Altima
03-31-2011, 06:41 AM
I found this article on Ign.com.
Link - http://ps3.ign.com/articles/115/1158577p1.html
Dynasty Warriors 7 Review
Repetitive adventure is repetitive.
March 30, 2011 March 30, 2011 March 30, 2011
by Colin Moriarty
When it comes to button-mashing, few franchises have anything on Tecmo Koei's Dynasty Warriors. First introduced way back in 1997 on the PlayStation, the original Dynasty Warriors was actually a fighting game that would be unrecognizable to fans of the series today. But ever since then, Dynasty Warriors has turned into a hack-and-slash affair, and Dynasty Warriors 7 is no different.
Predictably, Dynasty Warriors 7 relies on the tired conventions that have made the series infamous in the gaming realm. And while there's no doubt that Dynasty Warriors is loved by a number of gamers -- the series sells exceptionally well in its native Japan -- it won't interest most. It's simply too much of the same thing over and over again to have any sort of broad appeal.
Most gamers will cringe when they learn that Dynasty Warriors 7 is essentially the same game as previous titles in the series. It leans on the same old gameplay that began with Dynasty Warriors 2 on the PlayStation 2 more than ten years ago, and that's not a good thing. It's not that utilizing the same gaming conventions is bad in and of itself. Rather, it's that Dynasty Warriors' gameplay has never been exceptionally well-executed or solid, so why throw it back at gamers time and time again?
There are two primary modes in Dynasty Warriors 7: Story Mode and Conquest Mode. Story Mode is split into four sections, where you're able to play through four different individual sagas. Each of these stories is extremely lengthy, so there's a lot of content to get through. Additionally, there are tutorials to work your way through, galleries full of unlockable art and videos, and an encyclopedia full of in-game knowledge. In terms of new features, gamers will be happy to know that there are two of consequence: dual-wielding weapons and a new fourth kingdom called Jin.
Conquest Mode retains the core gameplay of the Story Mode, but adds a different twist. Instead of progressing through an involved story, you'll move across a grid-like map, conducting a series of battles (many of them smaller than usual) in order to ultimately dominate the entire grid. Once again, getting through Conquest Mode will require a lot of your time. You can even play with other gamers online in Conquest Mode, though it's not necessary (and in our experience, actually ruined the gameplay due to rampant latency issues, disappearing enemies and the like).
It's not the amount of content available in Dynasty Warriors 7 that's the problem. In fact, I commend developer Omega Force for the sheer amount of content it's stuffed into the package. Rather, the problem is that nothing changes as you play, so seeing even a fraction of the content is a chore. Whenever I found myself having a modicum of fun, or enjoying the experience for just a moment, it was almost instantaneously squashed by the fact that what I was playing was nothing more than a mindless button-masher.
Whether you're playing through a level in Story Mode or Conquest Mode, you can expect to find nearly-identical scenarios. Hundreds of soldiers will line the area where you'll be fighting, and most of them are nothing more than fodder for your blade (or whatever other weapon you happen to be using at the time). The repetition of ruthlessly murdering thousands upon thousands of helpless soldiers (without any actual blood being shed) is occasionally broken up when you fight an enemy officer. These guys always put up a better fight, but again, with a combination of mashing one of the attack buttons and using your special Musou Attack, you should find very little standing in the way of your progress. You can switch out weapons, strengthen your gear with seals, and play as a bunch of different characters. But the gameplay remains the same no matter what.
For most gamers, Dynasty Warriors 7 is a boring, repetitive game. It certainly was for me. But like the games that preceded it, one of Dynasty Warriors 7's strengths is its ability to tell a story. The Dynasty Warriors series revolves around the famous Chinese novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, written by Luo Guanzhong in the 14th century. The novel, like the game, is all about endless warfare, but there's nuance to be found if you're willing to pay attention to the ever-expanding plot (and ignore the incessant melodrama).
Graphically, Dynasty Warriors 7 is a dated-looking game, but that's not the biggest issue with its aesthetics. Instead, it's Dynasty Warriors 7's incredibly bad draw distances. The environments render fine, but if you're not keeping a keen eye on your map as you're running around various environments, expect to be snuck-up on by enemies as you run through seemingly-empty locales.
