If Ridge Racer and Everybody's Golf shamefully missed the Japanese launch of the PlayStation 4, the Dynasty Warriors series did not, immediately establishing itself as the ambassador for the genre on Sony's latest console. Less than two months later, here is its European version.
Let us say this right away: despite Tecmo Koei's many promises, today is still not the day we get a technically up-to-date episode. Barely acceptable on PlayStation 3, the game completely misses the mark on its little sister, which should surprise no one given that this port merely offers—fortunately—1080p, a better draw distance, slightly more detailed models, more enemies on screen, improved effects and a few reworked textures.
[caption id="attachment_379" align="aligncenter" width="460"]
Dynasty Warriors 8 Xtreme Legends[/caption]
Seen this way, the verdict seems fair, but it does little to make up for an obvious technological shortfall. This is apparent in the constant impression of exploring soulless environments thrown together at random, populated by AI that generally settles for watching us without moving, all accompanied by an overall blur intended to conceal a mess that cannot reach 60 FPS. With the more ambitious
Kingdom Under Fire II arriving soon, the publisher will have to roll up its sleeves if it does not want to be left behind again within a year.
Voir la vidéo sur YouTube
But much like
Earth Defense Force, the Musou community already knows that the appeal lies elsewhere. Despite fundamentally questionable gameplay—built around the square and cross buttons—
Dynasty Warriors, and this latest episode in particular, offers a minimum of depth through its 1,200 weapons, around 1,000 of which must be unlocked. Each has its own characteristics and is more or less effective depending on the character who equips it. Weapons are also tied to an attribute based on rock-paper-scissors combat against generals—here, Heaven, Earth and Man. You can still equip two weapons per battle, as well as four skills tied either to an ability, unlocked according to how you fight officers, or to a specific weapon; the latter requires a character to be at least level 50. Each character can reach a maximum level of 150. Beyond that, battles revolve around Musou attacks and other special moves, while carefully collecting as many bonuses as possible across the battlefield so you do not foolishly lose after 30 minutes once you start raising the difficulty.
[caption id="attachment_377" align="aligncenter" width="300"]
Dynasty Warriors 8 Xtreme Legends[/caption]
But what will drive mad any player who wants to start the series with this latest release is its simply staggering amount of content, despite a complete lack of revolution compared with the past. There are already six campaigns, which will easily take around thirty hours to complete in just one of the difficulty modes—there are six in total—along with a Free Mode for replaying every mission with any of the 82 fighters (!), playable alone or cooperatively, in split-screen or online. Added to that is a Challenge Mode, ideal for getting to grips with any protagonist; Ambition Mode, which combines battles and resource management as you build your own base, providing a change of pace; and finally an encyclopedia featuring artwork and the history of the battles of the Three Kingdoms, allowing you to build up some background knowledge. In terms of features, there are cross-saves and cross-play with PS3 and PS Vita players—no cross-buy, however—as well as a Share function that, as in other titles, lets spectators influence the action by choosing to give you bonuses or penalties depending on their mood.
Dynasty Warriors remains Dynasty Warriors: a game that will leave those who failed to connect with the series in the past completely cold, while absorbing fans for dozens of hours despite a formula that has been spinning its wheels for quite some time. The main issue remains the technical side, still as problematic as ever for Tecmo Koei, and it will not make it easy for newcomers to join the fray unless they are very forgiving.
Voir la vidéo sur YouTube
Dynasty Warriors 8 Xtreme Legends[/caption]
Seen this way, the verdict seems fair, but it does little to make up for an obvious technological shortfall. This is apparent in the constant impression of exploring soulless environments thrown together at random, populated by AI that generally settles for watching us without moving, all accompanied by an overall blur intended to conceal a mess that cannot reach 60 FPS. With the more ambitious Kingdom Under Fire II arriving soon, the publisher will have to roll up its sleeves if it does not want to be left behind again within a year.
But much like Earth Defense Force, the Musou community already knows that the appeal lies elsewhere. Despite fundamentally questionable gameplay—built around the square and cross buttons—Dynasty Warriors, and this latest episode in particular, offers a minimum of depth through its 1,200 weapons, around 1,000 of which must be unlocked. Each has its own characteristics and is more or less effective depending on the character who equips it. Weapons are also tied to an attribute based on rock-paper-scissors combat against generals—here, Heaven, Earth and Man. You can still equip two weapons per battle, as well as four skills tied either to an ability, unlocked according to how you fight officers, or to a specific weapon; the latter requires a character to be at least level 50. Each character can reach a maximum level of 150. Beyond that, battles revolve around Musou attacks and other special moves, while carefully collecting as many bonuses as possible across the battlefield so you do not foolishly lose after 30 minutes once you start raising the difficulty.
[caption id="attachment_377" align="aligncenter" width="300"]
Dynasty Warriors 8 Xtreme Legends[/caption]
But what will drive mad any player who wants to start the series with this latest release is its simply staggering amount of content, despite a complete lack of revolution compared with the past. There are already six campaigns, which will easily take around thirty hours to complete in just one of the difficulty modes—there are six in total—along with a Free Mode for replaying every mission with any of the 82 fighters (!), playable alone or cooperatively, in split-screen or online. Added to that is a Challenge Mode, ideal for getting to grips with any protagonist; Ambition Mode, which combines battles and resource management as you build your own base, providing a change of pace; and finally an encyclopedia featuring artwork and the history of the battles of the Three Kingdoms, allowing you to build up some background knowledge. In terms of features, there are cross-saves and cross-play with PS3 and PS Vita players—no cross-buy, however—as well as a Share function that, as in other titles, lets spectators influence the action by choosing to give you bonuses or penalties depending on their mood.
Dynasty Warriors remains Dynasty Warriors: a game that will leave those who failed to connect with the series in the past completely cold, while absorbing fans for dozens of hours despite a formula that has been spinning its wheels for quite some time. The main issue remains the technical side, still as problematic as ever for Tecmo Koei, and it will not make it easy for newcomers to join the fray unless they are very forgiving.
