Lu Bu fans rejoice! Yourfavorite hack-and-slash adventure is now available in high definition.
“Dynasty Warriors 6,” developed by Omega Force for Koei, offers the same button mashing, cheesy dialogue and exotic characters from ancient China. And aside from a few tweaks and boosts prompted by the upgrade to new consoles, the T-rated game is pretty similar to the previous versions. If you’re a fan, you’ll love it. If you’re not, you can stop reading here.
As usual, you can select a character – from the powerful Lu Bu to the pompous Cao Cao – and re-live portions of the epic novel “Romance of the Three Kingdoms.” Although their personalities and story lines are basically the same, the characters have received makeovers, receiving new looks and in some cases new weapons.
Although the animations have been revamped, they still offer the over-the-top flair of previous versions. You can still wade into a throng of enemy warriors, swing your enormous club and send half of them flying. And in addition to unleashing explosive “Musou” attacks, you can link attacks together and increase your “Renbu Rank,” which increases the amount of damage you deal out.
Some of the biggest changes in game play involve interaction with the environment. Players can bash through gates, climb ladders, swim across canals and leap from walls. This makes it much easier to traverse the map if enemies suddenly appear in the distance.
A few elements have been streamlined. For example, you can no longer pick up magical items that allow you to upgrade your stats for later missions. And the method of selecting level upgrades has been revised to make it less confusing. And there are no longer any bodyguards.
Players still have the option of playing through the campaign mode — which changes depending on which character you choose — or playing any battle in free mode or playing mini games in challenge mode. Two-player co-op is available for the campaign and free modes.
The graphics have improved, but still haven’t attained the level seen in many other games. And, of course, the dialogue is sometimes over-wrought or goofy, and often cheesy. However, it wouldn’t be “Dynasty Warriors” without that.
Platforms: PlayStation3, Xbox 360
On the Web: www.koei.com/dw6/
