Holy crap, is this game fun! It has been the primary thing I've been doing all weekend and likely through the coming weeks. This is the best game purchase I have made in a long time, made all the sweeter by the game exchanges that significantly reduced the price. But enough of that babbling, let's take a look!
I'll be honest, I'm not all that familiar with the Dynasty Warriors series or any games of it's type. I rented Dynasty Warriors 6 several months back and I didn't care for it much, mainly because I disliked how the story was told and how restricting the initial selection was. When researching Empires (I always research games; impulse purchases inevitably give me grief), I found that it was much different.
There is no constricting and unclear narrative as you focus from one character to the next. You choose a character, be they a Ruler, an Officer, or a freelance Vagrant who can pick their liege at will, and set out to conquer China in the name of your master/self! It's almost like a game of Risk, except with many factions and hack-and-slash gameplay replacing dice rolls.
Of course, one cannot simply sweep across the map non-stop. You need to wait every so often to let your troops build up, have non-battle events like forming friendships, and doing the odd mercenary job for extra money. Non-battle events happen on your behalf while they are specifically selected by Officers and Vagrants. Naturally, Rulers don't need to form friendships to get allies as Officers do; they already have allies... although there's always a chance of defection.
Merc jobs are only available to Officers and Vagrants, although Rulers can indirectly receive their benefits. For example, an Officer might go out and directly battle some bandits and receive a cash reward, while a Ruler might have an Officer report that the bandits have been defeated and get better annual income due to safer roads. It's a good break from outright war and adds a more "kingdom" aspect to your domain.
The main gameplay, outside the main map screen, is hack-and-slash gameplay following control point principles and a core regicide objective. You protect your own bases while taking those of the enemy; once you take the main camp, you force the leader out onto the field to take him out. Eliminate the leader to win and fail if you or your own leader are defeated. Different bases can influence the battle in relatively unnoticable ways, but taking over Supply Bases can significantly tip the balance, due to the "rally allies, demoralize enemies" effect... "Battle Meditation", for those who get the reference.
The player, as well as other generals, has multiple techniques for battling enemies. Upgrading weapons and those of one's allies can add straight-up damage boosts, innate effects like "Balance" (advantage during weapon deadlocks), or activated powers like "True Speed", "Recover", or "Taunt". Officers who have done various merc missions, as well as Rulers who have ascended from such a position, can get various innate effects like a single free "Rockfall" when they first meet an enemy general.
I've been babbling a lot about the actual gameplay, so I get you are wondering what modes are available. There is Empire Mode... and that's about it for the actual gameplay. Granted, there are different campaigns based on different time periods, including a completely randomized "Land In Chaos" scenario, but there aren't any quick-play options of any sort. If you play a game, you better be ready for an extended campaign and nothing less.
That isn't to say that Empire Mode isn't the only option from the main menu. Excluding the standard Options menu, there is Edit Mode, wherein you can create your own legendary warrior out of unlocked or downloaded customization options. Aside from "Xi Mao" (a Chinese equivalent of "Kima", if you can't tell), I've made an array of female CACs, primarily because very few females exist in the original roster.
There are two other modes available, including the Archives, where non-CAC unlockables can be purchased and viewed (voices, pictures, videos, etc), and the Encyclopedia, where the history and story of the game is presented in a concise fashion. Want to know who did what when and was linked to who? All there. In other words, if the original story matters to you but you don't want to buy a new game or check out the original source material (Romance of the Three Kingdoms), then this is where you go.
And... that just about wraps it up. I like this game a lot. Quite fun. Oh, and Meng Huo is one of the awesomest character ever!
Subject: Kima Review: Dynasty Warriors 6 Empires 
Mon Aug 10, 2009 7:07 am
