Game: Dynasty Warriors 2
Except as noted, all information is based on the North American release of the game.
| Title: | 真・三國無双 (Shin Sangoku Musou) [JP] Dynasty Warriors 2 [NA & EU] |
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| Developer: | Omega Force | Publisher: | KOEI |
| Platform: | Playstation 2 | Disc Type: | Compact DISC |
| Release: | 2000 [JP, NA, EU] | Players: | 1 |
| Controls: | Digital/Analog/Vibration | Memory Card: | 288kb (shows flag) |
| ESRB Rating: | Teen 13+ (animated violence) | ||
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Review of Dynasty Warriors 2
The true beginning of the fully 3D action/adventure Musou series. Painfully obsolete now, but a revolutionary PS2 launch title.
Introduction:
This is where it all really begins. It's clear that this game grew from the Dynasty Warriors title on the original Playstation (you can see it in the character designs and movesets), but the Japanese name "Shin Sangoku Musou" signifies the different direction this game takes (the previous game having been merely "Sangoku Musou"). In Japan, the series is numbered starting with this game: this is Shin Sangoku Musou (1), while Dynasty Warriors 3 is "Shin Sangoku Musou 2," and so on.
Anyway, this game was one of the first games available for the PS2, and it was the first in the series that I played, way back in late 2000. I remember vividly the first time I played it (Zhou Yu on Yellow Turbans), and I remember being so excited about it that I paused the game to go out and buy my own PS2 memory card, so I could keep my data separate from my brother's. (Still use that memory card, all the DW games are on it. :D) I remember haunting GameFAQs for weeks, waiting for someone to finish a strategy guide for it. I played the game to death. I loved everything about it.
Graphics:
At the time, this game was technically amazing, but comparison to the later games is inevitable, and inevitably unfair. Being used to DW4 or DW5, you would be astonished at how few enemies can be shown onscreen here, and slowdown is painfully frequent. Stages are extremely bare, yet well-designed (still say Chang Ban in this game's the best). Characters, however, are colorful and detailed, each design unique and memorable, though conservative compared to later games. The few CG scenes are quite nice, even after all this time.
Gameplay:
Gameplay hasn't changed much since DW2. You run around sealing gates, killing peons and generals, and... well, that's pretty much it. Each character has only one weapon, and there are no equippable items. Character stats can be improved by collecting the Attack Up and Defense Up items left by Gate Captains and generals, and the Musou Up and Life Up items in certain jars. Horses and bows and arrows are usable in this game. Locking swords with enemy generals first appears in this game. You earn points during gameplay, which determines your ranking and the number of extremely annoying super-powered bodyguards that follow you around. No, really, you thought they were annoying in the other games? They're horrible here. There's no way to control them, they always steal your kills, and they can even start out on horses. It's bad enough trying to kill Zhang Liao at He Fei with just two ally generals on horses blocking your view, never mind 8 bodyguards on horses. There are only three difficulty modes: Easy, Normal, and Hard.
Second-player play is not available in any mode. You have to wait for DW3 for that. In addition, you can only play as Diao Chan, Lu Bu, Dong Zhuo, Yuan Shao, and Zhang Jiao in Free Mode.
As already noted, characters from DW1 retain their movesets, with some adjustments. New characters are mostly clones of each other. Liu Bei, Sima Yi, Sun Quan, Sun Jian, Yuan Shao, Dong Zhuo, and Zhang Jiao all have exactly the same weapon and moveset. Gan Ning, Xiahou Yuan, and Huang Zhong also share weapons and movesets, and so do Jiang Wei and Ma Chao. It makes replaying the game with every character pretty boring. There's just no replay value, aside from maxing out character stats for the hell of it. The endings are all exactly the same, and of absolutely no interest. After a while, you'll have more fun playing with opening edit than playing the game itself (opening edit is just the same as it is in all the other games).
Sound:
In the sound department, the music is pretty much the same as in DW3 (or shall I say, DW3 took its music from DW2). The ending song, "Can't Quit This", is a eurobeat dance song, performed in Japanese by the popular band MOVE (who also does music for the anime series Initial D). It should be wholly inappropriate for the game, but it's so cool it doesn't matter. I'm biased, can you tell? :D As for voice acting, there isn't much, just the noises people make when whacked and short bits of dialogue in CG scenes. It's only in English, and it's rather poor. Thus began the tradition of calling Cao Cao "cow cow."
Story:
Concerning story, there's precious little. There's no character database or encyclopedia. Cutscenes and dialogue are few and far between, as are CG scenes. The manual does not get into the history and the novel behind the game (it's black and white and thin, not as useful as the DW1 manual). You could play this game endlessly and understand very little about what's going on. You could even remain totally unaware that this game was based on a novel and real Chinese history. It's a good thing the gameplay's addictive enough to make up for that.
In Summation:
The game only suffers when compared to the more recent sequels: despite its limitations, it was a highly addictive game, and it sold over a million units worldwide. It's a sign of how good the original concept remains that it's pretty much the same in all of its (equally successful) successors.
Last updated: 17 April 2008.