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.