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List Price: $29.99
Sale Price: $19.25
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It's overpriced.
Wait, before you lambaste me, let me explain. I played the PSP version extensively, hours and hours on end, got farther than I even remember getting. I didn't like it at first, thought it didn't have that Dynasty Warriors feel, and that KOEI or Tecmo was trying too hard to make the game difficult, thinking the increased challenge would improve the game's value. Sadly, that's the polar opposite thing to do if the game itself isn't fun. It's really not fun, until after you've had a chance to build up your character to some decent levels to where you can fight off enemies without dying at every turn, then the game turns it up a notch and you really can unleash some doom.
Those who have not played the game, skip to the very bottom. I've got something for you.
The PS3/360 versions of this game, despite what others might tell you, are 100% identical in gameplay to the PSP version. Meaning if you've played the PSP version, you already know what to expect on this version; from Bi Xie to Yellow Thunder to the Phoenix to the Yellow Turban battles...all are perfectly identical to the PSP version. That's both a good and a bad thing it's good in that if you liked the PSP version you'll like the next gen versions if you can excuse the fact that the graphics are clearly PS2-ish. It's bad in that really, these versions of the games should be 30 bucks AT MOST. I can actually tell you the reason they cost more.
The PSP version supported multiplayer via adhoc, meaning if you and a couple of buddies all had PSPs in the same room, you could set up an adhoc network and go at it that way...think of it as a wireless System Link setup. The PS3 and 360 versions take this a step further by using the PlayStation Network / Xbox Live to allow friends to battle online together, up to four at any given time (Which I find to be a bit overkill, more on that later). This is definitely a cool feature; even the demo lets you do this to get a taste of what it would be like, and if you've got friends who are on the fence because "it doesn't feel like Dynasty Warriors", you should introduce them to this mode and I guarantee they'll be hooked. The PS3 obviously gets a slight nod here for being free to play online, but it's clear that they added a $20 premium to the game because of the online gameplay. That's their prerogative, but it's really infuriating.
Before you ask, no, you can't cross platform. Meaning you can't use your PS3 version to connect with a friend that has the 360 version. When you want to set up online, you'll create your own "online city", and then invite a friend to that city. The invite is sent within your friends list or within the ID system of the PlayStation Network, up to three friends can join. You can't send invites via email, for example, and there doesn't seem to be any other way to send these invites, so no cross platforming, which is okay. Latency is definitely an issue; I have a NASA-quality connection of 20Mbps down/2Mbps up, and my connection was fine, but my friend had 7Mbps down and probably 512Kbps up, and I noticed him stuttering at times. It didn't detract from the experience with just the two of us, but keep in mind that most of these types of peer-to-peer networks will generally use the lowest connection speed to determine the experience, so if you've got four people going to battle, make sure they've got good internet.
Speaking of the number of people, I mentioned earlier that I've played the PSP version extensively. I've played that version by myself, never did multiplayer (my friends are not local), and I got pretty far by myself. I also mentioned that there will come a point where you can handle any scenario thrown at you, for the most part. Because of this, you could look at the difficulty level like this:
1 person: Extreme at first, Tough after gaining some levels, but not impossible nor a breeze
2 people: Tough at first, still tough after gaining levels, but eventually you'll breeze through things
3 people: Tough at first, a breeze thereafter
This is because of the nature of the game. With the exception of a select few stages where you have to pass objectives to open the path forward, for the most part you could do little more than speed to the bonus objective, pass that, then kill the final general and get mass amounts of points. Lather-rinse-repeat on the same stage, and eventually you'll be at a level where you can dominate your enemy. Two people make this even easier; the experience and items you gain in multiplayer carry over to the single player and vice versa from what I can tell. I might be incorrect in this assessment, but it appears as though the character increases are cumulative. My friend and I are waiting for a significant price drop and then we'll be buying copies to test that theory, but that's what it looks like.
HAVEN'T EVER PLAYED THE GAME?
That's okay. What I said above still applies; it's overpriced. If you've at least played Dynasty Warriors you already know what to expect in terms of selecting a fighter and going out to fight hordes of mindless minions. What Strikeforce does is challenge the way you accomplish the task by presenting it like a cross between a role playing game and Dragon Ball Z. If that sounds confusing, don't feel bad...it's an odd mixture. You'll pick your character, and you select quests at a message board in the town. These quests vary from bandit defeat to saving peasants. Each time you complete a quest you'll be rewarded with experience and money, which both can be used to build up your character. You can also acquire materials in the battle which are used, in conjunction with the money, to build and buy accessories or enhance your weapons. Each warrior has two weapons, a primary and a secondary, to use in battle, and generally the primary is the stronger of the two. The secondary weapon is almost always faster and lighter, and more effective against wizards and the like, though that doesn't stop you from using it other places.
