Dynasty Warriors 8: Empires

Intro | To start this off review off right, I would just like to mention I am a tried and true "Empires" exclusive fan of the dynasty warriors franchise ever since DW6: Empires due to the absolutely amazing character creation features/mode combined with the fact its action hack n' slash gameplay WITH RPG elements and strategy elements, both of which have seen many new additions and enhancements and in some aspects total revamps from the 6th entry in the series to the 8th, and ALL for the GOOD!It was in depth in my first experience with it in the early PS3 era with DW6: Empires and got enhanced greatly in DW7: Empires (digital only PS3) and now with DW8: Empires on PS4 it has reached yet another new plateau of customization features for your own original characters, in my case of a fantasy and fairy tail nature/mythology western and mythology middle eastern instead of the basic chinese scenarios as well as a mix of sci-fi since the new edit mode features even allows for otherworldly off-planet figures to be made like alien humanoids and people from the future, including futuristic gear, one set for males is even called "Futuristic Set for Men" when creating male characters and is one of the best outfits in the base game since DW7: Empires.At any rate on to the main review. I'll keep this review brief for now since I'm still discovering all the new features this entry has to offer.Presentation | Right out the gate the way this game presents itself to you feels different yet somehow refreshingly familiar. The UI is clean and straight to the point but adds a kinda towering twisting flare with the way its designed. Compared to DW6: Empires and DW7: Empires, this is the first title to make me think the overall DW universe is basically a high-tech simulation program at this point, the way the user interface is designed makes me think there is a puppet master controlling the strings as to how things tick and play out. Even the intro brings all this in to a clean cut theory.Gameplay | The gameplay is been revamped and improved tremendously since DW6: Empires to DW8: Empires. When I first played 6 I was extremely impressed because I have NEVER played anything like it before, but little did I know while spending all those hours playing that game, that was just a alpha phase test, DW7: Empires basically turned the franchise into a true, combo based, skill based action rpg game. Setting the stage to be a true rival to all Action RPG games out there, in both the offline and online aspect.DW8: Empires however is completely blowing all the new features Empires 7 introduced and then some! Every single moveset and new class of weapon has its own unique animations and not 1, not 2, not 3... but 4 Super Moves! Basically super special, super special alternate, super special aerial version and the Ultra finisher known as "Rage". Honestly the amount of time and development that has gone into these animations and unique ways they work must have took a damn long time. They look much better compared to the older titles as well, they feel more real adding a sense of weight the other titles lacked. It still feels not quite as real compared to say Bloodborne coming out later this month, but it truly is getting there.The combat follows an action RPG combo system, it is inspired from action rpg games like Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen, Phantasy Universe, Vindictus, Chaos Legion, Devil May Cry etc... and games of the like. But with added twists and unique features found only in empires games and specifically in THIS empires game, seriously this game is so unique in terms of combat there is literally NOTHING like it out there, I cannot stress that enough on how this genre is literally dominated by DW8: Empires.I will give you an example, the gameplay, combat and strategies in this title is so vast and expansive it would take the entire review to explain this bit by itself so I'll stop here for now until I learn a bit more, the learning curve is indeed steep.Story | The main stories normally focus on historical events and battles that took place in ancient china during the romance of the 3 kingdoms era. However slowly as the newer series has progressed in the Empires variations of the games, it has been focusing much more on the Fictional and Fantasy aspects as opposed to historic.This title is the first in the series that allows players to write, design and create their very own custom Fantasy scenarios that can take play not only anywhere in time on earth but also anywhere at all, that includes other planets as the new stages have some locations that look otherworldly or alien like in