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I've played Dynasty Warriors since 4 Hyper, so I haven't played them all, but I've played a lot. Recently more than average time on Dynasty Warriors online, which is a whole different ballgame than the console versions.
Now on with it...
Dynasty Warriors 7 has updated graphics and is beautiful. I can't take advantage of the 3D stereoscopic abilities but on my projector it looks really nice. The fluid cut scenes blend seamlessly with the action in story mode. The music is great and you can select which track will play (or random) in conquest mode.
Story Mode: Select your favorite faction and proceed through Wei, Wu, Shu, or Jin. Each stage is different and generally has a clear purpose. You cannot select your character, it depends on the level you are playing. Personally I like this, you get experience with various move sets and weapons. Talk to various people in cities and build/modify weapons, etc.
Cons: One player only
Chronicle Mode: Unlock various stages which form a grid of the map of China. Completing one stage unlocks adjacent stages. Stages have various purposes; unlock a character, get a special weapon, unlock a city, normal battle, etc. Stop in to cities and upgrade/forge weapons (add seals), pay allies to aid you/get animals, answer questions at the scholar for special items/achievements, etc. Tons of stages! You can switch to an unlocked character using the X button at the battle select screen. Unlimited saves mid-battle (Though you cannot restart in the middle of a battle if you fail).
Cons: Load screens take time
Cannot lock onto a general and sometimes they move out of view. An orange arrow shows what direction they are in.
I found myself wishing the enemy generals had a musou bar indicator. The real damage you take from them is from their musou, and if you're just starting your combo when they start their musou, you WILL be hit.
-XP is in the form of skill points and allows you to add skills to your player. This must be done individually for each player, not combined. Done by killing generals and collecting items from KO'd generals (Attack+, Defense+, etc)
-Seals can be unlocked for weapons and added to them. This is the weapon upgrade system and seals unlocked apply to all weapons.
-Find/purchase higher level weapons. Use the Blacksmith to forge them and unlock seals. Takes time but can unlock multiple seals at once using numerous slots at the blacksmith.
-One player can use ANY 2 weapons. Their main weapon has a special EX attack. This can be viewed in the start menu by clicking on "moveset". Upgrade skills to obtain more combo attacks and increase to 2 musou bars! Also can unlock an aerial musou through gaining skills.
-User can carry 2 weapons at once and switching executes a special attack dependent on the weapon type you are switching from.
-Expertise stars determine your ability to use an item. Can gain stars but some cannot be used well no matter what.
-Gain allies by talking to them and they will join you in battle if you select so. Takes time to build the bond and allow this, but not too long. Can hire some for 1000 gold and they join for one battle.
-Animals include Horse, Panda, Elephant, Wolf, Hawk, tiger. Some are ride-able and some fight for you.
-36 different movesets.
-Ability to change outfits as you unlock them.
Online play
-To play online (only conquest mode) press the start button and select "online play". If you want to play with a friend you know form a party first. Then click on the battle you want to fight and select to recruit an ally from a party. You can also recruit from anybody by leaving it open for anyone to join. You can also join a random battle.
-You can see others on the map in the form of golden swords over a hex. They are recruiting and you can join in.
-Only 2 players :(
-2 player split screen for local play. Second player hits the start button to join at the battle select screen.
-NO PVP mode. Only coop.
-When a power-up is dropped, both players can get it, though the power-up may not be the same for both, it does not disappear for the other player if you grab it.
*At the time of this review there is some lag in the form that the other player may see you doing something which you've already completed. Sometimes enemies killed remain on the screen for the other player, or you will appear to walk through a wall. This may be repaired in a future patch. I noticed no frame rate drops, still very smooth gameplay.
This game, IMHO requires more skill than DW Strikeforce and all previous actually with the exception of Dynasty Warriors Online (if you want to master combos, EX attacks, weapon switching, and musou all in sequence). DWO is PVP oriented so it is unrivaled in the required skill to play as you are fighting other people. That being said, you can always set it to easy mode and PWN everybody if you so desire, though the rewards will be reduced. There are 5 difficulty settings from very easy up to chaos. Chaos mode is suicide unless you have a maxed out player, even then it is difficult.
