Dynasty Warriors series

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Trelliz
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PostRe: Dynasty Warriors series
by Trelliz » Wed Feb 18, 2015 5:08 pm

Oh yeah, DW games are absolutely crammed with stuff to do. Empires probably more so. Certainly better value than some other games coming out soon *cough cough*

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PostRe: Dynasty Warriors series
by jawafour » Sat Feb 28, 2015 7:48 pm

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PostRe: Dynasty Warriors series
by Trelliz » Mon Mar 02, 2015 6:18 pm

Hmm, glad I decided to hold off on DW8E, as even staunch DW-defender Jim Sterling didn't like it. Here are some edited lowlights:

As a longtime Dynasty Warriors fan, I’ve stuck up for the series against the usual complaints that surround it. Claims of only ever having to press a single button, or every single sequel being the exact same thing are strikingly false, and tend to come from people who really don’t bother giving the series a chance.

However, I can’t act as if Tecmo Koei doesn’t invite these criticisms at times, especially with releases like Dynasty Warriors 8: Empires, a sterile production that runs on autopilot, cuts corners at every opportunity, and still has the nerve to launch with a bunch of downloadable content, most of which Koei has tried to sell before in other installments.

I really can’t make myself explain any of it like it’s new. Truly, DW8: Empires has handed the series’ most vocal critics a win on this one – I can’t claim this isn’t the “same game” as all the others, because it’s not even trying to look different anymore. The same characters from Dynasty Warriors 8 have been copied and pasted to the same base-capturing gameplay of DW7: Empires.

Tecmo Koei’s DLC practices have stunk for a while, but they’re especially galling in these expansions, where so little fresh material has wound up in the base experience. Once again, as someone who enjoys the series, it’s becoming heartbreaking to see all this happening – doing nothing but turning the years of often baseless criticisms into genuine examples of publisher cynicism.

Dynasty Warriors 8: Empires is everything a Dynasty Warriors hater thinks about the series made real. It’s a contemptuously assembled recycling project, and I’m sick of it.


Having never played an Empires game I might not be so affected by the negatives herein, but at full whack it seems like a tall order. The lack of english VO is annoying too - the terrible voices are all part of the experience:



Guess i'll wait for Bladestorm Nightmare instead.

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PostRe: Dynasty Warriors series
by OrangeRKN » Mon Mar 02, 2015 9:45 pm

That's disappointing, especially considering I think Xtreme Legends 8 is the best DW that's been made. I only just started the ambition mode on it tonight and all after finishing Wei's alternate story.

Also that VA is amazing

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PostRe: Dynasty Warriors series
by Trelliz » Mon Mar 02, 2015 10:10 pm

Indeed. I like the look of creating your own character/army/banners so could import some images for "hilarious" results enacting console wars etc., but 40 notes for the privilege is too steep. Definitely steam sale territory.

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PostRe: Dynasty Warriors series
by jawafour » Mon Mar 02, 2015 10:12 pm

That review is perhaps a bit harsh; looking at Metacritic, it's currently the lowest scoring review listed. The range of verdicts is very wide - 30 through to 90! - and it seems that, whilst Warriors fans will probably enjoy the game, it's not going to attract newcomers to the genre.

I'm looking forward to Bladestorm, too. The English / French / Dragons mash-up is intriguing!

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PostRe: Dynasty Warriors series
by Trelliz » Mon Mar 02, 2015 11:36 pm

It is harsh, but Jim has consistently and constantly been an advocate of the series; he did a video years ago, albeit slightly in jest, calling DW the 'Citizen Kane of gaming':



He has stood up for the series when many others go for the 'lol one button mashing boring game' angle. To see him so critical of it after all that is a worrying sign.

Like i said, i haven't played an empires game before so i may enjoy it more than a more seasoned veteran, but the price and such a critical review is staying my hand for the moment.

As for bladestorm, i picked up the original the other day, will give it a go to get used to the slightly different mechanics.