nature, we're talking star wars, star trek and star ocean levels of sci-fi here!'At any rate I could go on and on about this bit as well, but I will say this is most likely the main reason this game is not only currently my favorite game on the PS4 at the moment but also perhaps favorite recent game ever. The ability to design, create, modify and play your own fantasy themed stories in a action rpg strategy hack n' slash game is astronomical!Graphics | This... I noticed this right out the gate. I thought Samurai Warriors 4 on PS4 looked good... DW8: Empires absolutely blows S4 out of the water! I cannot believe how far Omega Force has come in terms of its outdated game engine, they have improved vastly since DW6: Empires. The outfit and weapon textures look absolutely fantastic, the shaders look great and the lighting looks incredible! In terms of lighting it even beats out the very atmospheric Guild Wars 2 on maximum setting in my book in terms of being impressed.The standard character models of the chinese characters look great and certainly on the brink of "true" next gen textures and near-cgi quality. However it is the character created warriors or "Edit Mode Officers" that really impressed me! Because folks, they FINALLY look almost as good as the main cast if not on par in some cases with certain new high quality designed outfits just for this title. EVERYTHING shines and looks amazing, the metal, chainmail, armor all gleam with a metallic flair that I expected to see in DW6: empires but was disappointed and looked dull.DW7: Empires enhanced the graphical visual aspects of the game a good deal and it was noticeable... but... The amount of polish and fine tuning and complete texture revamps for this game is insane, in some situations I still find it hard to believe how much they polished up the armor, outfits and weapons just for this title! Truly a work of love and appreciation for the trade.Mind you this isn't a "TRUE" next gen dynasty warriors title as it is still available on last gen consoles but via only digital format only. Once Omega Force and Koei decide to make a true next game Dynasty Warriors Empires 9 game, I can only imagine how it will look then. I have a feeling it'll look as good as the character models from DOA5: LR, another recent koei game.Sound | This is one of the categories this game mysteriously fails in. Someone recorded the sound quality of certain effects and voices of this game with a toaster from the year 2000 or something. It reminds very strongly of what happened with Final Fantasy XII back in the PS2 days, its very cringe worthy and very off putting. But can be fixed if you turn voices off altogether.That is another negative thing about the sound, Koei of America is either not making enough profit to hire english voice actors or they're being cheap and lazy/greedy. Because unlike DW6: Empires, DW8: Empires has no english voice cast at all. This also happened in the prior title DW7: Empires. So I assume from now on all future empires games will no longer support english dub voice casts ever again. It truly is a shame for english speaking/preferenced fans but oh well what can you do right? At least we get the game in physical disc format for PS4 owners so we can add it to our physical game collection but whatever.Music | I wouldn't know, I keep music turned off 90% of the time and add my own custom music to the mix because I am a free lance music producer and I design my very own fantasy themed music for my own tastes with this game to add even further to the fantasy vibe.Online | Unknown at the moment, I haven't gotten an online match started, either people are anti-social or I play at odd hours. Also I only have 1 other person on my entire friends list who owns this game like I do. So I assume its just not as popular at the moment, although it did just recently release last month so.DLC | DLC is planned, so far including new "Special Edit Mode Outfits and Parts" but the details are fuzzy. People who bought the game via the PSN already own this planned DLC as a digital incentive purchase but I refuse to own a game via digital format rather than Physical simply because you don't have true control over a digitally owned game or anything really. I don't trust companies. Except maybe Steam and even they can be iffy.Extras | There are Extra I want to mention but the list is quite huge, so i'll save this bit for later.Overall | I really wanted to give this game 5 stars which means a perfect score of a 10 out of 10 for me, but until I see how much original new DLC content is added to further expand the game and universe i'll hold out on it for now and play a wait and see approach.

