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Dynasty Warriors 6 is the latest in the long line of Dynasty Warriors titles from KOEI, and the first to be designed with the Xbox 360 and PS3 in mind rather than being ported from other systems. The Dynasty Warriors brand has also spawned spin-off franchises such as Samaria Warrior and Samurai Warrior: Katana. While rather popular, and frequently enjoyable, the Dynasty Warr

The Musou Attacks are impressive, and fulfilling. Luckily they can’t be abused because you must build up energy during combat. To build up your Musou, you chain together kills. The more kills in a row, the more powerful and flashy your Musou attack is. While adding another level to the combat system, the Musou also removes standard Dynasty Warriors combos from the mix. Gone are the days of alternating from high to low hits to chain your combos tegether.

This hack-and-slash style of gameplay can be a blast, but it really depends on your particular tastes. If mashing a singular button to destroy enemy ranks sounds a bit repetitive, then this may not be for you. On the other hand, if effortlessly cutting a swath through the ranks of an opposing army and occasionally busting out a spectacular super move to lay waste to your foes sounds fun, then it probably will be. It’s a matter of taste.

The combat is also supplemented by motion capture from “some of Asia’s leading stunt performers”. This adds a level of realism to the characters that is difficult to recreate without using motion capture, and at least shows me that KOEI and Omega Force made real efforts to deliver a quality product.

Graphically Dynasty Warriors 6 falls a little short. It does run at sixty frames per second, and the character models are detailed, but it still feels like a first generation title. I should note that there are hordes of characters on screen with minimal slowdown, and the lighting effects can be rather impressive. I have just come to expect a bit more.

Dynasty Warriors 6 is based on the epic novel, Romance of the Three Kingdoms. It depicts the epic battles ignited by the fall of the Han Dynasty when three rebellious states moved to overthrow the Emperor of China. With such a rich idea to build off, DW6 always has the potential to feel epic. Unfortunately much of the story from Romance of the Three Kingdoms will be lost to those who are not already familiar with the story, characters, and locations.

The voice acting sounds unprofessional, and does not deliver the epic feel that would make this story blossom. Also a bit more verbal explanation on what’s going on would have been nice for those not already familiar with the overall story. It would have been better if the dialogue would have been in the original tongue. This would have avoided a poor English dub, and felt the story feel more authentic.

There is quite a bit of leveling for each character. You can easily spend around five hours playing through with each character, and probably more if you take your time. Each character reveals more of the overall story, and can be fully leveled up individually of each other. The co-op mode is great, but I really wish it would have made it online, and the challenge mode will keep you coming back to beat your best times for at least a while.

From a purely ascetic view, Dynasty Warriors 6 should be avoided. You have a bit of slowdown here and there, and graphical blemishes such as pop-in are common. To be honest I was expecting more. Now if you can look past average to slightly below average graphics, and enjoyed previous Dynasty Warriors games, you will want to go out and buy this one. There is enough substance to keep you happy for a while, and the new Musou attack system will give you something new.

For the rest of us, you may or may not enjoy it. If you are a fan of tried and true hack-and-slashing, then you won’t be let down. If you need more substance, and tire quickly with hack-and-slashing, then skip DW6; you have plenty of other options that are just as good and may fit you better.

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