Last edited by Trelliz on Tue Mar 03, 2015 2:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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PostRe: Dynasty Warriors series
by OrangeRKN » Tue Mar 03, 2015 1:55 pm

My experience with Empires has always been that it's good, but severely lacking in balance and good difficulty curving

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PostRe: Dynasty Warriors series
by jawafour » Fri Mar 06, 2015 2:28 pm

MCV has published an interview with Koei Tecmo producer Akihiro Suzuki about the Dynasty Warriors series. The article refers to Hyrule Warriors bringing in a new range of fans to the Dynsaty series - I can relate to that! Suzuki-san also shares some thoughts about the upcoming Bladestorm: Nightmare.

MCV wrote:Koei Tecmo’s Dynasty Warriors has been going for over 18 years now, with eight numbered releases and countless expansions and special editions.

And in spite of being – for lack of a better term – very Japanese, the series has been a moderate success in the West.

“Since the start we’ve managed to bring it to the Western audience as well. We’ve received very positive feedback from our fans, which is great,” says Koei Tecmo producer Akihiro Suzuki.

“We’re confident that the gameplay is very accessible for a Western audience as well. Having said that, the franchise has been going on for quite a while now. People are getting used to the whole package - the gameplay, the plotline and the atmospheric setting of the game. But we need to make sure we’re keeping the series as fresh as it can be for future instalments.”

One of the ways Koei Tecmo has been keeping the series interesting is by collaborating with other IPs. Last year, the firm released Wii U exclusive Hyrule Warriors, a crossover with the Zelda series.

“Over the years we’ve seen a sales decline,” Suzuki says.

“The Dynasty Warriors series is targeted towards the core fans. But we’ve had a few collaborations recently that have given the franchise a second wind because they’ve brought in new fans that hadn’t given Dynasty Warriors a chance.

“So Hyrule Warriors gave the series some freshness. Now our task is to keep the new players happy now that they’ve had a chance to play. But overall with the franchise, we need to keep it fresh, both the Dynasty Warriors and the Samurai Warriors brands.”

Away from Dynasty Warriors, Koei Tecmo is hoping to reboot its Bladestorm IP, last seen in 2007 with Bladestorm: The Hundred Years’ War for Xbox 360 and PS3.

“It’s been seven years now since the initial instalment and the team wanted to do a sequel, but circumstances stopped them kicking off the project at the time,” Suzuki explains.

“We’ve been hearing from
the core fans that they’re still playing the original Bladestorm, and want to see a new entry.

“And then the new consoles came out, and they had far more capable hardware specs. The team felt now was the right time to come up with a reboot for Bladestorm.”

Where the Dynasty Warriors series is set during the battles for The Three Kingdoms from Japanese history, Bladestorm is set during The Hundred Year’s War. As
such, Suzuki believes it will speak more to a European audience.

“When Bladestorm launched the intention was to make it more suitable for the Western audience,” he explains. “That’s one reason why we chose the Hundred Year Wars’. Hopefully this Bladestorm will be as successful as it was in the Japanese market.”

But Suzuki doesn’t see that much of a difference between the UK and Japanese markets.

“There are bigger similarities between the two than ever before,” he explains.

“But we do feel that the PEGI rating system is slightly more strict than the rating system in Japan. Having said that, our games sell well, so it doesn’t bother us too much. We do feel there are restrictions in that sense, in terms of what we can make. It’s more the cultural difference between Japan and the Western audience that we do need to be careful of when creating our games.”

He concludes: “People tend to take a different approach to the games here in the UK than in Japan.”

Click here to view source.

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PostRe: Dynasty Warriors series
by OrangeRKN » Fri Mar 06, 2015 2:49 pm

MCV wrote:Where the Dynasty Warriors series is set during the battles for The Three Kingdoms from Japanese history


Um..

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PostRe: Dynasty Warriors series
by Trelliz » Fri Mar 06, 2015 3:14 pm

the franchise has been going on for quite a while now. People are getting used to the whole package - the gameplay, the plotline and the atmospheric setting of the game. But we need to make sure we’re keeping the series as fresh as it can be for future instalments.”