That's all I will say for now, any more would spoil the game for you. It's well worth the money and a very long game. Hope this helps you get started :)
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Everyone "enjoys" and "dislikes" certain genres. If we want to be honest all games are repetitive. Usually our end verdict is based on what sort of "repetition" we enjoy the most. So with Dynasty Warriors 7 you maybe asking yourself "Is it worth it?" Did Koei/Tecmo and Omega Force actually bring the franchise into the present? Being a retro old school fool whom often revisits my ps2 I can easily recognize when one of my favorite games series goes through significant "polish". If a port from a last gen console is "rehashed" and chucked onto my 360 I'm going to be able to smell it like an ever vigilante German Shepherd. Luckily, Dynasty Warriors 7 deserves to be called a modern day marvel! Er,that is assuming if you like your somewhat tactical hack n slash game play!So what is Dynasty Warriors? For those not in the know it takes place in Feudal China when three kingdoms vied for control of the land. Much akin to George R R Martin's A Song Of Ice And Fire, the story is ripe with forbidden romances, betrayals, tyrants, and fragile alliances. However, because the people at Koei/Tecmo want DW to be accessible to a larger audience there's a distinct lack of blood and swearing. "Sex" is implied but not thrown into your face as some sort of "Tussle with the concubine under the sheets until the vase falls" mini game.
Dynasty Warriors 7 has a distinctive core of game design which carried over from the gnarled roots of its` forebears. You choose to play as pivotal protagonists and antagonists from the Romance Of The Three Kingdoms era then you sally forth to slay thousands of wizards, archers, and tough guys. Sound daunting? Fret not! Unless you jack up the difficulty to "Chaos" or "Hard" your adversaries are suitably dim witted. Some review sites may rag the game for this but it truth it's a blessing in disguise. If opposing clusters of troops carried out orders with well organized precision they would kill a lone warrior in a matter of seconds. Dynasty Warriors is not about total realism. It's supposed to make you feel empowered. When you slay a general of equal skill or send hundreds of peons flying with one swing of your weapon your inner child should squeal with glee! If you feel your pulse slow down from boredom instead, this type of franchise probably isn't for you.
Luckily for fans and newcomers alike, Dynasty Warriors 7 mixed in much needed spice to the formula. Of all the iterations over the years this one likely has the most potential to draw in new gamers who previously sat upon the fence of uncertainty. Shall we go over what has changed?
"Animal husbandry"
Previous dynasty warriors games had horseback riding. It was a good way to break up the monotony of slaying whole armies on foot. Assuming you had to be somewhere fast, a slick stallion could mean the difference between victory and total annihilation.
Horseback riding has returned in DW 7 and it's vastly improved! Now your four legged friend can jump, swim, do a rush attack, and be called to your side at any time with a shrill whistle command. This is much more convenient than running around the map wasting precious minutes to "jack someone's ride".
Additionally in "conquest mode" you can tame tigers, hawks, bears, elephants, pandas, and wolves to either ride or fight alongside you!
"Art of war"
As you play out the sagas of each kingdom every chapter has set objectives. In story mode you can even use siege equipment such as ballista and catapults to mow down opponents or break down fortress walls. Missions such as freeing tigers to cause mass panic, submerging a castle in water by opening a flood gate, and escorting an important person to safety are much more fun to do. Honestly in Dynasty Warriors 5 a lot of the quests unfolded in a dry and uninspired manner. Not so here!
"Traversing the terrain"
Dynasty warriors 7 is a tad guilty of setting you along a preordained trail. You can sometimes look upon places which seem as if you can go there but in reality an invisible wall impedes your progress. However, you can now swim, slide down more cliff faces, and climb ladders. While your destinations are the same how you get there is up to you. Being DW was never set up like an expansive open world rpg, this never got under my skin. The added plat forming and exploration elements are likewise appreciated!
"With knowledge comes power young warrior!"
DW 7 goes back to the charge system and forsakes the renbu system. Being I didn't play DW 6 I do not know exactly "what" came before hand. However, it's safe to say I like the present combat a lot!
Each character has a "skill tree" to boost damage you do to enemies when on horseback, add to your musou gauge, increase your speed on foot, and generally turn you into a more proficient killing machine.
Your basic attack, defense, and vitality ratings are all improved by collecting shield, food, and sword icons from fallen foes.