GameplayOn The BattlefieldIf you have played even a single Dynasty Warriors game then you will find the gameplay here very familiar. You take charge of one of many historical Chinese characters and hack and slash your way through thousands of helpless peons , with the occasional officer putting a bit more of a fight. On harder difficulties you will have to use a bit more strategy, such as conquering bases, cutting off enemy's supply lines or new to DW8E using "stratagems". Stratagems are unique skills that you can use during a battle and can easily turn the tide in your favor. Some skills can help your allies like "Unity" which heals you and any ally near you while others hurt your enemies like "Fire Arrows". You can equip up to four stratagems to use during a battle and each can only be used once. There are many skills to choose from but not all are available to you, depending on the "Fame" of the character you are using you get a different set of stratagems. Fame is your character's personality, there are six different Fame types, "Orderly" , "Kind" , "Evil" , "Brave" , "Affluent" and "Wise".Empire ModeEmpire is the main mode in the game. You begin by choosing one of over a hundred characters or even you own created one. There are five different scenarios to choose from, such as Yellow Turban Rebellion and Battle of Chbi, although not much changes from scenario to another except for the officers who will appear during your campaign. There is also one (yes just one) "Story" battle unique to each campaign. There are three main ways to play, as a ruler, free officer or subordinate. Playing as a ruler gives you the most abilities and freedom. You can choose to invade another kingdom any time you wish to. You can also employ/hire free officers to build up your army and use "Diplomacy" like striking an alliance with another kingdom. Your ultimate goal is to conquer every territory and unite China under one Kingdom, yours. But of course you will have to overcome other rulers trying to do the same thing. The game is turn based, each turn concludes when you take any action, recruiting an officer, invading a kingdom, or even just interacting with one of your officers will end your turn which also causes one-month to pass. I do find it odd that invading a territory passes one month, and speaking with one of my officers also takes a month..anyway, how you choose to play is up to you. You can be very aggressive and focus on taking territories, or build up your army and strengthen your defenses. You will find that other kingdoms love to invade your territories quite often, the game gives you three turns to enter a defensive battle and win it or that territory is lost. This can be a bit frustrating as you find yourself having to play defensive battles a lot. You can avoid this by appointing a "prefect" to each of your territories, when one of your territories with an appointed prefect is invaded the game will tell you that your prefect is leading the defense and attempting to repel the invasion..of course if 3 turns passes and your prefect fails to repel the invasion that territory is lost. This is a risk you will have to take if you want to avoid playing in defensive battles. When you take over every kingdom, the campaign ends and you get a rather disappointingly short 2 minutes ending. There are six different ending for each Fame type.Playing as a free officer is quite different that playing as a ruler. You can recruit other free officers to join you and form your own vigilante unit. As a vigilante leader you can't invade other kingdoms but you can join an army going into an invasion, or engage in a "skirmish" to earn gold . You can choose to "Raise your own banner" basically overthrowing the prefect in the territory you're currently in and take the land for yourself and becoming a ruler yourself in the process. You can also choose to serve a kingdom and then you will become a subordinate. As a subordinate, your options are quite limited, you will take orders from your ruler, impress him/her enough and you may get promoted to a prefect or even strategist. As a prefect you will be charged in the protection of a territory and as a strategist you will gain the ability to suggest courses of actions to your ruler such as invading a certain kingdom or requesting reinforcements.There are many ways to play Empire mode that each campaign feels a little different. You can be a ruthless Evil ruler, execute every officer you capture, raise taxes frequently to gain more gold, and betray your allies. Or you can be benevolent, invest in your kingdom, donate to the poor villages, form alliances with other kingdoms and release/hire captured officers. You can even choose to just be a common officer, do your job and free yourself from all the duties and burdens of being a ruler , like having to constantly defend your territories or building an army. This freedom is what makes the Empire games stands out from the other more linear Dynasty Warriors games. It's sort of like the GTA of DW.Edit ModeI know many who are willing to buy a game just for such a feature, luckily this is the best Create-A-Warrior in any DW game yet. You can customize everything, height and weight, hair style and color, scars and tattoos etc , there are dozens of clothes and equipment to choose from although many have to be unlocked using Bonus Points you gain by beating Empire mode. You can give your created character his/her "Main" weapon and also choose what their Fame is. You can create as many as you want, and you can even allow them to appear in Empire mode. You can also upload your created characters online so they appear in other people's game.Graphics and SoundDynasty Warriors games were never known for their great visuals and sadly this isn't any different. The game looks almost identical to DW8 officers and weapons do look a bit