As far as audio is concerned, there are some rocking tunes to fight along with, but those will suffer from repetition before very long (just like the gameplay). There's a whole slew of over-acted voice work to be heard as well. But again, that too gets repetitive.
"Repetition" is the name of the game with Dynasty Warriors 7. And it kills the entire experience.
Closing Comments
Dynasty Warriors 7 is one of those games that really only appeals to a certain niche of gamers. And that’s totally fine. Dynasty Warriors fans are going to find a whole lot to like with Dynasty Warriors 7, including an expansive set of options that will keep players busy for a very long time. But for everybody else, playing Dynasty Warriors 7 will be a chore. The gameplay is repetitive and boring, the aesthetics are bland, and the story -- while interesting and chock-full of characters -- can be hard to follow and bogged-down by melodramatic delivery.
In other words, those who are already into the Dynasty Warriors franchise will love Dynasty Warriors 7. Everybody else should stay away.
IGN Ratings for Dynasty Warriors 7 (PS3)
6.0 Presentation
Dynasty Warriors 7 totes an expansive story and myriad characters. But it all comes off a little muddled.
5.0 Graphics
Though it looks old, the graphics of Dynasty Warriors 7 are the least of this game’s problems. The animations are bad at times, as are the draw distances.
5.0 Sound
Do you like sword-fighting to gnarly guitar rock? I sure hope so, because there’s a whole lot of that here. There’s a lot of voice acting, too, though most of it is over-acted and overused.
4.0 Gameplay
Dynasty Warriors 7 can be a lot of fun in five to ten minute bursts. Try playing it for five to ten hours and you’ll likely launch your controller through a nearby window.
6.0 Lasting Appeal
There’s a hell of a lot of content stuffed into Dynasty Warriors 7, which is great news for fans of the game. It’s an equally good reason for everybody else to look elsewhere for their gaming fix.
5.0
OVERALL Mediocre
(out of 10)
I have Dynasty Warriors 3-6 and DW Legends 5 or 6, and I have played 2.
I usually enjoy the games, and would buy them, but im not going to buy this one. I just have enough games to play already(I need to stop on Black Ops to play them tho.) and that means I can wait until Dynasty Warriors 8.
Link - http://ps3.ign.com/articles/115/1158577p1.html
Dynasty Warriors 7 Review
Repetitive adventure is repetitive.
March 30, 2011 March 30, 2011 March 30, 2011
by Colin Moriarty
When it comes to button-mashing, few franchises have anything on Tecmo Koei's Dynasty Warriors. First introduced way back in 1997 on the PlayStation, the original Dynasty Warriors was actually a fighting game that would be unrecognizable to fans of the series today. But ever since then, Dynasty Warriors has turned into a hack-and-slash affair, and Dynasty Warriors 7 is no different.
Predictably, Dynasty Warriors 7 relies on the tired conventions that have made the series infamous in the gaming realm. And while there's no doubt that Dynasty Warriors is loved by a number of gamers -- the series sells exceptionally well in its native Japan -- it won't interest most. It's simply too much of the same thing over and over again to have any sort of broad appeal.
Most gamers will cringe when they learn that Dynasty Warriors 7 is essentially the same game as previous titles in the series. It leans on the same old gameplay that began with Dynasty Warriors 2 on the PlayStation 2 more than ten years ago, and that's not a good thing. It's not that utilizing the same gaming conventions is bad in and of itself. Rather, it's that Dynasty Warriors' gameplay has never been exceptionally well-executed or solid, so why throw it back at gamers time and time again?
There are two primary modes in Dynasty Warriors 7: Story Mode and Conquest Mode. Story Mode is split into four sections, where you're able to play through four different individual sagas. Each of these stories is extremely lengthy, so there's a lot of content to get through. Additionally, there are tutorials to work your way through, galleries full of unlockable art and videos, and an encyclopedia full of in-game knowledge. In terms of new features, gamers will be happy to know that there are two of consequence: dual-wielding weapons and a new fourth kingdom called Jin.
Conquest Mode retains the core gameplay of the Story Mode, but adds a different twist. Instead of progressing through an involved story, you'll move across a grid-like map, conducting a series of battles (many of them smaller than usual) in order to ultimately dominate the entire grid. Once again, getting through Conquest Mode will require a lot of your time. You can even play with other gamers online in Conquest Mode, though it's not necessary (and in our experience, actually ruined the gameplay due to rampant latency issues, disappearing enemies and the like).