You can obtain accessories that will enhance your abilities even further. Those who remember Dynasty Warriors 3 and 4 might remember the various elements that were presented in the game. With these accessories, you'll be able to add these elements to your attacks. It might seem pointless, but these elements can mean the difference between total defeat and easy victory. Also, the Musou has been changed, to a two level style...the first is an "enraged" mode (thus the DBZ reference), the second is the actual Musou attack. In rage mode your attacks are significantly stronger, and if you have an element like fire on your weapon, your character might add projectiles to his/her standard attacks. While in rage mode your Musou bar will go down, so this should be saved for the most difficult of fights.
In town you can buy various items like meatbuns; they are sometimes found out in the field, but you'll observe in this game that the level of difficulty makes it almost a requirement for you to buy items beforehand. If you try to rely on what's in the field, you'll find yourself face down frequently. While you do get 3 lives (instead of the instant death of the previous games), you will find some quests that will fail you after one death, so better safe than sorry: spend the cash and get some meat buns. There are other items that enhance your weapons as well.
The difficulty in the game is sincerely ramped versus other Dynasty Warriors. This is in part because the enemy generals can also go into rage mode, causing your attacks to not stun or knock them down, and their energy is often so high that repeated attacks don't appear to be doing much damage at all. There are also oversized "character helpers" throughout the game, like Lu Bu's Bi Xie, a giant lion, or the Yellow Turbans' Yellow Thunder, a giant mechanical lightning generator. These add to the difficulty by giving another way for you to die without even realizing it. You can't focus on the generals if these helpers are alive, so the game encourages you to take them out first, but doing so might cost you the bonus for that quest, so be careful.
Is it a bad game? Not at all. It's a lot of fun multiplayer. It's fun single player. But it's overpriced at retail. Definitely wait for a price drop before buying this, because unless you're just addicted to mindless fun, the game is just not fun enough to warrant its current price point, and despite what anyone tells you, besides the multiplayer it's the same exact game as the PSP version (currently available for 20 bucks).
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Lots of people have talked about the online and multiplayer aspect of this game. I'm not going to be one of them.
I bought this game pretty much when it was released, but got frustrated early on because of some insane difficulty. I didn't really want to play online, but wow, was it tough. Now, months later, I have rediscovered the game. And you know what? This is probably the most original DW title to date, with tons of good ideas, some of which aren't properly implemented.
First off:
The Good:
1) The giant bosses are great. Seriously, when siege weapons were introduced in DW4, this should have been the focus. It is a blast fighting through Yellow Thunder, or Bi Xie, or Tian Lu, etc. etc. In single player, you really have to work, but it's very satisfying to take down multiple generals and a giant statue breathing fire and thunder at you.
2) I love the fighting in the air. With the new "fury" state, you can really fly to new heights. Of course, the bosses can do the same, and it opens one of the biggest problems in the game, but the idea is sound.
3) The hack-and-slash action is as good as ever. The peons can fight now, so you'll have to mind yourself around them. The new enemies (such as tigers, arbalest cannons, and wall-mounted lasers) add to the enjoyment.
The Bad:
1) The weapons are way too unbalanced for a solo player. Sure, I love using Xiahou Dun's cudgel, but when it's crunch time, there's really only one choice: the bow. Nothing else really compares, as it offers a ranged, guided attack, allowing you to snipe from afar without getting into too much danger. The one negative is that the bow requires the lock-on function, which is just a nightmare, as I'll explain below.
2) The camera is more atrocious than ever. You will feel nauseous more than once as it swings around. Controlling it is a necessary function of the game, but wow, is it a pain. I imagine this comes from the fact that on a small screen, you wouldn't care nearly as much, but as the game was scaled, the camera wasn't compensated very well. Or something. Whatever the problem, it's horrible.
3) The lock-on function. Seriously, I can't imagine who designed this thing. While it's generally easy enough to lock onto an officer, it's impossible to move between normal targets. You can be sitting in front of a cannon, trying to lock onto it, and the lock-on will constantly target a solider in the distance. Unfortunately, if you're going to use the bow (and you will, if you play solo), you will need the lock-on at all times. Prepare for hell.
There are a lot of minor annoyances in this game as well. For example, some bonus objectives simply don't work the way they're supposed to. In one humorous instance, I killed almost 400 enemies for an objective that asked to kill only 100. I still failed the objective.
But all in all, this game provides some necessary overhaul to a decaying franchise. If KOEI would just put all of its ideas together, it would have a formidable game. As it stands, this is still a nice game, but it needs work.
Buy Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce Now
Just skip this series all together. Strike force is boring and has a lot of slowdowns. Other Dynasty Warriors games are better.
Read Best Reviews of Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce Here
This is a great change of pace to the usual Dynasty Warriors beat em up feeling. This actually offers an innovative feeling of customization, that makes this feel more like a plat former. Although it is not the best made game, it truly is a lot of fun, and even better to play online with your friends.
Want Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce Discount?
this DW game is much different from the rest puts a fun little twist in the gameplay good buy for any DW fan
