Game: Dynasty Warriors 3
Except as noted, all information is based on the North American release of the game.
| Title: | 真・三國無双２ (Shin Sangoku Musou 2) [JP] Dynasty Warriors 3 [NA & EU] |
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| Developer: | Omega Force | Publisher: | KOEI |
| Platform: | Playstation 2 | Disc Type: | DVD-ROM |
| Release: | 2001 [JP, NA], 2002 [EU] | Players: | 2 |
| Controls: | Digital/Analog/Vibration | Memory Card: | 200kb (shows Zhao Yun tossing a meatbun) |
| ESRB Rating: | Teen 13+ (mild language, violence) | ||
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Review of Dynasty Warriors 3
A high point in the series, with tons of new stages and characters, the introduction of weapons and items, and new modes of play.
Introduction:
It seems most fans started the series with this game, and I know that most fans name it their favorite, even above DW4 (whether DW5 will supercede it remains to be seen). Dynasty Warriors 2 was quite successful, but DW3 made the Dynasty Warriors series a hit and a bankable franchise.
Gameplay:
Building upon Dynasty Warriors 2, this game introduces 13 new characters and a whopping 15 new stages, two new gameplay modes, a set of four weapons for each character, equippable items, and even a data base.
The weapon system allows players to choose which weapon they can use in each battle. There's four for each character (spear and sword users share first and second weapons). You start out with a weak first weapon, then acquire new weapons through gameplay (dropped by officers and boxes). Each weapon picked up has variable stat bonuses, except the fourth 'ultimate' weapon which has fixed bonuses. The fourth weapons are obtainable only on Hard difficulty by fulfilling objectives.
There's a variety of equippable items: saddles for horses (and elephants), orbs that add elemental effects on weapons, and stat-enhancing items that vary in level. You get these items by defeating officers, opening boxes, or fulfilling certain objectives.
Stages are all redesigned and the important stages are larger than in DW2. Less important stages are much smaller, with shorter time limits (30 or 60 minutes, as opposed to the normal 90).
Bodyguards appear in this game too. Thankfully, you can adjust the number of them you bring in to battle with you. You can order them to attack aggressively or go on the defensive, but I personally have never a noticed a difference in behavior.
The greatest thing about the third installment is being able to play split-screen with a friend, cooperatively in Musou Mode and Free Mode, and against each other in VS (Versus) Mode. Though this can make pop-up and slowdown quite bad, it's still mad fun. I'd say this is the strongest point of the series, because action games where you can play cooperatively with friends are pretty rare. It's nice to be working together with, instead of against, a friend. It certainly helps with getting fourth weapons. :D
The other new mode, Challenge Mode, has two challenges: Time Attack (kill 100 enemies as quickly as possible) and Endurance (kill as many enemies as you can). When you complete a challenge, you receive a code which you can input online to be ranked alongside other fans.
One other thing: archers suck. If it's been a while since you played DW3, you've probably forgotten how much they suck. They suck a lot. Just sayin'.
Characters:
A pleasing number of new characters, and all of them pretty cool. Like Toukichi and Nobunaga in DW1, Fu Xi and Nu Wa are not from the Three Kingdoms novel that the rest of the game is based on — they are figures from Chinese mythology. They do not appear in any other games, though their weapons and movesets are available in other games' Edit Modes (CAW).
As for the returning characters, they're all redesigned with new costumes, still recognizable from the previous games. In DW2 'clone' characters (sharing the same weapons and movesets) were a problem; here each has his moves tweaked to differentiate them. Sima Yi trades in his sword for a fan.
If your memory card contains DW2 data, you will start out with 15 characters instead of 9. Later games also use previous game data like this.
Graphics:
Graphically, there is distinct improvement. CG scenes are polished and more frequent; stages are less bare; characters are even more detailed and colorful. Slowdown is common in split screen, but the worse problem is pop-up — in a large group of soldiers, you may see only half of them, and while you can't attack the invisible ones, they can hurt you. This is particularly bad when you're trying to kill off a general that's randomly disappearing and reappearing. It's better than DW2, certainly, but there's still a long way to go.
Voice Acting:
In this, DW3 is better than every other non-expansion pack DW game, because you are given a choice between Japanese and English voice acting. And thank God they did, because the English voice acting is atrocious. Not just bad pronunciation, but really bad performances — but let us concentrate instead on how well-cast the Japanese voice actors are and how enthusiastically they perform their roles. There's no real big-name names among the Japanese voice actors, though you may recognize some of them from other roles in various anime and video games. I'd say among them all, Masaya Onosaka as Zhao Yun and Zhuge Liang is one of the best. His soothingly soft Zhuge Liang voice, and adorably earnest Zhao Yun voice, are just great. What range.
Music:
Musically, this game excels. I sometimes hear people complain that the music isn't appropriate to the game, saying that traditional Chinese music would be more appropriate than upbeat rock tunes. I think they're crazy. A game about kicking ass should have kick-ass music, and electric guitars suit this endeavor perfectly. The game tracks are improved versions of songs from DW2, plus some new tracks. Standouts are "The Men of Intelligence," "Endless Fight," and "Gravity." The ending song, "Circuit" performed in Mandarin Chinese by Yo Hitoto, is a lilting, seductive melody, and provides an opportunity for female characters (and even some male) to sing and dance during the ending sequence.
Sundry Observations:
The ending sequences are much better than the cheap CG cop-outs in DW2. Using in-game graphics, it shows the winning kingdom's heroes relaxing together, and scenes vary slightly each time you beat the game. Amusing scenes, such as Zhou Yu and Sun Ce performing "Circuit," Jiang Wei and Zhao Yun dancing before a bonfire, and Zhuge Liang getting drunk, are just some of the ones I've seen. There's also a secret ending for the Other characters, obtainable by holding down all shoulder buttons and hitting "Replay" under Options —> Opening Edit.
Speaking of which, the opening edit is quite nifty. My personal favorite.
In-game cutscenes, stage progression, and CG movies actually convey a recognizable story in this game, though it lacks personalization. What I mean is, characters run through basically the same sequence of 7 stages as everyone else in their kingdom. It's not as bad as Musou Mode in DW4, but DW4:XL and DW5 prove that they can do more with personal storylines. Thankfully, Koei provides a character database this time around, so that people can look up short character profiles for every officer in the game. (Though they're not nearly as nice as mine, ohohoho.)
Last updated: 17 April 2008.