"Instruments of pain"
The weapon variety in Dynasty Warriors 7 is very impressive. "Arm cannons" "battle harps" and "bladed yo yos" are stranger additions and while the outlandish array of battle implements are not historically accurate they are fun to use.
Each warrior can switch between two weapons in the heat of combat. Everyone can be equipped with anything before skirmishes begin but you should keep an eye on the star ratings. If say Sima Yi has a "1 star" next to the drilling lance chances are he's not going to be all that great at using it.
Seals put into weapon slots can improve range, attack power, speed, mystic properties, and combos.
"Musou attacks" flash, crackle, burn, smash, and freeze with renewed intensity and visual gusto! Assuming you found DW 5's "super moves" to be lacking this issue has been completely rectified.
"Do you see what I see?"
Koei and Omega force are a tad guilty about recycling graphics. If you asked me the difference between DW 3 and DW 5 it would be hard for me to list key examples. Warriors of Orochi 2 was probably the best looking outing on the PS2 and though it brought in better level design and more varied playable characters it was still using an outdated engine.
Dynasty Warriors 7 by comparison looks utterly beautiful! A lot of love and thought went into the character models and the environments are not quite so drab, jagged, and flat. Many more combatants can be on screen at once and they all carry a larger plethora of unique weapon types. Granted this was achieved via deliberate frame skipping but everything flows so silky smooth only the most abrasive of snobs are going to notice.
You can also rotate the camera with the left analog stick. I use this for dubious ends (pantie and thong watching) but I imagine it can be helpful during tense fights as well.
If someone tells you DW 7 is "ugly" or looks outdated they're clinically blind or bias beyond rationality.
"Justin Bieber tried to defile the Metal...But the Metal struck him down!"
Frankly the music in DW 5 sounded uninspired to me. Sure, there was plenty of electric guitar solos but they were soulless to my ears. I kept going back to Warriors Of Orochi 2 and its' more inspired soundtracks to feel "pumped" while cutting my way towards glory.
I'm happy to report the band also brought back the "awesome" in Dynasty warriors 7! Every track amplifies the atmosphere and emotional investment of each situation. Most are standard Rock N Roll Heavy Metal fare but a select few compositions add in some Arabic or oriental under tones. This is something I for one appreciated. To all you composers out there who were involved in DW 7's development let me offer my sincerest gratitude!
"I shall shine brightly...yes, even more so than now!"
Personally I was really fond of the voice acting in Dynasty Warriors 7. It was on a whole new level. However, when there are over 60+ defenders of the realms with unique personalities, different beliefs, conflicting ideals, and even varied sexual preferences your bound to come across at least one performance that rubs you the wrong way. This did happen to me with Zhang He at first but as I got to know him better it was easy to let it slide. Call him "fruity" if you will, but he tares it up on the battle field! Besides, the world is diverse. We cannot expect everyone to conform to our bias standards of coolness. I commend game developers whom create "super heroes" or "super heroines" even minorities can relate to. Given Zhang He's characteristics his voice actor did a wonderful job! (The same goes for the rest of the cast as well.)
"Sit down around the fire lads and lasses! Let me tell you a story of lords, knights, princesses, love, betrayal, and fallen kingdoms eternally retold..."
Story mode is more immersible than it has ever been for the series. Cut scenes transition flawlessly into the battles themselves. Before you enter the fray you can talk to other soldiers around the base or even chat it up with your dearest companions. Weapons can be bought and forged on the spot.
Instead of letting you play as one officer through an entire chronicle Story Mode shuffles you around and plants you in the shoes of alternating characters whom were the most pivotal during certain events. Like a good book you may go from Cao Cao's suspenseful escape to Dan wei's noble sacrifice. Events such as Sun Shang Xiang's tragic love affair with Liu Bei are delivered with much more feeling.
The biggest con of "story mode" is the lack of co-op. Aka you feel totally on the edge of your seat at all moments which is a great accomplishment. Yet admittedly sharing it all with a friend would have been that much sweeter.
However, from that "sacrifice" we get the best recounting of the 3 kingdoms era to date!
"War lords just wanna have fun....smash, hack, and talk smack.....Oh yeah!"
