Dynasty Warriors 5 Empires – PS2 – Review

Back in the 90s, I used to
dream of games that merged the fighting genre with any other existing gameplay
style. In particular I wanted an RPG with a fighting game engine. Long,
arduous battles could then be replaced by 2-minute bouts. I felt the same way
about adventure games. Whereas a punch here and a kick there could go a long
way in most titles, I wanted a game that made hand-to-hand combat more
significant.

It
took a while, but my dreams eventually came true. RPGs started to dabble in
fighting games. Adventure titles and action/RPGs are slowly growing their
hand-to-hand and weapon combat arsenal.

KOEI, best known for
making intricate strategy games, gave birth to a new series that quickly won
the hearts of fighting fans everywhere: Dynasty Warriors. Originally designed
as a single-player free-for-all, Dynasty Warriors was the first of its kind.
It was a fighting game you could play by yourself. Opponents weren’t limited
to the participants of the King of the Iron Fist tournament – they were
everywhere! Hundreds of them, with dozens appearing on screen at the same
time. Who do you attack first when there’s that many targets?

The popularity of Dynasty
Warriors led to four sequels and at least four spin-offs that attempted to
push the series in slightly different directions. In every case the spin-offs
succeeded in giving the player more of what they came for. More battles with
an abundance of enemies, more warlords to command, more warlords to defeat,
and more nations to rule.

Dynasty Warriors 5:
Empires is another variation of an original Dynasty Warriors game. This time
around you get to issue strategic commands to your comrades in battle. It’s
done using the now standardized directional buttons, which function slightly
differently depending on the scenario. Press up and they’ll attack the nearest
base. It’s not the most complex command, but when you’re going into battle you
need all the backup you can get.

If you need more
protection, you can tell your officers to gather around you by pressing left.
To defend the nearest base (your own, not your enemy’s), press down. And
lastly, if you’d like the officers to stand around and do nothing, don’t press
anything at all. Or if you’d like them to make decisions on their own (which
could involve them standing around and doing nothing), press right.

During battle Dynasty
Warriors 5: Empires feels unchanged. There seem to have been a couple of
tweaks made to the graphics (sharper images) and the controls (smoother
character movement), but I’d have to play through the original again to be
sure. With this iteration there really isn’t any need to. All the battles and
action-packed, overwhelming skirmishes can be found right here.

All the Musou powers are
still intact, and acquiring the energy to unleash that power works the same.
You have two options here: stand still and hold the circle button to charge
the power manually. Or you can choose to attack enemies, which you have to do
anyway, and watch the energy slowly rise. Charging leaves you vulnerable,
though there are times when you’ll be alone and have the chance to do it. This
occurs more frequently early on in the game than it does toward the end, where
battles get even more frantic than they were when the game started.

One notable difference is
DW5: Empires’ reliance on perseverance. Winning is more about the player’s
individual stamina than about hard-hitting combos and attack list memory. You
can’t merely charge your Musou powers, barge into battle, unleash one
devastating blow and expect the enemy to surrender. I’ve taken out, on more
than one occasion, 10+ enemies only to be hit by the next batch as it rushes
in. It’s not as intense as it used to be, but it still packs a bit of a punch.

I’ve been a Dynasty
Warriors fan for a while, but there’s one area that I’ve always felt needed
fixing: the camera. This is at least the 10th update or variation to a DW
game, yet the camera is almost identical to the way it functioned in the first
game. It can’t be controlled or influenced in any significant way. I suppose
it’s meant to follow the action, but I’m in charge of that. If the developers
had to lessen the number of simultaneous characters on screen, then so be it.

With a better camera
system, Empires would have one flaw it cannot overcome: repetition. Repetition
has been a part of the series since the beginning, and the fact that this is
another iteration of the original concept (and not something entirely new)
doesn’t help much. I have a few strategic options on the battlefield, and I
have the ability to manage my warriors in between battles with political
decisions. I can be kind and give out money, equip my warriors with better
weapons, and do a bunch of other things that don’t really change the outcome
of the battle. They might make things easier, but it’s not as if the strategic
elements are what this game is about. It’s about the hack-n-slash action.

Review Scoring Details for Dynasty Warriors 5 Empires

Gameplay: 6.5
Dynasty Warriors
5 Empires is not a major departure for the series, nor does it involve any
unique twists we haven’t seen in other action games. It’s a nice collection of
battles, especially if you haven’t owned or haven’t heavily played the series
before. Otherwise it’s just more of the same, weighing in as a one hundred
pound block of repetition. Those who can’t get enough, even after the last
iteration, will be kept busy for several hours – the rest of you should wait
for Dynasty Warriors 6.

Graphics: 6.9
Marginally better
than its predecessors.

Sound: 6.9
Solid, orchestral
themes from feuding Asia. That’s the good.

The bad is the sound
effects, which are repetitive and annoying. The voice-overs sound like they
were recorded at an anime tryout session. You’d think that simple “ugh!”
noises would be the easiest voice-over to create, yet video games are still
finding a way to botch it up. Try applying a voice type to one of your
homemade characters – the result will be anything but music to your ears.

Difficulty: Medium
Dynasty Warriors
5 Empires doesn’t take the series to new heights with revolutionary gameplay,
but it’s still a pretty challenging button-masher.

Concept: 5
More of the same
plus a couple of tactical elements.

Multiplayer: 6.5
Exciting for the
first 15 minutes; entertaining for the following 20. Dynasty Warriors 5
Empires splits the screen so that two players can get in on the action. Once
the initial fun factor (and the enjoyment from something unconventional) wears
off, DW5 Empires begins moving toward boring territory. For diehards only –
extreme diehards who will not (for any reason) get sick of this gameplay
style.

Overall: 6.7
I like it, but I
don’t love it, and a part of me is really getting tired of it. The series
needs to do something else – something new – if it wants to flourish. Diehards
are likely already on board, and if you’ve never played the series before,
this is a great place to start. Everyone else should pass.