Dynasty Warriors (PSP) Review (no fat)

Game Description

At the end of the Han Dynasty, three lords are vying for power. As a warrior, you must choose which faction you wish to fight for and help them achieve victory over the other factions. Only when you have destroyed the other factions and captured their bases can you finally be at rest, having won China for your faction!

Dynasty Warriors PSP - Gameplay

The way this version of the game is played differs very much from how the versions, which were on the PS2 were played, this version has a style of playing which feels more like chess, with more strategy involved than its predecessors. For example you have the map which you move your army in, you have to reason which way to move your army, because if you leave a square undefended it could allow another army to get by you and capture one of your depots, lowering the time you have to complete the game.

You also have to choose which officers you use in each battle, adding another element of strategy to the game, since the officers have their own abilities which aid you in your battles, and they also get stronger as the game progresses.

Dynasty Warriors has definitely lost the feature which allowed us to equip our characters with weapons picked up from battles, as items and treasures are no longer littered on the battle field. Character development is also severely limited in this game, so overall many of the key features which previously marked this series have been removed.

The game does boast many good points though. For starters, there is a lot more variation in the game, such as the character selection. There are over 40 characters to choose between and the other elements of variation include, officers which you choose to help you throughout the levels. The choice of Factions is also an interesting matter.

Dynasty Warriors PSP – The Factions

There are three different factions vying for power in Dynasty Warriors, you are able to play for each of these factions, they are called: Kingdom of Shu, Kingdom of Wei, Kingdom of Wu. Each of these factions have different officers for you to use which can give you different effects and aid you in your battles.

Dynasty Warriors PSP Camera and Controls

The camera lets Dynasty Warriors down. It is often awkward and hides enemies off the map. To add to the nuisance created by the awkward camera angles, the way that the map is structured is not too cool either. No matter how hard you try, a set of enemy troops nearly always manages to get past you, even though you might think you’ve destroyed them all. This proves to be a big pain in later levels, when the game becomes much harder, and the last thing you need is to lose a depot, which could mean the difference between a victory or a humiliating defeat.

The controls are not very helpful either, because you lose a lot of the maneuverability which you enjoyed with the analogue pad on the PS2… however, new visitors to the game (… or diehard Dynasty Warriors fans) might not feel that and we might be proved wrong yet.

Dynasty Warriors PSP- Audio

The audio is poor. Period. It is generally a mix of dying enemies and rock music which never changes. Even when you finish a stage there is no alteration in the music (read ‘noise’). All this adds up to make the game sound very bland.

Dynasty Warriors PSP – The Graphics

The game looks like it is being played on a console, the graphics are really well done. However, it’s the camera again that spoils the show. A lot of the time your enemies just go off screen and you can't locate them until they hit you, making the battles much harder than they should be.

Dynasty Warriors PSP – Summing Up

If you are after a button bashing game with some strategy then this is probably the game for you, if however you aren't really into the strategy side, you would probably be better off if you stayed clear of the game.

Dynasty Warriors PSP - Cost

Dynasty Warriors on the PSP retails at and RRP of $49.99.