Local and online co-op can be found in Conquest mode. After a dose of melancholy historical tragedy it's nice to go into something that is more of a "fantasy what if..." approach to ancient China! As you conquer multiple hexagons on a grid map via the tried and true feudal negotiation approach (kill,kill,kill, and save villagers) you can ally yourself with anyone, build up friendly or romantic relationships with fellow officers, take your animal familiars into battle with you, shoot the spit with towns folk, answer trivia questions, and unite the lands minus the unnecessary jerk baggery. In conquest it's possible for Cao Pi and Sun Ce to be best pals or for Liu Bei to flirt it up with Zhen Ji. Characters neglected in "story mode" get their own "legendary battles" in conquest mode to boot. After you play through their segments you unlock them.
I'm unsure how fans will feel about Conquest mode but personally I was glad to partake in missions which were mostly different from those found in free mode (which is basically replaying the exact same scenarios in story mode with different characters)
In the future I hope DW keeps conquest mode even if "free mode" marks its' return after a brief hiatus.
"Omitted features"
1. There's no create a character mode. For me this is fine because my custom avatar wouldn't seem nearly as important when standing next to the "true greats' anyway.
2. Animal guardians and sworn allies in Conquest mode replace body guards.
3. Again there's no "free mode".
"Biggest gripe"
Load times.....ugh!
"Nicest feature"
In Conquest mode you can choose any musical score you want for the upcoming conflict. My favorite listening pleasure so far is "Crisis".
Overall
I cannot recommend Dynasty Warriors 7 high enough. Even if you're not a huge fan of hack n slashes I would suggest a rental at the very least. With Jin becoming a new playable fraction and everything else having been "improved" by leaps and bounds this is the best DW game to jump into to get your feet wet.
Being this is the very finest of its' genre it's safe to say if you don't enjoy DW 7 nothing else of a similar vein will persuade you to change your mind.
Regardless, Koei/Tecmo and Omega Force put in 110% percent and should receive recognition for doing so!
Best Deals for Dynasty Warriors 7 - Xbox 360
My Review. When i first heard of the new Dynasty warriors 7 back in september i had my doubts....The past bunch of dynasty warriors titles have been downgraded and for the most part a large waste of time and cash....But i decided to give this one a chance since koei had promised an improvement....and let me say it is a HUGE improvement and a GIANT step in the right dircetion for koei!!!!! It actually feels like a REAL game with a complete storyline that, a.) makes sense b.) Is histroically accurate and c.) is innovating and exciting!. The story mode actually feels like a story rather than bits and pieces of a puzzle that are hard to understand or put together. In past titles i barely paid attention to the story since for the most part really had no flow, or reason, and didn't really make ANY sense. The storyline in 7 is kingdom based and really takes you into ancient china. The new seemless play offers a much needed and awesome transitioning effect, while the town and cities offer a large variety of new things to do, from training to shopping, to talking. The warm town enviornment gives you a much needed break from chaotic battles and hardcore music.Another change to the series is the Dual weapon system which has its positives and negatives. On the positive side there are many weapons to choose from and 2 weapons at once provide for thrilling new levels of combat. On the negative side many of the movesets are cloned, with the exeption of each characters unique musou and Ex attack, so you might get tired of using the same sword over and over and over again for each character who uses a sword as their EX weapon. Other than that the dual weapon system is a great new addition to the dynasty warriors series.
Another new addition to the series is conquest mode which delivers a whole new experiance as you free roam china and conquer it. You play as any one of the dynasty warriors characters and begin a series of battles while visiting and exploring towns. Each battle is replayable and some battles called "Legendary Battles" are unique to a specific character. This is a really cool feature that provides tons more of gameplay. In town you will be able to talk and interact with other characters as well as explore the many different shops, and venders. Now, Conquest mode is just like a free mode, you can play with your friends either splitscreen or online. this provides even more fun to players.
