Dynasty Warriors 8

[Draconalis]

So... I've been reading "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" again... trying my best to get through the tough read by trying different version, (It's definitely going better now that certain names are correct and easier for me to identify) and it got me wondering when the next DW was going out.

So off to Google I ran, typed in "DW8" in hopes that I could be lazy... I could not. So... a pair of backspaces away, and I added "ynasty Warriors 8" before hitting enter.

Little did I realize how close the release actually is! So now I've been watching videos, clamoring for any bit of info I can get and periodically stopping into Gamestop for the official NA release.

I haven't been this excited for a game in a while, actually. I grew up with DW since playing the Campaign of Nanking on my PS1's Demo disc (Remember those!) over and over again till I got the full game that Christmas.

I have to say, I'm liking what I'm seeing, and frankly... I saw a video for Huang Gui's new weapon... "A boat" and nearly creamed my pants! Did I mention how I haven't been this excited for a game in a while? That video cranked it to 11.

Why! Oh why isn't there an official release so I can pay it off rather that put a down payment?

How about you? Excited? Burned out? What are you looking forward too?

 

[Draconalis]

Maybe this will get someone interested in the conversation...

 

[Glover09]

Sorry, but while it looks good, it doesn't appear to have changed much from...any of the others. I know this is a money maker fo Koei, but RTK and the Warriors series' just seem to be much of the same, more Warriors than RTK for obvious reasons. Not my cup of tea I guess.

Granted, Warship Gunner 2 isn't all that much different.

 

[Jamash]

I've been a fan of the series since Dynasty Warriors 2, having bought every game through to Dynasty Warriors 7 (and Samurai Warriors 1 & 2, Warriors Orochi 1 & 2 and Bladestorm), but unfortunately I'm not getting my hopes up for Dynasty Warriors 8 unless it's properly localised with English voice overs (which it many not do if WO3 is anything to go by).

For me, a lot of the appeal of the Dynasty Warriors series has been the diverse list of colourful characters, protagonists who's character is mostly conveyed by their voices. Without the usual and hammy English voice overs, the game loses most of it's character and soul... the Japanese voice overs sound bland, monotone and are largely indistinguishable to my ears at best (or painfully annoying in the cases of the high-pitched, mainly female Japanese voices).

Even if I could tolerate the Japanese voice overs and easily distinguish between each character, I would have trouble following the game as it would be difficult for me to pay proper attention to frequent subtitles (as there's a lot of banter the series) whilst concentrating on the action (which is funny because I actually quite like Japanese cinema and can happily follow a actual film with subtitles, just not video games or cartoons). Also, apparently the subtitling is quite lazy in Warriors Orochi 3 and doesn't fully convey the actual words or conversations being spoken in Japanese, or provides multiple different subtitles for the exact same spoken phrase.

I did actually download the Japanese Voice Over pack for Dynasty Warriors 7 to see if I could get on with them, but I couldn't at all, which is a shame for me, as this has been one of my favourite series, but if I can't understand the words and if all characters sound homogenised to me, then I wouldn't want to play it. I'd enjoy the gameplay, but it would be a shallow remnant of enjoyment I derived from previous games and ultimately an empty experience.

On a brighter note, Huang Gai's Iron Boat/Arm Blade weapon was released as DLC for Dynasty Warriors 7 and it's an awesome weapon. It's very overpowered and unbelievably silly, but it's a lot of fun if you don't mind being able to instantly kill 30+ peons and officers by surfing on a magically conjured wave.

 

[King of Wei]

More excited for DW7 Empires. It looks like the closest they've gotten to a perfect Romance/Dynasty warriors hybrid.

 

[Tony2077]

i can't wait for 8 i plan to play 7 again soon after i finish my .hack GU play through. i didn't mind the none english thing for wo3 having gotten used to it in record of agreast war series

 

[Vivec93]

I've been a huge Dynasty Warriors fan since I was kid. It's the series that got me into gaming. Unfortunately I don't have a PS3 and I can't buy it or Dynasty Warriors 7 Empires since I only have a 360. It seems to me that Koei is just passing us,360 gamers, by and just focusing on the PS3. If it was coming out on the 360 I would buy DW:8 and DWE:7 in a heartbeat.