I think we're used to it by now - while it's commendable that they've managed to keep going without dumbing down, "appealing to a wider audience" etc., I wouldn't mind a bit more innovation/diversity. Either that or Warriors Orochi and DW Gundam on PC. That'd do. Although I guess Bladestorm is a bit of a different beast.

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PostRe: Dynasty Warriors series
by jawafour » Fri Mar 06, 2015 3:48 pm

OrangeRakoon wrote:
MCV wrote:Where the Dynasty Warriors series is set during the battles for The Three Kingdoms from Japanese history


Um..

Good spot, 'Rakoon! I think they must have meant Chinese :-).

Trelliz wrote:I think we're used to it by now... I wouldn't mind a bit more innovation/diversity.

Yes, Trelliz, even though I'm new to the franchise, I do get the impression that evolution has been in very small steps over the years. I'm not sure if it's true, but doesn't Koei Tecmo own the copyright to the style of gameplay (mass fighting)? I can't trace evidence to back-up this thought, mind.

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PostRe: Dynasty Warriors series
by Trelliz » Fri Mar 06, 2015 3:55 pm

jawafour wrote:I do get the impression that evolution has been in very small steps over the years.


Pretty much. Here is a video of Dynasty Warriors 3 from 2001, skip through it and see how much like it Hyrule Warriors is:



Obviously the gap between that and now is quite large in its own way - however there are a lot more systems in place as well as the obvious technical/graphical improvements.

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PostRe: Dynasty Warriors series
by jawafour » Fri Mar 06, 2015 4:12 pm

That looks pretty good for 2001, Trelliz. I did enjoy the English voice-over... excellent stuff! There are definitely many aspects that still show through in more recent Warriors titles.

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PostRe: Dynasty Warriors series
by OrangeRKN » Fri Mar 06, 2015 4:40 pm

I think part of the perceived lack of any difference between games is that here in the west we aren't familiar with Romance of the Three Kingdoms and related stories. So when a new game comes out, which is pretty much the same but featuring new characters and a couple of new scenarios, we think nothing has changed, while elsewhere people are getting hyped over the new character appearances.

DW is all about the gigantic cast of playable characters, and in Xtreme Legends 8 particularly I have really enjoyed the new characters added, like Li Dian.

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PostRe: Dynasty Warriors series
by Lotus » Wed Mar 11, 2015 4:28 pm

I'm about to start Bladestorm: The Hundred Years War on 360. I played it when it came out, as I was reviewing it for a website, but I can barely remember anything about it now. Saw it on my shelf the other day and figured I'd give it a crack. Seem to remember it was pretty average, erring on the shoddy side. We shall see.

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PostRe: Dynasty Warriors series
by jawafour » Wed Mar 11, 2015 5:06 pm

Lotus wrote:I'm about to start Bladestorm: The Hundred Years War on 360... Seem to remember it was pretty average, erring on the shoddy side. We shall see.

It garnered a pretty wide-spread range of assessments upon release; from Gamespot's 5/10 to Edge's 8/10 and everything in-between. I'm keen to see the new version; graphically it hasn't looked astounding in the previews, but I like the idea of an English / French / Dragon cross-battle!

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PostRe: Dynasty Warriors series
by Lotus » Wed Mar 11, 2015 5:20 pm

This 'new version', is it a re-make or a brand new Bladestorm game?

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PostRe: Dynasty Warriors series
by Trelliz » Wed Mar 11, 2015 5:23 pm

Lotus wrote:This 'new version', is it a re-make or a brand new Bladestorm game?


Brand new, including "fight evil Joan of Arc with her legions of demons" mode. However the setting is the same, so make of that what you will. Coincidentally I picked the original up in GAME for a few quid the other day, will give it a go at somepoint when Xbox Live works again.

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PostRe: Dynasty Warriors series
by jawafour » Wed Mar 11, 2015 5:30 pm

Lotus wrote:This 'new version', is it a re-make or a brand new Bladestorm game?

I've not played the original, but I believe it's a new game but based upon the original idea i.e. huge battles between the English and the French. The "Nightmare" element refers to an additional mode that includes dragons battling, too. Because videogames :datass:.



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