GRcade

A new experience
I've played videogames for quite a few years but, until recently, I'd never experienced a game in the Dynasty Warriors series. To be frank, I'd been put off by weak reviews and internet chat that had suggested the titles were brain-dead button-bashers. But I've dipped my toes in and it's really good fun! I'm learning about the games and I'm impressed by the fast, fluid action.

I'm surprised by the substantial amount of history and lore around the series. For a newcomer there is a lot to learn and take in. Warriors fans seem to be very dedicated and knowledgeable about the background and the characters.

My starting point
I'm delving into the Warriors world with three titles:

> Dynasty Warriors 8: Xtreme Legends Complete Edition (PS4)
> Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate (PS4)
> Hyrule Warriors (Wii U)

From an initial trawl of the net, I've learned that:

> The Warriors style of gaming is sometimes referred to as "musou"; a term used to describe attacking manouveres
> The Warriors series includes Dynasty Warriors, Samurai Warriors and Warriors Orochi
> Dynasty Warriors is based upon three ancient Chinese kingdoms. Samurai Warriors is based upon Sengoku ("warring states") in Japan. Warriors Orochi is a fantasy mix of characters from the first two brands

GRcade knowledge of the Warriors series
Are any GRcadians fans of the series? What do you reckon of the titles? Are there any useful information references that I should take a look at? Is anyone excited about the forthcoming Samurai Warriors 4 game?

It feels good to have found a previously unexplored avenue of gaming :-).

I've played the following:

Koei musou:
Dynasty Warriors - PS1
Samurai Warriors - PS2
Warriors Orochi - PSP
Dynasty Warriors Next - PSV
Samurai Warriors 3D - 3DS
Bladestorm - PS3

Capcom musou:
Devil Kings - PS2
Sengoku Basara 3 - PS3

I enjoyed those a lot. One thing of note is that the original game is completely different to the rest of the games as it's a one on one fighter.

Used to play one of the PS2 versions loads. Lu Bu :X

You seem to be quite a fan, Suzz! Do you still enjoy the titles and do you have any plans to pick up one of the newer versions?

The series has been around for a long time but is rarely mentioned by 'western' gamers. I've only just started playing but I like the fact that I can dive in and deliver some destruction without having to learn the controls for hours. Having said that, I understand that there is depth to the fighting as blocking and powers will need to be used strategically after the early stages. The games seem to be packed with stuff; there is so much to do and the presentation is excellent.

I can't trace a source of evidence but I'm sure I recall that Koei own the copyright/patent for the Warriors style of mass-player fighting?

[iup=3569029]jawafour[/iup] wrote:You seem to be quite a fan, Suzz! Do you still enjoy the titles and do you have any plans to pick up one of the newer versions?

The series has been around for a long time but is rarely mentioned by 'western' gamers. I've only just started playing but I like the fact that I can dive in and deliver some destruction without having to learn the controls for hours. Having said that, I understand that there is depth to the fighting as blocking and powers will need to be used strategically after the early stages. The games seem to be packed with stuff; there is so much to do and the presentation is excellent.

I can't trace a source of evidence but I'm sure I recall that Koei own the copyright/patent for the Warriors style of mass-player fighting?

When I pick up a Wii U i shall get Hyrule Warriors and most likely Dragon Quest Heroes, but I have played enough of the others to not get anymore for a while. Samurai Warriors 4 interests me, but only when it goes down to under £20.

I always say about DW games is that getting the right difficulty is very important - too low and it's boring as hell. Get it right and it becomes something of a challenge. I'm really glad they brought DW8 to PC - it looks great, runs well and there is a hell of a lot of content to it.

Apart from DW8 I've got Warriors Orochi 1 and 2 emulated from PS2 on PC, and Warriors Orochi 3 on PS3.

As well as the action, it's all about battle management - being in the right place at the right time, responding to allies' request for aid etc.

Don't forget this of course:

All you need to know is, do not pursue Lu Bu.

[iup=3569115]Rog[/iup] wrote:All you need to know is, do not pursue Lu Bu.

This is not a shopped image.

I think I can go one better than Suzz.

Played -

Warriors Orochi 1, 2 & 3 (Joan of Arc )
DW5: Empires
DW6
DW7
DW: Gundam 1, 2 & 3 (Strike Freedom )
Samurai Warriors: Chronicles (3DS)
Samurai Warriors 2
SW2: Empires
Bladestorm

I have a problem I know

I've never played one of these before but both Hyrule Warriors and Dragon Quest Heroes are both on my to by list as they look like great fun!

Thanks for the info and feedback, guys. I've started DW8 Xtreme Legends and it's top. I'm enjoying the huge numbers of fighters and the Japanese styling. I'm not too sure about my tactics so far, though!

I like musou games in general but as far as the Dynasty Warriors series goes, I only really play the 'Empires' games these days as I like the added layer of strategy to go along with the beating of the faces.

Don't forget the One Piece Pirate Warrior games as well.

The only one of these type of games I've finished was Fist of The North Star Ken's Rage or Hokuto Musou if you prefer. It gave me a couple of afternoons of mindless fun. I only played through Kenshiro's story line however.

Got the one that came out on PC recently in a sale and the controller options were strawberry floated up so I never played it again. Not really a KB+M game for me.

[iup=3569742]Johnny Ryall[/iup] wrote:Got the one that came out on PC recently in a sale and the controller options were strawberry floated up so I never played it again. Not really a KB+M game for me.

How so? I know that the buttons aren't properly labelled for 360, but you get used to it after a while. I wonder if anyone's modded in 360 button prompts, or if its even possible.

I think there were more keys to map than there were on the pad for some reason. I had to put pause on the keyboard.

[iup=3569419]Dinoric[/iup] wrote:Don't forget the One Piece Pirate Warrior games as well.

Forget the first one, as it's not really a musou game (just a really bad pseudo-platformer with a tiny bit of fighting thrown in). The second gets it right though :just a musou game with One Piece characters.

Bladestorm The Hundred Year War has been announced as coming to Europe on PS4/PS3/X1 in Q1 2015.