It's not the amount of content available in Dynasty Warriors 7 that's the problem. In fact, I commend developer Omega Force for the sheer amount of content it's stuffed into the package. Rather, the problem is that nothing changes as you play, so seeing even a fraction of the content is a chore. Whenever I found myself having a modicum of fun, or enjoying the experience for just a moment, it was almost instantaneously squashed by the fact that what I was playing was nothing more than a mindless button-masher.
Whether you're playing through a level in Story Mode or Conquest Mode, you can expect to find nearly-identical scenarios. Hundreds of soldiers will line the area where you'll be fighting, and most of them are nothing more than fodder for your blade (or whatever other weapon you happen to be using at the time). The repetition of ruthlessly murdering thousands upon thousands of helpless soldiers (without any actual blood being shed) is occasionally broken up when you fight an enemy officer. These guys always put up a better fight, but again, with a combination of mashing one of the attack buttons and using your special Musou Attack, you should find very little standing in the way of your progress. You can switch out weapons, strengthen your gear with seals, and play as a bunch of different characters. But the gameplay remains the same no matter what.
For most gamers, Dynasty Warriors 7 is a boring, repetitive game. It certainly was for me. But like the games that preceded it, one of Dynasty Warriors 7's strengths is its ability to tell a story. The Dynasty Warriors series revolves around the famous Chinese novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, written by Luo Guanzhong in the 14th century. The novel, like the game, is all about endless warfare, but there's nuance to be found if you're willing to pay attention to the ever-expanding plot (and ignore the incessant melodrama).
Graphically, Dynasty Warriors 7 is a dated-looking game, but that's not the biggest issue with its aesthetics. Instead, it's Dynasty Warriors 7's incredibly bad draw distances. The environments render fine, but if you're not keeping a keen eye on your map as you're running around various environments, expect to be snuck-up on by enemies as you run through seemingly-empty locales.
As far as audio is concerned, there are some rocking tunes to fight along with, but those will suffer from repetition before very long (just like the gameplay). There's a whole slew of over-acted voice work to be heard as well. But again, that too gets repetitive.
"Repetition" is the name of the game with Dynasty Warriors 7. And it kills the entire experience.
Closing Comments
Dynasty Warriors 7 is one of those games that really only appeals to a certain niche of gamers. And that’s totally fine. Dynasty Warriors fans are going to find a whole lot to like with Dynasty Warriors 7, including an expansive set of options that will keep players busy for a very long time. But for everybody else, playing Dynasty Warriors 7 will be a chore. The gameplay is repetitive and boring, the aesthetics are bland, and the story -- while interesting and chock-full of characters -- can be hard to follow and bogged-down by melodramatic delivery.
In other words, those who are already into the Dynasty Warriors franchise will love Dynasty Warriors 7. Everybody else should stay away.
IGN Ratings for Dynasty Warriors 7 (PS3)
6.0 Presentation
Dynasty Warriors 7 totes an expansive story and myriad characters. But it all comes off a little muddled.
5.0 Graphics
Though it looks old, the graphics of Dynasty Warriors 7 are the least of this game’s problems. The animations are bad at times, as are the draw distances.
5.0 Sound
Do you like sword-fighting to gnarly guitar rock? I sure hope so, because there’s a whole lot of that here. There’s a lot of voice acting, too, though most of it is over-acted and overused.
4.0 Gameplay
Dynasty Warriors 7 can be a lot of fun in five to ten minute bursts. Try playing it for five to ten hours and you’ll likely launch your controller through a nearby window.
6.0 Lasting Appeal
There’s a hell of a lot of content stuffed into Dynasty Warriors 7, which is great news for fans of the game. It’s an equally good reason for everybody else to look elsewhere for their gaming fix.
5.0
OVERALL Mediocre
(out of 10)
I have Dynasty Warriors 3-6 and DW Legends 5 or 6, and I have played 2.
I usually enjoy the games, and would buy them, but im not going to buy this one. I just have enough games to play already(I need to stop on Black Ops to play them tho.) and that means I can wait until Dynasty Warriors 8.