. Core gameplay also follows the series' standard. Moving around on foot or on horseback, you slash away at enemies, your goal being to defeat the enemy leader in a given area. A map, permanently displayed in the right side of the screen, shows the positions of enemies and allied fighters, with the enemy leader marked in bold red. Defeat the leader, and you clear the stage, no matter how many other enemies remain. The basic idea of building up a special "Musou" move and using it without reserve to take out a greater number of enemies continues on the PSP.

You now select, in addition to the main general whom you command, a group of sub generals. While they don't physically fight beside you, you can call out these generals for special battle moves, with some giving your character added power for a limited time. Like your general, the sub generals grow in level as you make your way through the game.

Stage design is different from that of the console entries. Each stage is split up into a couple of dozen small battle fields. The individual fields are large enough that you have ample room to move about, but small enough so that, at least in the early stages, you can clear a field in just a few minutes play time. Clear one battle field, and you're taken back to a planning screen where you can stop the game in mid-battle and select the next battle field that you'd like to play through. When choosing your next battle field, you can only select one adjacent to the field that you just cleared, meaning you gradually work your way through the full stage map as you see fit.

We were wondering why Koei went with the decision to split the battle fields for this first portable entry, and we came up with a number of possible reasons. Given that the game is now on a portable system, it makes sense to assume that gameplay sessions will occur in short bursts, making smaller play fields ideal. We also presume the game engine has less burden with smaller battle areas than it would with a larger level. We'll point out that memory doesn't seem to come into play here, as you move from one field to the next without any load time.

It's also possible that Koei made the change because it's just a neat idea. The planning map displays lots of information about the stage as a whole, showing you how many enemy and army allies are in each individual battle field, and it changes with time, as enemies and allies win battles and advance to new battle fields. You have to decide where to go next -- do you attempt to invade a battle field containing only enemy troops, or do you give support to a battle field that has ally and enemy troops? When moving over a field, you enter battle only if there are enemy troops present on the field.

The new gameplay system is something that we'd like to see used in future installments of the series on the PSP. We do hope to see future PSP installments, as this first entry suffers a bit for being a launch title. While there are no load times once you've gotten into a stage, starting up the game and starting up a stage takes far too long. The game's engine is also unrefined, with lots of slowdown and enemies that pop in and out despite being right in front of you.

These are typical problems with a rushed title, and we're sure Koei will be fixing them for the next PSP installment. They don't get in the way of Dynasty Warriors PSP offering the gameplay Dynasty Warriors fans have come to love along with some major twists.

[Dante18]

Anyone in this forum had tried this game?? i keen to get a new psp game....so is this game any good?

[joeren]

yup, i got this game. it's so great to have it . and i download a completed save from other psp forum. got all generals n sub generals.

[taka]

i just start this games but im only can play 1 stage only how to i go to 2nd stage at this games?

[unreal]

I don't have the game, but I reckon you have got to complete stage 1 to get on to stage 2

[taka]

yes i have done it now i can go throu stage 3 its so fantastic this game u should get one

[bschlesh22]

i'd think i'd like it, ive played a lot of games, people who've played it relate it to some games for me, is it like Otogi? or more like James Bond stealth like?

[yo mama]

are the graphics nice and smooth or blocky and choppy???

[bschlesh22]

Originally Posted by yo mama

are the graphics nice and smooth or blocky and choppy???

yea i wanna kno that 2, im favoring to buy the game but this is the final factor...

[kit]

hmm, my friend have this game. he said itz great and kinda similar to the PS2 one, other then the fact that itz zone mode or some stuff