better thanks to some added details, and the game runs very smooth never dropping frame rate even when the action gets hectic. The game is fully voiced..in Japanese, unfortunately there is no English dub. This was done as a cost-cutting measure according to Koei. At least they didn't hold back with the music, the game features dozens of music tracks from many older DW games, like DW2, DW3 etc this is especially awesome for long time fans who will instantly recognize their favorites from past DW titles. Of course if you never liked DW's rock/techno music to begin with there is not much in here that will change your mind.OverallWhile Dynasty Warriors 8 Empires does not revolutionize the series nor cure all of its problems , it does address the biggest issue that plague the typical DW game: repetition by adding much needed strategy elements and allowing the player a lot more freedom in how to play the game. Recommended

This is a solid Empires entry with some glitches here and there, though nothing game-breaking thus far. It doesn't run as smooth nor is it as polished as DW8XLCE, but I can assure you it's more than playable. I can't comment on the digital version, however. I'm referring to the physical version as that's what I bought and what I have to go on. The digital version could very well have separate issues but you'd have to read around and find out about any potential differences.Certain things were removed following DW7:E such as visiting towns for purchasing items, which has instead been replaced by a simple "purchase" list along with your other commands and strategy options. Primary fame types (Brave, Evil, Affluent, etc.) present in the last game also seem to have been done away with. But that may have been replaced by earning titles.But there were also some interesting additions. Such as the ability to have children or customize banners, soldiers or warhorses. You can also create custom units consisting of your own CaW officers as well as the aforementioned customizable stuff, then upload them online where they might appear in your scenario playthroughs or those of other players as invaders, vagabond units and so on. CaW was somewhat expanded upon with an age-slider, more equipment/outfits included in the base-game that I think were from some of the DW7:E DLC, and of course the new weapons and musou attacks in general.You can also perform quests for officers/rulers as a vagabond unit or free officer. Quests such as killing wolves, escorting and defending wagons, assaulting guards or merchants and so on. Each of which gives rewards and resources like materials, gold or troops.New stratagems were added as well with things like manually placing catapults, defensive arrow towers, etc. The stratagem system is also different this time around. You have a bunch of green bars above your health gauge that refill over time. Stratagems will cost 1, 2, 3 or maybe more of these little green bars in order to trigger during battle. The simpler ones are reusable and have cooldown periods, whereas the stronger ones may differ. I admit I haven't messed around with some of them.Overall I feel this is a side-step, but also half a step forward from the previous Empires game. Which is to say better than most follow-up sequels or spinoffs you'll generally see from other series. This is certainly one of the deeper games you'll find on PS4 at the moment.

This is a very good DW game delivered by TK, it's not the best, but a solid entry all the same.Graphics: The graphics to this game, pending on the moment range from being very good, to oh that is so last gen, overall they are not terrible, and the Warriors series has never been known for teh most awesome graphics. So I give it a 3/5. Good stuff, but there is already better looking games on your XONE.Gameplay: The overall game play is a mixture of ROTK and DW, there is a strategy phase, in which you can do various options depending on your rank in a empire( For instance recruiting troops, building facilities, such as a Smithy, Mine, or Academy) selling supplies, making donations etc. etc., and if you earn the rank of or start out as a Marshal/Strategist/ or Ruler(That is right, with enough loyal service, someone may step down and make you a ruler) you can take over, or defend territories(cities) along the way, you will most likely also do quests(such as defending the traders, assassinating a official, robbing the stockades etc. etc.) in which you will earn some kind of title/reputation(Like desperado etc.) pending on what you do, also certain things you do may earn you titles as well(For instance if you in a lot of defending battles, you will earn a title, also stat boosts on occasions.) and put all that with the new stratagem system(which takes place of your officers having a special ability, and a lot of the special cards you used to have in the strategy part of the game, go back and play DW4E you'll find out what I am talking about, and you have a pretty solid addition to the series, like someone said, it is slow, but overall it is still fun and a very good game. 4/5 here. Really good, especially if you are a fan of both ROTK, and the DW series, but yeah a tad slow(pending on the role you play) for a DW game.Controls: For the most part solid, fast and responsive, the only thing I do not care for is doing stratagems, but even that is not enough for me to truly knock it. Overall, not bad at all. 5/5Problems/Bugs: I have encountered on occasions slow downs, mainly when trying to buy items from the shps, in addition, I have suffered a few crashes.Overall Score: 3+4=7+5=12 when divided by 3 = 4 so a 4/5 game0= Take it out and burn it1= poor effort2= Average3= Good4= Very Good5= Classic

this is what the Dynasty Warriors series should have been from the jump. DW9 Empires takes it to the next level but this is still a solid little game on its own.