Short And Sweet Review: Dynasty Warriors 7 Xtreme Legends

The Dynasty Warriors series is one of gaming's most over-saturated franchises, next to the Call of Duty and Assassins Creed series'.  It's praised in Japan, but on the west side its been getting the cold shoulder.  On the plus side, where else could you obliterate 1000 enemies in a matter of minutes.  This one fact has kept me enthused to keep trying these generic hack and slash games.


Presentation:
Presentation has always been one of my biggest gripes about the game, the game has a lot of pop in and texture issues. The environments render fine, but if you're not keeping a keen eye on your map as you're running around various environments, expect to be snuck-up on by random enemies. It never has been one of those games that took advantage of the next generation consoles. It still looks like a impressive PS2 game. The voice work is unbearable at times, repeating lines happen all too often and will start to drive you crazy during these long battles. The usual over-the-top CGI sequences and attractive but still very forgettable.

Gameplay:

The Dynasty Warriors team makes no attempt to appeal to newcomers. This, it seems, is one for the fans. Yet it assumes they're prepared to pay just under full price for what is essentially an expansion pack.  Even at the discounted price, I still didn't want too pay the full price tag.  This entry is best of the series but you know thats not saying much.  The new Legend mode allows you to change officer at any time. As you finish stages, the dilapidated castle town that is your hub gradually comes to life, filling with villagers and key assistants, from a strategist whose war manuals boost your character's stats to a seal-crafting blacksmith.  Fans of the series know exactly what I'm talking about.

The already heaving roster boasts three new characters from the Wei dynasty.  The game already has a massive list of warriors, so three new characters won't change much.  Cover star Wang Yi, who's my favorite character of the game so far, wields a pair of trishula, three-pronged blades that cut a swathe through groups of soldiers with incredible speed and surprising power.  Another disappointment is the lack of new stages. A number of battlefields have simply been transposed from the previous game.  Otherwise, Xtreme Legends has the same strengths and weaknesses of the game that came before it.

Final Thoughts:

This DW is more or less the same game we've all come to love and hate at the same time.  There’s plenty of game here, but as we’ve seen so much of it before, Dynasty Warriors 7: Xtreme Legends still feels overpriced and generic.  

Final Score = 6.75/10