 

[Vandenberg1]

Yes, I loved the Dyansty Warriors games since 4, but I did hate how they killed the models and weapons for characters in 6. I didnt get 7 but 8 maybe good enough for me to get addicted again..I wish they made the enemies a bit smarter anddidnt make the soldiers sound like asian chicks when they get smacked

 

[Vivec93]

*SIGH*

Dynasty Warriors gets an eigth entry....

While Kingdom Under Fire, the game that did what Dynasty Warriors never did/wouldn't do (integrate actual unit control and tactics with high count hack and slashery) struggles to get even one sequel of it's sort since the days of the original Xbox. Just ain't fair...

Kingdom Under Fire was an awesome game, I still can't beat Kendal or Regnir's campaigns. To be fair I think they did try to what you're saying with Bladestorm: The Hundred Year War but it didn't get much attention though so I guess they didn't think it was worth it. Also whatever happened to Kingdom Under fire 3 did it get canned or something?

 

[redmoretrout]

I used to love Dynasty Warriors, but kinda lost interest in the series this console generation. Maybe I've taken a long enough break to get back into the games though. Didn't they make a spinoff based on the Iliad instead of Romance of the Three Kingdoms? I would certainly be interested in trying that one. (Anyone out there know the name of it?)

 

[ChupathingyX]

For those curious all known information about DW8 can be found here [http://s13.zetaboards.com/koeiwarriors/topic/6986755/1] along with the main website.

So far DW8 is shaping up to be DW7 but better in almost every way and I hope that's how it turns out.

 

[Vivec93]

*SIGH*

Dynasty Warriors gets an eigth entry....

While Kingdom Under Fire, the game that did what Dynasty Warriors never did/wouldn't do (integrate actual unit control and tactics with high count hack and slashery) struggles to get even one sequel of it's sort since the days of the original Xbox. Just ain't fair...

Kingdom Under Fire was an awesome game, I still can't beat Kendal or Regnir's campaigns. To be fair I think they did try to what you're saying with Bladestorm: The Hundred Year War but it didn't get much attention though so I guess they didn't think it was worth it. Also whatever happened to Kingdom Under fire 3 did it get canned or something?

Fell off the face of the Earth, i think.

And I actually don't HATE the Musou series, I had a great time with them up to about Samurai Warriors 2. It's just that when I played KuF: The Crusaders I yelled after an hour "I can actually keep control of my units, I can customize my army, I can use different weapons, why isn't Dynasty/Samurai Warriors doing stuff like this?!"

That's too bad that trailer they showed for it got me really hyped for it.

The Dynasty Warriors series for me is in the right place, although I wouldn't mind some changes every now just to keep things fresh. Dynasty Warriors is just one of those games where I don't have overthink it and just go crazy with it. It's one of the reasons I keep buying them as long it isn't exclusive for the PS3 like DWE: 7 and DW:8 are. If you do want something like Kingdom under Fire go for Bladestorm: The Hundred Year War made by the same people who did Dynasty Warriors. It's basically a poor mans KOF. Not much of an endorsement I know, but it's a good game.

 

[Beffudled Sheep_v1legacy]

Hmm I never did get into DW but then again the games were never sold in my local gameshops when I was younger. I loved me some Bladestorm though.

Might check this new one out one day.
Would I be missing anything if I don't play 1 - 7?

 

[Darks63]

Not really too interested it seems like the series has gotten steady worse since after 4. Every new game seems to go away from the char specific mutsu mode to the faction mode which feels less cool and the cycle of buffing chars in one game and then making them crap in the next sucks also. id be more excited for a SW that's not on the Wii.

 

[ChupathingyX]

Hmm I never did get into DW but then again the games were never sold in my local gameshops when I was younger. I loved me some Bladestorm though.

Might check this new one out one day.
Would I be missing anything if I don't play 1 - 7?

They all tell the same core story and the core gameplay is all the same (with the exception of DW1 which was a 2D fighting game). However, all the little nuances, individual stories, overall designs, some weapons, modes and a bunch of other details are different between all of the instalments. Most people seem to consider DW3 and 4 to be their favourites (4 is my personal favourite) so if you can find them I'd say give 'em a go. You should also check out DW5 if you get the chance; it improved on DW4 in many notable areas and has some of my favourite moments even if there were some things about it that were inferior to 4.

Also, if you liked Bladestorm you could check out the Kessen games which feature similar gameplay.