All in all dynasty warriors 7 is true to its fans and delivers a great hack n slash title that all fans of the series will enjoy. With its much needed added content, improved graphics, largley expanded roster, and new modes this is a dynasty warriors title that is actually worth the money. Yes there are slight negative components but the major improvements make up for koei's slack.......8.9/10
Honest reviews on Dynasty Warriors 7 - Xbox 360
Being a significant fan of the Dynasty Warriors series since DW2 I eagerly waited for this game to come out. I had gotten DW6, but was so unsatisfied with it that I traded it in, and have subsequently been without my DW fix for over a year.For those of you new to the series, Dynasty Warriors IS a repetitive game. To most of us, it is a guilty pleasure. There is something very satisfying to mowing down 1000s of enemies on the field of battle, even if you find yourself repeating the same 3 or 4 combos over and over again. If you like the idea of fighting in a fullfledged battle, hacking through your enemies ranks and bringing down lieutenant after lieutenant, then this is the game for you. It's repetitive, but in a way that is fun and satisfying for many people. It seems like it is either a hit or miss for people, so someone unfamiliar to the idea may want to rent a copy first.
That being said, I felt this game was a worthy addition to the series. Although upon getting it, I wanted to believe it was the best to come out to date, I feel it felt short on what it could accomplish. Since it actually only offers two modes of play, I will break down each of those.
Story Mode: The main mode allows you to select one of the families and follow their story to completion. You do not get a choice of character as you would in previous games, and are instead given whatever character is most relevant to that battle from that families point of view. The story mode is far more impressive than it has been in the past, and actually feels like you are watching a story unfold, verses many of the previous games where the story was merely a filler between each battle. The story is the same as it always has been, but I think this game unfolds it the best of any of them. You are denied access to 2 player for story mode, so that is unfortunate. Also, you can't choose and level a character, since the character of choice is constantly being chosen for you. You can't even select other characters that were historically in the battle of choice. The story mode specifically decides who you will be. However, the story mode is very impressive. The story really helps show you each characters place in the events that unfold and the relationships between them. It is very impressively done.
Conquest: The Conquest mode borrows heavily from the Empires sub games, and gives you the ability to conquer all of China province by province. These allow 2 p, but the battles are NOT fullfledged battles. Almost all of them are "missions". Kill this guy before he escapes, defend this base, ex.... So unfortunately, if you have a second player, he won't be able to get into any real full battles by your side, as those are all in the story mode, which doesn't offer 2p. Even in conquest mode, you will face many character levels that force you to be another character other than the one you desire to be. Other than that, the mode offers you the ability to buy weapons, mounts, animal body guards, increase how much other generals "like" you. You can take quizzes and test your knowledge for gold rewards.
Leveling: A big part of DW7 is being able to level your characters. As I mentioned before, the game often forces you to play as other characters, making it quite difficult to level your character of choice. Like the previous games, killing a lieutenant gets you access to bonus life/defense/attack or items, which take the form of weapons now. You can equip any weapon you find, however, certain weapon's are more powerful than others, offer unique special traits, and characters have more or less skill depending on which weapon they use. So one character may be great at using a sword but is penalized for trying to use an axe.
Each lieutenant you kill also earns you skill points, which you spend in a rather small skill tree unique to each character. The tree mostly amounts to adding each attack combo (strong and weak attacks have to be added separately), increases your musou guage and distance your weapon reaches. The tree is quite small, so don't think you will be able to run 3 or 4 musous if you get enough skill points. As far as I can tell, Musous cannot be extended either like in previous games so that it lasts longer. However, you can unlock a second musou attack and be able to use one or the other.
Items also have been replaced by seals. Very similar to Lost Odyssey, each item has a seal attached to it. When you either leave the item with a blacksmith or use the item long enough, you obtain the seal. Each item can have 2-3 seals attached to it, which doesn't have to be the seal it can create. Once you obtain a seal, you can attach it to any weapon you want and as many weapons as you want. The seals are the equivalent of items, and I would personally have just preferred to get items. It just adds one more worthless step.
Overall: To avoid being too much longer, I will just sum it up. The game has nothing else to it. No freestyle mode, no arrows, and no character creation. The game is nice, but it seems like DW creators can't help but cut stuff out as they add new stuff. This game really does suffer in my mind for it's lack of freestyle. You should be able to pick a level, a side, a character, and a difficulty whenever you feel like it. This game loses 2 stars because of the lack of a freestyle mode and for the other issues I mentioned. I really do like this game, but if DW8 brings back freestyle I will be dropping this one for that in a heartbeat. It really is a shame too cause they really did do the story perfectly and conquest mode isn't bad either. This game could have been close to perfect (as perfect as DW series can get) if they didn't cut out that vital mode.
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